Golden Girl of the 1930s

A relatively unknown artist. I had never heard of Francis Day. A good item for the avid collector. Very listenable, but not for everyone.

LOVED IT!!

Frances Day starred on stage and in films during the thirties and early forties, and this 2-CD set encapsulates her career. Accompaniments include those of Ray Noble, Louis Levy, Carroll Gibbons, George Scott Wood, Geraldo, Jay Wilbur, and Henry Hall, and she duets with Max Kirby, Al Bowlly, Arthur Riscoe, John Mills, and Bud Flanagan (with whom she performs a somewhat bowdlerised version of Cole Porter's "But In The Morning, No!"). Four of the tracks are recordings of radio broadcasts, including "Summertime" with Geraldo, and the parody "An Englishman Spoke In Grosvenor Square" with Henry Hall. In his comprehensive liner note, Michael Thornton refers to her habit of "bending the words, and often the music also, to her own fey persona". That succeeds in most cases, but what works on stage does not always transfer well to record. "S'cuse Me" in particular, sounds like a cross between Betty Boop and Shirley Temple! But the few less successful tracks are far outweighed by the many delights in this attractively packaged compilation.

It's strange how some big stars from the 30's continue to have a substantial presence on Amazon, whilst others like Frances Day have all but disappeared. Well, this release from Avid is very welcome because it is putting right that wrong. And the more I listen to these two cd's the more I can see why she was such a star. There are some lovely numbers including a charming duet with John Mills, a wonderful version of Cole Porter's "Do I love you", and a moving and beautiful song I've not heard before from the West End revue, Floodlight, called,"I will Pray".Full marks for the remastering which has produced good sound quality given the age. And the liner notes are very informative. So, well done Avid! I'm now waiting for another release of her songs.