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28/10/2012

Russell celebrates the art, craft and inspiration of the popular song. Tonight he opens with Tom Lehrer and features Bing Crosby, the Beatles, the Chordettes and more.

In answer to recent press suggestions that it was either James Bond or The Beatles that marked The Modern Age, Russell posits a different date-line: The Cuban Missile Crisis. In memory of this, he opens with Tom Lehrer's So Long Mom, (I'm Off To Drop The Bomb).

A brief line from this - "Little Johnny Jones" - sends him to the musical origin of that. And it turns up first in George M Cohan's Give My Regards To Broadway. Mention of the economy and we're into Bing Crosby and Brother Can You Spare A Dime? swiftly followed by another message-carrying song Remember My Forgotten Man (Maude Maggart sings).

For Black History Month, Russell plays singer-turned-campaigner Etta Moten, whom we glimpse in The Carioca, from Flying Down To Rio. A new release - 50 Songs That Shaped The Beatles - gives us the next four songs. Then a Beatles composition, A World Without Love, starts a little stream of "world" songs: The Chordettes' Let The Rest Of The World Go By and Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World.

Finally, two new releases, Gary Williams' Carry On Screaming for Hallowe'en; and Teddi King singing The Touch Of Your Lips, just because it's excellent.

57 minutes

Last on

Sun 28 Oct 2012 21:00

Music Played

  • Tom Lehrer

    So Long Mom [I'm Off To Drop The Bomb]

    鈥淭he Remains Of Tom Lehrer鈥 [3-CD Set]

    • Warner Archives/Rhino.
    • R2 79831.
  • Jane Morgan

    Give My Regards To Broadway/Yankee Doodle Boy

    鈥淛ane Morgan Sings Showstoppers鈥

    • Sepia.
    • Sepia 1119.
  • Bing Crosby

    Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?

    鈥淐hronological Bing Crosby April 鈥 October 1932鈥

    • Jonzo.
    • JZCD 11.
  • Maude Maggart

    Remember My Forgotten Man

    鈥淢aude Maggart 鈥 With Sweet Despair鈥

    • CDBABY.
    • 7213899.
  • Etta Moten & Brazilian Turunas Orchestra

    The Carioca

    鈥淥riginal Movie Themes鈥 [10-CD Set]

    • Membran.
    • 231888-J.
  • Bruce Channel

    Hey Baby

    鈥淟ove Me Do: 50 S0ngs That Shaped The Beatles鈥

    • Fantastic Voyage.
    • FVDD 136.
  • Peggy Lee

    Till There Was You*

    鈥淧eggy Lee: Latin A La Lee/Ol茅 A La Lee鈥

    • Capitol/EMI.
    • 7243 8 56056 2 8.
  • Fats Waller and His Rhythm

    I'm Gonna Sit Right Down & Write Myself A Letter*

    鈥淔ats Waller Volume 3: 1934-36鈥

    • JSP.
    • JSP946B.
  • Peter Sellers

    Puttin' On The Smile*

    鈥淎 Celebration Of Sellers鈥 Disc 2 [4-Cd Set]

    • EMI.
    • 7243 8 27783 2 5.
  • Peter & Gordon

    A World Without Love

    鈥淗its Of 1964鈥

    • Music For Pleasure-Emi.
    • CD-MFP 6061.
  • Frank Sinatra

    The World We Knew (Over And Over)

    鈥淔rank Sinatra 鈥 The World We Knew鈥 [1967 Album]

    • Reprise.
    • 896766.
  • The Chordettes

    Let The Rest Of The World Go By

    鈥淭he Chordettes: Harmony Time Vols 1 & 2鈥

    • Collectables.
    • 7403.
  • Louis Armstrong

    What A Wonderful World

    Louis Armstrong 鈥 The Great Entertainer

    • Music For Pleasure/Emi.
    • CD MFP 6056.
  • Gary Williams/Royal Ballet Sinfonia

    Carry On Screaming

    New Release Of Music From 鈥楥arry On鈥 Movies

    • Vocalion.
    • CDSA 6810.
  • Teddi King

    The Touch Of Your Lips

    New Release: 鈥楾eddi King 鈥 4 Classic Albums Plus鈥

    • Avid.
    • AMSC 1059.

Broadcast

  • Sun 28 Oct 2012 21:00