Search - Al Bowlly, Ray Noble :: Hmv Sessions 2: 1930-34

More Great Noble sounds from Dutton Laboratories!

02/04/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Continues the chronological Noble series from Dutton. Vocalion recording process gives us the cleanest, most modern sound yet for these recordings of the early 1930's. Fortunately for Noble fans DL is releasing these only months apart. More great Noble band recordings. Highest recommendations to any fan of the Big Band era. This is the most important British chapter of the Big Band story."

MEDLEYS, BALLADS, NOEL COWARD, AND A LEGEND

Barry McCanna | Normandy, France | 01/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This second volume picks up in mid-1931, and runs to January 1932. As well as recording contemporary songs the HMV house band also recorded selections from shows and various medleys. At the time Al was also singing with Roy Fox at the Monseigneur Restaurant, and duplicated some of the tunes. Tracks 3 to 7 consist of medleys, in which Al gets to sing one chorus on the first four sides, and two on the last (that is, "Goodnight Sweetheart" (again!), "Reaching For The Moon", "River, Stay 'Way From My Door", "Coal Black Mammy", "My Sweetie Went Away" and "Yes! We Have No Bananas").



That is more than made up for by the standard of the remainder, which include several ballads, and two rather unusual tunes. First, "Twentieth Century Blues" which was composed by Noel Coward for "Cavalcade" but his own recording of it was rejected; Al's version was coupled with Coward singing "Lover Of My Dreams" from the same show. The second noteworthy title was "The Pied Piper Of Hamelin" in which the legend was set to music by Noel Gay."