Скачать или смотреть MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN (Noël Coward) performed by the King's Singers (1977)

As a King's Singers fan, I waited years for the release in digital of some of their earlier albums. Most of such albums were re-released in CD but in a few cases I'm rather sure this never has occured. Various tracks are downloadable in compressed format, but I didn't find the listening experience up to CD standards and the vinyl sounds snappier, more open.

Tracks of the KS's first LPs have been randomly put in the various CD compilations released since the early Nineties; others were or are performed live by the KS. Some music from the KS's repertoire, however, seems to have been dropped for ever by them (physiological after all) and only survives in the grooves of vinyls - and in EMI's vaults.
Besides, not only there are songs and arrangements hardly ever performed or recorded by anybody, but I often found that the KS's versions remain outstanding, possibly superior to anything available.

This is why I digitized some of my LPs, alas never in mint condition - I hope you'll appreciate anyway.

As to technicalities, I used a Thorens TD160S MkV turntable, with a Roksan cartridge. For A/D conversion, I fed the phono signal from my hifi amplifier into a Focusrite Saffire PRO14. VinylStudio is the SW I handled the digital audio with. I didn't want to fiddle too much with it, but I did brush away clicks and pops to some extent - unfortunately, VinylStudio was unable to get rid of "swishes". So what you hear is basically flat from the disc. The YT video your're listening to embeds an MP3 - VinylStudio seems well equipped for audio files downsizing.
I'm uploading here tracks from the LP THE KING'S SINGERS SING FLANDERS & SWANN AND NOEL COWARD, released in 1977 - great arrangements by the first and finest KS arrangers and great fun to listen to. Get ready for crafty music, actually beautiful melodies, old English humor and references to people or facts of the past. It's all completely a cappella.
The LP catalogue no. is EMC 3196, was produced by Nick Ingman and the engineer was John Kurlander. Tracks 1-8 are by Flanders & Swann, with arrangements by Gordon Langford; while tracks on the B-side (9-15) are by Noël Coward, arranged by Daryl Runswick. They were recorded at Abbey Road Studios and A.I.R. London Studios.
The ambience of the recording environment does change from side A to B - the latter has a wider stereo spread - but which studio was used for which side is not said.

Here the King's Singers are:

Nigel Perrin and Alastair Hume, countertenors
Alastair Thompson, tenor
Anthony Holt and Simon Carrington, baritones
Brian Kay, bass.

Here are, recommended as they're fast, the lyrics of MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN:

In tropical climes there are certain times of day
When all the citizens retire
To take their clothes off and perspire
It's one of those rules that the greatest fools obey
Because the sun is much too sultry
And one must avoid its ultraviolet ray
Papalaka papalaka papalaka boo
Digariga digariga digariga doo
The native grieve when the white
Men leave their huts, because
They're obviously definitely .... !

Mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out to the midday sun

The Japanese don't care to
The Chinese wouldn't dare to
Hindoos and Argentines sleep
Firmly from twelve to one
But Englishmen detest a siesta
In the Philippines
There are lovely screens
To protect you from the glare
In the Malay States
There are hats like plates
Which the Britishers won't wear
At twelve noon the natives swoon
And no further work is done

But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out to the midday ...

It's such a surprise for the Eastern eyes to see
That though the English are effete
They're quite impervious to heat
When the white man rides every native hides in glee
Because the simple creatures hope he
Will impale his solar topee on a tree
Bolyboly bolyboly bolyboly baa
Habaninny habaninny habaninny haa
It seems such a shame
When the English claim
The earth that they give rise to
Such hilarity and ah, ah, ah

Mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out to the midday sun.

The toughest Burmese bandit
Can never understand it
In Rangoon the heat of noon
Is just what the natives shun
They put their Scotch or Rye down
And lie down in a jungle town
Where the sun beats down
To the rage of man and beast
The English garb
Of the English sahib
Merely gets a bit more creased
In Bangkok at twelve o'clock
They foam at the mouth and run
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out to the midday sun
Mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out to the midday sun.

The smallest Malay rabbit
Deplores this stupid habit
in Hongkong they strike a gong and
Fire off a noonday gun
To reprimand each inmate
Who's in late

In the mangrove swamps
Where the python romps
There is peace from twelve till two
Even caribous lie around and snooze
For there's nothing else to do
in Bengal to move
At all is seldom, if ever ever done.

But mad dogs and Englishmen go out to the midday sun.