Can't remember where I found this, advertised in a catalog I think. The subtitle is "A Vintage Portrait" because it features recordings from 1916 through 1953. I don't know much about British Music Hall, so many of the performers are new to me, but I did recognize Noel Coward, Eric Coates (British light music composer), and Vera Lynn, plus Duke Ellington, the Mills Brothers -- no, they're not British but the music is -- each song reflects either a place in London or an aspect of London life. And "Forty Fahsend Fevvers on a Frush" sounds like it could have been recorded by Ian Dury with its great Cockney rhyming slang.
Lots of great fun here: "If It Wasn't for the 'Ouses in Between" (great view of the Thames, if it wasn't for the 'ouses in between), "Underneath the Arches", "The Changing of the Guard", "Christopher Robin at Buckingham Palace", "London by Night" -- 53 songs on 2 CDs.
This is a collection done right, and the ASV label deserves kudos for taking the time. The songs betray their origins a bit, but they've been spiffed up enough so it's not distracting.
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