The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #115543   Message #2774206
Posted By: Acorn4
26-Nov-09 - 12:22 PM
Thread Name: Charity CDs & Gigs - PermaThread
Subject: RE: Charity CDs & Gigs - PermaThread
There has been a review of Catnav on:-

http://www.netrhythms.co.uk/reviews.html#lesbarker

Some extracts below:-

At long last, a further helping of the wit and wisdom of the brilliant Les Barker, again to raise funds for the BCAB (British Computer Association Of The Blind). This time it's a two-disc set, stretching to a generous two hours' playing-time, on which assorted musicians and celebrities deliver renditions of Les's songs and poems.

Les himself appears on two of these – on a solo live performance of Sex Is Better Than Poetry and on Hip Hop Hamlet (fronting the Mrs Ackroyd Band); I think (but couldn't totally swear to it) that these recordings are taken from existing available CDs. The remainder, however, appear to be new recordings made specially for this venture, although some of the actual musical parodies herein have been recorded before for earlier Mrs Ackroyd releases (in the case of My Husband's Got No Porridge In Him, by the same artist - Norma Waterson, but in virtually all other cases by different artists). Never fear, for it's good to hear alternative renditions, the originals can take it (and so can you!).

Roy Bailey and Wheeler Street raise the roof (and the stars) with their Ben Kenobi space-shanty, the Haley Sisters deliver an authentic Roseville Fair; Dan & Gene ship on board the enigmatic Sloop John A, Nonny James exhorts us to Send In The Cones and Fairport Convention are roped in to portray Quasi B. Goode.

The spoken-word pieces are aptly characterised in the main, comparing very favourably with earlier instalments in the series: particularly well-suited to their tasks I feel are Richard Briers (Why Don't They Write It On The Side?), Jeremy Taylor (Shi Tsu), Bernard Cribbins (Odd Socks), Bernard Wrigley (Beef Dripping), and Charles Collingwood (Je Ne Sais Quoi), while Bob Harris whispers meaningfully through The Nine Banded Armadillo and we even hear from the Archbishop Of Canterbury (in both English and Welsh!) regarding The Lost Elephants Of Denbigh.