FROM THE PRODUCERS:
Ever since the release of our AL BOWLLY/RAY NOBLE album (MES/6816) approximately one year ago, we have received a great many letters commending us for re-issuing this material, as well as for the selection of sides and the quality of the sound. These letters came from all over the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and even Florence, Italy. Also received, with and with-out request on our part, were a lot of suggestions concerning this follow-up album, plus discographies of 78’s either owned by the various collectors, or known to have been recorded by HMV.
Four persons who contributed directly to the planning of this second LP were Mr. Rudy Leuthauser, who furnished a tape of some forty sides, Mr. Paul Copeland, who sent four Australian LP’s which introduced us to several titles we had never heard before, Mr. Bill Stanton, who compiled by far the most complete Noble discography we have ever seen, and Mr. John E. Martin, who also sent a discography and gave us some excellent suggestions. Many thanks!
Several correspondents urged the inclusion of such semi-spoken Bowlly vocals as WHO WALKS IN WHEN I WALK OUT? and SEVEN YEARS WITH THE WRONG WOMAN. We were also asked to include certain instrumentals: TIGER RAG, JAPANESE SANDMAN, THE BLUE DANUBE, and others. However, after due consideration, we felt that Al Bowlly at his best was so central to the magic of the Noble English band that we chose what to us are the finest sides not previously re-issued on either our first M-E album or the 1962 2-LP Capitol set.
The response to the re-emergence of NOBLE/ BOWLLY on LP, both from the critics and the cognoscenti, has been such that perhaps a third M-E album could be in the prospect for the future. If so, it would derive primarily from the now-deleted Capitol set which, after all, we helped Dave Dexter assemble. Hopefully the sound quality would be more faithful to the original 78’s, and possibly it could include a few unreissued sides. To return to the fan mail: perhaps the most moving letter received was from Mr. Syd Deekes, Bushey Road, Sutton, Surrey, England. He wrote in part as follows: “Dear Sirs : I must give credit where it’s due — we have nothing here to come up to the wonderful job you’ve done . . . I was a personal friend of Al Bowlly and I’m sure he would have been very pleased to know the interest and trouble you went to to get perfection on your LP.”
SIDE ONE
- 1. IT’S WITHIN YOUR POWER (recorded May 3, 1933) (Gordon-Revel) DeSylva, Brown & Henderson
- 2. A COUPLE OF FOOLS IN LOVE (recorded June 20, 1933) (Valentine-John-Broones) Chappell, Inc.
- 3. GUILTY (recorded November 14, 1931) (Kahn-Akst-Whiting) Leo Feist, Inc.
- 4. THE BEAT OF MY HEART (recorded May 31, 1934) (Spina-Burke) Irving Berlin, Inc.
- 5. EXPERIMENT (recorded October 12, 1933) (Cole Porter) Chappell, Inc.
- 6. BLUES IN MY HEART (recorded February 12, 1932) (Carter-Mills) Gotham Music, Inc.
- 7. THAT’S WHAT LIFE IS MADE OF (recorded May 10, 1933) (Noble) Harms Inc.
- 8. THE ECHO OF A SONG (recorded June 8, 1932) (Peter Mendoza) Harms Inc.
SIDE TWO
- 1. IT’S GREAT TO BE IN LOVE (recorded February 12, 1932) (Friend-Connelly) Robbins Music Corporation
- 2. MY SWEET (recorded April 27, 1934) (Peter Mendoza) H. Fox (Biem United Music Pub.)
- 3. DINNER AT EIGHT (recorded October 12, 1933) (Fields-McHugh) Robbins Music Corporation
- 4. HERE LIES LOVE (recorded December 8, 1932) (Robin-Rainger) Famous Music Corp.
- 5. I ONLY WANT ONE GIRL (recorded June 20, 1933) (Valentine-John-Broones) Shapiro, Bernstein Inc.
- 6. UNLESS (recorded February 1, 1934) (Hargreaves-Damerell-Evans) Francis, Day & Hunter, Inc.
- 7. NOT BAD (recorded March 12, 1934) (Green-Dyrenforth) Harms Inc.
- 8. A BEDTIME STORY (recorded October 11, 1932) (Towers-Leon-Nicholls) Harms Inc.
MONMOUTH-EVERGREEN RECORDS. 1697 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10019
MES/7021
Printed in U.S.A.
The Al Bowlly Archive 