Ah, Cuddly Dudley, he sings, he swings and life is rich and fun and yet, and yet, and yet… tucked away in the sleeve notes, which inevitably concentrate on Moore’s comedy and film work rather than his music, is a comment from choreographer Gillian Lynne that it, “was a tragedy that he stopped composing and became a star”. Of the eight cuts here that were recorded on the back of an Australian tour (also captured elsewhere on DVD from TV performances), five are Moore originals and each has a verve of its own. Yes, that Errol Garner sweetness of tone, that revelling in romantic flourishes can be a distraction, but there’s also a discipline in structure that underwrites his own compositions like ‘Waterloo’ that leaves you wanting more. Of course, Moore can’t help his glam lifestyle crashing into his material, and there’s a positively rocking ‘Song For Suzy’ dedicated to then wife, Suzy Kendall, replete with Moore’s inimitable scatting. But it’s on the darker, down tempo ‘Before Love Went Out Of Style’ that there are intimations of Moore’s sense of tears beneath the grins and gurning.