Review of Past Perfect CD  PPCD 78150 by Dominic Vlasto

Back in the June 2003 issue of Home Chat, member Stephen Marshall flagged up the emergence of this CD.  Hands up all those who noticed or did something about it?  Well, you can still get hold of this CD, and it turns out to contain much more of interest to discerning Coward fans beyond the Greta Keller recording of ‘Never Again’ which Stephen particularly highlighted.  It is one of the best and most intelligent collections of Coward songs yet produced and well worth having.

It is quite an eclectic collection, with interpretations of Coward’s songs in styles from early-thirties dance bands through solo artists including Garland, Sinatra, Hildegarde and Hutch to Danny Kaye!   The last of these is probably best ignored unless you are an ardent fan of DK, but it  is worth tolerating on account of not only the range of vocal and instrumental styles of the rest but also the fact that there are some very rare recordings which have not to date been reissued since their original release.  These first-time re-releases include ‘Something To Do With Spring’ recorded by Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Hotel Orpheans in 1932, where plangent oboe and trombone solos lead into a delightful and characteristic Gibbons syncopated piano solo;  from only seven years later but showing an astonishing development in dance-band styles there is the tightly-orchestrated ‘Zigeuner’ of the Artie Shaw orchestra - a very good display of the inherent moodiness of the song which comes over despite a rock-steady rhythm; and  a third delightful new discovery is another 1939 recording, of Stephane Grapelli and Django Reinhardt spiffing it up with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France in ‘The Younger Generation’.  Another instrumental delight is the rhythm pianist Raie Da Costa’s 1928 rendition of ‘Teach Me To Dance Like Grandma’.

Of the solo artists, Judy Garland’s ‘Poor Little Rich Girl’ (1942) and Frank Sinatra’s ‘I’ll Follow My Secret Heart’ (1944) are already quite well-known;  much less known, and all worth getting to know, are Dinah Shore’s ‘Mad About The Boy’ (1947), Hildegarde’s ‘I’ll See You Again’, ‘Dance, Little Lady’ and ‘A Room With a View (1939), Greta Keller’s ‘Never Again’ (1939), and Hutch’s ‘I Travel Alone’ (1934). 

Possibly some may find Hildegarde’s delivery a bit sugary by today’s standards, and Ray Sinatra’s orchestrations reinforce this impression, but she always approaches everything with utter clarity and impeccable tuning.  Both Hutch and Greta Keller chose to record remarkable pieces, the first an impeccable marriage of melody and lyric in one of Coward’s most self-revealing, autobiographical songs, the second a very theatrical piece of light-music composition, whose verse section is one of the most haunting, moody and taut pieces of word-setting Coward ever produced.  Dinah Shore’s ‘Mad About The Boy’ is a remarkable foretaste of a much later and better-known rendition of this song by another Dinah.  It is certainly the “straighter” rendition of the two, and some would consider it rather superior.  In fact, if I had to choose one recording of this song, I’d probably go for this one: the voice is good, and accurate, and she “bends” the word rhythms to give weight to important words in a way that seems absolutely natural.

An added bonus is that, for once, here’s a Coward CD with really good listing details and intelligent sleeve notes clearly written by someone who knows their Coward well.  The CD is available through normal suppliers such as HMV, but will probably have to be specially ordered.  You could try the producers direct by telephoning 01869 325052 or e-mailing clarity@pastperfect.com.  I do not know how long it will remain available.                               

Contents:
Something To Do With Spring (1932) Carroll Gibbons Band
Mrs Worthington (1935) Noël Coward + Orchestra
Mad About The Boy (1947) Dinah Shore + Orchestra
Twentieth Century Blues (1931) Al Bowlly + Ray Noble Orchestra
Zigeuner (1939) Artie Shaw Orchestra
I’ll See You Again (1939) Hildegarde + Orchestra
London Pride (1941) Noël Coward + Orchestra
The Younger Generation (1939) Stephane Grappelli Quintet
You Were There (1935) Sam Browne + Orchestra
Poor Little Rich Girl (1942) Judy Garland + Orchestra
I’ll Follow My Secret Heart (1944) Frank Sinatra + Orchestra
A Room With A View (1939) Hildegarde + Orchestra
Josephine (1950) Noël Coward + Orchestra
Teach Me To Dance Like Grandma (1928) Raie Da Costa (Rhythm Pianist)
Where Are The Songs We Sung? (1938) Denny Dennis + Roy Fox Orchestra
Never Again (1939) Greta Keller + Orchestra
Imagine The Duchess’s Feelings (1941) Noël Coward acc. Carroll Gibbons
Dance, Little Lady (1939) Hildegarde + Orchestra
I Travel Alone (1934) Hutch (own accomp.)
‘Words And Music’ Selection (1932) Ray Noble Orchestra
Most Of Ev’ry Day (1934) Noël Coward acc. Carroll Gibbons
Someday I’ll Find You (1950) Gertrude Lawrence + Orchestra
Mad Dogs And Englishmen (1947) Danny Kaye + Orchestra