The Best of Flanders & Swan - A Transport of Delight [Import]

Michael Flanders (Composer), Donald Swann (Composer), Donald Swann (Performer), Michael Flanders (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Donald Swann, Michael Flanders
• Composer: Michael Flanders, Donald Swann
• Audio CD (May 6, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Europe Generic
• ASIN: B000026LBT
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,575 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #27 in Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy > Comedic Music > General
  • #85 in Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Cabaret

Track Listings

1. Act One: Introduction

2. A Transport Of Delight

3. Song Of Reproduction

4. The Gnu Song

5. Songs For Our Time (Philigical Waltz: satellite Moon; A Happy Song)

6. A Song Of The Weather

7. Greensleeves

8. Misalliance

9. Madeira M'dear

10. The Hippopotamus Song

11. Act Two: Introduction

12. All Gall

13. Horoscope

14. The Gas Man Cometh

15. Sounding Brass

16. Ill Wind

17. First And Second Law

18. By Air

19. A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice

20. Hippo Encore

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite the best, but pretty good..., June 24, 2006

By 

T. Connor (Idaho, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best of Flanders & Swan - A Transport of Delight (Audio CD)

Flanders and Swann were brilliant, witty songwriters who wrote acute but subtle satire (among other things). In spite of the title, this record is not a "Best Of" collection, but a repackaging of their two best-known albums, "At the Drop of a Hat" and "At the Drop of Another Hat." A lot of people don't realize that there were two recordings of "At the Drop of a Hat": the first, produced by George Martin for Parlophone, was recorded during its original run at the Fortune Theatre in London in the late '50s, and is much better than the Angel Records version recorded on Broadway. This reissue, unfortunately, uses the Broadway version, in which Flanders seems a little bored with the material (or perhaps unsure that the American audience will get some of the jokes) and tends to rush the punch lines. This collection also omits one of the best songs from "At the Drop of a Hat"(which certainly belongs on any CD with this title), the conscientious-objection allegory "The Reluctant Cannibal."

While this is well worth listening to, your money would be better spent on the original "Hats" in their complete form (with "Cannibal"), preferably the Martin-produced version, if it's still available.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great English Comedy Duo, June 20, 2009

By 

Dave_42 "Dave_42" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Flanders & Swan - A Transport of Delight (Audio CD)

If you enjoy comedy, and you haven't had the pleasure of hearing Michael Flanders and Donald Swann's hilarious act before, then this is a good candidate for you. Although, I would say that you may want to pick up "The Complete Flanders & Swann" instead of just the best of, because you will miss out on some very funny stuff if you purchase this instead of the complete collection. Nevertheless, this is a good starting place and certainly a less expensive option than the other. Flanders and Swann were Michael Flanders (actor and singer), and Donald Swann (composer, pianist, and linguist) and together they wrote, and sometimes performed their marvelous songs.

Known best for a series of Animal songs, the most popular was probably "The Hippopotamus", they also wrote many songs commenting on popular culture, "Song of Reproduction", and the oddities of life, "The Gas Man Cometh", and even occasionally politics, "All Gall". All of them are delightful and funny, as is Michael Flanders commentary between each number. Sadly, neither Michael Flanders nor Donald Swann is with us any longer, but they will never be forgotten as long as their music and their humor stay with us.

This best of retrospective consists of 10 songs from their 1960 album "At the Drop of a Hat", and 10 songs from their 1964 album "At the Drop of another Hat". It closes with an encore of "The Wompom", which appeared on their album "The Bestiary of Flanders & Swann" from 1961. If you appreciate English humor at all you are going to love this CD, and if you are anything like me you will pick up on new things each time you hear it and grow to love it even more. Your only regret from buying this would be that you will likely realize that you should have bought "The Complete Flanders & Swann" box set, but you have been warned.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and very English songs, June 4, 2003

By 

Rick Row (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Flanders & Swan - A Transport of Delight (Audio CD)

Michael Flanders and Donald Swan composed and sang their own amusing songs, accompanied by Donald Swan playing the piano. Flanders was a large man in a wheelchair and Swan a slight man. Good natured, somewhat dry, very English lyrics, and somewhat dated as they were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. They did wonderful stage shows in those simpler times.