The only big omission from the programme I can think of is not including the main theme to The Secret Service. That would have really demonstrated the true range of Barry's versatility, with the Mike Sammes Singers performing the main title.
@ Mr. Stan: Agreed! Only Barry Gray would have come up with bizarre and brilliant idea like that for a children's programme. Crazily good! Completely outside the box thinking.
I was not aware of THE SECRET SERVICE until this thread. A couple of YT clips on this series' credit sequences remind me of Michel Legrand's Castle Keep. Barry Gray here sounds more like French or Italian composers than English.
Indeed! And you must admit that it sounds crazily good. Just a massively joyful credit sequence for the most unlikely of heroes.
A reminder for those outside Blighty that the Barry Gray prog is available for the next four days only, and the Williams for the next eleven. I think that's how it works anyway.
Just heard the John Williams show. No big surprises here, although I'm glad that mainstream radio chose to focus on the scores which the ordinary Joe wouldn't know was by Williams.
Unlike George Flaxman, my favourite piece here was IMAGES. And another thing I've just noticed - Is it a contractual obligation for the Beeb to use re-recordings when the originals are unavailable? IMAGES was (I think) from the original soundtrack, but most of the others seemed to me to be re-recordings, some good, others pretty awful (LAND OF THE GIANTS was a mess). I suppose it's easier for the BBC to get its hands on re-recorded compilations.
Since I linked to these two shows in my original post, I suppose I should attempt to make a connection between both composers. On a surface level Barry Gray and John Williams would seem to have very little in common, at least stylistically. But on the other hand I think that both marked the childhood of many of us here. With Barry Gray it was of course our growing up with his music for the Gerry Anderson productions, while in the case of John Williams it would have been his music for the Irwin Allen shows. This of course applies only to those of us in the "old gits" bracket. Would be interested to hear how the music from those '60s TV series affects younger people here who don't have that nostalgic connection.
While we're in confession mode, I may have added some confusion of my own. The "son" was introduced as Gerry's son but in talking he made mention of his father's music as Gerry was originally a music editor. From then on I was confused between the two. Sorry. I'm getting old.
Please don't apologise. What's left of my brain has just exploded trying to understand your post. I'll try again after coffee.
AFTER COFFEE - George, I don't see any confusion. The guest was Gerry Anderson's son. The only misleading info in your first post is when you mention the Crispin Merrell piano version of "Marina" being played at Barry Gray's funeral. Impossible. But even I copied your mistake.
The Derek Wadsworth version of Space 1999 is on the "Cult Files Reopened, along with Nic Raine's Stingray/March of the Oysters - the rerecording compilation from Silva. I also like FAB, the Silva rerecording with the RPO from1992. Wadsworth's 1999 year two theme is on that. The rest of the programme is all BG. I don't understand why Barry's year one theme wasn't included.
That said, nothing beats the original recordings presented by Fanderson and Silva. The Fanderson material can be a bit repetitive in places, so the Silva versions are excellent summaries of Barry's work
I have to check to see how long the BG Sound of Cinema is available on this side of the Pond. The only big omission from the programme I can think of is not including the main theme to The Secret Service. That would have really demonstrated the true range of Barry's versatility, with the Mike Sammes Singers performing the main title. Done in the style of The Swingle Singers, the French choral group. The Secret Service was the last, beautifully done, supermarionation series.
Great discussion folks. Best, Stan
You mentioned the Swingle Singers. I loved their work and would have loved to hear them do some music from Jaws.
I have to check to see how long the BG Sound of Cinema is available on this side of the Pond. Best, Stan
There's a download button option "for UK" folks. It does not indicate if a smartphone is required, or can download to a computer. Doesn't work for me on a desktop, but I'm in USA. Would you mind checking if you can download any of these? Thanks.
Per previous entry on Zoom thread, I can't resist. This KILLS me every time since way back when! Those drums!!
You just gotta love those title sequences. I remember that shortly after the mega return success of Thunderbirds on it's BBC 2 showing, Gerry Anderson did a little tour of lectures about his shows. I attended one and if I remember rightly all he did to illustrate each show was run the titles, because everything is there. All that's memorable, and the nature and format of the series is right there in that superbly exciting cut together sequence , wonderfully supported by Gray's equally exciting music.
Correct me if I'm wrong folks but some of the Stingray music sounds very cha-cha-cha, so I often imagine a bunch of dancing girls in Carmen Miranda hair dos giving their all on the dance floor, lol.
"Stand by for action" BANG!!, "anything can happen in the next half hour" BOOM!! What an assault on the senses.
The only big omission from the programme I can think of is not including the main theme to The Secret Service. That would have really demonstrated the true range of Barry's versatility, with the Mike Sammes Singers performing the main title.
@ Mr. Stan: Agreed! Only Barry Gray would have come up with bizarre and brilliant idea like that for a children's programme. Crazily good! Completely outside the box thinking.
I was not aware of THE SECRET SERVICE until this thread. A couple of YT clips on this series' credit sequences remind me of Michel Legrand's Castle Keep. Barry Gray here sounds more like French or Italian composers than English.
Indeed! And you must admit that it sounds crazily good. Just a massively joyful credit sequence for the most unlikely of heroes.
Gray wanted the Swingles from France for The secret Service but the budget couldn't stretch to it.
Just a bit of info for anyone interested in this programme - tomorrow's offering is a repeat of the interview that Matthew Sweet carried out with David Shire, first broadcast several months ago...
Just a bit of info for anyone interested in this programme - tomorrow's offering is a repeat of the interview that Matthew Sweet carried out with David Shire, first broadcast several months ago...
Being in the UK, can you download it, as I described a few posts earlier? Just wondering.
Just a bit of info for anyone interested in this programme - tomorrow's offering is a repeat of the interview that Matthew Sweet carried out with David Shire, first broadcast several months ago...
Being in the UK, can you download it, as I described a few posts earlier? Just wondering.
Last Child, sorry but I don't know about that - still a Luddite when it comes to downloading stuff.
Whenever something interesting comes up on Sound of Cinema (like the Shire or John Scott interviews or the Bernstein concert), I have a mate called Bob who lives in Peterborough and he records the programmes and burns them on to a CDR for me. Old-fashioned it may be, but it gets me what I want to hear and, in certain circumstances, keep.
Just heard the John Williams show. No big surprises here, although I'm glad that mainstream radio chose to focus on the scores which the ordinary Joe wouldn't know was by Williams.
Finally listened to the Williams show earlier and, as usual, thoroughly enjoyed it. One thing about Sound of Cinema is that Matthew Sweet knows his stuff as opposed to so many mainstream film music shows where you end up cringing half the time because the presenter clearly doesn't know what they're talking about. Good selection of slighly less well known Williams, although they could plausibly have included Superman as it fit the non-Star Wars/Spielberg criteria - maybe too well known... then again, Home Alone?! Still, great stuff, bet plenty of people have no idea he wrote that. Reminder of how much I love the slightly sinister opening titles music, which makes a great counterpoint to the pretty saccharine (but lovely) main theme.
My only slight criticism is no mention at all (not even in passing) of his collaborations with Mark Rydell. Given that they had four collaborations and are probably less well known in the public eye than some of Williams' less mainstream works. The recently expanded album for The River would seem an ideal opportunity to highlight these collaborations, if not the expanded Cowboys (probably my favourite of their four works together).
Tom, I'm glad you chimed in when you did. I had mentioned earlier that the show seems to go almost entirely for Silva Screen re-recordings. Were any of the Mark Rydell scores re-recorded for Silva?
While I'm here Tom, and you're in Guernsey (are you actually there, or just from there?), it's the perfect opportunity to ask you if you have any stories/memories/anecdotes from older family or friends about Barry Gray ending up as resident pianist at the Old Government House Hotel. He lived in St Peter Port from 1970 until his death in 1984. I worked a couple of summers in Guernsey in the early '90s (living directly across the road from Oliver Reed - but that's a whole bunch of new stories) and some people I spoke to even back then didn't quite realise that the man who helped shape their youth was tinkling the ivories just down the road. Also, composer Robert Farnon was still living on the island when I was there, but again nobody seemed to know about him, or care
Tom, I'm glad you chimed in when you did. I had mentioned earlier that the show seems to go almost entirely for Silva Screen re-recordings. Were any of the Mark Rydell scores re-recorded for Silva?
I don't think they use Silva re-recordings as a matter of course on Sound of Cinema although only occasionally does he mention the source of the recording. The Chandos albums with Rumon Gamba at the podium show up quite a bit but usually I think it's the original albums, even sometimes with what is charitably described as "archival" sound. As a slight aside, my only real complain about SOC is that there's nothing about the availability of the actual scores mentioned. A casual listener could easily believe they are all easy to obtain and there's been many occasionas where it's a long out of print FSM/Intrada/LLL album.
While I'm here Tom, and you're in Guernsey (are you actually there, or just from there?), it's the perfect opportunity to ask you if you have any stories/memories/anecdotes from older family or friends about Barry Gray ending up as resident pianist at the Old Government House Hotel. He lived in St Peter Port from 1970 until his death in 1984. I worked a couple of summers in Guernsey in the early '90s (living directly across the road from Oliver Reed - but that's a whole bunch of new stories) and some people I spoke to even back then didn't quite realise that the man who helped shape their youth was tinkling the ivories just down the road. Also, composer Robert Farnon was still living on the island when I was there, but again nobody seemed to know about him, or care
I am indeed from Guernsey and am a fairly frequent visitor to the OGH Hotel (they do a splendid afternoon tea and on the flip side, I was a member of their gym for years...!) however I would only have been less than 10 years old in the mid 80's so wasn't aware of Barry Gray at the OGH or that he lived here. A shame, had he lived another (say) 10 years, I'd have been very excited to meet him. Funny you mention Oliver Reed as my mother used to see him walking his dogs quite frequently when I was a teenager and my dad used to go to the pub with the Krankies (I kid you not). Brining it back to film music, British TV composer Ronnie Hazlehurst was a client of one of my parents' friends and was introduced to him at a garden party (my life isn't as fancy that makes it sound lol) when I was a teenager. I have his autograph somewhere...
Cheers Tom. I was basing my Silva assumption comments around the only shows I've heard, which are the Williams, the Gray... oh, and the David Amram. So yes, I was probably talking rubbish again. However, I think there's another film music show on BBC radio (or there was) which 99% of the time used Silva re-recordings. I'm just going on what my brother, who lives in the UK, told me. So if that's wrong info too, blame him.
I'd still like to know of people living on Guernsey who were aware of Barry Gray playing the piano just down the road from them. As I say, I was there for three consecutive summers (I think) - probably '91 to '93, and I was surprised that absolutley nobody I spoke to had even heard of him. Some of these people were of about my own age, so Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 etc were absolutely fundamental to their childhood. Or perhaps we're not normal people on this board, and it's only us who would care about the composer of that music playing the piano at the hotel just along the street.
I enjoyed those summers on Guernsey. Very off-topic, but before he got banned, Oliver Reed held the door open for me when I was walking into the pub on the northwest of the island (can't remember the name of it - we, that's Ollie and I, lived in Vale), and he did a gracious, gentlemanly bow, just like he did in many of his film roles. He could be absolutely charming. I also had a room across from his house which was high enough to see over his hedges. I wish he'd invited me to some of those garden parties.
Cheers Tom. I was basing my Silva assumption comments around the only shows I've heard, which are the Williams, the Gray... oh, and the David Amram. So yes, I was probably talking rubbish again. However, I think there's another film music show on BBC radio (or there was) which 99% of the time used Silva re-recordings. I'm just going on what my brother, who lives in the UK, told me. So if that's wrong info too, blame him.
I think maybe Classic FM's soundtrack show uses or used to use almost entirely Silva Screen recordings, but it was pretty mainstream from what I recall so they probably had everything they could ever want by acquiring every Silva Screen album available! (I am in no way disparaging Silva Screen's re-recordings by the way, many of them are excellent even if they never really got the hang of John Williams...).
I'd still like to know of people living on Guernsey who were aware of Barry Gray playing the piano just down the road from them. As I say, I was there for three consecutive summers (I think) - probably '91 to '93, and I was surprised that absolutley nobody I spoke to had even heard of him. Some of these people were of about my own age, so Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 etc were absolutely fundamental to their childhood. Or perhaps we're not normal people on this board, and it's only us who would care about the composer of that music playing the piano at the hotel just along the street.
Actually, I think they probably did, although now I'm very disappointed that I wasn't one of them. Then again, my film music fanatacism didn't start until Jurassic Park so I probably just missed out. I loved Thunderbirds as a kid and always enjoyed the music.
I enjoyed those summers on Guernsey. Very off-topic, but before he got banned, Oliver Reed held the door open for me when I was walking into the pub on the northwest of the island (can't remember the name of it - we, that's Ollie and I, lived in Vale), and he did a gracious, gentlemanly bow, just like he did in many of his film roles. He could be absolutely charming. I also had a room across from his house which was high enough to see over his hedges. I wish he'd invited me to some of those garden parties.
That's excellent! I don't know if my mother ever spoke to him, but I know he was fairly well known. Back to slightly on topic, a friend of my parents' is good friends with Robert Farnon's son (I think). Not met him either, although not sure if he's a composer like his father or not. Not sure Guernsey has many famous music or movie stars here any more... shame! On the other hand, we don't have Coronavirus either, so swings and roundabouts!
Tom, you're right. My brother was referring to the Classic FM show - which he stopped listening to because it was SO mainstream and predictable. Yes, in that case the Silva compilations would have served all their needs.
Just checked - Robert Farnon's son, David, is indeed working in the music business. I think I read that he wrote some of the music for Spongebob Squarepants!
I watched the SpongeBob SquarePants film with the boys yesterday. The opening scene, which opens like a big, swashbuckling live-action pirate film, may well have been by Farnon Jnr. Anyway, when the pirates hoist the treasure chest aboard their ship, and open it up, turns out it's NOT full of gold and treasure, BUT...tickets to SEE the new SpongeBob SquarePants film. After a big song-and-dance number, of they all jolly well go, storming into their local cinema, plunking down their tickets, trashing the popcorn counter, legging it to the front of the auditorium (there must be about 20 of them)...and then the lights go down, the screen goes bigger, and WE start to see...THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS Movie. Brilliant!! (the kids loved it too)
Tom, you're right. My brother was referring to the Classic FM show - which he stopped listening to because it was SO mainstream and predictable. Yes, in that case the Silva compilations would have served all their needs.
Sounds right! Sound of Cinema is a significantly better show, although oddly I enjoy listening to the podcast version where they just play 30 seconds of the music as I'm more in for the talking than the music, which I'll check out in greater detail if I enjoy the clip (not that there's masses they play which I don't already have!).
Just checked - Robert Farnon's son, David, is indeed working in the music business. I think I read that he wrote some of the music for Spongebob Squarepants!
I watched the SpongeBob SquarePants film with the boys yesterday. The opening scene, which opens like a big, swashbuckling live-action pirate film, may well have been by Farnon Jnr. Anyway, when the pirates hoist the treasure chest aboard their ship, and open it up, turns out it's NOT full of gold and treasure, BUT...tickets to SEE the new SpongeBob SquarePants film. After a big song-and-dance number, of they all jolly well go, storming into their local cinema, plunking down their tickets, trashing the popcorn counter, legging it to the front of the auditorium (there must be about 20 of them)...and then the lights go down, the screen goes bigger, and WE start to see...THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS Movie. Brilliant!! (the kids loved it too)
