FRANK CHACKSFIELD
The Decca Years 1953-75. Orchestral favourites.
Decca 466-927-2
2 CDs 153m
DDD.
Crotchet £10.99
Theme from Limelight. In old Lisbon.
The Donkey Cart. Memories of you. On the beach. Cuban boy. Lady of Spain.
Port au Prince. The 'Lawrence' Theme. Clair de Lune. Swedish Rhapsody. Love
in Madrid. Theme from 'Fantasy Overture'. My Prayer. Humoresque. Temptation.
El relicario. Fascination. Blue Danube. Flirtation Waltz. Born Free. Some
Enchanted Evening. One fine day. E lucevan le stelle. The Sky at Night. 20th
century blues. Ebb Tide. A man and a woman. I won't dance. Who? Coco-nut.
Theme from 'Picnic'. Michelle. Come rain of come shine. Don't let the stars
get in your eyes. Moon river. Stranger on the shore. Peter Gunn. The Lady
is a Tramp. Theme from 'The Man from UNCLE'. Nrs Robinson. Skylark. Night
and Day. Fascinating Rhythm. Alexander's Ragtime Band. Almost like being
in love. A hard day's night. The 'James Bond' Theme. Wunderbar. The man I
love. Raindrops keep falling on my head. Trains and boats and planes.
The name of Frank Chacksfield is forever linked with lush orchestral arrangements
of many popular traditional and modern themes, which sold like hot cakes
in Decca's 'big-band' heyday. The recordings have resurfaced as fresh as
an ice cold drink on a hot summer's day with many nostalgic tunes really
sounding as if they were taped yesterday. The evocative and soulful 'Theme
from Limelight' opens the selection of fifty two tracks which ranges from
the hilariously funny 'Donkey cart' on to the more serious stuff such as
'Swedish rhapsody' or the evergreen 'Clair de lune'. It is difficult to put
on these CDs without being spellbound by Chacksfield's masterly arrangements
that include the famous Beatles tune, 'A Hard days night' matched by the
sweet and sensual romanticism of 'Stranger on the Shore'. And I could go
on for quite some time as I delve through the memories of post-war Britain
up to the depressing days of the mid 70's when Chacksfield's music rather
fell out of fashion. We know better now and the whole enterprise reminds
us what we have bben missing for the last few years when these master recordings
were unavailable. Chacksfield takes his place alongside Stanley Black (also
in this series) and Robert Farnon whose work is being covered on Dutton and
should also be reviewed shortly (Out of my Dreams), as a master orchestrator
and single handed purveyor of some unforgettable melodies in lush arrangements.
The booklet includes a suitably nostalgic essay alongside some charismatic
photographs. Highly recommended to those who enjoy a nostalgia trip or who
are candid to fill a dull winter's evening with some fantastic melodies!
Gerald Fenech
