v/a - OH! IT'S A LOVELY WAR, v.3: Songs and Sketches of the Great War, 1914-1918

This is the third volume of Oh! It's a Lovely War, the series devoted to historic recordings of songs, marches and descriptive sketches from the First World War. Almost all the 49 tracks featured on this attractively packaged double CD set were recorded between 1914 and 1918 and have been digitally remastered from original 78 and cylinder sources, using sympathetic treatment with CEDAR noise reduction equipment.

Volume 3 comprises two full length (75 minute) discs, featuring a wealth of British 'songs that won the war' including Never Mind, The Army of Today's All Right, Kitchener's Boys, Fall in and Follow Me, Ship Ahoy!, Bravo Little Belgium, Here's to the Day, Hello! Hello! Who's Your Lady Friend?, My Hymn of Hate, Another Little Drink, Who Were You With Last Night? and Paddy Maloney's Aeroplane. The spoken word sections include a recruiting speech given by the Lord Mayor of London at Mansion House in January 1916, and an account of the sinking of the ship Arabic by the actor Kenneth Douglas from 1915.

Also featured are several extremely rare Canadian and Australian recordings, including Maple Leaf Forever and Boys of the Dardanelles. America is also represented with evergreens such as Over There, Tell That to the Marines, You Can't Beat Us and Hunting the Hun. Among the rarest records included on the set are Angel of Mons and Sinking of the Lusitania, as well as both sides of the historic recording of the funeral service of The Unknown Soldier at Westminster Abbey in November 1920, the first ever electrical recording made using microphones.

Featured artists include Florrie Forde, Stanley Kirkby, Tom Clare, Vesta Tilley, Mark Sheridan, Arthur Fields, Al Jolson, Enrico Caruso, Harry Fay, Hal Ford, Robert Radford, Ernest Pike and Robert Howe. The booklet includes detailed notes by historian James Hayward.

Oh! It's a Lovely War is a must-have for anyone with an interest in the Western Front and the First World War, as well as military, music and social historians. The collection is also ideal for museum, display, dramatic and educational use.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
1 FALL IN AND FOLLOW ME (September 1910) Albert Whelan
2 THE CALL TO ARMS (October 1914) Robert Radford
3 THEY SANG GOD SAVE THE KING (October 1914) Florrie Forde
4 FALL IN (October 1914) Stanley Kirkby, baritone with orchestra
5 RECRUITING (October 1914) Kennedy Russell, descriptive sketch
6 BRAVE LITTLE BELGIUM (November 1914) Harry Fay
7 WHY BRITAIN IS AT WAR (November 1914) Henry Ainley
8 WOMEN WHO WAIT (October 1914) Ernest Pike, tenor
9 THE ANGEL OF MONS (February 1916) Foster Richardson, bass
10 CHRISTMAS IN CAMP (October 1914) descriptive sketch
11 SERVICE IN CAMP (February 1915) descriptive sketch
12 THREE CHEERS FOR THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE (February 1915) Howard Gates (aka Robert Howe), baritone
13 HERE'S TO THE DAY (WE'VE GOT A MAILED FIST TOO) (Feb 1915) Howard Gates (aka R Howe), baritone
14 PLAYING HOME SWEET HOME (April 1915) George Christian (aka J Charman), with orchestra
15 FOLLOW THE DRUM (April 1915) George Christian (Jack Charman)
16 THE ARMY OF TODAY'S ALL RIGHT (June 1915) Vesta Tilley, with orchestra
17 KITCHENER'S BOYS (September 1915) Constance Collier, recitation with band
18 PADDY MALONEY'S AEROPLANE (September 1915) Charlie Collins (Harry Fay)
19 WOMEN OF BRITAIN (November 1915) George Baker, with Mayfair Orchestra
20 WHEN THE WAR IS OVER, MOTHER DEAR (November 1915) Walter Jeffries (aka G Baker)
21 RECRUITING SPEECH, AT THE MANSION HOUSE 23.1.16 Sir Charles Wakefield
22 MY HYMN OF HATE (March 1916) Tom Clare
23 KEEP ON CARRYING ON (July 1916) Charlie Collins (Harry Fay)
24 WOMENS' WORK (December 1916) Tom Clare
25 THE LADDIES WHO FOUGHT AND WON (March 1917) Vernon Watson

Disc 2:
1 SHIP AHOY! (ALL THE NICE GIRLS LOVE A SAILOR) (1910) Ella Retford
2 THE LADS IN NAVY BLUE (IT'S THE NAVY, THE BRITISH NAVY)(Oct 1914) H Latimer, baritone
3 WITH THE FLEET IN ACTION-OFF HELIGOLAND (October 1914) descriptive sketch
4 SINKING OF THE LUSITANIA 7th MAY 1915 (July 1915) descriptive sketch
5 EXPERIENCES OF THE SINKING OF THE ARABIC (September 1915) Kenneth Douglas, descriptive sketch
6 ANOTHER LITTLE DRINK WOULDN'T DO US ANY HARM (May 1916) E Trevor & C Cooper
7 HELLO! HELLO! WHO'S YOUR LADY FRIEND? (October 1913) Harry Fragson
8 WHO WERE YOU WITH LAST NIGHT? (Dec 1912) Mark Sheridan
9 I'M 21 TODAY (September 1911) Jack Pleasants
10 WHEN THERE ISN'T A GIRL ABOUT (1907) Fred Vernon (aka Harry Fay)
11 NEVER MIND (May 1914) Walter Duncan (George Baker), baritone
12 MAPLE LEAF FOR EVER (January 1911) London Regimental Band
13 DOMINION OF CANADA MARCH (no date) Sodero's Band
14 AUSTRALIA WILL BE THERE (May 1916) Alexander Prince, concertina solo
15 BOYS OF THE DARDANELLES (February 1916) Stanley Kirkby, baritone
16 HUNTING THE HUN (March 1918). Arthur Fields, baritone with orchestra
17 OVER THERE! (July 1918) Enrico Caruso, tenor with orchestra
18 YOU CAN'T BEAT US (IF IT TAKES TEN MILLION MORE) (September 1918) Arthur Fields
19 HOW YA GONNA KEEP 'EM DOWN ON THE FARM (June 1919) Harry Fay, comedian
20 I AIN'T GOT WEARY YET! (September 1918) Arthur Fields, baritone with Peerless Quartette
21 TELL THAT TO THE MARINES (September 1918) Al Jolson, comedian
22 GENERAL ELECTION 1918 - SPEECH (November 1918) Rt Hon Winston Churchill
23 WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE GREAT WAR, DADDY? (September 1919) Tom Clare
24 MEMORIAL RECORD 11.11.1920 - ABIDE WITH ME (1920) at Westminster Abbey
25 MEMORIAL RECORD 11.11.1920 - KIPLING'S RECESSIONAL (1920) at Westminster Abbey