RAY MARTIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Favourite TV Themes 1 & 2
Vocalion CD
www.duttonvocalion.co.uk
This CD, collecting two albums from 1973 and ’75, features the work of the arranger Ray Martin alongside a cast of session musicians likely to include legends such as Herbie Flowers and Alan Parker. It’s no surprise then that both volumes of Favourite TV Themes deliver spades of that distinctive British mid-decade funkiness.
As well as providing classy, tight interpretations of famous themes like ‘Van Der Valk’ and ‘Kojak’, Martin tackles some intriguing lesser-known entities such as ‘Wheelbase’, with Martin throwing the kitchen sink and all its clattering contents at this rock-jazz workout. The perky, almost-forgotten, original theme to ‘Grandstand’ also merits a mention.
The sleeve notes, although short, admirably focus on the music rather than playing it cheap for the nostalgia factor. There are also three bonus tracks, including the cheerful jazz of ‘Sale Of The Century’. An extremely enjoyable, accomplished listen.
Jeanette Leech
LES REED
Girl On A Motorcycle / Les Bicyclettes De Belsize
RPM CD
www.cherryred.co.uk
These two soundtracks, from 1968 and ’69, combine strident beat music with gentler cinematic sophistication on one excellently packaged CD.
While the film Girl On A Motorcycle divides opinion – either lauded as a work of art or derided as a pretentious excuse to separate Marianne Faithfull from her clothes – there should be no reservations about Reed’s music. From the thunderous title track, via the quasi-Italian exploitation fun of ‘Journey Of Love’ to the pumping British sounds of ‘Big Bare Beat’, this is a fantastic and diverse soundtrack.
Les Bicyclettes De Belsize is a calmer film, a shorter piece focusing on the poetry of London’s small details, and Reed’s score reflects this. This soundtrack uses quirky vocal tracks to build mood, with a particular highlight being the twee ‘Gentlemen Of The Park’ by Episode Six. It’s so lovely that even those opposed to all things whimsical will find themselves submitting to its charm.
Jeanette Leech
VARIOUS ARTISTS
KPM & Conroy Recorded Music Library: Sounds Of The Times
Vocalion CD
www.duttonvocalion.co.uk
Vocalion have been spoiling us lately with a first-rate reissue programme of library music, and Sounds Of The Times, containing the absolute cream of the KPM and Conroy archives between 1970 and ’77, is the best yet.
This era of library music is so special because it combined the technical sophistication of jazz and classical forms, in which all the composers were well-schooled, with an exhilarating pop nous built up from living and working through the seismic changes in ’60s British music. Spanning the full spectrum of light, jazzy grooves to huge funk monsters, highlights are numerable and include Johnny Pearson’s ‘Block Buster’ with its overblown fuzz guitar, the brooding groove of Alan Hawkshaw’s ‘Traffic’ and the climactic ‘Flight Of The Phoenix’ by John Scott.
Few of these tracks have been compiled before, making it a good buy for those new to the delights of library music and experienced connoisseurs.
Jeanette Leech
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Roaring Blue: Return Of The Instro Hipsters Volume 3
Psychic Circle CD
Yep, it’s another bunch of groovy late ’60s and early 70s instrumentals and there’s not a duffer on here. This is possibly the best volume in this or the old Past & Present label’s instro series. Everything’s a groove.
When it’s the quality of Cyril Stapleton’s ‘Theme From Department S’ or Des Champ’s ‘It Takes A Thief’ there’s nothing to quibble about. Add a cheesy organ-led instro version of The Smoke’s ‘My Friend Jack’ or Big Jim Sullivan’s ‘Trans-Love Airways’ and all you need is to lay back and enjoy.
Obscurities include Italian group The Duke of Burlington, The Underground (actually Blue Mink under an alias who cut an album for Major Minor) and The Stormsville Shakers (Phillip Goodhand-Tate’s group) who turn in a nice groovy jazz soul number with a major to minor guitar rhythm. Overall, a belter of an instro comp and a must have for lovers of the genre.
Paul Martin |
