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CDs for the Must Close Saturday label with Audio Restoration & Re-mastering by Alan Bunting

Latest update - November 2007

ALICE IN WONDERLAND and ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS MUST CLOSE SATURDAY RECORDS MCSR 3012

This original Broadway cast recording of Eva Le Galliene and Flora Friebus’ adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland stories is issued on CD for its first reappearance since the original 78s were released in 1947, to celebrate the centenary of the British composer Richard Addinsell. Bambi Linn is an incisive Alice surrounded by a superb cast of American actors. This is a potted performance, lasting almost an hour, giving dialogue as well as Addinsell’s many songs. A set of the 78s in good condition was traced in the United States, and these records have been digitally transferred and restored with astonishing clarity. Addinsell’s music is always understanding of Carroll’s mysterious world, from the lovely summery melody at its opening, to the sadness of the White King’s great ballad. Original New York 1947 Cast : Eva La Gallienne Margaret Webster Richard Waring Hugh Franklin Bambi Linn Music by Richard Addinsell 01. Opening into ‘A boat beneath a sunny sky’ / ‘Jabberwocky’ 02. The White Rabbit; The Pool of Tears; The Caucus Race 03. The Caterpillar ‘You are old, father William’ 04. The Footmen ‘Speak roughly to your little boy’; The Cheshire Cat 05. The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party 06. The Gryphon and the Mock Turtle ; ‘Will you walk a little faster?’; Turtle soup’ 07. The Trial; ‘They told me you had been to her’ 08. The Red Queen 09. The White Queen 10. Humpty Dumpty 11. The White Knight; ‘A sitting on a gate’ 12. The Red Queen and the White Queen; ‘Lullaby’ 13. Queen Alice; ‘To the looking-glass world’ 14. The end of Looking Glass World; ‘A boat beneath a sunny sky: reprise’

COWARD SONGS MUST CLOSE SATURDAY RECORDS MCSR 3030

COWARD SONGS + WORLD WEARY Our sleeve note describes this as ‘a sort of Golden Jubilee celebration of that decade of the immediate post-war years – a time when Coward’s output of new dramatic work seemed to lose popular appeal, and when his polymathic talents led to his emergence, ‘To my own and everyone else’s astonishment’, as a highly successful cabaret entertainer, uniquely performing his own material’. No finer example of this aspect of Coward’s career probably exists than these, his very last British recordings made with Wally Stott and his orchestra and Norman Hackforth. They seem to offer a perfectly expressed envoi to his British roots. Also on this disc we have, available again for the first time in fifty years, a remarkable LP made by the American singer Harry Noble, displaying an immaculate understanding of Coward’s songs. NOEL COWARD with WALLY STOTT AND HIS ORCHESTRA 1. A Room With A View 2. Don't Put Your Daughter On The Stage Mrs. Worthington 3. World Weary 4. Alice 5. Someday I'll Find You 6. Mad Dogs And Englishmen 7. Poor Little Rich Girl 8. Uncle Harry 9. I'll See You Again WORLD WEARY - THE SONGS OF NOEL COWARD HARRY NOBLE with STUART ROSS at the Piano 10. Nina 11. I'll Follow My Secret Heart 12. Imagine The Duchess's Feelings 13. Poor Little Rich Girl 14. Something To Do With Spring 15. Parisian Pierrot 16. Where Are The Songs We Sung? 17. A Room With A View 18. World Weary

TWENTY MINUTES SOUTH Original London Cast MUST CLOSE SATURDAY RECORDS MCSR 3032

TWENTY MINUTES SOUTH Twenty Minutes South, seen in London in 1955, may well be the archetypal British musical of its period. With music by Peter Greenwell, composer of the legendary British musical The Crooked Mile (also available from Must Close Saturday Records) this take of love and misunderstandings in London’s suburbia has a zestful, snappy score. The show is about the boys and girls who travel up to London from the suburbs on the train each day to work in offices and at 5.27 go back on the train to the suburbs to home and boyfriends and girlfriends and tennis and dances at the local community centre. All seems well until interfering Cousin kitty (Daphne Anderson) comes to stay, and life twenty minutes South is never quite the same again. A real retro delight, Greenwell’s score is preserved in this original cast recording, with linking dialogue. A Vocal Selection by Peter Knight's Singers and Orchestra provides the bonus material 01. The 8.27 02. I like people 03. One of the family 04. It’s a lovely evening 05. This is love 06. Typing typing + Never mind I’m delighted 07. Why never ever? 08. Easy to say 09. The Addison mambo 10. Sunday girl 11. Reprise: Sunday girl 12. I shall 13. Do we? 14. Having ourselves a wonderful time 15. Wondering alone 16. Reprise: Typing typing + Reprise: Easy to say 17. Reprise: This is love 18. The 5.27 19. Vocal selections from Twenty Minutes South: The Peter Knight Singers and Orchestra

THE WATER GIPSIES Original London Cast MUST CLOSE SATURDAY RECORDS MCSR 3033

THE WATER GIPSIES Original London Cast: Vivian Ellis and A P Herbert’s final musical, seen in London in 1955, was a pastoral hymn to the canal boats and the families that lived on them. The original cast recording starring Dora Bryan, Laurie Payne and Pamela Charles if here joined by the lush cover version directed by Cyril Ornadel, with a stellar cast headed by Joan Sims, Vanessa Lee and Bruce Trent. The bonus tracks feature another British comedienne, Cicely Courtneidge (NOT RESTORED BY ME). ORIGINAL LONDON CAST 01. Overture 02. Why did you call me Lily? 03. Clip Clop 04. I should worry 05. When I’m washing up 06. Jane’s prayer 07. Lily’s tale 08. He doesn’t care 09. Castles and hearts and roses 10. Peace and quiet / Little boat 11. Why should spring have all the flowers? 12. This is our secret 13. It would cramp my style 14. You never know with men ORIGNAL COVER VERSION 15. Castles and hearts and roses 16. When I’m washing up 17. It would cramp my style 18. Peace and quiet 19. I’m not a jealous woman 20. This is our secret (Listen...) 21. Here’s mud in your eye 22. Clip Clop 23. You never know with men 24. Jane’s prayer 25. Ah, little boat! 26. He doesn’t care 27. Finale Bonus tracks: Cicely Courtneidge (Not restored by me) 28. Home 29. There’s something about a soldier 30. Laughing gas 31. We’ll all go riding on a rainbow

SUMMER SONG PLAIN AND FANCY Original London Casts MUST CLOSE SATURDAY RECORDS MCSR 3036

SUMMER SONG + PLAIN AND FANCY Two great British productions of musicals on one disc, with audio restoration by Alan Bunting. In Summer Song Eric Maschwitz used the music of Dvorak to tell his romantic story of two young lovers, played by Sally Ann Howes and David Hughes. The cast includes such distinguished players as Laurence Naismith as Dvorak, and a great American soubrette, Bonita Primrose. Lushly orchestrated and with attractive choral passages, this melodious score is one of the very best of the 1950s, brought to new life by Macshwitz’s lyrics. The disc also contains the original London cast recording (a real rarity) of the Broadway musical Plain and Fancy, with its well-remembered hit song ‘Young and foolish’. SUMMER SONG - With Sally Anne Howes, David Hughes, Edric Connor 01. Opening music + I loved my love 02. Just around the corner 03. My darling Karolka 04. Once a year is not enough 05. Be she dark, be she fair 06. Cotton tail 07. No one told me 08. Sing me a song 09. Murphy’s pig 10. Saturday girl 11. One boy sends you a rose 12. Dvorak’s letter 13. Deep blue evening 14. Milli’s wedding Part I 15. Milli’s wedding Part 2 16. Summer song 17. Small town sweetheart 18. New York ’93 19. I’ll be remembering 20. Finale PLAIN AND FANCY 21. Plenty of Pennsylvania 22. Follow your heart 23. City mouse, country mouse 24. Young and foolish 25. Plain we live 26. A helluva way to run a love affair 27. It wonders me

CONVERSATION PIECE MUST CLOSE SATURDAY RECORDS MCSR 3039

Noel Coward's operetta Conversation Piece had its finest recording moment in 1951 when a distinguished cast was assembled in New York for this studio recording of a 'complete' performance, linked with rhyming verse by Coward himself. One of the Metropolitan's stars, Lily Pons, plays the role originally written for Yvonne Printemps, with Coward and a young Richard Burton co-starring, along with two grande dames of the British theatre, Ethel Griffies and Cathleen Nesbitt. The score, including its immortal waltz song I’ll follow my secret heart remains a supreme example of the Coward operettas. 01. Overture 02. The scene is laid in Brighton 03. Good morning, Rose 04. Never mind. When you are married / I’ll Follow My Secret Heart 05 .The Marquis of Shere 06. You understand, her happiness 07. I’m afraid it is too late for that / Reprise: I’ll Follow My Secret Heart 08. The Regent and his retinue 09. Regency Rakes 10. Two English ladies with English names 11. Charming, Charming 12. Dear Little Soldiers 13. The mother and father of dear Lord Shere 14. We British are an island race 15. Imagine a summer evening 16. Lord Shere and his father 17. My dear Julia 18. Once more the house so modest 19. English Lesson 20. There’s a lady downstairs to see you 21. Melanie, I wish to apologise 22. The melody that follows 23. Now that you know 24. Please try to envisage a social occasion 25. What a charming house 26. I am glad that you are gay 27. The following scene is the following day 28. And now for a rather charming scene 29. Nevermore] 30. Melanie 31. All comedies must come to an end [Finale]

FREE AS AIR Original London Cast MUST CLOSE SATURDAY RECORDS MCSR 3040

PIANO SELECTION from FREE AS AIR - Julian Slade with Arthur Sandford and rhythm accompaniment 01. Free as air; Nothing but sea and sky; A man from the mainland; Let the grass grow; I've got my feet on the ground; I'm up early. FREE AS AIR Original London cast - With: Gillian Lewis, Patricia Bredin, Gerald Harper, John Trevor 02. I'm up early 03. Let the grass grow 04. Nothing but sea and sky 05. The boat's in 06. A man from the mainland 07. Free as air 08. Her mummy doesn't like me any more 09. The girl from London 10. A man from the mainland [reprise] 11. I'd like to be like you 12. Testudo 13. I've got my feet on the ground 14. Holiday island 15. Geraldine 16. We're holding hands 17. Terhou 18. Let the grass grow [reprise] 19. ORCHESTRAL MUSIC from FREE AS AIR - Tommy Kinsman and His Band : 'Perfect for Dancing' Free as air; I'd like to be like you; I've got my feet on the ground; Nothing but sea and sky; Terhou; The boat's in; Holiday island; Let the grass grow

THE MUSIC OF JULIAN SLADE MUST CLOSE SATURDAY RECORDS MCSR 3041

An important addition to the discography of one of Britain’s most eminent musical theatre composers, this disc includes the first reissue of the complete LP of ‘The Music of Julian Slade’ with its songs from early Julian Slade works, sung by Eleanor Drew, James Cairncross, Harry Dawson, John Neville and Jane Wenham. The selection from his operetta THE DUENNA, a setting of the Richard Brinsley Sheridan libretto, has Slade at his most inspired. The disc concludes with the premiere publication of the original cast recording of Slade’s Cambridge musical LADY MAY, featuring Anne Percival-Smith, Angus Mackay and Slade himself. These unique historical recordings have been restored by Alan Bunting, enabling us to hear for the first time a happy score that bears Slade’s authentic and individual freshness. With: Eleanor Drew, John Neville, Anne Percival-Smith, Angus Mackay THE MUSIC OF JULIAN SLADE [linking commentary by David Jacobs] 01. One, two, three, one 02. We smile 03. I’d love to be in love with you 04. A star 05. He’s got absolutely nothing 06. Doh Rey Me 07. So much to say 08. Let’s take a stroll through London 09. Should he upbraid [The Comedy of Errors] 10. Pack clouds away [Two Gentlemen of Verona] 11. Cold’s the wind [The Shoemaker’s Holiday] 12. Hey nonny no THE DUENNA [Music by Julian Slade. Lyrics by Richard Brinsley Sheridan] 13. Fandango 14. He vowed he came to save me 15. Tho’ cause for suspicion appears 16. I loved him for himself alone 17. Never may’st thou happy be 18. Fandango [reprise] LADY MAY [Book music and lyrics by Julian Slade] 19. A star 20. A lovely night 21. Snap! 22. He’s got absolutely nothing 23. A gypsy Earl 24. It might be love 25. When you’re in Romany 26. Finale: Tamba Samba; A home-made girl; If only; A gypsy Earl; It might be love; She never quite got me; As long as you’re there; Wedding day 27. Excerpts: A star, A lovely night; He's got absolutely nothing; Snap!; When you're in Roman

CDs for other companies with restoration & re-mastering by Alan Bunting

Page 1 - Guild Golden Age Of Light Music

Page 2 - Living Era Light Music CDs

Page 3 - Other Living Era CDs

Page 4 - Naxos CDs

Page 6 - CDs for other labels

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