Customer Reviews

Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be (Original London Cast)

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It is excellent to have this CD available, as is the availabilty of a fine
run of Lionel Bart hit musicals on CD, starting with this one. There is a raw intensity to the live recording that brings out the characters. Bart loved to write for the underdog, and his dramas never shy away from lowlifes and thugs and the street. What a gift he had for both the jewish and the cockney elements all wrapped up in jaunty, whimsical tunes that the milkman could whistle. "Where do little birds" and the title track are worth the price alone.

For all those who really enjoy Bart's Oliver!,for its unique Bart sound, this CD is a must. I have always been fond of British show music and listen to a lot of it, even though some of it does not appeal to a non British or Anglophile audience which is the main reason why Hollywood does remakes of already brilliant British films. In it one can feel Bart writing and singing(Yes there are two tracks with Bart singing himself from a special he did called "Bart on Bart") about the East End he knew and embraced. You can see Bart's interest in writing about "villians" and "loose women" and how he naturally fell into writing about the same types of characters from Dickens' Oliver Twist and to go on to write "Maggie Mae"). It's not as polished as Oliver! but there are some really good numbers that you will be happy you heard and they will keep you humming. Also for the same group of listeners that enjoy "This sort o'fing" you need to also listen to "Blitz!" and "Maggie Mae."

Barbara Windsor stopped the show with her rendition of "Where do little birds go" in "Fings". You can hear that great performnace on this CD. Buy it before it goes out of print and costs a fortune. You won't regret it!