The 1978 D'Oyly Carte Cox & Box

Cast
CoxGareth Jones
BoxGeoffrey Shovelton
BouncerMichael Rayner

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Royston Nash

Recorded at Decca Studios, West Hampstead
7 & 11 February 1978

London OSA-1171
London OSA-1171
Sounds on CD VGS250
Sounds on CD VGS250

The G&S community greeted this recording of Cox and Box with comparative yawns. What really excited people was the world-premiere recording of The Zoo that came on the other side of the record. As for Cox and Box, consensus was that the 1961 recording had more dramatic spark. Both recordings are of the abridged "Savoy version" that D'Oyly Carte used as a curtain raiser. However, unlike the earlier performance, this recording includes the full sung finale, rather than just some dialogue sung over orchestral accompaniment.

Decca briefly re-issued this recording on CD erroneously (see comments on the 1961 recording). It is now available on CD once again—and for good—from Sounds on CD, coupled with the 1975 Trial by Jury.


Issue History
DateLabelFormatNumberComments
1978 Decca Stereo LP TXS 128 With 1978 Zoo
Cassette KTXC 128
London Stereo LP OSA 1171
ca. 1980 Decca Viva Stereo LP AUS 1051/2 Australia/New Zealand issue. Double LP/cassette includes 1964 Trial, Utopia excerpts, and 1978 Zoo
Cassette KAUS 1051/2
Sounds on CD 2005 CD VGS250 With 1975 Trial by Jury