Jellied Eels

"Now ever since I was a mite I've 'ad a whackin' appetite. My 'ollerin' for dinner would raise the rafters. I'd swallow me befores as well as me afters. Till one sunny afternoon they bunged something in me spoon. And I'm sure it must 'ave been ever since then that I've 'ad an irresistible yen ... For jellied eels, jellied eels. Wogg-a-ling about like wonky wheels. Why d'ya frown and look so sickly. Slide 'em down your throat and quickly. Don't bring up any empty cup. Though I knows just how ya feels. When you gets the taste, you won't wanna waste them lovely jellied eels ..." sings Joe Brown in his tribute to one of the Cockneys' favourite dishes, Jellied Eels, a bit of fun written by the great Lionel Bart when he was penning a series of hits for the UK pop brigade, like Do You Mind for Anthony Newley. Ah good old jellied eels. An acquired taste perhaps, but an essential part of east end folklore, with Tubby Isaacs' stall and all that. Joe himself may not have been an authentic Cockney but he was evacuated TO the east end during the Blitz. And he was one of the first to 'ave a go at mixing music hall traditions with rock 'n' roll trappings, covering Harry Champion very early in the '60s. This particular performance is followed by a classical interlude, then Alan Klein's What A Crazy World We're Living In, which fans of the Style Council's Life At A Top People's Health Farm might smile at ...