The first home-grown number one on the charts, The Stargazers were a vocal group with a dual operation as both as backing singers for hire and a recording act in their own right, like on this. 'Broken Wings' was a popular song in 1953 in that it charted no less than three times; Art and Dottie Todd were first up, followed by Dickie Valentine. Art and Dottie play it with a straight bat, Dickie drags it out preposterously as if he was getting paid by the syllable and The Stargazers.....well their version is the oddest of the lot. Rationing didn't end in Britain until 1954, but I wasn't aware that it also extended to our musical output - the main selling point of 'Broken Wings' is the pretty melody, and on this version its carried sparely on the white notes of a very reedy organ, only broken by horn solo that sounds more like a paper and comb. Compared to even the worst that America had to offer in 1953 it's cheap sounding and outdated in the extreme, a finding not helped by a vocal ensemble that although pushed to the fore, remain as plummily detached from it all as a period radio announcer reading the shipping forecast.
'Broken Wings' has the same curious charm as a higher quality novelty out of a more pricey Christmas cracker - a bemused talking point at first but nothing you want to hang on to; if this is the best that Britain could do then no wonder Eddie and Perry were filling their boots until we got our act together.
As a postscript, one of The Stargazers went on to father the lead singer from Johnny Hates Jazz. Make of that what you will.
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