Playlist: Listen, my friends! ~ November/ December 2013

.

In the words of Moby Grape… listen, my friends! Yes, it’s the (hopefully) monthly playlist presented by George’s Journal just for you good people.

There may be one or two classics to be found here dotted in among different tunes you’re unfamiliar with or have never heard before – or, of course, you may’ve heard them all before. All the same, why not sit back, listen away and enjoy…

.

CLICK on the song titles to hear them

.

Sandy Nelson ~ Teen Beat (1959)¹

Astrud Gilberto ~ Fly Me To the Moon (1964)

Ann-Margret ~ Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (1966)²

Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 ~ Mas Que Nada (1967)³

Noel Harrison ~ The Windmills Of Your Mind (1968)⁴

Area Code 615 ~ Stone Fox Chase (1970) – theme from The Old Grey Whistle Test (1971-87) 

Jon Pertwee ~ Who Is The Doctor (1972)

Sha-Na-Na ~ Born To Hand Jive (1978)⁵

Herb Alpert ~ Rise (1979)

S.O.S. Band ~ Just Be Good To Me (1983)⁶

Aztec Camera ~ Jump (1985)

Rod Argent ~ Aztec Gold (1986)⁷

Ennio Morricone ~ End Title from The Untouchables (1987)

.

¹ Nelson’s classic (mostly) virtuso drum solo that hit #4 in the US charts; the same tune was dramatically treated (i.e. slowed down) by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop for the cutting-edge, Oscar nominated Snow (1963), a documentary on that year’s severe UK winter

² The Swedish-American sexpot’s take on Bond monster blockbuster Thunderball’s (1965) alternative title theme

³ As performed on Eartha Kitt’s TV variety show Something Special and introduced by the host; Mas Que Nada memorably featured 30 years later in the film Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery and in an airport terminal-set Nike TV ad featuring stars from the Brazilian football team broadcast during the ’98 World Cup

⁴ Son of Rex Harrison, the Best Actor Oscar-winner for My Fair Lady (1964), Noel Harrison’s original version of Michel Legrand’s (also) Oscar-winning The Windmills Of Your Mind achieved iconic status as the theme of The Thomas Crown Affair (1968); Noel Harrison died aged 79 on October 22   

⁵ From the soundtrack, of course, of the monster musical hit Grease (1978); a nostalgia act of a rock ‘n’ roll/ doo-wop band, Sha-Na-Na actually appeared at the Woodstock Festival in ’69 (right before Jimi Hendrix) and hosted a TV variety show (1977-81) syndicated on US TV 

⁶ A chart hit in the UK (#13) and dance favourite in the States, it’s ‘more familiar’ as the lyrical basis for the Norman Cook outfit Beats International’s instrumental Dub Be Good To Me (1990)

⁷ The well recalled theme for ITV’s World Cup ’86 coverage  (1986), which went on to become the theme to the channel’s The Match (weekend live coverage and highlights of the old English First Division football league). Rod Argent was keyboardist and co-songwriter with The Zombies and in ’88 he teamed up Peter van Hooke (drummer with Mike + The Mechanics) to write Goal Crazy, The Match’s theme for the final four seasons until it came to an end in 1992; together they also produced a number of hits for Tanita Tikaram, including Twist In My Sobriety (1988).

.

.

.