Ross MacDonald
USIC REVIEW

THE COMPLETE FLANDERS &
SWANN
EMI CD #CDFSB1 CDS 7974642
(3 CDs)

BOUT 14 years ago, I

was sitting behind the

wheel oi my sorne-
what rusty VW van on the
way to Bella Coola for a job.
Though f’d had the van for a
couple of years, | had just
invested all my shekels in a
top-o’-the-line Kenwood car
stereo to fil the cab with
more than just the usual

draft.

Bui | hadn't thought to budget
for tapes, alas, and anyone who's
ever driven the Fraser Canyon
soon learns that those pesky
mountains block considerably
more than the view.

So, with the radio rendered
effectively useless, | slipped the
only cassette | had into the
machine. It was a homemade job
donated by friends who had
filled side A with far foo many
“This-land-is-your-!and”-type folk
songs and side B with selections
from Flanders & Swann, taped

tugh) off the radio.

But regardless of the terrible.
transistorized sound, tt was side
B that kept me company the rest
of the way. Which is my clearest,
but not earliest, memory of cosy-
ing up to Flanders & Swann,

Just like a lot of classical
pieces, many of
Michael Flancters’
and Donald
Swann’s songs are
familiar to just
about everyone,
though few actu-
ally know from
whence they
sprouted. Have
Some Madeira
M’dear or the
Hippopotamus
Song springs to
mind. And who
cloesn’t know /’m
a Gnu?

The point of all
this is that, until
now, the only
hepe you had of
keeping this
delightful duo on
tape was by pray-
ing to the dying gods of vinyl that
one of their long-deleted LPs
would turn up al the local flea
market or garage sale. And then,
Even if you did find one, you'd
have been virtually blessed if it
didn’t bear the scratchy scars of a
misspent youth.

But to the rescue came EMI
who reissued three complete

. Flanders & Swann albums on CD

in this much-appreciated boxed
set. Doubtless the marketing
department foresaw multitudes of

‘fans quietly waiting in the wings

for just such a release.

/ Generation

by Panasonic.

The Dynasty
Continues

In the third year of its dynasty,
GAOO has established a new ruling
class in television technology,

performance and value.

New Models starting

66 Just like a lot of
classical pieces,
many of Michael

Flanders’ and
Denald Swann’s
songs are familiar
to just about
everyone... 99

As acesult, EMI was careful to
keep the production values high
throughout the entire production.

The set is nicely boxed and
includes a liberally illustrated
booklet to tell you everything
you've ever wanted to know
about Flanders & Swann ... and
more.

Each of the
three CDs isa
direct reissue of
an original LP,
including cover
art and liner
notes. The 1960's
At the Drop of a
Hat comes first
followed by At
the Drop of
ANother Hat from
1974, and then
comes a compila-
tion of animal
songs called The
Bestiary of
Flanders &
Swain,

Beatles fans
will be delighted
to know that all
three were origi-
nally produced by George
Martin, who discovered and pro-
duced the Fab Four, indicating
just how much stature these curi-
ous choristers commanded.

But only the fanatic will be
compelled to play the whole set
at ance. There’s a total of 59
Flanders & Swann offerings here;
far ioo much to absorb or appre-
ciate at one sitting.

That’s more than enough
though tc keep fans, old and
new, entertained through years of
random listening.

CT27xF 1
{optiona! stand}

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