Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - Rodgers and Hart's Pal Joey (2026) [Hi-Res]

A rare early-1960s British 7" EP of Pal Joey, released on Gala Records, gathers four songs by Rodgers & Hart from the film version of the musical, performed by Bill St Clair with Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra. St Clair's vocal is uneven: on There's A Small Hotel he sounds stiff, missing the playful charm the song calls for, while on Bewitched he loosens up noticeably, and the lush strings create a genuinely atmospheric, late-night mood. The Lady Is A Tramp suffers from an overly slow tempo and a cautious, dated arrangement — the orchestra plays with technical polish but avoids the swinging energy the tune is capable of. The closing track, I Didn't Know What Time It Was, wins over the listener through simplicity: a modest piano intro and a plain, unadorned vocal delivery give it an unexpected sincerity. Despite the uneven vocal performance and safe arrangements, the record's technical quality is judged clean for a 45 rpm release, with good balance and audible orchestral detail, and the Rodgers & Hart songwriting is deemed strong enough to survive a middling vocalist. A personal anecdote adds emotional weight: the narrator's 78-year-old father, indifferent to musicals, recognized Bewitched as the song from his first dance without knowing its title — a detail that, for the narrator, outweighs the record's imperfections.

Tracklist:
1-1 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - Main Theme [4:22]
1-2 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - I Didn't Know What Time It Was [2:33]
1-3 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - Do It The Hard Way [2:01]
1-4 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - There's A Small Hotel [1:58]
1-5 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - Plant You Now Dig You Later [1:53]
1-6 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - Bewitched [3:20]
1-7 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - Entr'acte [3:10]
1-8 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - The Lady Is A Tramp [3:09]
1-9 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - Funny Valentine [2:04]
1-10 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - You Mustn't Kick It Around [1:38]
1-11 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - I Could Write a Book [3:15]
1-12 Eddie Maynard And His Orchestra - Finale [3:12]