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Those Were The Days 14 British Organists at 13 British Organs Available on CD CD $17 UK Customers Only (PPD): CD 12 GBP |
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Those Were The Days 14 British Organists at 13 British Organs Available on CD CD $17 UK Customers Only (PPD): CD 12 GBP |
1. Sitting on Top of the World / Toot Toot Tootsie Reginald Dixon,
Tower Ballroom, Blackpool
2. Polly Watson Holmes, Opera House, Blackpool
3. Malaguena Don Thompson, Granada, Clapham
4. Alabamy Bound Jackie Brown, Granada, Toooting
5. Choo Choo Samba Jackie Brown, Granada, Tooting
6. Turkish Rondo Robinson Cleaver, Granada, Tooting
7. Goldfinger Robinson Cleaver, Granada, Tooting
8. I Cover The Waterfront Bryan Rodwell, Odeon, Leeds
9. Punch from The Puppet Suite Bryan Rodwell, Granada, Clapham
10. I Know Now David Hamilton, Gaumont, Bradford
11. Wunderbar David Hamilton, Gaumont, Bradford
12. Kiss of Fire Arnold Loxam, Odeon, Leeds
13. Piccolissimo Serenade Arnold Loxam, Odeon, Leeds
14. Under The Linden Hubert Selby, Curtis Studio, Bolton
15. The Nuns’ Chorus Ronald Curtis, Davenport Theatre, Stockport
16. Vilia William Davies, Granada, Tooting
17. The Bull Frog William Davies, Granada, Tooting
18. Maria Dolores / Laura Gerald Shaw, Odeon, Leicester Square, London
19. The Sunshine of Your Smile Horace Finch, Empress Ballroom, Blackpool
20. Popular Medley Horace Finch, Empress Ballroom, Blackpool
21. While We’re Young Don Thompson, Regal, Highams Park
22. The Phantom Brigade Don Thompson, Gaumont State, Kilburn
23. Quickstep Medley Reginald Dixon, Tower Ballroom, Blackpool
24. Down the Mall, Josef Seal, Regal, Kingston upon Thames
Reginald Dixon Track one is typical of Reg’s playing towards the end of his career .The only rank operated from the crescendo pedal is the post horn and Reg habitually played with his right foot straddling the swell and crescendo shoes and used the post horn very frequently for accent. A very similar WurliTzer is in the Opera House, Blackpool and is played here by Watson Holmes.
Don Thompson is featured in a historic recording of the Clapham Granada’s feisty 3/8 Wurlitzer. The carpets and seats had been removed from the theatre (hence the spectacular acoustics) and the organ itself was removed the following week.
Jackie Brown, Robinson Cleaver and William Davies are featured at the 4/14 Wurlitzer in the Granada Tooting. This is the most famous in-theatre organ in England, and is considered by many to be tonally excellent. The organ has been silent for many years, entombed beneath the stage but it is currently being lovingly restored by the London Chapter of the ATOS, with the help of a fine donation from the Theatre Organ Club. Jackie Brown was thought by many to have the most American style of any British organist, whereas William Davies gained many fans for his modernistic style of playing. Robbie Cleaver was in many ways the doyen of the theatre organ world in the UK.
Bryan Rodwell is featured first at the Odeon, Leeds 3/19 Wurlitzer. The organ was removed subsequent to this recording and reinstalled in the Cushing Musical Collection in Thursford, Norfolk. Rodwell electrified the theatre organ world in the early fifties with a couple of extraordinary LPs on the Deroy label, demonstrating his phenomenal technique.
David Hamilton plays the 3/12 Wurlitzer in the
Gaumont Bradford, which was removed and re-installed in West Cornforth in County
Durham and after some years there was removed again and is now a successful
installation in Howden-le-Wear, another Durham town.
Arnold Loxam plays at the Odeon, Leeds. Arnold received an honorary
Doctorate in Music in recognition of his long career and at the time of the
release of this CD was celebrating his 90th birthday and was still playing
concerts.
Hubert Selby founded the Cinema Organ Society which is still extremely active. The 4 manual Compton organ he plays was originally in the Odeon, Liverpool but was removed by Ronald Curtis and installed in his studio in Bolton, Lancs.
Ron Curtis was a very popular performer at organ club functions. On this recording he plays the small Compton in the Davenport Theatre in Stockport.
Gerald Shaw plays at Britain’s largest console, that in the Odeon, Leicester Square, with its five manuals. A full CD of Gerald’s playing of this superb instrument is also available from Pipe Organ Presentations.
Horace Finch plays at the Empress Ballroom, Blackpool. The barrel- vaulted ballroom had an excellent reverboration which gave that Wurlitzer a very special sound. The organ was removed and re-installed in Manchester, as the BBC Theatre organ but was removed again a decade or so later and enlarged and re-installed in the Assembly Hall, Worthing. Of the three Blackpool organists, experienced dancers preferred his rock steady tempo, with the ubiquitous bass drum on the pedal for quicksteps.
Don Thompson appears again, playing first the charming and rare 3c/7 Rutt organ from the Regal, Highams Park, now in the St. Albans Musical Instruments Museum. Following that he plays at one of the largest consoles in England, the Wurlitzer in the Gaumont State, Kilburn, London.
Reginald Dixon appears again on track 23 playing for dancing at the Tower in the 1950s.
The final track on this CD features the stately playing of Josef Seal at the fine Wurllitzer of the Regal, Kingston upon Thames, now in the Brentford Musical Museum.