On Broadway

Compact Disc DLCD 123

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Too Many Rings Around Rosie

by Johnny Douglas And His Orchestra and Singers

No, No, Nanette

by Johnny Douglas And His Orchestra and Singers

Tea for Two

by Johnny Douglas And His Orchestra and Singers

Comes Once In a Lifetime

by Johnny Douglas And His Orchestra and Singers

The third album in the Living Strings Collection: On Broadway

NEW RELEASE
RCA producer Ethel Gabriel worked on the Melachrino Strings’ “Moods in Music” series and in the late 1950s developed the Living Strings and Living Voices as a package for RCA’s budget label, Camden, using various orchestras, mainly from Europe. The albums were all centred on a theme: the sea, the West, Broadway, night music.  The recordings made by The Living Strings & Living Voices became a mainstay of easy-listening radio and commercial venues.

This is the third album in our collection. We have taken two more recordings from the series and digitally re-mastered them to form this new album with voices. It demonstrates the remarkable arranging talent of Johnny Douglas, one of England’s masters of string arranging and the primary arranger and conductor of the series recorded in England. With his foot-tapping arrangements he makes a full orchestra sound like a dance band. He creates a show-music sound, captures the excitement of the choreography and the loveliness of the love songs.

Original RCA albums:-

“No, No Nanette” 1971
At the time of its release, this album was considered to be the best recording of the songs from the show.

“On Broadway” 1962
An album featuring a cross section of the hits and show stoppers from the Broadway musicals of 1961

Disc 1

  1. In Too Many Rings Around Rosie, 2.45
  2. I’ve Confessed to the Breeze, 2.53
  3. Medley: Call of the Sea / Peach on the Beach, 2.43
  4. No, No, Nanette, 2.31
  5. Tea for Two, 3.21
  6. You Can Dance with Any Girl, 2.27
  7. “Where-Has-My-Hubby-Gone” Blues
  8. Medley: Telephone Girlie / Waiting for You, 2.41
  9. Take a Little One Step, 2.45
  10. I Want to be Happy, 4.09
  11. I Believe in You, 3.29
  12. Paris Original, 2.58
  13. The Brotherhood of Man, 3.21
  14. To Look Upon my Love, 3.42
  15. Inevitable, 3.32
  16. I’m Just Taking my Time, 3.12
  17. Comes Once in a Lifetime, 2.43
  18. Shalom, 3.09
  19. Everything Beautiful, 3.30
  20. His Own Little Island, 3.20

Reviews…

Ray Purslow, "Perfectly Frank"

An excellent recent issue I have enjoyed is one featuring the Johnny Douglas orchestra and singers. The CD contains two complete albums that once appeared under the Living Strings banner on RCA/Camden. One was a 1962 album titled “On Broadway” while the second reissue is “No, No Nanette” – a 1971 album. Both were recorded in excellent stereo and are now reissued on the Dulcima label, run by Johnny’s daughter Norma Camby. She has been responsible for several other reissues of her late-father’s excellent albums.

The 1971 score opens the disc and has a tuneful selection that includes “Tea for Two”, “I Want to Be Happy” as well as the title track. Although the second album has far fewer well-known selections from the scores of “How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying”, “Subways Are For Sleeping” and “Milk and Honey”, the material stands the test of time very well and helps make it a recommended release for lovers of orchestral music.

“Perfectly Frank”, the bi-monthly journal of the Sinatra Music Society

Graham Danton, Record Reviewer

In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ William Shakespeare wrote ‘The man who has no music in his heart?  Let no such man be trusted!’ So, all you trustworthy music-lovers, welcome again to the art and skills of Johnny Douglas. His latest album, ON BROADWAY, features, as usual, superb orchestration, arrangements, and polished professionalism. The 20 tracks include wonderful dance tunes in which Johnny makes his orchestra sound like a dance band at times. You can hear every word of the singers due to the diction we expected from entertainers in the 60s and 70s, unlike the sloppiness of today. This is easy-listening music of the very best quality that is now so hard to find, smooth as silk, and making one yearn for those marvellous radio days when melody was so important. Just try Track 2 ‘I’ve confessed to the breeze’ and I’m sure you’ll be hooked. I believe that most of these titles, though decades old, will live on long after many of the modern pop songs – often with utterly forgettable words and music – are confined to the industry’s ample skips. Enjoy and cherish this album.

Brian Belton, In Tune

I always warmly welcome any recording by the late Johnny Douglas, the very gifted British arranger and conductor. He was the principle creative-force behind the Living Strings and Living Voices series for RCA Records in the 1950’s and 1960’s alongside producer Ethel Gabriel.

Two recordings have been taken from this series and digitally remastered for this new compact disc album. A splendid collection it is too as maestro Douglas directed his arranging and conducting skills at show tunes from Broadway. The 1971 LP issue “No, No Nanette” has been coupled with “On Broadway”, issued in 1962. The latter album features songs from the 1961 Broadway season with selections from “Subways Are For Sleeping”, “Kean”, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”, “Milk and Honey” and “Let It Ride”, all of these have very tuneful scores.

Performing the programme is a superb orchestra and choral group. The ensemble creates a toe tapping dance band sound with sublime harmonies from the boys and girls of the chorale.

The whole production is immaculately done with polish and verve. There are 10 songs from “No, No Nanette”, including outstanding versions of “Tea for Two” and “I Want to be Happy” plus ten more selections from the 1961 shows mentioned earlier. (August 2010)

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