he Recording

This recording i s a re-issue of selections taken from two of Carol's previous albums originally

released i n cassette format - "Life i s Nothing Without Music" recorded in 1988 and featuring the

WurliTzer in the Musical Museum at Brentford in west London; and "Theatre Live!" recorded

in-concert i n 1992-93 and featuring the WurliTzer i n Kilburn's Top Rank Club (previously known

a s London's State Cinema) plus, i n the Netherlands, the WurliTzer/Strunk in Amsterdam's

Tuschinski Theatre and the Standart before its removal from the Passage Theatre at Schiedam

near Rotterdam. All tracks are a complete and unedited performance.

The permission and co-operation of the Brentford staff and of the theatre managers plus concert

organisers is greatly appreciated.

The sensitivity of the microphones used i n the original recordings has meant that the piston action

and blower sounds, inherent in pipe organs, are faithfully reproduced.

And, from the items recorded "live", the coughs and miscellaneous disturbances that are

inescapable features of concert atmosphere have been recorded with equal precision. There are

also fades at the end of certain tracks since some of the pieces have been taken from selections

in the various concerts i n order to produce a CD with a balanced programme.

The Instruments

The Top Rank Club, Kilburn

A concert on Sunday 12th April 1992 for the London and South of England Chapter of the

American Theatre Organ Society provided the opportunity to record Carol playing an exceptionally

famous 4-manual 16-rank WurliTzer in conceivably one of the most memorable locations i n

Britain. Designed by the great Quentin Maclean and featured by the legendary Sidney Torch in the

official opening on December 20th 1937, this most distinctive of WurliTzers with its revolving lift

o n the far right of the proscenium arch was a superb feature of the palatial 4000-seat Gaumont

State Cinema i n London's Kilburn. A veritable Cathedral of the Movies, the names of some o f its

resident organists - Sidney Torch; Rudy Lewis; Terence Casey; Bobby Pagan; Louis Mordish -

bring back s o many happy memories of the golden era of the Mighty WurliTzers.

And then, during the 1970s when John Stewart was the house organist, it was played b y many

outstanding American exponents including George Wright, Ashley Miller and Lyn Larsen. But the

function of the building was gradually changing and it closed in 1980 to be refurbished as a bingo

hall. The console i s now no longer on a lift but is located close t o the chambers and the grand piano