Search - Noel Coward, Lehman Engel, Reginald Burston :: Noël Coward: Conversation Piece and Other Musical Plays

Quite a collection here

chetbakerfan | Metro-Atlanta | 05/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this would have to be the only complete cd version of the 1951 recording, as it runs app 82 minutes, and a single disc will only hold 81 before it bursts. i was quite happy to have this disc, and still am, even though it seems to have been transfered from vinyl. perhaps even columbia doesnt hold onto all their master tapes. still, the sound is quite good and the clicks, once you realise they are coming, are hardly noticeably.



Gala has even had the kindness to include all of the selections recorded by the original cast in the 1930s. 30 minutes worth may not seem like much (well, actually thats about how long early cast recordings ran i suppose), but as anyone who has ever searched for original cast recordings of Anything Goes will tell you, it's more than we have a right to expect. the same goes for the 24 minutes of Operette. there are even 16 minutes of Bitter Sweet and some snatches of Cavalcade. The third disc contains 25 recordings from 6 different revues (London Calling, On With The Dance, This Year Of Grace, Cochran's 1931 Revue, Words & Music, and The Lyric Revue). If you have the EMI 4 disc set you will have most of these already, but there are also some tracks by original stars Maisie Gay, Alice Delysia, and Doris Hare. sorry gang, no Gertie or Bea.



all in all, you really can't beat it for the price. 225 minutes of Coward is a always a great thing my book."