To many people Phil Harris's fame started and ended with his role as the voice of Baloo the bear in Disney's Jungle Book. However this masterstroke of casting happened at the end of a singing career which started in the 1920s. This selection, which does cover his best and most popular work pre-Disney, dates from the 1940s, and many of the tracks will be familiar to anyone who remembers listening to radio programmes such as Children's Favourites then and through to the early 60s. Although by no means children's songs, they are for the most part songs that tell a story or gently satirise popular American culture of the time, and sung in a narrative style (the nearest comparison I can think of would be Rex Harrison without the English accent!). Considering their age the recordings are remarkably clear, having been carefully cleaned up and transferred to CD. An excellent hours-worth of nostalgia that you don't hear very much of these days

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1. WOODMAN, WOODMAN SPARE THAT TREE
2. THE DARKTOWN POKER CLUB
3. SMOKE! SMOKE! SMOKE! (THAT CIGARETTE)
4. THE CRAWDAD SONG
5. I'M A DING DONG DADDY
6. OLD TIME RELIGION
7. MINNIE THE MERMAID
8. AIN'T NOBODY HERE BUT US CHICKENS
9. DECK OF CARDS
10. I'M MY OWN GRANDPA
11. NOW YOU'VE GONE AND HURT MY SOUTHERN PRIDE
12. LOADED PISTOLS, LOADED DICE
13. PRAY FOR THE LIGHTS TO GO OUT
14. I'M SO RIGHT TONIGHT
15. THAT'S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE SOUTH
16. THE THING
17. NECESSITY
18. THE PREACHER AND THE BEAR
19. THE POSSUM SONG
20. NEVER TRUST A WOMAN
21. WHERE DOES IT GET YOU IN THE END
22. 44 SYCAMORE
23. IT'S A GOOD DAY
24. IF YOU'RE EVER DOWN IN TEXAS, LOOK ME UP