GLCD 5130 1950's Volume IV - Cornflakes Reviews & Broadcast

THE GOLDEN AGE OF LIGHT MUSIC 1950's Volume IV - Cornflakes FRANK CORDELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA - THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO - RON GOODWIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA - AMBROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA - WERNER MÜLLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA - CYRIL STAPLETON AND HIS ORCHESTRA - DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA  (credited on LP label as VAN LYNN) - LES BAXTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA - DAVID CARROLL AND HIS ORCHESTRA - RAY MARTIN AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA - BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA - DANISH STATE RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON - MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA - LEROY HOLMES AND HIS ORCHESTRA with ‘Whistling Jones’ - LAURIE JOHNSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA - RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA - GEOFF LOVE AND HIS ORCHESTRA - JOHNNY GREGORY AND HIS ORCHESTRA - LAURIE JOHNSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA - JOHNNY GREGORY AND HIS ORCHESTRA - JACKIE BOND, HIS SAXOPHONE AND ORCHESTRA - BERNARD MONSHIN AND THE CONCERT TANGO ORCHESTRA  - MICHAEL FREDERICKS AND HIS ORCHESTRA - MALCOLM LOCKYER AND HIS ORCHESTRA 2 Autumn Concerto (Camillo Bargoni, arr. William Hill Bowen) THE MELACHRINO ORCHESTRA Conducted by GEORGE MELACHRINO 5 Manhattan Serenade (Louis Alter) WERNER MÜLLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA   8 Cornflakes (Sidney Norman, real name Norman [‘Norrie’] William Paramor)  LES BAXTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA 11 Petticoats Of Portugal (Michael Durso, Mel Mitchell, Murl Kahn) 2:36BILLY VAUGHN AND HIS ORCHESTRA 26 Song Of The Pearlfishers – Tango (Heino Gaze, arr. Laurie Johnson) 3:14LAURIE JOHNSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA

Contents:

This compilation focuses on a number of popular instrumentals from the mid-1950s, followed by a selection of recordings from one of the small independent British labels that struggled to survive in the post-war years. This was a period when instrumental singles were still popular with record buyers, no doubt helped by the fact that they were frequently broadcast on the radio. Others achieved familiarity as radio and television themes, and many of the conductors and composers were household names – strange as this may seem in today’s entertainment world.

Rather than repeat the brief biographies of the orchestra leaders on tracks 1-15 that have already been included in previous Guild Light Music releases, we will use the space available in this booklet to concentrate on the Polygon label, which certainly made its presence felt on the British music scene, but eventually had to lose its independence because (like many similar outfits before and since) it simply didn’t have the financial resources to survive on its own.

The Polygon Light Music Legacy

In the 1940s the British record industry was dominated by EMI (whose main labels were HMV, Columbia, Parlophone and MGM) and Decca (who also handled US releases on Brunswick and Capitol). By the end of the decade record sales were gradually recovering from the trauma of the Second World War, and a handful of small independent labels started appearing to challenge the major companies.

One of these was Polygon, and the man behind this new venture was Alan Freeman, who should not be confused with the well known disc jockey sharing the same name. The ‘Polygon’ Alan Freeman formed his company in 1949 after he received a small inheritance. At the time Petula Clark was popular in Britain following several appearances in films and through radio broadcasts, but both EMI and Decca regarded her as a child star and declined to put her under contract.

Alan Freeman approached her father, Leslie Clark, who was also her manager, and he could see the benefits for Petula. In fact the idea appealed to him so much that he was prepared to invest some money in the project, so plans went ahead to launch the new label with the first session taking place in late 1949. Petula recorded Music, Music, Music accompanied by a new singing group called The Stargazers with Ron Goodwin and his Orchestra – both were to enjoy successful careers with other labels during the 1950s.

Thanks to several hit records by Petula Clark and Jimmy Young, Polygon managed to survive independently for several years, and among its releases were some enjoyable light orchestral recordings. These seem to have been largely forgotten during the past fifty years, so Guild Music is pleased to make them available once more.

Among the most famous names in the world of Light Music whose careers would blossom in later years, those who particularly stand out include Ray Martin, Johnny Gregory, Geoff Love, Ron Goodwin, Malcolm Lockyer, Frank Chacksfield and Laurie Johnson. Polygon gave them their first big chance but – as so often happens in life – they were to move on and enhance their reputations with other record companies.

Ray Martin (1918-1988) was one of the leading lights behind EMI’s Columbia in the mid-1950s, where he worked alongside Norrie Paramor for several years guiding the fortunes of some of the label’s top stars. He also had a distinguished career as a composer/ arranger/ conductor in his own right. His big hit was Marching Strings, but there were many others as well. Muriella was one of the few titles he composed under his own name, rather than a pseudonym. Following considerable success with television and films, eventually he moved to the USA when head-hunted by RCA, before finally settling in South Africa where he died at his home in Johannesburg.

Johnny Gregory (b. 1924) is a prolific arranger and film composer whose career with Philips records spanned some 20 years. As “Chaquito” he arranged and conducted a series of Latin-American recordings which gained him an international reputation, and many of his LPs have now achieved something of a ‘cult’ status. Essentially he was a backroom boy in the British music business for many years, with numerous arrangements, backings and radio broadcasts to his credit. Johnny has told us that his Polygon recording sessions probably took place at the IBC studios in Portland Place. Unlike the large record companies with their own state-of-the-art facilities, the small independent labels had to use various commercial studios in London for their sessions.

Geoff Love (1917-1991) graduated through dance bands, radio and television to become one of EMI’s best-selling artists during the halcyon days of the LP era. Many of his records were released as “Manuel and his Music of the Mountains”, and for many years record buyers refused to believe that the exotic sounding “Manuel” actually hailed from Yorkshire.

Ron Goodwin (1925-2003) was one of England’s finest light music composers who went on to compose several memorable film scores, notably “633 Squadron” and “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines”.

From the 1950s onwards, Malcolm Lockyer (1923-1976) became a familiar name in Britain, through his broadcasts (almost 6,000) and recordings. After war service in the RAF he worked as a pianist and arranger with Ambrose, Cyril Stapleton and Robert Famon, but he soon established himself as a composer, with approaching 100 titles to his credit. His best known pieces included Fiddlers’ Boogie and The Big Guitar (written under his pseudonym 'Howard Shaw') which BBC-TV used as the theme for a popular series called "Stranger Than Fiction" - recorded by Sidney Torch in 1955 with guitarist Bert Weedon (on Guild GLCD 5126).. Lockyer scored some thirty feature films and several television series.

Frank Chacksfield (1914-1995) conducted one of the finest light orchestras in the world, and during his long recording career with Decca alone it is estimated that his albums sold more than 20 million copies. In total he made more than 150 long-playing albums which were released in many countries, especially in Europe, Japan and Australia as well as Britain and America.

Laurie Johnson (b.1927) has been a leading figure on the British entertainment scene for 50 years. A gifted arranger and composer, Laurie has contributed to films, musical theatre, radio, television and records, with his music used in many well-known productions such as “The Avengers” and “The Professionals”. His early recordings for Polygon are now receiving the recognition they deserve, since they clearly illustrate the inventive ideas he was developing so many years ago, which would make him one of the most distinctive and talented arrangers and composers of the last century. Laurie recalls that the tracks on this CD were recorded at the Friends’ Meeting House in London’s Euston Road, where the sound engineer was Tigg Rowe. Around the same time Laurie was placed under contract with MGM/EMI to arrange and conduct for the Ambrose Orchestra (track 4 is one example), and these sessions took place at EMI’s famous Abbey Road studios.

To complete the Polygon story – its founder, Alan Freeman, was determined that his label should remain independent, although it was obvious that a substantial injection of outside capital would be needed if it was to expand and indeed survive. The electronics company Pye decided to enter the record business, and they could see that Polygon offered them the opportunity to attack the pop market with a ready-made portfolio of artists. At the same time Pye was linking up with another small label, Nixa, which specialised in classical releases, and the Pye-Nixa pop label was officially launched in September 1955.

Negotiations to acquire Polygon had taken place the previous year, but progress was hampered when Alan Freeman was suddenly struck down by a serious illness. What was termed an ‘association’ between Polygon and Pye was announced in February 1955, and this signalled the end of Polygon as a separate label, and its final releases appeared in October 1955, together with the news that all Polygon artists would in future appear on the Pye-Nixa label. Most of the Polygon catalogue was quickly deleted, although some titles reappeared on Pye-Nixa. The light music recordings were considered to have insufficient sales potential to justify keeping in the catalogue during the second half of the 1950s, apart from Ray Martin and Bernard Monshin which were reissued on EPs.David Ades

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