SCX 6182

Lansdowne Series

DYNAMIC

Roger Whittaker

Accompaniment Directed by Freddy Ballerini

Production:

Supervision: Monty Babson Engineer: Dave Heelis Sleeve Design: Denis Preston Sleeve Notes: David Berkwood Photography. Michael Joseph

A FIRST ALBUM is always an important 86casion for the

And it is especially important and noteworthy when the artist

when the album in question dass es complete justice to the artist's multi-faceted talents as does this premier offering in the Columbia Lansdowne series.

Roger "Reg" Whittaker was born in Nairobi, Kenye. Whilst

the spell of the African folksongs and popular music he heard all around him. Those early influences are still very much in evidence in his present-day reperigire, and the African pieces he performs with such verve and authority are in constant demand amongst his evergrowing body of fans and followers. Army service gave Rog his first real audience, albeit a "ready made" one of fellow servicemen. It was that kind of tough yet rewarding experience so essential to every true professional in the long hard haul up the ladder to ultimate success. And it was at this time, too, that Hog first started writing his own songs several of which, incidentally, are featured in this very album. After the army came University... but singing, playing and entertaining af every possible opportunity proved something of a handicap to immediate academic success. However, at his second attempt he graduated with a degree in bio-chemistry and zoology, And, almost at once, in 1902, decided upon a show business carent:

At first the going was rough, but towards the end of '63 the tide began to tuin, when Rog made his first important gramophone record a rumbustious American worksong, entitled Steel Men. The immediate effect of having a "hit" record was the offer of his own television series This & That", on Ulster TV, soon to be followed by his own B.B.C, radio series. Since then he has been what may well be called a persona grata in both media, with series of his own as well as dozens of guest appearances most notably, in 1967, as a regular weekly quest In the long-running David Nixon show, Now For Nixon!" But perhaps his biggest single success of 1997 was winning the Tamed Knokke Song Festival, a coveted award which brought him overnight stardom in both Belgium and Holland and a swift zoom to hitville with his unique and captivating performance of Mexican Whistler, Real musical ability, personal charm and ease of manner, allied to his incredible whistling technique and a voice of astonishing emotional range soft and caressing in a tender love song or rafter-rending in an African war chant have given Rog Whittaker an enviable position in British show business... on radio, TV and records, in cabaret and on the concert platform.

But of all these media it is perhaps cabaret which gives Rog the greatest freedom to display the whole range of his sheer Versatility, and it was with this in mind that it was decided that he should make his long-play debut with a typical Whittaker cabaret performance, running the gamut of his enormous repertoire from the African songs he loves so well and performs so lustily, like Wimoweh and African Whistler, and American folksongs like Michael How The Boal, to old English dities like Early One Morning and West Indian calypsos both sensuous (Yellow Bird) and saucy Man Smart, Woman Smarter. And almost before the last handelap had died away on the last reel of tape it was self-evident that only one title could do justice to this electrifying melange of music and excitement. With justifiable pride, therefore, we present "DYNAMIC- ROGER WHITTAKER",

Side One

WATU HATARI (Whittaker Shakespear)
THE CINCINNATI KID (Cochran-Schifrin
THE FOX

(Trad, arr. Whittaker)

MAN SMART, WOMAN SMARTER (Span Moore)
YELLOW BIRD (Luboff Keith-Bergman)
LEMON TREE (Holt)
MEXICAN WHISTLER (Whittaker)
BOIL THEM CABBAGE DOWN (Williams)

Side Two

JAILER BRING ME WATER (Trad-arr. Whittaker)
EARLY ONE MORNING (Trad, arr. Whittaker)
MICHAEL ROW THE BOAT (Trad.-arr, Whittaker)
AFRICAN WHISTLER (JALUO SONG) (Whittaker)
WIMOWEH (Campbell)
THE LEAVIN' OF LIVERPOOL (Trad.-arr. Whittaker)
GREEN GREEN (McGuire-Sparks)

1967

E.M.I RECORDS THE GRAMOPHONE COMPANY LTD HAYES MIDDLESEX ENGLAND

Meda and Printed in Great Britain

Columbia

To play this STEREO record on a mono reproducer the reproducer should have either a stereo pick-up wired for mono or a suitable mono pick-up. Most pick-ups produced recently will be suitable for this purpose. If in doubt consult your dealer, True stereophonic reproduction will only be obtained from a complete stereo reproducer. To keep this record clean and dust free we recommend the regular use of NEW EMITEX.

71) TPS Frimed and maids by Garred & Lohhours Lid Patents pending $X418

Karton 114