Leaning On a Lamp Post

One of the greatest British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century, George Formby spent several years emerging from the shadow of his famous father (music hall entertainer George Formby, Sr.), but ultimately became a much bigger personality — with his presence in many films of the 1930s and '40s, and of course, his delightful comic recordings. Living Eras' two-disc Leaning on a Lamp Post presents 150 minutes of prime Formby, all recorded during his film days (1932-1946) and including every single one of his landmarks. Formby was the best English novelty singer by far; his singing was delightfully nimble and melodic, and his odd "Lan-kin-shire" accent had more than enough fun. Add in the songs of Noel Gay, Jack Cottrell, Fred E. Cliffe, Harry Gifford, and Formby himself, and you'll get a quality set of late music hall classics. With the absence of a great single-disc George Formby, this is the best one available.