-- forwarded message, please reply to sender and MMD --

In MMDigest 970311 John Phillips wrote:

> Subject: Seek "When We Were Very Young"
>
> Wanted to buy:  Rolls in the series  "When We Were Very Young",
> 14 songs by H Fraser-Simson.  There are 7 rolls in the set;  I have
> 1, 3 & 6, so I need 2, 4, 5 and 7.  They were produced as Aeolian
> Song Rolls, Universal Song Rolls and I believe Angelus Artistyle
> Song Rolls.  They are arrangements of Christopher Robin Poems and
> are delightful.
>
> John Phillips
>
>[ As a child I loved my phono records of the A. A. Milne poems with
>[ music, especially "Christopher Robin is Saying His Prayers."
>[ (Were the phono recordings possibly by Frank Milne, early 1930s?
>[  We should find them for Derek, Jody's little boy.)  -- Robbie

In (partial) response, the following exist:  A British publication of
14 songs from "When We Were Very Young", illustrated by E. H. Shepard
and composed, of course, by Fraser-Simson (anyone know the gender or
history of the composer or illustrator?), published by Methuen & Co.,
Ltd. (out of print), and republished with lesser quality in the U.S.
(first British publishing date, 11/27/24).

Also, Gene Kelly, the actor/singer/dancer, recorded at least some of
these songs (in the 'forties?), with some narration and an orchestral
accompaniment, plus perhaps one or more (When I Went Down to the Zoo)
not in the piano-vocal collection.

I am looking for those records, by-the-bye, which brought me to this
site, and would like to see a CD producer re-record them, perhaps along
with the piano rolls.  Actually, now that I think of it, my landlady
and good friend upstairs has a player-piano in good condition;
therefore, I would like to obtain such rolls!

Phil Bustin

 [ I remember the comic song, "I Went To the Animal Fair";
 [ the second stanza begins:
 [
 [   "I went to the animal zoo, to see a gnu I knew;
 [    The gnu I knew would be gnew to you, if you went to the zoo..."
 [
 [ -- Robbie   :-))