"20 “Hits” You Won't Know From Shows
You've Never Even Heard Of"
There is a special attraction that
some of us have for the obscure. Those things that might have
been, or indeed were, but history intervened to curtail them
prematurely. Again, those long forgotten items that flourished
with great splendour, had a brief existence and then were
almost instantly forgotten as their ephemeral nature demanded
. This is no more true than with popular music.
A
record collector, as a sort of vintage “sound detective”
spends much of his time looking back and piecing together
events in recorded history, often gaining insights into the
prevailing social and political issues of the day. During many
such searches, I have come to know and love many tunes that
have been the province of dusty sheet music and stacks of
unplayed records for all too long. This CD is an attempt to
bring back to life some of these items, as organ
transcriptions, played on my 1919 Aeolian residence organ here
in Exeter, Devon.
“Live for today” from H. Fraser-Simpson's “Maid
of the Mountains” sets the scene, in the first
track. Possibly you will know this show, but what about “The
Bubble” from “High Jinks”, or “The Constant Lover”, “Dear, Delightful
Women”, “Hello 'Frisco, Hello” - the list is endless
- but I have selected 20 of my favourites, in the
sincere hope that at least some of them will become your
favourites too.
Paul Morris Exeter '09
|