Summer Serenade In Torquay: John Allen & His Orchestra - RA Records no date shown but I'd guess early 1960s

Now there's a cover that shows you everything but tells you nothing; 'Summer Serenade In Torquay' - what is indigenous Torquay music that would (as the back suggests) 'remind you of the lovely days of summer, and bring you musical sunshine all the year round' and what would it sound like? Alas, the answer sadly, is 'like nothing much really'; rather than a set of compositions specifically about or referencing the titular Devon town, the music on this is simply a compilation of excerpts from light operetta played by a chamber orchestra. The whole 'Torquay' angle seems limited to the fact that it was recorded (so the cover tells me) in Torquay by 'West Of England Sound Ltd', which is a bit of a lame connection really, especially when on this evidence the town does not have sufficient personality of its own to seep into the music.

 

As for that music, I can't say that it sounds particularly 'summery' or even particularly English; Viennese polkas, selections from 'Showboat', traditional Irish jigs, Maria Paradis' piano quartet 'Sicilienne' - there's probably something here for everyone, except someone who wants to summon up mental images of the English Riviera. The closest it gets is a revival of Edward German's proto Wurzels-like 'Glorious Devon', ("Dorset, Somerset, Cornwall, Wales, May envy the likes of we. For the flower of the West, the first, the best, the pick of the bunch us be"), but one out of thirteen is not a good strike rate.

 

All things being equal, as this record went on I would have kind of assumed that the wrong disc had been in the sleeve and that was why the contents and the cover didn't seem to match. But it isn't , the disc is the right one and it leads to an awkward situation where I can say as a piece of light entertainment, 'Summer Serenade' is perfectly fine. More than fine really - the music is played well, the songs are sung well and everyone knows what they are doing. But anyone looking for a summer feeling or some kind of souvenir of their time in Torquay may well feel as short changed by it as they would if they'd bought a cat that turned out to be a dog.