The mood of this excellent disc is summed up in its title and
the nostalgic picture on the cover. It is one of the sad features
of life that so many lidos have disappeared from our seaside
towns. The present picture is from a London & North Eastern
Railway poster advertising Clacton-on-Sea Butlin’s Holiday Camp.
Alas, this camp closed in 1983 and I guess that all traces of
the lido have long disappeared. Yet, one can recover the fun
and the sun of holidays past in the tracks on this disc.
I usually divide the musical content of ‘light’ music into two
parts. Firstly, there are the arrangements of other works –
often songs from the shows, film music and sometimes even the
classics. And then there are the pieces that were especially
written and provided with evocative titles. These may be ‘concert’
pieces or used in newsreels or documentaries. Both ‘genres’
appear on this CD
Considering first the arrangements, the proceedings get off
to a sunny start with music from the film Monte Carlo
– ‘Beyond the Blue Horizon’. Then George Gershwin provides the
tune for an upbeat version of ‘Love is Sweeping the Country’
played by the ever-popular Frederick Fennell and his Orchestra.
There is great brass work here and good percussion too. Borodin’s
contribution to popular music is his unforgettable ‘Stranger
in Paradise’ which all music snobs know was taken from the opera
Prince Igor. ‘Thanks for the Memory’ and ‘Adios’ are
given a characteristic swing by Geoff Love and his orchestra.
Gigi is a film that has captured the hearts of young
and old for more than fifty years: the Parisian magic is created
by the main theme played here. ‘Perfidia’ by the Mexican Alberto
Borras Dominguez is perfectly fitted to this particular faithless,
treacherous and false lady.
Richard Rodgers ‘The Most Beautiful Girl in the World’ is given
an attractive and slightly ‘dipsy’ treatment. And ‘Then you
may take me to the Fair’ from Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot
is powerfully treated. I am not sure whether Cliff Friend and
Charles Tobias’ ‘Time waits for Me’ is an arrangement, but it
is a good, romantic tune. I did not know the music from the
film The Rebel which was composed by Frank Cordell.
Certainly in ‘Oo-La-La’ the sights and sounds of a typical Parisian
evening are effectively created. The theme from the cult film
The Singer not the Song that starred Dirk Bogarde and
John Mills has a sultry Spanish mood.
The mood pieces begin with the master of syncopation Leroy Anderson’s
Belle of the Ball. Even a flat-footed person like me
would like to dance with her. Our own George Martin of Beatles
fame has written an upbeat Serenade to Double Scotch
that parodies Caledonian music and is a million miles away from
A Hard Day’s Night. Great stuff - with a little stagger
too. I do not know who or what Cumana by Barclay Allen
and Roc Hillman, is or was – but this is a hard hitting piece
of light music that has a touch of Spanish and a lot of percussion.
Fortunately Cyril Watters calms the mood down with his romantic
Willow Waltz. Romance is in the air again with Percy
Faith’s Bouquet: this is certainly a love song written
for a beautiful lady. Spending Spree by Andy Burlow
was written before the advent of the flexible friend, but we
get the gist of this fast-moving walk down Regent Street – or
Deansgate, Manchester. I can just see the ladies and gentlemen,
laden with parcels emerging from the doors of Liberty’s or Kendall
Milne’s. Angela Morley has restored us to innocence with her
chirpy Nurseryland. Good part for bassoon here. Pat
Beaver and Tony King allow us to be On the Loose again:
hopefully not spending too much more money. This is a hugely
upbeat piece that evokes all kinds of mental images of days
gone by. I do not know who Vanessa was, but the way
that Bernie Wayne portrays her she does seem a little wayward.
However, there is a touch of romance in her too. Steve Race
has created an image of holidays in the Mediterranean with his
gorgeous Faraway Music. I guess the balalaika situates
it somewhere in Greece? Sometimes we just have to head back
to base. Robert Farnon’s Strolling Home presents an
image of someone who is not quite sure that the fun for the
evening is over. Periwinkle by Frank Sterling is pure
fun. Jeunesse is a piece that has youth at heart: Anthony
Mawer writes a number that is both optimistic and a touch wistful.
Light music enthusiasts will all know Edward White’s Runaway
Rocking Horse and he has achieved a similar fresh open
air piece of music with his Romance in the Breeze.
Finally David Rose (of The Stripper fame) has given
holiday music to beat all holiday music - Holiday for Strings.
This piece epitomises the excitement of heading off in the Ford
Anglia or on the Cornish Riviera Express for the annual fortnight
by the sea. All the hopes and dreams of fun and romance are
here. A great conclusion to a fine section of music.
Most of these works were recorded in the late fifties and early
sixties. Many of them are in ‘stereo’. David Adès has done an
excellent job in ‘re-pristinating’ these tracks which have been
gleaned from a wide variety of records. He also provides the
outstanding liner-notes. All the details of the pieces, their
composers (though, I do wish they would give the dates for all
the composers) and arrangers are present and correct. This is
yet another fine addition to the ever increasing number of CDs
in ‘The Golden Age of Light Music’ series. Long may they continue!
John France
Track listing:
Leroy ANDERSON (1908-1975)
Belle of the Ball (1959) Leroy Anderson and his Orchestra
[2:33]
Richard WHITING (1891-1938)
W. Franke HARLING (1887-1958)
Beyond the Blue Horizon (from the film 'Monte Carlo')
(1961) Jack Shaindlin and his Orchestra [2:50]
George GERSHWIN (1898-1937)
‘Love is Sweeping the Country’ (1961) Frederick Fennell and
his Orchestra [2:32]
Alexander BORODIN (1833-1887)
arr. David CARROLL (1913-2008)
Dance of the Slave Maidens (also known as 'Stranger
in Paradise') (from 'Prince Igor') (1961) David Carroll and
his Orchestra [3:47]
Leo ROBIN (1900-1984) Ralph
RAINGER (1901-1942) ‘Thanks for the Memory’ (1958)
Geoff Love and his Concert Orchestra [2:19]
George MARTIN (b.1926) Serenade
to Double Scotch (1961) Ron Goodwin and his Orchestra [2:39]
Alan Jay LERNER (1918-1986)
Frederick LOEWE (1901-1988)
Gigi (Theme from the film) (1961) The Melachrio Strings
conducted by George Melachrino [2:54]
Barclay ALLEN,
Roc HILLMAN Cumana (1961) The Clebanoff
Strings and Percussion [3:15]
Cyril WATTERS (1907-1984) The
Willow Waltz (1960) New Concert Orchestra conducted by
Monia Liter (as 'Paul Hamilton') [3:05]
Alberto Borras DOMINGUEZ Perfidia
(1961) Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra [2:54]
Percy FAITH (1908-1976) Bouquet
(1961) Percy Faith and his Orchestra [3:17]
Richard RODGERS (1902-1979)
Lorenz HART (1895-1943) arr.
William Hill
BOWEN ‘The Most Beautiful Girl in the World’ (1961)
The Living Strings conducted by Hill Bowen [2:55]
Enric MADRIGUERA,
Eddie WOODS, arr. Geoff LOVE (1917-1991)
‘Adios’ (1961) Manuel and the Music of the Mountains ('Manuel'
is Geoff Love) [2:54]
Alan Jay LERNER,
Frederick LOEWE, arr. Brian FAHEY (1919-2007)
‘Then You May Take Me to the Fair’ (from 'Camelot') (1961) Cyril
Orandel and the Starlight Symphony [2:44]
Charles TOBIAS,
Cliff FRIEND, ‘Time Waits for Me’ (1959) Reg Owen
and his Orchestra [2:49]
Andy THURLOW (b.1916) real name
Harry RABINOWITZ Spending
Spree (1957) Dolf Van der Linden and his Orchestra ('Paul
Franklin' on disc label) [2:06]
Angela MORLEY, (1924-2009) as
Walter STOTT Nurseryland
(1961) Telecast Orchestra conducted by Angel Morley ('Walter
Stott' on disc label) [3:09]
Pat BEAVER, Tony KING On
the Loose (1960) The Westway Studio Orchestra [2:38]
Frank CORDELL (1918-1980) The
Rebel (Music from the film) ‘Main Title Theme’ (1961) Frank
Cordell and his Orchestra [2:13]
Frank CORDELL The Rebel
(Music from the film) ‘Oo-La-La’ (1961) Frank Cordell and his
Orchestra [2:22]
Bernie WAYNE (1919-1993) real
name Bernard WEITZNER Vanessa
(1952) Charles Williams and his Concert Orchestra [3:02]
Steve RACE (1921-2009) Faraway
Music (1961) Steve Race and his Orchestra [2:19]
Philip GREEN (1911-1982) ‘The
Singer not the Song’ - Theme from the film (1961) The Knightsbridge
Strings conducted by Philip Green [2:21]
Robert FARNON (1917-2005) Strolling
Home (1961) String Ensemble conducted by Robert Farnon
[2:49]
Frank STERLING,
real name Stuart CROMBIE, Dennis BERRY
Periwinkle (1961) The Westway Studio Orchestra conducted
by King Palmer [2:57]
Anthony MAWER (1930-1999) Jeunesse
(1961) Hilversum Radio Orchestra conducted by Hugo de Groot
[1:58]
Edward WHITE (1910-1994) Romance
in the Breeze (1961) The Bosworth Orchestra [2:49]
David ROSE (1910-1990) Holiday
for Strings (1959) David Rose and his Orchestra [3:57]
Stereo: 1-14, 28; rest in Mono
Dates refer to recording, not composition. ADD
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD5189 [79:08] 