larry

there is nothing quite like getting something you have been after for years. today i have tracked down a cd that i have wanted for several years.
yes thanks to the efforts of ebay expert kt i am now listening to larry adler playing a selection of gershwin tunes, with vocals being provided by a number of a-list singers.

i have liked gershwin for years. what can i say i am a bit of a sucker for a musical or two.

to be honest i was attracted to this cd more for the sheer bonkersness of it. many years ago no one would have batted an eyelid at such a record, but now it can be seen as a gimmick record.

not that there is anything wrong with gimmick records i have a few that are wonderful. one of my favourite cds of all time is the pat boone “no more mister nice guy” on which pat unleashes his smooth big band jazz vocals on some metal classics – creating a hard lounge sound.
then there is senor coconut. sublime. or the chamber music attack on the works of metallica by the cello wielding apocalyptica. smooth.

and while i sit here singing along to the songs of gershwin i can’t help but wonder what possessed the people responsible for the record to bring it out.
i can picture them sitting around a smoke filled room, time has stopped for them, and they are brainstorming, trying to find the latest new sound. names and styles are thrown out. shot down. drink is quaffed. more names. more nos. more styles. more nos. but these are record execs they are not like the rest of us, defeat is not in their vocabulary. they are winners. even as the hours turn into days they know, they know they will crack it and they will have an idea that will rock the heavens.
as night follows day.
hold on.
night and day.
cole porter.
great american songbook.
yessssssss. lets do something with the great american songbook.
great idea.
but lets use someone other than porter. i know gershwin. winner. gershwin it is.
okay what are we going to do to make it special? easy. easy you say? how. what we do is get a lot of distinctive and popular singers to do their versions of the songs.
brilliant.
lets put this baby to bed and celebrate.
break open the champagne.
hoooold on jeeves! what is the problem? something is missing. what are you smoking? it is a killer idea.
i know, i know. but look gershwin is famous for rhapsody in blue as much as he is for his songs. what are you going to do have the singers hum it?
mmm not a bad idea…. just joking. you are right, we need to have rhapsody in there. but how?
look the singers are a great idea, but lets hang it on a musician playing the pieces, that way we can do rhapsody and we can hang the singers off of the musician. how does that sound?
now you are cooking with gas baby! this is a winner.
but who? what about that guitarist you know the one eric clapton? no we can’t use a guitarist to obvious. harry connick junior on piano? now that isn’t bad, a little bit samey. that bloke who plays the flute? nah gedoutahere.
humming, you know that wasn’t such a bad idea. i have got it. we’ll get the world’s greatest living harmonica player and we’ll put him with gershwin and famous singers and we have ourselves a record and half.
pure genius.

and it is. with cracking vocal performances from elton john, sting, peter gabriel, kate bush, cher, sinead o’connor and many others all accompanied on the mouth organ by the, then, living legend of larry adler.
a winner from start to finish.

for those who care larry came under scrutiny from the house un-amercian activities committee, which forced him to leave america to come britian.

i urge you all to rush out to get a copy of this mellow miracle.

now if i can get hold of elaine paige sings queen i will be very happy.