![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Flanders and Swann
Two men who had known one anther at school met again after the second world war and teamed up to write comic songs. For nearly a decade, their songs were performed by other people such as Ian Wallace and Joyce Grenfell. Eventually, in spite of one of them being in a wheelchair as a result of polio, they started their own stage show. This was all before I was born.
When my father bought a record player, the very first record I ever bought was 'At the Drop of Another Hat' because it had the Hippotamus song on it. That record was my introduction to the immortal Michael Flanders and Donald Swann.
Several decades later, two of the first CDs that I'm transferring to my MP3 player are 'At the Drop of a Hat' and 'At the Drop of Another Hat'.
Both men have been dead for over a decade (Flanders died back in 1975), but even where they've dated, the songs are still funny and the humour of the two men is infectious.
When I went to Novacon, last year, one of the most enjoyable conversations I had (apart from one fascinating discussion over breakfast that was so good that it ended up pulling in people from other tables!) was a long discussion between half a dozen of us about Flanders and Swann. I really ought to go out and buy the Bestiary...
The greatest tribute to the two of them is that all their songs are still on sale, and still being enjoyed by people of all ages. Not bad for a pair who did their last show in 1967.
When my father bought a record player, the very first record I ever bought was 'At the Drop of Another Hat' because it had the Hippotamus song on it. That record was my introduction to the immortal Michael Flanders and Donald Swann.
Several decades later, two of the first CDs that I'm transferring to my MP3 player are 'At the Drop of a Hat' and 'At the Drop of Another Hat'.
Both men have been dead for over a decade (Flanders died back in 1975), but even where they've dated, the songs are still funny and the humour of the two men is infectious.
When I went to Novacon, last year, one of the most enjoyable conversations I had (apart from one fascinating discussion over breakfast that was so good that it ended up pulling in people from other tables!) was a long discussion between half a dozen of us about Flanders and Swann. I really ought to go out and buy the Bestiary...
The greatest tribute to the two of them is that all their songs are still on sale, and still being enjoyed by people of all ages. Not bad for a pair who did their last show in 1967.
no subject
The Song of Patriotic Prejudice is a favorite. :)
no subject
no subject
We had "At The Drop of A Hat" on LP record when I was a kid, though we got a recording of "At The Drop of Another Hat" later on as well. It's hard to pick just one favourite... I have "The Gasman Cometh" memorized (as
no subject
no subject
Absolutely. Long-time favourites of mine too. There's some of their stuff that does absolutely nothing for me, but I just skip those and enjoy the ones that do push my buttons. They're generally great fun to play on the piano, though often a bugger to get your fingers round. Ill Wind definitely falls into both categories, and I'm also very fond of playing 20 Tons Of TNT when in the right mood.
And P** P* B**** B** D****** never fails to get children giggling hysterically - not to mention most adults too!
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject