Laurel & Hardy's Music Box: A Cheeky Dive into Ronnie Hazlehurst’s Retro Goodies
If you’re the kind of person who gets a kick out of vintage vibes, toe-tapping jazz, and soundtracks that feel like they’ve been plucked straight from an old movie reel, then Laurel & Hardy’s Music Box by Ronnie Hazlehurst & His Orchestra is your jam. Released under Tring International PLC in the UK, this album is basically a love letter to all things Stage & Screen, with dashes of Easy Listening and Score sprinkled on top for good measure. It’s not going to change your life or anything—but it might make your afternoon tea feel fancier.
Now, let me be real here. There are 40-something tracks on this thing (yes, I counted), which is either impressive or just plain greedy, depending on how you look at it. Some tunes blend together like soggy biscuits, but there are a couple that stuck in my head like gum on a shoe. Let me tell ya about them.
First up: “Smile When The Raindrops Fall.” This one hits different, y’know? It’s got that breezy, almost carefree vibe that makes you want to grab an umbrella and twirl around in the rain—even if you’re indoors and the weather outside is rubbish. The melody is simple enough, but it’s catchy as heck, kinda like when you hum something stupid and can’t stop no matter how hard you try. Plus, the title itself feels oddly optimistic, like someone telling you, “Hey, chin up, mate!” while secretly laughing behind their hand.
Then there’s “The Good Old Days (The ‘Our Gang’ Waltz).” Oh, this track is pure nostalgia wrapped in shiny paper. It’s slow, sweet, and dripping with sentimentality—like flipping through a dusty photo album your gran keeps shoving in your face. You can practically picture little kids running around in knickerbockers, causing chaos while adults shake their heads fondly. Honestly, it’s the kind of tune that makes you wish you lived in a black-and-white film where everyone ends up dancing in the street by the end credits.
Look, I won’t lie—this isn’t the kind of album you blast at a house party unless you’re trying to clear the room faster than free pizza could fill it. But hey, it’s charming in its own quirky way. Ronnie Hazlehurst & His Orchestra clearly had fun putting this together, even if some of the tracks feel like filler material you’d hear in a dentist’s waiting room.
Here’s the kicker though: listening to this album made me realize something weird. Life today moves so fast we forget to enjoy the small stuff—like raindrops falling or waltzing down memory lane. Maybe Laurel and Hardy were onto something with their slapstick antics and silly songs. Or maybe I’m overthinking it because I’ve listened to “Ku-Ku” one too many times. Either way, hats off to Ronnie Hazlehurst for giving us a soundtrack that’s equal parts whimsical and wonderfully odd.
So go ahead, give Laurel & Hardy’s Music Box a spin. Just don’t blame me if you start craving scones and monocles afterward.
