[78-L] Huh?

[Michael Biel]

From: "Bud Black" <banjobud at cfl.rr.com>
> May I say, in defense of Mr. Harry McClaskey, that he really sang his
> ass off in a time when vocal enhancements in recordings were unheard of?

He does an unexpectedly dramatic job on the anti-war Irving Berlin song
"Stay Down Here Where You Belong".  I looked for this record for decades
after hearing Herbert Khaury's devastating Viet Nam War-era recording of
it, and not expecting much out of Burr's record.  I finally heard it on
the WW I Archeophone CD before I was able to come across two copies of
the 78 shortly after.  It is a great record and really gets the anti-war
message across dramatically.  No wonder Berlin buried the song and was
incensed when Tiny Tim (that's the name Khaury used) uncovered it from
Burr's record and recorded it.   

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com