With the new decade came a revolution in the way in which music would be heard in the home, thanks to the arrival of high fidelity sound and the long-playing record. Both were ideally suited to the requirements of light orchestras, and before long their albums were selling in millions. But for a while 78 and 45rpm singles still dominated the market, and Light Music featured regularly in the lists of latest releases from the record companies. New names such as Ray Martin and Ron Goodwin emerged to challenge the past masters, but there was plenty of room for everyone and the record-buying public were the main beneficiaries. This third CD in Guild’s new Light Music series provides a ‘snapshot’ of a world that was determined to start enjoying itself once again, and the bright and breezy sounds produced by so many orchestras world-wide undoubtedly contributed towards those happy feelings.
"Altogether a fine album of attractive, evocative and nostalgic music. But never let these adjectives get in the way of the fact that this is good, well constructed, beautifully orchestrated and well balanced music. Just because there is a good tune and a bit of a swing does not invalidate its claim to be great music. Light music is an art of its own and thankfully listeners realise that this legacy is of value and worthy of preservation and propagation. Well done Guild! Let’s hope that there are a few more albums like this ‘on the stocks.’"
John France
