Includes the lively madrigals from Italy, France, England, and Germany that they recorded in 1984 during their Madrigal History Tour, which, due to the collaboration with the instrumental ensemble Consort of Musicke led by Anthony Rooley, is considered a gem of early music. This is in contrast to a further great achievement of the sextet – the King’s Singers’ 1985 interpretations of the cheeky musical and film hits of the Comedian Harmonists, which stand as a tribute to the legendary German vocal sextet from the 1930s. In further contrast, the 1989 album America is a homage to the great US pop songs by Paul Simon, Randy Newman and Jimmy Web, with refined arrangements by David Cullen which were specially written for the King’s Singers and the English Chamber Orchestra under Carl Davis.

Track Listing

Madrigal History Tour, 1984 

1. Amor vittorioso Gastoldi 0.39
2. Lirum bililirum Mantovano 1.32
3. Il bianco et dolce cigno Jacques Arcadelt 2.00
4. La bella Franceschina Anon. 2.17
5. Ultimi mei sospiri Phillipe Verdelot 3.16
6. Alla cazza Anon. 1.13
7. Zefiro torna e'l bel tempo rimena Claudio Monteverdi 3.41
8. La Gamba Pacolini 1.03
9. Or si rallegri il cielo Giaches de Wert 1.40
10. Valle, che de'lamenti miei Giaches de Wert 6.15
11. Fine knacks for ladies John Dowland 2.21
12. Who made thee, Hob William Byrd 1.13
13. Of all the birds John Bartlet 2.13
14. Too much I once lamented Thomas Tomkins 3.26
15. Mr. Allison's Alman Allison 1.13
16. Fair Phyllis John Farmer 1.21
17. The silver swan Orlando Gibbons 1.14
18. Now is the month of maying Thomas Morley 2.22
19. ‍La Guerre Clement Jannequin 6.07

A Tribute to the Comedian Harmonists, 1985

1. Veronika, der Lenz ist da Walter Jurmann / Fritz Rotter arr. Fried Walter 2.32
2. Liebling, mein Herz Werner Richard Heymann / Robert Gilbert arr. Emil Gerhardt 2.53
3.  Night and day Cole Porter arr. Emil Gerhardt 3.55
4. Mein kleiner gruener Kaktus Bert Reisfeld arr. Daryl Runswick 2.12
5. Creole Love Call Duke Ellington arr. Paul Kuhn 3.02
6. Eins, zwei, drei, vier Paul Abraham / Robert Gilbert arr. Daryl Runswick 2.01
7. Stormy Weather Ted Koehler / Harold Arlen arr. Daryl Runswick 3.53
8. Das ist die Liebe der Matrosen Werner Richard Heymann / Robert Gilbert arr. Emil Gerhardt 3.05
9. Ouverture zu 'Il barbiere di Siviglia' Gioacchino Rossini arr. Daryl Runswick 3.27
10. Wenn der Wind weht uber das Meer Werner Richard Heymann / Robert Gilbert arr. Daryl Runswick 3.30
11. Hummelflug / Flight of the Bumble Bee Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov arr. Daryl Runswick 1.18 
12. The Donkey Serenade Rudolf Friml / Herbert Stothart / Robert Wright / George Forrest arr. Emil Gerhardt 3.26
13. Gitarren spielt auf Ludwig Schmidseder / Ralph Siegel arr. Daryl Runswick 3.14
14. Tea For Two Vincent Youmans / Irving Caeser arr. Daryl Runswick 3.35
15. Du armes Girl vom Chor N. Doughaby / Milton Agaw / Arthur Rebner / Armin Robinson arr. Daryl Runswick 2.45
16. ‍Wochenend und Sonnenschein Milton Ager / Jack Jellen / Charles Amberg arr. Daryl Runswick 3.04

America, 1989

1. Bridge Over Troubled Water Paul Simon arr. David Cullen 4.29
2. The Sound of Silence Paul Simon arr. David Cullen 5.28
3. America Paul Simon arr. David Cullen 4.01
4. Homeward Bound Paul Simon arr. David Cullen 4.13
5. If You Leave Me Now Peter Cetera arr. David Cullen 4.39
6. Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear Randy Newman arr. David Cullen 3.56
7. Scissors Cut Jimmy Webb arr. David Cullen 4.20
8. It's Lonely at the Top Randy Newman arr. David Cullen 4.14
9. Vincent Don McLean arr. David Cullen 7.19
10. Wichita Lineman Jimmy Webb arr. David Cullen 4.49

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