Classic Albums 1960-61

Frank De Vol was one of the top arranger/conductors of the post-war pop era, providing the accompaniment for singers on dozens of hits from the 1940s through to the ‘60s. However, he was also a notable composer and artist in his own right and released a number of successful albums under his own name. He created an orchestra called Frank De Vol & His Rainbow Strings, devising a style of music which appealed to the middle ground of buyers, and which was ideal for presenting on the burgeoning medium of vinyl long-playing albums at the start of the 1960s. This 48-track 2-CD collection comprises the complete contents of four of his albums on the Columbia label from this era. The first three of those, all of which feature a selection of medleys of popular standards, are “The Old Sweet Songs”, “More Old Sweet Songs” and “Radio's Great Old Themes”, all featuring De Vol with His Rainbow Strings, and the last one is his rare album of music from the then-current stage musical “The Happiest Girl In The World”, with lyrics by E.Y. Harburg based on the compositions of Jacques Offenbach, with “Music By De Vol”. The music featured here is rarely heard these days but still resonates with lovers of top quality orchestral music, and this is an especially enjoyable collection in that idiom.