Australian Festival FX-5095

Danny Kaye was reputedly a first-class G&S fan, but he never played any G&S on stage, so far as I know. This disc gives every suggestion that he would have been quite good at it. All the songs are full of character, and several of them have updated lyrics. For example, in the Nightmare Song, all the words from "For you dream..." to "You're a regular wreck..." are substituted — quite cleverly, I might add. I could have done without him singing Yum-Yum's "The moon and I," which is crooned like a popular ballad and is slightly rewritten to suggest a man singing about his love, rather than about himself.

The selections are as follows (conductor in parentheses):

Decca DL 5094

The Judge's song (Johnny Green)
"When first my old, old love I knew" (Johnny Green)
"In enterprise of martial kind" (Johnny Green)
"The Policeman's song" (Johnny Green)
"If you're anxious for to shine" (Johnny Green)
"The Nightmare Song" (Johnny Green)
"The moon and I" (Johnny Green)
"My name is John Wellington Wells" (Victor Young)
"When I was a lad" (Victor Young)

The set was issued on 78rpm discs, 45rpm discs and LP. The last two numbers were not included on the 78's and were apparently recorded later, to take advantage of the additional capacity of the new media. There is no CD re-issue, but The Policeman's Song is included on "The Best of Danny Kaye," MCAD 31058 (1987).

Australian Festival CFR10-513

The Policeman's Song and "When you're anxious for to shine" are included on a more recent Danny Kaye compilation, "Entertainer Extraordinary" (ASV Ltd LIVING ERA CD AJA 5270). David Cookson points out:

Both tracks were recorded on 4 December 1947, and both are conducted (and arranged?) by Johnny Green. The credit for the Policeman's Song includes the words "with male quartet & orchestra conducted by Johnny Green". There's an extra verse to the Policeman's Song, and the third verse of If You're Anxious For To Shine has been completely altered. I believe the additional lyrics were written by Sylvia Fine, Danny Kaye's wife.