Robert Burns - Blackheath Arts

News Update

The following 11 songs from Swinging City are now available available for purchase on itunes..

SWINGING CITY ALBUM ONE

1. ASSET STRIPPER	2.23
2. I’M FOR THE MOMENT.	1.54
3. BROKEN DREAMS	3.15
4. I’M SURE GUY YOU UNDERSTAND	2.51
5. GOLD AND SILVER	3.39
6. JESUS WEPT.	1.38
7. THE WAY WE WORK	3.32
8. BILL OUT ON COLLECTION	3.06
9. ASPECTS ASPECTS.	2.25
10. NO MEAN CITY.	3.56
11. FINALE	7.55

MUSIC BY FRANK MARSHALL
LYRICS BY ROBERT BURNS

These songs from the musical “SWINGING CITY” reflect the wide variety of music, drama, plot and action contained within the show. For “SWINGING CITY” is at once harsh, brutal, pulsating and compelling, as it describes the clandestine investment by THE TRUEMANTLE, the jewel in the crown of the City of London, into a secret oil exploration off the coast of Iceland, which leads to its virtual insolvency.

Set amidst a global financial meltdown the opening songs ”ASSET STRIPPER” and “I’M FOR THE MOMENT” illustrate the brazen unethical stance and raw ambition of an unscrupulous fund manager called HUGO SPEEDER. While the third song “BROKEN DREAMS” sung by JUNE LAMMERSON describes the chagrin she feels at the bitter division that exists between her husband, GUY, TRUEMANTLE’S Investment Director and her father, SIR HENRY CASSON, TRUEMANTLE’S Chairman.

The fourth song “I’M SURE GUY YOU UNDERSTAND” is sung by LAMMERSON’S fellow directors as, while SIR HENRY is struck down by illness, GUY signs the contract taking them in to the oil deal.

As the economic climate deteriorates the plight of the Truemantle is brought to the attention of SAUL MIDAS, an enigmatic tycoon feared world wide by every stock exchange, since the scale of his operations is big enough to bring down Wall Street on its own.
In the song “GOLD AND SILVER” sung while watching his small son sleeping, MIDAS sings of his philosophy.
This is followed by “JESUS WEPT” – A heated discourse during two simultaneous telephone conversations, in which various MIDAS associates, including HUGO SPEEDER, discuss LAMMERSON’S sacking by SIR HENRY, and sundry illegal currency operations, before heading off to MIDAS headquarters in Geneva.

In the seventh song “THE WAY WE WORK” MIDAS and his legal adviser, ED SCHULZ, joke about the lack of humility of HUGO SPEEDER, the man charged with fronting the take over bid for the TRUEMANTLE. Then MIDAS laughs as he recounts how he frightened SPEEDER by threatening him with dire consequences should he fail in his mission.
The eighth song “BILL OUT ON COLLECTION” is sung by the employees of BURNEYS BANK, the oldest bank in the City, as it is forced by the Receiver to close its doors and cease trading.

While the ninth song “ASPECTS ASPECTS” takes place on London Bridge as SIR HENRY reflects on the end of his illustrious career following his meeting with the Governor of the Bank of England.

This is followed by the tenth song “NO MEAN CITY” which describes the plight of the ever growing number of the homeless, as seen through the eyes of various social workers and the police.

Lastly-In the closing fast moving sequence all the characters and groups involved in SWINGING CITY come together, from Bankers and Brokers to Politicians and Cabinet Ministers as the first signs of a thaw in the recession appear and they show by their actions that they intend to carry on exactly as they did before. In other words that they have learnt absolutely nothing.

The following songs will shortly be uploaded on to Tunecore and be available for purchase.

ELEVEN MORE SONGS FROM SWINGING CITY.

1. ROOM WITH A VIEW FROM THE TOP.	2.32
2. LET’S HAVE A LIITLE FLUTTER..	2.41
3. DO WE REALLY NEED THE PLEBS.	2.30
4. GUY I WARN YOU.	1.46
5. ROUND WORLD TRIP.	1.17
6. THE LORD MAYOR’S BANQUET	4.30
7. MAXIMS.	5.38
8. OUTRAGE.	3.05
9. PACEM IN TERRIS .	6.51
10.CRASH GOES THE POUND. .	1.14
11. MY NAME IS MIDAS.	5.38

TOTAL PLAYING TIME 37 MINUTES 52 SECONDS..

MUSIC BY FRANK MARSHALL

LYRICS BY ROBERT BURNS

ELEVEN MORE SONGS FROM SWINGING CITY.

The Musical begins as The United Kingdom is beset by a severe recession caused by an energy crisis and in the opening song, “ROOM WITH A VIEW FROM THE TOP” groups of Treasury Officials, Bankers, Brokers and Trade Unionists gather to air their grievances.

As they do so, GUY LAMMERSON, Chief Investment Officer of THE TRUEMANTLE and Son in Law of its formidable Chairman, SIR HENRY CASSON meets LORD VANRITTART, a Senior Stockbroker, and in the song “ LET’S HAVE A LITTLE FLUTTER” he is cajoled into investing in an oil exploration project off the coast of Iceland.

The third song “DO WE REALLY NEED THE PLEBS” is sung by a colleague of VANRITTART, An Outlandish City Character, THE RIGHT HONOURABLE FORSYTH JONES- PLUNKETT, who, surrounded by henchmen from The Economic League, also advises LAMMERSON to invest in the oil project.

However in the fourth song “GUY I WARN YOU” SIR HENRY CASSON warns GUY to be wary of both his fellow directors and their associates, while as SIR HENRY departs on an overseas tour with further cautionary advice to LAMMERSON in the song ”ROUND WORLD TRIP”, his fellow Dircctors renew their efforts to secure the oil exploration investment.

In the sixth song “THE LORD MAYOR’S BANQUET” angry crowds besiege the Guildhall, while inside SIR HENRY CASSON confides that THE TRUEMANTLE is in desperate financial straits, since while he was ill, LAMMERSON went ahead and invested huge funds into the oil exploration.

In the following song “MAXIMS”, which takes place in a night club, LAMMERSON is persuaded by his fellow directors to lead a take over bid for THE TRUEMANTLE.

The eighth song “OUTRAGE” takes place in a private office at The London Stock Exchange, where the Chairman of the Stock Exchange, SIR HENRY CASSON and the Governor of the Bank of England express their fury at the behaviour of the notorious Asset Stripper, HUGO SPEEDER at a press reception, where he denigrated not only the management of THE TRUEMANTLE but the governance during the slump of The City itself.

Meanwhile in the ninth song “PACEM IN TERRIS” SAUL MIDAS, the real power behind the take over bid for THE TRUEMANTLE throws a reception for diplomats around the world in aid of World Peace.

As he does so Sterling collapses and in the song “CRASH GOES THE POUND” Bankers, Brokers AND Politicians react in horror as the situation goes from bad to worse.

Finally in the song “MY NAME IS MIDAS” LAMMERSON, who has now found out the real chicanery behind the take over bid for THE TRUEMANTLE and has threatened to blow the gaff, is first set up and then confronted by MIDAS in a way that not only lays bare his financial misdemeanours over many years but makes him fear for his life.

News Update

The following songs will shortly be uploaded on to Tunecore and be available for purchase.

Music

Drama

Verse