In compiling this Noël Coward Archive from the HMV vaults, we have had two guiding principles: that the recordings, spanning 25 years, should be kept in their chronological order, despite the fact that Noël often recalled earlier scores while in a studio session so that the dates here bear very little resemblance to the dating of his original shows; and that, where there was a choice, we would go for Noël’s own solo recordings. Thus, although Gertrude Lawrence, Yvonne Printemps and one or two others do make appearances here, we were going not for soundtrack or cast recordings but for the sound of Noël’s own voice. More than seventy of the eighty tracks here feature Noël singing his own songs: the rare exceptions include numbers by Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and Carroll Gibbons, and a speech by Clemence Dane which formed a part of his wartime troop concerts.

HMV documents reveal that Noël first went into one of their studios in August 1925 to record songs from On With The Dance including “Poor Little Rich Girl”. These were however rejected with a note indicating “voice too weak”, and it wasn’t until April 1928 that he returned to record “A Room With A View” at the start of an HMV contract which would continue uninterrupted even by war until June 1952. At that point, as 78s began to be replaced by LPs, he started to make recordings with other labels in Britain and the USA — where he was now at the start of a flourishing post-war cabaret and concert career — of which there are several “in performance”. The present recordings, however, are the original “Master’s discs”. - Sheridan Morley, 1992

Disc 1
01 A Room With A View ("This Year Of Grace")  - Noel Coward
02 Dance Little Lady  - Noel Coward
03 Mary Make Believe ("This Year Of Grace")  - Noel Coward
04 Try To Learn To Love  - Noel Coward
05 Lorelei ("This Year Of Grace")  - Noel Coward
06 Dream Is Over, The (Little Damozel)  - Noel Coward
07 Zigeuner ("Bitter Sweet")  - Noel Coward
08 World Weary  - Noel Coward
09 Private Lives: a) Love Scene From Act 1 / b) Scene from Act 2  - Noel Coward
10 Half Caste Woman (Cochran's 1931 Revue)  - Noel Coward
11 Any Little Fish (Cochran's 1931 Revue)  - Noel Coward
12 Cavalcade Prologue  - Noel Coward
13 Cavalcade Vocal Selection Part I  - Noel Coward
14 Lover Of My Dreams (Mirabelle Waltz)  - Noel Coward
15 Cavalcade Vocal Selection Part 2  - Noel Coward
16 Cavalcade Epilogue (Medley)  - Noel Coward
17 Noel Coward Medley (Part 1)  - Noel Coward
18 Noel Coward Medley (Part 2)  - Noel Coward

Disc 2
01 Let's Say Goodbye ("Words And Music")  - Noel Coward
02 Party's Over Now, The ("Words And Music")  - Noel Coward
03 Something To Do With Spring ("Words And Music")  - Noel Coward
04 Mad Dogs And Englishmen ("Words And Music")  - Noel Coward
05 I'll Follow My Secret Heart ("Conversation Piece")  - Noel Coward
06 Melanie's Aria Part 1  - Yvonne Printemps
07 Melanie's Aria Part 2  - Yvonne Printemps
08 I Travel Alone  - Noel Coward
09 Most Of Ev'ry Day  - Noel Coward
10 Love In Bloom (From 'She Loves Me Not')  - Noel Coward
11 Fare Thee Well (From 'Many Happy Returns')  - Noel Coward
12 Mrs Worthington  - Noel Coward
13 We Were So Young (Sweet Adeline)  - Noel Coward
14 Then/Play Orchestra Play  - Gertrude Lawrence
15 You Were There  - Gertrude Lawrence
16 Has Anybody Seen Our Ship? ("Red Peppers")  - Noel Coward
17 Men About Town ("Red Peppers")  - Noel Coward

Disc 3
01 Family Album  - Noel Coward
02 Parisian Pierrot ("London Calling")  - Noel Coward
03 We Were Dancing (Tonight At 8.30)  - Noel Coward
04 Dearest Love  - Noel Coward
05 Where Are The Songs We Sung? ("Operette")  - Noel Coward
06 The Stately Homes Of England ("Operette")  - Noel Coward
07 Gipsy Melody ("Operette")  - Noel Coward
08 Dearest Love ("Operette")  - Noel Coward
09 I'll See You Again ("Bitter Sweet")  - Noel Coward
10 Just Let Me Look At You (Joy Of Living)  - Noel Coward
11 Poor Little Rich Girl ("On With The Dance")  - Noel Coward
12 London Pride  - Noel Coward
13 The Last Time I Saw Paris  - Noel Coward
14 Could You Please Oblige Us With A Bren Gun  - Noel Coward
15 There Have Been Songs In England  - Noel Coward
16 Imagine The Duchess's Feelings!  - Noel Coward
17 It's Only You  - Noel Coward
18 Don't Lets Be Beastly To The Germans  - Noel Coward
19 The Welcoming Land  - Noel Coward
20 I'm Old Fashioned  - Noel Coward
21 You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (Something To Shout About)  - Noel Coward

Disc 4
01 Sigh No More  - Noel Coward
02 I Wonder What Happened To Him  - Noel Coward
03 Matelot  - Noel Coward
04 Nina  - Noel Coward
05 Never Again  - Noel Coward
06 Wait A Bit Joe  - Noel Coward
07 Bright Was The Day ("Pacific 1860")  - Noel Coward
08 This Is A Changing World ("Pacific 1860")  - Noel Coward
09 His Excellency Regrets ("Pacific 1860")  - Noel Coward
10 One Two Three ("Pacific 1860")  - Noel Coward
11 Uncle Harry ("Pacific 1860")  - Noel Coward
12 I Never Knew ("Pacific 1860")  - Noel Coward
13 I Saw No Shadow ("Pacific 1860")  - Noel Coward
14 Josephine ("Ace Of Clubs")  - Noel Coward
15 Don't Make Fun Of The Fair (The Lyric Revue)  - Noel Coward
16 Sail Away ("Ace Of Clubs")  - Noel Coward
17 Medley Part I (I'll See You Again/Dance Little Lady/Poor Little Rich Girl/A Room With A View)  - Noel Coward
18 Medley Part II (Any Little Fish/You Were There/Someday I'll Find You/I'll Follow My Secret Heart/If Love Were All/Play Orchestra Play  - Noel Coward
19 Why Does Love Get In The Way ("Ace Of Clubs")  - Noel Coward
20 I Like America ("Ace Of Clubs")  - Noel Coward
21 Time And Again  - Noel Coward
22 There Are Bad Times Just Around The Corner  - Noel Coward