--- In albowlly@yahoogroups.com, joe bebopper <joebebopper@...> wrote:
>
> Randy, you will be doing a great service to mankind.  I'm sure I have just the
most common > releases myself, but I will double check my LPs.  Is there a way
you can list what you have > so that we can cross-reference?
>  
> Do you have plans for a huge boxed-set release some day?  Wouldn't that be
exciting!
>  
> Leah

A lot of unusual Bowlly releases hide in "various artists" collections of
British dance bands, or just general nostalgia collections. (For example, an
Australian double-CD compilation released by "Bilarm Music" in 2002, titled
"British Dance Bands Vol. 2 - Pete Smith Specialties," yields a couple of common
titles made with Ray Noble, but also includes "The Dance of the Cuckoos," which
Al recorded in September 1932 with Arthur Lally. That one's quite a rarity, and
of particular interest to me, as I am the author of a book about Laurel &
Hardy--this track is a vocal version of their theme song. I was a very good
friend of T. Marvin Hatley, who wrote the melody; I wish I'd had this record to
play for him! I did manage to locate the sheet music, with an added lyric by
one Harry Steinberg; Marvin was very surprised, and knew nothing of this. He
retained the publishing rights in the US and his edition was instrumental, with
no lyric.

But I digress, as I usually do. As for a "huge boxed set," well, all I can say
is that I'm not doing this to make money, and I'll make my compilation, however
complete it turns out to be, available to the group.

All the best--
Randy