"The Atomic Mr. Basie" (originally titled "Basie", but also known as "E=MC2") is one of Count Basie’s most famous, and most critically acclaimed albums. The success of the 1957 LP allowed the bandleader to regain the popularity and financial prosperity that had eluded him during previous years.

The early Fifties proved a bad period for big bands, and for economic reasons many leaders were forced to disband their orchestras and organize smaller formations. The Atomic Mr. Basie, with brilliant compositions and arrangements by Neal Hefti and a propulsive band full of splendid soloists, was such a success that the leader’s orchestra was able to continue as a result.

The album received a four-and-a-half-star rating in Down Beat, with Dom Cerulli writing that, “It seems somehow significant to me that the bristling heads of the early Basie band were so unique and free that arrangers sought for years to capture their spirit on paper. Now the full circle is run, and the spontaneity of the heads has given way to the creative talents of arrangers (in this case, Neal Hefti, who scored the entire set). Basie deserves this kind of recording. It could have been better, but not much. Recommended.”

The LP received five stars in All Music Guide, with Bruce Eder saying that the album, “took Basie’s core audience and a lot of other people by surprise, as a bold, forward-looking statement within the context of a big-band recording.” The Atomic Mr. Basie won the “Best Jazz Performance”, “Group”, and “Best Performance by a Dance Band” awards at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards.

(*) Bonus track: from the same sessions, but not included on the original LP.