HE SAID IT WITH MUSIC
Barry McCanna | Normandy, France | 02/08/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Vocalion's first volume was set mainly in the mid-thirties, whereas this compilation concentrates on his BBC Dance Orchestra days. He commenced in mid-1928, and quit in early 1932, during the whole of which time he recorded for Columbia. His was a robust outfit, with a full sound which was well captured then and has been well remastered by Mike Dutton. Most of the tracks are vocal numbers, but for pianist Bob Busby's composition "Hot And Heavy", "Hot Bricks", Matt Malneck and Frankie Trumbauers' "Choo Choo", and Cole Porter's "Love For Sale", the lyrics of which were deemed too explicit for public dissemination. This was one of the top dance bands of the time, and listening to this selection it's easy to see why."