Playlist: Listen, my friends! ~ May 2015

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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…

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CLICK on the song titles to hear them

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The Cowsills ~ The Rain, The Park & Other Things (1967)

Nancy Sinatra ~ Up, Up And Away (1967)¹

Otis Redding and Booker T & The MGs ~ Day Tripper (1967)

Carnaby Street Pop Orchestra and Choir ~ Dr Jekyll And Hide Park/ Hyde Park (1969)²

Chicago ~ 25 Or 6 To 4 (1970)

Sohail Rana ~ Soul Sitar (1970)

Roberta Flack ~ Sweet Bitter Love (1971)

John Barry ~ Theme from The Persuaders! (1971)³

Ben E King ~ Supernatural Thing Part 1 (1975)⁴

Planet Earth ~ Theme from Doctor Who (1978)

Kate Bush ~ And Dream Of Sleep (1985)

Billy Ocean ~ When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going (1986)⁵

Labi Siffre ~ Something Inside So Strong (1987)

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¹ An irresistible performance of the pop classic performed by the ’60s chanteuse on her NBC TV special Movin’ With Nancy, which was broadcast on December 11 1967 and was produced by her own company, Boots Enterprises Inc.

² This track from the musical collective’s marvellous LP The London Theme/ A Taste Of Excitement (the project of composer and conductor Keith Mansfield, whom in the ’60s worked as arranger for artists such as Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield and is now maybe most renowned for his ‘music library’ work), is very familiar in Brazil thanks to weekend TV show Sports Spectacular, for which it’s featured as the opening theme since the programme’s first broadcast in 1972

³ A promotional film of John Barry’s terrific theme for the Roger Moore– and Tony Curtis-starring TV adventure drama classic The Persuaders! (1971) for Top Of The Pops and featuring the umistakeable dance troupe Pan’s People

⁴ This ’70s soul classic from the singing legend, best recalled for his sensational solo hits Spanish Harlem and Stand By Me (both 1961) and his previous work as a principal lead singer with The Drifters, saw him hit top spot on the US R&B chart for the first time in 14 years and reach #5 on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart; Ben E. King died aged 76 on April 30

⁵ The awesome official video to the tremendous tune (which topped the charts in seven countries including the UK and hit #2 in the States) from the soundtrack of adventure movie The Jewel Of The Nile (1985), sequel to Romancing The Stone (1984), featuring the flick’s stars Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito on ‘backing vocals’

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