I came across this advert from 1996 for M&M’s which have a voice over by Alexis Sayle, but more interestingly the music is by none other than Steven Wilson. This would have been when he was in the early days of Porcupine Tree.
I know that especially in the early days of their careers, musicians will take on any jingle / TV / etc etc work to supplement their income. I guess some will keep it quiet, some will embrace.,
So what other example of your favourite rock ‘n’ rollers extracurricular activities do you have…….
And here’s the advert…..
and from the man himself…..
I had no idea S-Willy did that commercial. It’s brilliant. No wonder he has been able to follow his muse since, bet it paid well, and there are probably loads of others.
By all accounts recorded the day he auditioned for ACDC.
Good Lord
The glamour…
New Order’s Sunkist ad:
Linda Thompson did adverts too.
When I saw this thread I went looking for some, but all I found from a cursory search was that she recorded several jingles, often with Manfred Mann, when she was Linda Peters before the ‘Richard and Linda’ years.
I remember reading she did some to make money when they were a couple too, but hid the fact from Richard because he would have disapproved.
Which reminds me… Lou Reed vs Honda scooters:
On another note could Randy Crawford have done an advert for Crawford’s Cream Crackers, a missed opportunity.
And of course Kate Bush composed the music for a bunch of fruit sweet ads in Japan…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFAY8L8vcsc
And, of course, Madness did a commercial in Japan for the Honda City (“In the City”).
I remember them doing an ad for Sekonda watches.
#Buy a Sekonda … it will fill you with gladness
It does the same job and will save you a fair few bob #
And then there are the adverts the band turned down but the music sounds eerily familiar…
https://sigurros.com/features/homage-or-fromage/
Unmistakably Mick..!
Ringo and The Monkees
The melody was written for a Lego commercial in 1969 before these guys added the words
Ringo seemed to have the Japanese soft drinks market sewn up in the 1990s.
Pete Shelley’s theme tune for Channel 4’s Tour De France highlights show:
I didn’t realise that was Pete Shelley. Absolutely one of the best sports theme tunes of all time.
Until this thread, I’d completely forgotten about Jarvis Cocker (and his massive head) advertising Eurostar:
Daniel O’Donnell not afraid to poke fun at himself…
Now I’ve got DOD in my YouTube history…
The D O’D one is pretty good.
Their most recent TVC features Jedward whose Buzz Lightyear ability to stretch one joke and 15 minutes of “fame” to infinity and beyond would have baffled Stephen Hawking.
Midge Ure and Chris Cross took a break from Ultravox to do the music for a couple of ads for Levi’s. Here’s one.
As they explain in the very nice new Lament box set, another tune was rejected by the ad bods, so the ‘Vox turned it into the mighty Love’s Great Adventure.
On a different tack, back in the day Hans Zimmer famously did the music for Henry Kelly’s lunchtime BBC quiz Going for Gold before he became an Oscar-hoovering soundtrack maestro.
Stevie and Muff Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in 1967, and the band disbanded in 1969.
Spencer Davis, Eddie Hardin, Pete York, Ray Fenwick went into session work and joined forces (as The Murgatroyd Band) to record the theme for ITVs Magpie
(I do wonder if there is an old demo with Stevie on vocals?)
Magpie was the big hair, big flares, no bra, groovy youth club alternative to the wholesome Blue Peter.
Blue Peter did later get Mike Oldfield to record the theme tune, on which Simon Groom plays the opening drum roll.
This ad was out at about the same time Are Friends Electric broke through.
I know he’s not a rocker, but I was at a show by Jack Dee when he talked about doing voiceovers for John Smith’s beer.
Somebody asked if he actually liked it. Came the swift reply: “Yes, every time I open the door of my new house…”
I expect that sort of feeling explains why so many musos have taken the ad world’s shilling.
Hope he paid Michael Caine royalties for that
Similarly, Danny Baker calls his home “the house that Daz built”.
Another non rocker but looking for something else I came across this, so it’s not just at the start of a music career but towards the end too.
Who can forget Hancock shilling for Grimsby Pilchards in The Bowmans?
Hancock did a series of ads for eggs in 1966 – it’s thought to be the first use of the term “soldiers” for fingers of toast…
Unexpected!
Nigel Blackwell from Half Man Half Biscuit did a voiceover for BP:
Oh, I don’t know. Someone at the ad agency with a sense of humour I expect
It’s a secret.
Talking of Victoria’s Secret… Kylie. Ahem.
I rather hope someone can post that video -just as an aide-memoire, you understand.
Not flogging lingerie, but joining a long list of those taking the Pepsi dollar:
Ella Fitzgerald did ads for Memorex tapes, back in the ’70s.
And talking of cassettes, Peter Murphy out of Bauhaus did plenty of Maxell commercials in the 1980s…
Those ads were my first exposure to Peter Murphy. Imagine my surprise when I discovered he made music as well.
That would describe how I felt about Joe Brown after watching that threatening kid teaching him the Green Cross Code..
Yes Virginia, you are being spied upon. This popped up in my Youtube recommendations after I spent some time perusing this thread. At least you can see why someone thought this would be a good idea for an advertisment. Alice Cooper selling school supplies…
Alice took the Murdoch shilling too (with help from Ronnie Corbett)
Didn’t Keith Richard’s plug fancy suitcases, manufactured from some of his old discarded skin?
I have a vague memory of U2 having a sponsorship deal with Louis Vuitton.
It’s better that memory remains vague. Better that than being able to recall a photo of Bono and his wife arriving in Africa with LV luggage (and guitar case), no doubt to help out in some way or other.
I usually don’t mind U2, but that photo will make you think that maybe ganglesprocket has been right all long.
Oh no I was hoping it was just an unsettling residual memory of a disturbing dream pretty much the same way I tend to regard anything U2 related.
The follow up ad showed hundreds of smiling African children happily holding up the Songs of Innocence CDs that the Bowana and his Great White Lady had been carrying in those LV bags
Elvis Costello’s dad wrote this:
and Elvis appeared on backing vocals in an earlier ad:
The Flake advert was sung by Dave Lloyd of my teen faves Nutz.
You may be able to guess why I thought this was great!
Lest we forget, Mr Ferocious always knew which side his bread was buttered
Chas & Dave, Courage Best?