Background information about the recordings can be found below the audio selections.
| “Dreaming Of A Castle In The Air” California Ramblers December 4, 1925 (Columbia 527 D mx 141352) |
| “Smile A Little Bit” California Ramblers December 4, 1925 (Columbia 527 D mx 141351) |
From the Edward Mitchell Collection, here are two instrumental recordings by the California Ramblers.
I find “Dreaming Of A Castle In The Air” extremely charming. The song’s composer is Eddie Ward. My understanding is that another recording of the song, by the Ray Miller Orchestra, should also be in Eddie’s collection. Once I locate it, I will digitize it for inclusion in Radio Dismuke as well, and possibly include it in a future blog posting.
“Smile A Little Bit” was composed by Bob Morton and Peggy Shevlin. I find the arrangement here to be rather haunting.
As was often the case with popular songs during the era, most record labels issued at least one version of these songs. “Dreaming Of A Castle In The Air” seems to have been especially well-received in Germany, where it was recorded by multiple artists under the title “Mein Schloß im Mond” – including a very nice vocal version by the Austrian tenor Richard Tauber.