VA- England’s Greatest Hitmakers

dscn5569This is yet another record from the Big Al collection.  He had some real gems.  Hopefully, I am back home now from being abroad.  I am also hoping it was a decent vacation.  More on that next month, probably with pictures.lulu-the-lovers-8795544

This record is a collection of English hit makers released in 1965 for charity.  It is also known as the Lord Taverners Charity Album.  The Lord Taverners, founded in 1950, was founded by artists who enjoyed playing and watching cricket.  Apparently all proceeds went to the provision of cricketing facilities throughout England. The album was released by Decca in the UK and London in North America.ssp_brk_bk201513527_1jpg

Link to the Lord Taverners’ Web Page

The songs on this album were recorded specifically for this record although many of them were re-released later.  Bands include a young RnB driven Rolling Stones, Van Morrison and Them, Tom Jones, The Zombies, Dave Berry, Unit 4 Plus 2, and Billy Furry among others.  All in all, it is a pretty impressive lineup.dscn5570

For a sample, I went with Lulu and the Luvers and thier take on Doris Troy’s “Just One Look”. The Hollies also did this song a few years earlier.  I meant to use this post to talk more about Lulu and the Luvers (who I adore) but time was not on my side this month.  May I suggest Google.

Satisfactory record indeed.  Many good songs by good artists in the name of advancing cricket in the UK.

 

Merv Griffin & Arthur Treacher- ‘Alf & ‘Alf- Songs of the British Music Hall

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This was $2.40.  It was something different from other things I posted and  figured I could get a good story out of it at the least.  Victorian music hall

British Music Hall music, the UK equivalent of American vaudeville, was born the 1830’s.  It rose to popularity in the 1850’s and unofficially died in 1963 with the death of Max Miller. Although it would assume no fixed form, its popularity spawned some of the best songwriters and songs of the 19th and early 20th century.  It would spawn a major labor unrest in 1907 when the artists went on strike against the theater managers.  This resulted in copyright law being applied to music.  In WWI, at the height of its popularity, it was used as a recruiting tool.  After the war, its popularity waned with the rise of swing, jazz, trad, and eventually rock and roll.  However, perhaps the most enduring tribute to the Music Hall tradition was the first series of The Muppet Show.

Link to Music Hall Recordings

Arthur Treacher was a British actor (1894-1975) who made numerous movie, stage, and television appearances.  Merv Griffin (1925-2007) was a media mogul, working on stage and television, hosting his own show, and creating some of the most enduring game shows including Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.  What I did not know is that Treacher, who was Griffin’s mentor served as Griffin’s announcer and sidekick on the Merv Griffin Show from 1965 to 1970.  When network brass wanted to dump Treacher due to age, Griffin successfully protested.merv and artThis album is from what I can tell, a decent collection of British Music Hall tunes.  It includes songs originally sung by Billy Williams, Jack Worworth, Basil Hallam, Jack Pleasants, and Harry Champion.  The music is bouncy  with snappy back and forth dialogue.   Songs such as “I’ve Got a Loverly Bunch of Cocoanuts” highlight that British double entre style which suggests something is dirty when it really isn’t.  That is really prevalent on several of the tracks.  Overall, after a few songs, the gag wears thin.  The songs all sound similar after a while and the visual aspect of what Music Hall was trying to accomplish is completely lost with this.

DSCN2303For a sample, I submit “Whose Got the Suitcase”  which is the most upbeat number on the album.  It  showcases the fast paced back and worth between the two entertainers that really defined Music Hall.  Also included in “I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am”, a tune performed by Harry Champion and remade in a rock and roll style by Herman’s Hermits in the 1960’s.  This version seems to pay tribute to both styles.

Meh.  After a while, this album wears thin.  If all the songs were like the samples, I would bump this up a rating, but alas this is not the case.