*rubs thighs vigorously*
“The full track-listing for Television Themes is:
Are You Being Served? (1972-1985)
The Good Life (1975-1978)
LWT (1968 – 1972)
Blankety Blank (1979 – 1990)
Top Of The Pops (1963 – 20050
Picture Box (1966-1990)
The Liver Birds (1969 – 1979)
Thames Television (1968 – 1992)
Rainbow (1972-1997)
Doctor Who (1963- present)
Wildtrak (1979-1984)
World In Action (1963-1998)
Sorry (1981 – 1988)
Open University”
http://www.acidjazz.co.uk/pre-order-matt-berrys-new-album-television-themes/
minibreakfast says
I’m in for the LP and t-shirt bundle, presuming of course that by October it could actually be cool enough to wear clothes.
Moose the Mooche says
I think you should leave them off, just to be on the safe side.
minibreakfast says
That’s what the postman said this morning.
Moose the Mooche says
… and I have to say, his uniform was a trifle informal.
These drone camera things are good, aren’t they?
Rigid Digit says
Really liked his version of Sorry – was tacked on the sender of a Charlie Brooker show about 5 years ago.
Whether he was 100% serious or not, his tribute to Ronnie Hazlehurst certainly came across as genuine.
This album is looking like it will find a place in my collection
minibreakfast says
He was on 6 music yesterday afternoon talking about the album, and cited Hazlehurst as one of his two favourite TV themes composers.
I forget who the other once was, but you can probably catch it on iPlayer if so inclined.
Moose the Mooche says
Altogether now..
My soul doth magnify the Lord
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God
My saviour!
GCU Grey Area says
You might be interested to know that since reading your post last night, that little ditty was one of the first things in my head when I woke, and has been my constant ear worm companion all day.
Moose the Mooche says
I see no reason for you to suffer alone.
Rigid Digit says
One of the themes covered is Wildtrack – I think that was Florida Fantasy by John Barry (used in Midnight Cowboy).
Moose the Mooche says
World in Action is a hella cool tune. Highly dramatic music accompanying Copernicus with his knob out, followed by half an hour of tubby blokes with sideboards and combovers chuntering about collective bargaining.
The Good Doctor says
Ronnie H’s theme for Are You Being Served is a wondrous thing (who played that Bassline?!). Not sure Matt Berry brings much to the original here – and he missed a trick in not getting Justine Elastica to sing it – when I first heard *this* song I immediately thought of AYBS :
Black Celebration says
I thought “huh?” and then I thought “oh yeah!”. A great observation.
minibreakfast says
Ha, that would be cool! He adds drums, which the original doesn’t have, and sort of acid-jazzes it all up a touch. I think it works well, and can’t wait to hear the rest.
ip33 says
I’m guessing that the great and the good on here know the fantastic Coil version?
Kid Dynamite says
was planning on posting it myself! Something very special about this, pretty sure it was played at Jhonn Balance’s funeral.
pawsforthought says
Flippin’ ‘eck Tucker! Actually come to think of it, why isn’t the Grange Hill theme on this?
Moose the Mooche says
More seriously , and this question has weighed heavily on my mind these thirty years, how do you make a sausage fly through the air while there is still a fork stuck in it?
Black Celebration says
It’s the trajectory that worried me. The uneven weight distribution ‘twixt sausage and fork would surely make the object spin in the air. The BBC had had a man called Eric who produced simple cardboard motion models for Ask the Family to showcase amazing optical illusions (often accompanied by a swan whistle sound effect). The animation produced was rudimentary – it made Captain Pugwash look like Avatar.
I am certain the same Eric was occasionally on TV demonstrating science-y stuff for children. He resembled a late middle-aged office worker but man could he work a test tube!
Nevertheless, The Grange Hill sausage sequence had the playful pop art of Roy Lichtenstein combined with the lab-coated paunchtastic magic of, I suspect, in house BBC go-to shit animator Eric.
Moose the Mooche says
Spin in the air? I now think that 2001: A Space Odyssey should be remade with sausages, or meat products generally.
Except for a single, very powerful radio emission aimed at Jupiter, the four million-year-old Beefy Bake has remained completely inert, its origin and purpose still a total mystery.
Rob C says
I could never relate to Grange Hill as a child. Far too common. Dreadful riff anyway. Highly irritating – ‘wah wah wah WAH! – doo doo doo doody doo’ (where’s the groove?) – and then some lad cops a forked banger in the mush.
Rob C says
Picture Box- now that’s a tune! He can’t possibly better the original, arguably my first sonic psychedelic experience in a prefab classroom, curtains pulled, circa ’75. It changed my life.
minibreakfast says
Telly on a tall cabinet on wheels, every cross-legged child going “woooo!” when the light is switched off.
Rob C says
It’s got that whole psychedelic victoriana vibe going, a la Mr Kite. I think children definitely connect to that enchantment. Off the top of my head I can’t remember what the instrument is. I tried to find an mp3 download once, but no luck.
minibreakfast says
Let’s enjoy it here.
Rob C says
Twice the joy!
minibreakfast says
Oh and the instrument is a Cristal Baschet: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristal_baschet
Rob C says
Fascinating stuff. Thanks.
MORE BASCHET!
Moose the Mooche says
Cristal Baschet… one of my favourites. And her website is so easy to navigate one-handed.
Gary says
You shouldn’t really be reading her site while driving.
Rob C says
Phew. For a minute there I thought he was referring to being a frequenter of The Wristwatch Disco.
Gary says
You thought he’d been having wanks while driving? Well we’ve all done that, but reading printed text is a no-no.
Moose the Mooche says
Are you calling me a driver?
Tony Japanese says
We call her Crystal Batshit around here.
Rob C says
I for one have most certainly not! That sort of thing is only acceptable in the passenger seat, sir!
Rob C says
… or the backseat, or the boot, just to clarify.
Gary says
I’ve tried that just the once, but my feet couldn’t reach the pedals from there. How do you manage?
Moose the Mooche says
It’s Inspector Robdget!
Rob C says
I don’t have to. I don’t have a driving licence so I’m pretty much unencumbered, mobile disco wise.
Moose the Mooche says
Unencumbered, but fully cucumbered. I’ve heard.
Gary says
Talking of TV themes, this coincidentally cropped up on my fb page today. A uni acquaintance of mine (who, as sax player and musical arranger for Jools Holland, has played with just about everyone) with his own band The Deptford Rivieras playing the theme from Dave Allen At Large.
Arthur Cowslip says
Not to put a dampener on things (and I do deeply love Matt Berry, music and comedy polymath with a voice like fried Camembert) but isn’t this project a bit redundant?
What’s he bringing to the table? He already makes music that sounds like a 70s nostalgia trip, so covering tunes from the 70s that are already proper 70s nostalgia trips seems a bit pointless. He could have made a compilation album or a DJ mix album out of the original songs instead, couldn’t he? I think that would have more staying power and weight. This just seems like a novelty.
Moose the Mooche says
The issue I have with this is… TV themes normally last about 40 seconds, so this album is going to be about 10 minutes long, amiright?
minibreakfast says
You clearly haven’t heard the full versions of some of these songs/cues.
Here’s Rainbow.
Moose the Mooche says
I’ve dislocated my arm air-drumming to that.
Er, several times.
atcf says
No Ski Sunday?!?
A friend of mine used to play a note-perfect version of the snooker theme as his party piece. I think if I could do that my life would not be in vain.
Mike_H says
On a couple of occasions I have enjoyed watching the amazing Dream Themes perform a live show of theme tunes to a raucously appreciative audience. I’d go to another of their shows at the drop of a hat.
The notion of buying and playing an entire album of “reimagined” UK TV themes leaves me completely mystified. Not something I would want to do.
minibreakfast says
I feel the same way about prog (for example).
Good that we’re all different, innit.
Mike_H says
Oh yes.
I enjoy (mostly) Jonny Trunk’s “OST” show on Resonance FM, where he plays soundtrack and library music, some of it rather obscure, and talks to/about various people in those fields, collectors etc.
Jah Wobble & The Invaders Of The Heart do a few good theme music covers (some of them dubbed-up) in their live set. And of course Leedsboy’s cousin’s husband is his keyboard player, which is nice.
fentonsteve says
I’ll be buying it for DJ sets, even if I might only play it at home occasionally. I’m certain this will have people heading to the dance floor.
Mike_H says
I can certainly see it being very useful for DJing.
Zanti Misfit says
This is the best version of Are You Being Served theme. from the movie. Sounds like the sort of break A Tribe Called Quest would sample
minibreakfast says
Yowsah!