The
latest brace of releases from Guild continues the varied work
of previous issues. Once again some rarer labels have been scoured
– it’s especially good to see Melodisc here – and we therefore
have some Polygons, Chappells, Paxtons and Boosey and Hawkes
alongside the bigger companies such as Parlophone, Decca, Brunswick and Philips. These recordings come
from a concentrated period of two or three years between 1952
and 1954.
Most
of the sides are British originals but there are some Capitols
as well as the Hamburg recordings overseen by the talented
Harry Hermann and examples of Robert Farnon’s Danish recordings
for Chappell in 1954. The mix is a good, entertaining one therefore,
right from the off where a newsreel opener from Len Stevens
sees us on our way. One of the things Guild compilers clearly
enjoy is juxtaposing contrasting styles. And this release sees
no let up. A big screen introduction is followed by the witty
Postman’s Knock which in its turn is succeeded by the
pizzicati laced The Magic Touch, a Bernie Wayne tune
the middle section of which has an electric guitar solo and
a hint of a studio band crypto-jazz back beat. Then there’s
Winifred Atwell pounding nobly in Moonlight Fiesta whilst
suffering the slings and arrows of a bongo, whooping trombones
and string slurry attack courtesy of Cyril Ornadel (and he should
know; he wrote it). Hermann’s Tales of Munich is a delight
though it sounds rather treble starved in this transfer. Similarly
Clive Richardson’s Shadow Waltz (credited to his pseudonym
Paul Dubois on the record label) is an insinuating charmer –
lush orchestration with a slightly ominous veil hanging over
it all; it shows how much a creative composer can pack into
even a three-minute genre piece of this kind.
Still
those Guild compilers don’t let us sleep; it’s off to Veradero
with some shaking-it-on-down stuff from Geoff Love – strong
on the maracas and the ambre solaire. And then Ronnie Pleydell
(and orchestra) nabs a few bars from An American in Paris
for his own On Fifth Avenue, a punchy and jaunty
piece that has the considerable merit of not being over orchestrated.
The geographical theme continues throughout the rest of the
disc; we have Cornish waves lashing into the coastline of Frenchman’s
Creek and the exotic sounding Ecstasy comes courtesy,
unusually, of the full Edmundo Ros Concert Band with a complement
of strings, saxes and tango-leading paraphernalia. There’s a
fair amount of corn ball – it was very much the spirit of the
time – in which category the Bahama Buggy Ride can hold
it head high but the immediately succeeding track, Farnon’s
Poodle Parade shows how a master can handle even the
cornier stuff – superbly orchestrated and with a witty poodle
bark integrated into the musical fabric – and a lovely B section.
Novelty
reappears (with guitar once more) with the excruciatingly titled
Palsy Walsy but there’s a more modish up-to-dateness
from Eric Spear, who wrote the theme tune for the long running
British soap Coronation Street, in his Midnight Blue. He’d
clearly been lending an ear to alto sax and bluesy back beat
combos of the time and it opens a little vista on the directions
to be taken – and refined – by future composers in the field.
We end with a couple of classics; Sibelian and Elgarian and
erstwhile violist Anthony Collins turns up on a Decca and Wally
Stott does well by Chaplin’s Limelight music.
So
another success in the formidable collection of Light Music
from Guild. The notes are always good, the selection entertainingly
eclectic, the transfers tend to smoothness and noise reduction
rather than opening out at the top. Good fun, as well.
Jonathan
Woolf
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD 5111
