- Vivian Ellis: Spread
A Little Happiness - the music and songs of Vivian Ellis
 Compilation
album [2 discs]. Includes: Little Boy Blues [from Clowns In Clover];
Spread A Little Happiness; Every Little Moment; On The Amazon
[these three from Mr Cinders]; I Don't Know How [from A Yankee
At The Court Of King Arthur]; My Heart Is Saying [from The House
That Jack Built]; Wind In The Willows [from Cochran's 1930 Revue];
Follow A Star; I Can Never Think Of The Words; If Your Kisses
Can't Hold The Man You Love; The First Week-End In June; Don't
Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve [these five from Follow A Star];
Let's Be Sentimental [from Little Tommy Tucker]; Within My Heart;
Song Of The Hillmen [these two from Song Of The Drum]; Put That
Down In Writing [from Out Of The Bottle]; The Flies Crawled Up
The Window; I Want To Cling To Ivy [these two from Jack's The
Boy]; Sweep; You Don't Understand; Mrs Bartholomew [these three
from film Falling For You]; Kiss Me Dear; Be Yourself; I Will/The
First Waltz; Other People's Babies; You Turned Your Head; Speech
Day [these seven from Streamline]; Let's Lay Our Heads Together;
I'd Do The Most Extraordinary Things; Nonny, Nonny No; I'm On
A See-Saw [these four from Jill Darling]; Faint Harmony [from
Jack and Jill]; Medley: The Professional Diner Out; The Trees
In Bloomsbury Square; And So To Bed; There Never Was A Girl Like
Mary [these two from The Town Talks]; Me And My Dog; Swing [both
from film Public Nuisance No. 1]; When A Woman Smiles [from O
Mistress Mine]; Two Little Princesses; She's My Lovely [from
Hide and Seek]; How Do You Do, Mr Right? [from The Fleet's Lit
Up]; Medley from Running Riot: Doing An Irish Jig; Take Your
Partners For The Waltz; When Love Knocks At My Door; Together
Again; The Empire Depends On You [these two from Under The Counter];
Medley - 'Let Me Play' [Ellis at the piano] includes: My Heart
Is Saying; Little Boy Blues; Within My Heart; Wind In The Willows;
The First Week-End In June; Spread A Little Happiness; The Flies
Crawled Up The Window; I'm On A See-Saw; Kiss Me Dear; Let's
Be Sentimental; Faint Harmony; You Turned Your Head; Sweep
-
- A quite outstanding compilation, this 2 disc collection will
be a source of unending delight to anyone interested in this
most British of composers. Nothing from any of Ellis's 'big'
later shows - Big Ben, Bless the Bride, Tough at the Top, And
So To Bed or The Water Gipsies - but a bountiful selection from
the earlier work, including Mr Cinders and (especially welcome)
five numbers from the glorious score of Follow a Star (both shows
as represented here are reviewed separately above). There are
generous helpings of Streamline and Jill Darling (a pity that
space isn't found for the extraordinarily atmospheric 'Dancing
With A Ghost' but one can hardly complain when so much that is
wonderful is on offer), and some numbers written for films -
just as well, as no tribute to Ellis would be complete without
Frances Day singing 'Me and My Dog'. Another film, Falling For
You, yields a terrific comedy number for Cicely Courtneidge,
'Mrs Bartholomew' with a typically witty and naughty lyric by
Douglas Furber exhorting everyone to 'send for Mrs Bartholomew/
And she'll bathe all of you'. Miss Courtneidge delights us further
with 'The Empire Depends On You', evoking memories of her remarkable
dance routine for the number as performed in the film 'Under
Your Hat'. It's a delight to hear Polly Walker and Clifford Mollison
singing 'Put That Down In Writing' from the little-known Out
Of The Bottle; this super number makes one want to hear the rest
of the score. Along the way we have recordings from such diverse
players as Yvonne Printemps (singing When A Woman Smiles with
Pierre Fresnay), Leslie Hutchinson (Hutch) and the statuesque
Marie Burke in 'Within My Heart' from Song of the Drum. The big
bands of the day liked Ellis's music, and here we have such famous
names as Carroll Gibbons, Lew Stone and Jack Hylton. My own favourites?
Somewhere in the list must be everything I haven't listed separately,
and there will always be a place for June giving one of the most
entrancing songs of the 1920s, 'Little Boy Blues' from Clowns
in Clover, but the most marvellous contributions here are given
by the composer himself. Ellis was a superb pianist and knew
how to put over a song. The producers of this collection have
imaginatively included some medleys that Ellis himself recorded,
as well as a delightful song 'Two Little Princesses', put on
shellac in February 1937 but never until now published. This
is quintessential Ellis, tuneful, charming and kind. The piano
arrangements, with often amazing harmonies, display Ellis's great
skill at the piano. This is a wonderful memoir to a truly great
British composer.
RETURN TO RECORD CABINET
|
