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Last broadcast on Sun, 2 Aug 2009, 21:00 on BBC Radio 2.
Synopsis
Every Sunday Russell Davies presents the history of popular song, spotlighting its greatest exponents.
Russell notes the obscurity of Cecil Mack (d. 65 years ago) despite the fact he was one of the men behind The Charleston, which had a huge influence on popular music. Exploring this, he introduces 20s songs Runnin' Wild (as played by Les Paul & Mary Ford), Let's All Go To Mary's House, (The Savoy Orpheans), Somebody Stole My Gal (Ted Lewis) and Shine (Ry Cooder's version).
Returning to Cecil Mack, we then explore 'old-fashioned' motifs in song (Cecil Mack's Old-Fashioned Love being the start of seven tunes with 'old-fashioned' in the title).
Finally, reminding listeners of the 95th anniversary of the start of the First World War, Russell plays There's A Long, Long Trail A-Winding.
This Week's Show
We’ve just received some imaginative new CDs and will certainly try to get round to them in the weeks ahead. Danish Storyville have put together a treasure-trove of previously unheard Art Tatum material from private collections, air-shots etc., and including that extreme rarity, the sound of Art himself singing. Listen out for that one. Then American Shanachie have released “The Panic Is On – The Great American Depression as see by the Common Man” on one CD and one DVD plus booklet, all providing food for thought and – who knows – the subject of another show. And there are two more albums by great young singers – Melissa Morgan & singing bassist Nicki Parrott – to add to those we’ve recently received from Banu Gibson, Janet Seidel and Rebecca Kilgore. Lots to look forward to on The Song Show!
Your letters and emails continue to pour in to delight us – and occasionally have us kicking ourselves. For instance, this week we had this reminder following our examination of plumbing in song:
Also, tangentially, in 'Second Hand Rose':
"Even Jake, the plumber, he's the man I adore
Had the nerve to tell me he’s been married before!"
Regards, Alan Reynolds
Now how did we come to overlook that excuse for playing one of our favourite Fanny Brice songs?!
Mentioning songwriter Fred Fisher this week, we tried in vain to verify the rumour that the show’s begetter Benny Green told us of Fisher having been a First World War U-Boat commander. Was Benny having us on?
Recommended: The Temperance Seven
Recommendations
Lake Records provide a terrific service to anyone interested in the field of Traditional British jazz from the ‘forties onwards with nigh on complete collections of Barber, Bilk, Ball, Humph and many more. And their interest stretches, happily, to peripheral groups like The Temperance Seven, the first of which (LACD 138 – “The Parlophone Recordings Vol 1, 1960-1962) provided our opener – ‘The Charleston’ – with its wonderful combination of mock-earnestness by the band and disdainful disinterest by vocalist Paul MacDowell. There’s a lot more of this sort of thing to enjoy among the 23 tracks, including hits like “You’re Driving Me Crazy”.
On “Blowing The Smoke Away From A Trail Of Hits”, Jasmine have gathered up two dozen of Les Paul and Mary Ford’s recordings for Capitol including some very big ones – ‘Vaya Con Dios’, ‘How High The Moon’ and the one that Stan Freberg pilloried so mercilessly – “The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise” . After all these years, Les’s extraordinary multi-tracking can amaze. The number is JASMCD 3516.
AVID have a winner, we think, in their “Eartha Kitt – Four Classic Albums” (AMSC 970). It’s a 2-CD set which brings together “That Bad Eartha” (‘I Want To Be Evil’) “Down To Eartha” (‘Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell’), “Thursday’s Child (‘Just An Old-Fashioned Girl’) and “St Louis Blues” (‘Careless Love’). Fifty Three tracks all-told with most of the backings by Henri Rene’s Orchestra, it’s a fine memorial to the late, great Miss Kitt.
Tracklist
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The Temperance Seven — Charleston
Parlophone Recs. Vol 1, Lake, LACD 138 -
Les Paul & Mary Ford — Runnin’ Wild
Blowing The Smoke Away From A Trail Of Hits, Jasmine, JASMCD 3516 -
Savoy Orpheans — Let’s All Go To Mary’s House
Charleston – Great Stars Of The 1920s, Past Perfect, PPCD 78132 -
Ted Lewis and His Band — Somebody Stole My Gal
The Jazzworthy Ted Lewis, Retrieval, RTR 79014 -
Ry Cooder — ShineRy Cooder – Jazz; Arr, Cond By Joseph Byrd, Warner Bros, K2 56488 -
Lena Horne — Old Fashioned LoveStormy Weather: 24 Original Recs, Prism Leisure, PLATCD 989 -
Jack Hylton — An Old Fashioned Tune Always Is New
Great British Dance Bands Play Irving Berlin, World Record Club, SHB 35 -
Doris Day & Frank Sinatra — Let’s Take An Old-Fashioned Walk
You’re My Thrill & Young At Heart, Columbia, 88697092822 -
Bernadette Peters & Tom Wopat — An Old-Fashioned Wedding
Annie Get Your Gun OBC, EMI/Angel, CDQ5568122 -
Janet Seidel — Dance In The Old-Fashioned Way
Comme Ci, Comme Ca, La Brava, LB 033 -
Eartha Kitt — Just An Old-Fashioned GirlFour Classic Albums, Avid Easy, AMSC 970 -
Noël Coward — I’m Old-FashionedThe Master’s Voice – His HMV Recordings 1928-53, EMI, Coward 13 (CDP 7805832) -
Mgm Studio Chorus & The King’s Men — There’s A Long, Long Trail
For Me And My Gal OST, Rhino Movie Music, R2 72204
Broadcast
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Sun 2 Aug 200921:00
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