MISCELLANEOUS AND DANCE

By JOHN OAKLAND Pop Singles

Although this is the slack season in the industry, there is no perceptible shortage of "single" discs, all of which are now issued with identical numbers on both speeds. One of the most successful hits in America recently is The Battle Of New Orleans, which recounts the story of the defeat of the British by the Americans in 1814. It seems a pity to drag up these old, unhappy, far-off things just now, and perhaps the greatest credit should go to Bob Cort (Decca F11145) for substituting the word "rebels" for "British" in the lyrics. Lonnie Donegan, a Scot by birth, gets away with the original words on Nixa N15206 and a lot of clowning also. These folky things seem to be holding their own quite well; there is anotherone (on R.C.A. 1125) by Harry Belafonte, from the same part of the world as the foregoing, Round The Bay Of Mexico, backed by a fragile bit of young-love sentiment, Fifteen, with nice guitar accompaniment. If this sort of thing goes on, we shall soon have songs eulogizing girls of sub-teen-age I

As it is, they get younger and younger; here is a Top Rank (JAR 141) of a fourteen-year-old American lass called Terri Dean, who has a mature contralto voice that, with a little experience, could make her a top star. With her name, I can't see her catching on in England, but I must say I prefer her adult approach to the noise made by youngsters on both sides of the Atlantic, many years her senior. (Titles, I'm Confessin' and I Blew Out the Flame). The same label, on JAR 139, offers the work of a little girl who, when she made the film soundtracks from which the songs are taken, was only six—Shirley Temple. She sings On The Good Ship Lollipop and Animal Crackers In My Soup, with bags of self-assurance. What a great little star she was a quarter of a century ago.

The Four Preps sing the two songs from the teenage film "Gidget" very pleasingly and wholesomely on Cap. CL15032, and Top Rank JAR 130 has Anne Heywood, who is a much better actress than a singer, in Love Is from her film "Heart Of A Man", backed by I'd Rather Have Roses. One of the girls who usually attracts me, even if I never saw a picture of her, is Julie London, who has a pair of typically seductive songs (Come On-a-my House and Must Be Catchin'), accompanied on each by bass and drums only (London HLU889 I), a most praiseworthy idea. I'm sick of syrupy strings and shrieking brass. Why not more of this sort of thing? These Suit Miss London exquisitely, but Jo Stafford (Philips PB935) sounds lost when trying to cope with the rigours of Pine- Top's Boogie, though All Yours is her type absolutely. I hear great things from the States of young Jennie Smith, who certainly has a nice style, though I think it's a pity that Philips PB924 has the same number (Huggin' My Pillow) on both sides. One is supposed to be the "sweet" and the other the "sweet beat" side, but there's very little difference.

The male element include the old-timers in the main and include hits by Perry Como (R.C.A. 1126) and Bing Crosby (Philips PB92 1). The former sings I Know and You Are In Love, and the latter the title song and I Couldn't Care Less from his latest film "Say One For Me".

Bing's British opposite number, Michael Holiday, sings Dearest and Moments Of Love on Col. DB4307, the first being the more successful. Another great British star, who has recorded for 35 years, is Stanley Holloway, who bobs up again on Decca Fl 1140 in a gentle piece of philosophy, Growing Old, and a light humorous period-piece, Dark Girl Dressed In Blue. Another old-timer, from 'way out West, is Tex Ritter, who presents the third recording in twenty-six years of Rye Whisky, with amplified whoops and hiccups, on Cap. CL15O41, backed by a monologue, Conversation With A Gun, which ought to please the twelve-year-olds.

Walt Disney seems to be doing very well with his latest films, "The Sleeping Beauty" and "Darby O'Gill And The Little People". The latter features a number called Little Irish Girl, which is recorded on Top Rank JAR 163 by Janey Monro and Sean Connery, but their better side is the saga of Ballamaqui4y's Band, which bears a strong resemblance to Macnamara's Band. Further Disney music, written by Tchaikovsky, is offered on Col. DB4328 by Norrie Paranior and his Orchestra, and the voice —a very sweet voice—of Sylvia Adano. The songs are I Wonder and Once Upon A Dream, and though I don't usually like these maulings of classic melodies, I must admit this is done very well. I cannot say the same of Farewell, My Love, which is a butchery of the well-known opening theme of poor Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto, and which is forced upon us by David Whitfield on Decca F11144.

Two pleasing vocal records I found on Col. DB4332 and Cap. CL15040. The first is a pair of duets in the Belafonte idiom by the Danish boy-and-girl team Nina and Frederik (Listen To The Ocean/i Would Amor Her), the second two numbers by the Kingston Trio, who burlesque the socially-significant type of song beautifully in M. T.A., and have a nice adult "pop" in All My Sorrows.

I have selected a handful of instrumental singles as being worth a mention. These include an Ellingtonian (if rather monotonous) number from Stan Kenton called 14'7tistle Walk, and an Asian affair called Tamer-Lane (Cap. CL15029), and another Orientalflavoured tune, Asian Scene, less Asian than I had expected, though, on Oriole CB1498. This is backed by a self-explanatory thing called Mandolins On Capri, and both are played by Wilfred Burns and the Crawford Orchestra.

The same label (CB1505) has an amusing trifle by the Tivoli Strings in Tipsy Piano, with a deliciously slightly-inebriated damsel hiccuping and giggling most genteelly throughout, backed by Sarah, with modem strings in a neat melody. Another novelty is The Bottle Theme, with clinking glass and banjo to set a party mood, and Eux—French Rockin' Waltz, with solo saxophone and musette accordion (naturally) by Robert Chauvigny on Top Rank JAR 142.

Lastly,Jhnmy Lytell, veteranjazz clarinetist, plays his own Blues Serenade and Hot Cargo on London HL8873. His accompanists are electric organ and guitar, and drums; but from the label, no-one would know what to expect. Nor would they from the Robert Chauvigny, nor from a host of other singles lately. Why this parsimony on printing labels? It's not the recent strike, either; for goodness sake let's be knowing whether a record is vocal, instrumental, orchestral, and what type in each case.

LPs and EPs

Many of the EP issues continue to be extracts from former LPs, so a mention of the best will suffice. I'm glad to see the first from the Ted Heath LP (Decca LK4280) appearing on DFE651I. It is part of the Olde Englyshe album, and includes Lincolnshire Poacher, Greensleeves, 'Cherry Ripe and London Bridge Is Falling Down.

Nina and Frederik are represented again on Nina NEP44002 in three numbers from NPT19023, and an extra, all of them in calypso style that they have mastered and polished to become Denmark's answer to Belafonte, and Fred Astaire, nearly sixty years young, shows how polished a top-flight American artist can be, with a neat rhythmic accompaniment, in an excerpt of four "Top Hat" numbers from his LP, on H.M.V. 7EG8463.

Eydie Gorané is supposed to be the greatest in current American girl singers, but in neither her EP from one of her LPs of recent vintage (H.M.V. 7EG8474) nor in her new LP (H.M.V. CLP1257) did I find much to appeal to me; all her numbers sound rather strained. I Cain't Say No has little of the gaucherie that made it one of the most charming things in "Oklahoma", and Hello, Young Lovers means nothing compared with the late Gertrude Lawrence's version. Oddly enough, this is included in an excellent set by a new coloured singer whose records I shall watch with pleasure and listen to with delight—Earl Grant (Bruns. LAT8297). The Set is called The End, but I hope it is just the beginning.

Joni James is another American girl with a thin voice that I can have too much of (M.G.M. C777), but her compatriot Jeri Southern (Cap. Cl 173) is much more mellow and warmer. She also pleases me by her choice of Cole Porter numbers, few of them really well-known and all of them very well done. Other American girls whose voices please me are sweet-toned Kathy Linden, who has eight numbers beautifully done in suitably varied styles on Felsted GEPIO02 and 1004; Betty Johnson, whose fresh voice is spoiled by the use of multi-recording on some tracks of London REE 1221; and Mitzi Gaynor, who crams six good numbers on to H.M.V. 7EG8460, in mellow tone and appealing manner.

This cramming of so much on to little BPs means no dividing scrolls, which makes individual selection very difficult. It occurs again on Russ Conway's Col. SEG7906, Another Six, which of course includes Side Saddle and Pixilated Penguin. All jolly fun, if hardly elevating; more suave piano music can be found on Fontanas TFEI7140, on which Ian Stewart recalls the late Carroll Gibbons and Charlie Kunz by means of songs they wrote or with which they are associated, and TFE17137, which gives us Ken Jones with strings in So In Love and other decorous dinner music.

Much is made nowadays of the big brass sound, but so often it is harsh and hard to take in any but the smallest doses. But I can take it as served by Les Brown and his Band of Renown, reliving their past successes on Cap. T1174, or by Reg Owen, as on Nina NPL28000, which proves that although the title is Manhattan Spiritual and the numbers are mostly. American, we can do this sort of thing too. What a glorious trombone choir) The same arranger has an EP from his Irving Berlin LP on R.C.A., nine Berlin songs being grouped on RCXI45.

As I have said before, though, I do wish that they would leave Glenn Miller alone. Both R.C.A. (RCXI034/5) and Top Rank (TR5003 and JKR8019) are plugging the original Miller band, the former from discs that sound much clearer, but otherwise little different from the latter which are, of course, from film soundtracks.. The titles overlap in two cases. Surely we all have all the Millers we want in one form or another by now?

Two records that try and re-live the 1920's are both Top Rank discs. One is that rarity these days, a 10-inch LP (RV4002) and gives us some amusing and pretty authentic-sounding accounts of eight top hits of that crazy era, played by Enoch Light and the Charleston City All-Stars, and the other is a really beautifully-done 12-inch by Paul Whiteman, no less, who shows on RX3000 that he, a symbol of the 20's, is up-to-date with his arrangements and includes a fine new Rhapsody In Blue, as well as When Day Is Done, Ramona, Monterey and Autumn Leaves.

The music from "South Pacific" is included in a most intelligent set by Ray Conniff on Philips B131,7309 (along with "Oklahoma", "The King And I" and "My Fair Lady") and the whole of Vogue VA160 138 is devoted to the same score by George Wright, who produces fantastically wonderful sounds from a Wurlitzer organ. What a recording triumph

STAGE AND SCREEN

Some Like It Hot—Songs and background score (Deutsch). Sound track. (London 12 in. LP Mono HA-T 2176, Stereo SAH6040, 27s. plus 8s. 9d. P.T.).

Valmouth (Wilson). West End Cast. (Pye 12 in. LP Stereo NSPL 88004, Mono NPL 18029, 28s. 04. plus 8s. 41d. P.T.).

West Side Story (Bernstein; Sondheim), Soloists and orch. (Saga 10 in. LP Mono STL9100, 16s. 24. plus 4s. 104. PT.).

Cinderella (Rodgers; Hammerstein II), Soloists, chorus and orch. (Saga 10 in. LP Mono STL9101, 16s. 2d plus 4s. lOd. PT.).

Hit the Deck (Youmans; Robin, Grey, Caesar). Millicent Martin and Kevin Scott with orch. and chorus. (H.M.V. 7 in. EP Mono 7EG8488, Si. plus 2s. fld. PT.).

People, I know, differ in their tastes and I am ready to believe that some like Some Like It Hot. It's a disc that I would happily settle on a desert island to avoid. Marilyn Monroe's singing voice is not among her chief attractions, but Miss Monroe sings, whilst ragtime piano is probably among the least of Adolph Deutsch's musical accomplishments, but Mr. Deutsch plays; Matty Malneck's music was by no means a strong point in the original film, but here it is, every synthetic, sickening note. These artistes, boasts the sleeve, were "Recorded for the Talented Listener", who must feel rather Out of place in their company.

My views on the words and music of Valmouth appeared in April and the richer tones of a stereo issue have done nothing to change them. The sound is excellent but does not reconcile me to the show. Pye have also issued Edmund Hockridge's selection from Gigi in stereo on NSEP85002 (Mono NEP24092). The title song comes off well, but all four numbers need more than a resonant voice to be heard at their best (Original Cast—MGM C770, reviewed in March).

The Saga "cheap editions" of stage musicals have done very well by Leonard Bernstein but fallen down on Richard Rodgers. in West Side Story the unidentified orchestra under Lawrence Leonard, Bernstein's choice for the London production, plays the original orchestrations and plays them splendidly. The singers too deserve direct comparison with the original cast (Philips BBL7277, reviewed in January) and the West End Cast (H.M.V. 7EG8429, reviewed in April) and the success of Bruce Trent and Lucille Graham in the romantic numbers is a success on a high level. Mr. Trent cannot adapt himself to the idiom of "Cool" or the brilliantly original "Something's Coming" which is taken a little too fast for comfort and the duet between Maria and Anita just lacks the final authority of Chita Rivera's and Marlys Watters' performance at Her Majesty's. I have judged this record by the highest standards as it deserves. Its most serious fault is the omission of the chorus numbers, "Krupke" and the "Jet Song", otherwise it runs the Philips issue a close second. At the price, that is quite an achievement. Mr. Leonard would undoubtedly have improved Cinderella which becomes very sluggish under Gilbert Vinter. Denis Quilley sounds well as the Prince and Elizabeth Lamer is adequate in the title role, but the hole performance seems never to recover from a bad start. The originals are Philips BBL7276 (American TV production) and Decca LK4303 (West End pantomime), very different but each in its own way immensely superior (reviewed in February and March).

H.M.V's Hit the Deck took me by surprise— Tony Osborne's orchestrations are so appropriate and exciting that this EP not only displaces the Fontana version 1 recommended last November but stands out as one of the best English re-creations of a theatre score that I have heard.

MICHAEL Cox.