A superb twangy, bongo-ridden theme from Tony Hatch. It's hard to believe this is the same man who wrote the themes for soap operas like 'Crossroads' and 'Neighbours', but it is... Overall this sounds kind of how I once expected/hoped John Barry's early 60s work might sound - harpsichord, twangy guitar etc. It opens with some eerie effects, bongoes and spare harpsichord sound before breaking into a fully fledged shadows/spy theme style masterpiece, stopping abruptly after just over two minutes. Since I heard this on a compilation, I have no idea as to its origin, which is a shame, as I would love to track down any similar work Tony Hatch may have done. I did some research, and it seems that the session guitarist on this track was none other than Big Jim Sullivan, who cut a couple of sitar LPs on Mercury in the 60s. n.b. this is not the same tune as the much recorded and superb Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer 'out of this world'.
from the single Out of this World available on CD - Easy Project II: House of Loungecore (Sequel)
24 May 01 ·n-jeff: For some reason my parents acquired 2 mint copies of this on 7. Needless to say they didn't keep 'em long, heh, heh. Its a nice enough track, don't I remember some flute in there. but Tony was also the composer of some great early 60's pop, he did a number of LP's with Petula Clark, including the hits 'Downtown' and 'Don't sleep in the Subway' written with Jackie Trent (I think- Oh names, names, names). So to only remember him for Neighbours is cruel (and don't forget one variant of the Crossroads theme was recorded by paul Macartney and Wings, bet that isn't on the greates hits LP). 24 May 01 ·delicado: totally; I think Tony's a genius; don't get me wrong! 'I know a place' and 'I couldn't live without your love' are two other great pop songs he was responsible for...
wicked beat... cool ass clarinets... sounds of people going off... lots of good energy.
from keep it unreal, available on CD
07 Dec 01 ·delicado: I'm very fond of his track 'Fish'. I never seem to tire of it. 14 Dec 01 ·n-jeff: Its a great track, they were playing it in a local record shop, and I had to buy the LP. Nearly all the musical parts are off a much shorter track by Moondog, called Lament #1, and I'd recommend that as well. In spite of the identity of the musical source thay are very different beasts.
just dreamy! the title fully corresponds to the mood of this track. i'm just a sucker for the combination of acoustic guitar and electronic instruments, and tahiti 80 masters that beautifully with this song. um, the perfect make-out song? what else can i say?
available on CD - tahiti 80 - e.p.
15 Jan 02 ·n-jeff: Is this the AR Kane song? 'She loves me, she loves me she loves me, hmm, a love from outer space, its true'. My girlfriends favourite track from the I LP. 15 Jan 02 ·penelope_66: Yes! Though I didn't know it was a cover...I'll have to find the original and hear it!
I think Zoobombs are a Japanese Heavy Metal band, but this is not metal, sort of groovy rock, maybe derived from the Stone Roses. Most of the words are in (presumably) Japanese but the chorus is English, and you can just imagine the meeting with an A&R man that gave rise to it. "You're a good band, y'know, you just need to get more funky".
And he may have been right, this is mo funky, percussion, driving bass, great chorus, It gradually builds up and speeds up all the way through. Until it falls apart then the dub starts with guitars all over it. Classic.
from let it Bomb, available on CD
03 Dec 01 ·penelope_66: I haven't heard anything from this album, but I love the song "Flat-Top" off their 'Welcome Back, Zoobombs!' album. I'd have to say there are some catchy tunes that pop up throughout the record, but overall it's rather mediocre and strikes a bit of ambivolence within my taste. One of those things you buy for a song or two. 12 Feb 02 ·n-jeff: Let it bomb is a bit of a mixed bag, too. I love mo funky and mo dub, but don't play much of the rest of it.
Eleanor Rigby does not immediately seem like the kind of song which would sound good as a cover version, but this fantastic version by Oscar Peterson proves otherwise. It opens with a simply heavenly string sequence from Claus Ogerman. Then Peterson’s gentle and percussive piano comes in backed with an driving bossa nova guitar and a huge, rich string arrangement. The tempo then switches over to a more jazzy style with a walking bass.
12 Feb 02 ·n-jeff: For a version on another tack theres Enoch Lights' (I can't remember if its from Spaced Out or Brass Menagerie 73). But its a cracker. Driving bass, swinging horns and electric guitar taking it to a whole groovy level the Beatles wouldn't imagined for their ballad.
