The Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof, which began its run of more than 3,000 performances in 1964, was at the height of its popularity when RCA Victor issued this album two years later. The movie version of Fiddler didn't hit theatres until 1971.
Fiddler on the Roof Goes Pop is a bit of a misleading title. These are actually Dixieland jazz arrangements of songs from the show.
I have no idea who Perly Buttons & the Red Coats actually were. The only person named on the album is the A&R man. Production is credited to a company, not an individual. This was also the only recording credited to Perly Buttons & the Red Coats.
In any case, there are some decent Dixieland versions of selections from Fiddler, including the one available from the link below.
Anatevka
Fiddler on the Roof Goes Pop has never been released in a digital format. The album doesn't seem to be in any great demand from collectors, so the best bet in scoring a used vinyl copy is probably record shops or thrift stores in your area.
Wow! I picked this album up in a vintage store last summer and it's become an absolute favourite - I love the arrangements and the playing is top-notch. Your article hadn't yet been written when I first did a web search, but now I see it here... and am delighted to see some appreciation for what I think of as a lost classic.
ReplyDeleteI actually found an email for the A&R man, Mike Lipskin, online - and I wrote him with some questions. The chance that i could still reach this guy was too good to miss. Unfortunately, I never heard back. Oh well.
I've digitized my copy so I can enjoy it on my iPod - it's great stuff!
Thanks for your comments. It's unfortunate that there are virtually no album credits for this great Dixieland album. That certainly leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Strange that nothing else was recorded under the Perly Buttons name.
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