Billy Merson

ASetting the Village on Fire
BThe Wreck of the Dover Express

Label: Scala
Catalogue number: 544
Genre: Music Hall
Format: 78rpm shellac disc, 10 inch unless noted
Reference: #9444

Billy Merson on Scala 544 — 'Setting the Village on Fire' and 'The Wreck of the Dover Express' — is on a less common British label than his Columbia or HMV output. Scala is a minor British marque; catalogue number 544 is low. The pairing of 'Setting the Village on Fire' with the Dover Express piece suggests wartime or Edwardian topical comedy.

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More by Billy Merson 57 other records

Billy Merson
1. AA Prairie Life for me
2. BThe Wreck of the Dover Express
Billy Merson, the music-hall comedian, with 'A Prairie Life for Me' and 'The Wreck of the Dover Express' on Marathon.AI summary

Marathon 319 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. ABy special request
2. BSenora
Billy Merson was a British music-hall comedian and singer of the early 20th century, famous for novelty songs and variety routines; this Winner pressing of 'By Special Request' and 'Señora' is from his recording career.AI summary

Winner 3287 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. ADon't blame me
2. BThe Photo of the Girl I left behind me
Billy Merson, a music-hall comedian and singer, recorded 'Don't blame me' and 'The Photo of the Girl I left behind me' for Zonophone, catalogue 621. Zonophone was a short-lived British label of the 1920s. Merson was an established performer, making this a recording of period interest.AI summary

Zonophone 621 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. ADon't blame me
2. BThe Photo of the Girl I left behind me
Billy Merson was a British music-hall comedian and singer popular in the early 1900s, celebrated for his comic monologues and his signature song "The Spaniard That Blighted My Life"; this Zonophone recording is from the acoustic era.AI summary

Zonophone 621 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. ADon't blame me
2. BThe Photo of the Girl I left behind me
Billy Merson recorded 'Don't Blame Me' and 'The Photo of the Girl I Left Behind Me' for Zonophone (621). Billy Merson was a British music hall performer and comedian; this is an early Zonophone pressing from the acoustic era.AI summary

Zonophone 621 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AEngine Driver
2. BSince Father retired
Billy Merson, the British music-hall comedian and singer, on two comic songs, Engine Driver and Since Father retired, recorded for Zonophone 749.AI summary

Zonophone 749 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AFireman
2. BMy Yacht
Billy Merson on Columbia 1579 — 'Fireman' and 'My Yacht' — is from the standard Columbia series, making this a more widely distributed pressing than his minor-label recordings elsewhere in this collection. Columbia 1579 is a mid-period acoustic issue; Merson on Columbia is collected but not scarce.AI summary

Columbia 1579 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AGirls
2. BBack to my Home in the Mountains
Billy Merson, a British music-hall comedian and singer, performing 'Girls' and 'Back to My Home in the Mountains' on Zonophone 808, sides from the 1920s–1930s.AI summary

Zonophone 808 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AGladiator
2. BGondolier
Billy Merson, the British music-hall star and pantomime comedian, recorded 'Gladiator' and 'Gondolier' for Piccadilly, a cheap British budget label of the 1920s–1930s. Merson was famous for his comic songs and character work.AI summary

Piccadilly 139 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AGladiator
2. BGondolier
Billy Merson, a British music-hall entertainer and singer of the Edwardian and 1920s era, recorded "Gladiator" and "Gondolier" for Piccadilly 139. Piccadilly was a cheap British label of the 1930s-1940s.AI summary

Piccadilly 139 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AGondolier
2. B(H Darewski)Can't you hear me say I love you
Billy Merson with The Gondolier and, with H. Darewski, Can't You Hear Me Say I Love You on Metropole.AI summary

Metropole SPECIAL Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AGood Ship Yacki Hicki Doola
2. BPhoto of the Girl I left behind me
Billy Merson, a leading British music hall comedian and singer, performing 'Good Ship Yacki Hicki Doola' and 'Photo of the Girl I Left Behind Me' on Broadcast 165; Merson was a major star of variety theatre and pantomime.AI summary

Broadcast 165 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AGood Ship Yacki Hicki Doola
2. BPhoto of the Girl I left behind me
Unison 165 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AHard Boiled Herman
2. B(+Hardwicke) Why shouldn't we?
Billy Merson was a popular British music-hall performer and comedian of the 1910s–1930s, known for comic songs and character work. 'Hard Boiled Herman' and 'Why shouldn't we?' (with Hardwicke) are recorded on Columbia 3640, a catalogue number consistent with the early 1920s.AI summary

Columbia 3640 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AI know there's someone waiting
2. BI'm setting the Village on Fire
Billy Merson on Pathé 78876 — 'I Know There's Someone Waiting' and 'I'm Setting the Village on Fire.' Pathé pressed vertical-cut discs requiring a special stylus for lateral-cut playback, which limits the audience slightly but does not diminish collector interest. Merson on Pathé is less common than his HMV or Columbia output.AI summary

Pathé 78876 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AI'm going away(11)
2. BThe Wreck of the Dover Express
Billy Merson, a leading British music-hall comedian and singer, performs 'I'm going away' and 'The Wreck of the Dover Express' on this Regal record from the 1920s.AI summary

Regal 6487 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AI'm setting the Village on Fire
2. BNot exactly
Billy Merson, the music-hall comedian and songwriter, records 'I'm Setting the Village on Fire' and 'Not Exactly' on Columbia 1545. The early Columbia series number suggests an acoustic-era pressing; Merson is a collected music-hall name.AI summary

Columbia 1545 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AI'm setting the Village on Fire
2. BNot exactly
Phoenix 585 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AI'm setting the Village on Fire(13)
2. BLighthouse Keeper
Billy Merson, a British music hall comedian, performing 'I'm Setting the Village on Fire' and 'Lighthouse Keeper' on Pathé, recorded in the early acoustic period (1913).AI summary

Pathé 1552 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AI'm so spiteful
2. BThe Spaniard that blighted my Life
Billy Merson, the British music-hall comedian and early recording star, on two comic novelty numbers, I'm so spiteful and The Spaniard that blighted my Life, on Columbia 1757.AI summary

Columbia 1757 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AIf I catch Alfonso tonight
2. BSpaniard that blighted my Life
Billy Merson was a popular British music-hall comedian, revue artist, and songwriter known for his comic songs and character work. This Diamond Records pressing preserves his comic sketches, likely from the 1920s. Diamond was a small British imprint, making Merson recordings on this label less common than his major-label sides.AI summary

Diamond 382 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. AIt's going to be a serious Thing for England
2. BSpaniard that blighted my Life
Billy Merson on Pathé 79099 — 'It's Going to Be a Serious Thing for England' and 'The Spaniard That Blighted My Life,' his signature song — is on Pathé's vertical-cut format, requiring a specialist stylus. Merson's most famous song on Pathé is a more unusual find than its appearance on Columbia or HMV.AI summary

Pathé 79099 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. ALighthouse Keeper
2. BDon't blame me
Scala 520 Music Hall
Billy Merson
1. ALighthouse Keeper
2. BDon't blame me
Billy Merson, the British music-hall comedian and performer, recorded 'Lighthouse Keeper' and 'Don't Blame Me' on the Scala label, catalogue 520. Merson was a popular variety and revue performer of the 1910s-1920s.AI summary

Scala 520 Music Hall

See all 57 records by Billy Merson →