Flanagan & Allen: Underneath The Arches

Flanagan & Allen (otherwise Bud Flanagan, 1896-1968, born Reuben Weintrop, and Chesney Allen, 1894-1982), that cheery duo who provided Cockney banter and cheer-up songs during World War II, have been much imitated if never quite matched: Bud with his chuckling croon, Chesney with that indefinable and tuneless vocal approximation which could hardly be called singing. They have become a British institution. Throughout the 30s and 40s they topped the bill in variety either as a duo or as part of the famous Crazy Gang.

From their first smash hit, Underneath The Arches (their signature tune, and the title of our Retrospective collection) in 1932, they had many great record successes such as The Umbrella Man and those war-time anthems: Run, Rabbit, Run and We’re Gonna Hang Out The Washing On The Siegfried Line. Now no fewer than 27 of their best-loved hits have been drawn together in this, the most comprehensive single-disc survey available.