Since some kind soul took it upon themselves to delete my previous link from Youtube, I was forced to go in search of another example of the great man performing his signature work. And I found one. And it’s even better than the first one, with the added bonus of Japanese subtitles..
Actually, I’m supposed to go and see him tonight in concert, with Alison Moyet for reasons that pass my understanding. She’s a lovely girl, but I don’t think I can face it. Think I’ll stay home and watch this clip a few more times..
“There’s always been this need to give music labels, especially in England. If people want to call Walk On By easy listening then fine, call it that. But hold it up to the light and you see it’s not easy at all..”
Been musing, this unfine morning, about trains and rivers, and destinies and obligations and life-stories and desires and tennis and, of course, Terry Thomas.. A quick trawl through Youtube reveals that both my favourite Terry moments are now on there..
Can’t for the life of me imagine how, in all my yaddering on here about music and composers generally, and film soundtrack composers specifically, I’ve signally failed to mention the great Neal Hefti, the unchallenged master of that hyper-elegant Manhattan sound. The Odd Couple is, I suppose, his signature work but this one is my favourite. That moment when Terry bends to pick up the mail at the front door, and those velvet horns come sweeping in.. that’s the sound of a New York I was desperate to experience. Of course it had already disappeared long before I finally managed to get myself there, if it had ever actually existed in the first place..
…and, inevitably, the greatest tennis match in the history of the game. From School for Scoundrels, Terry dispatches Ian Carmichael in fine style. How can so much laughter be generated in me just by one man repeatedly uttering the phrase “Hard Cheese!”? Sublime..
Still haunted by this movie.. and just found a fabulous orchestral version of Mancini’s great theme that I hadn’t come across before. Too good, too damn good..
Because, well.. you just can’t, can you? Foolish to even try..
Dionne does Earth, Wind & Fire. Actually, I reckon this is the only cover of an EWF song that surpasses the original, although at least one of our background singers vehemently disagrees with me on that point. Anyway, I’m delighted to find this footage, as I used to play the hell out of the album version – a live recording with Isaac Hayes, which incidentally featured a wonderful duet, him singing By the Time I Get to Phoenix and Dionne singing I Say a Little Prayer, weaving the melodies in and out of each other – an idea I’d later respectfully borrow for a live version of Lala Means I Love You and Am I the Same Girl?
Speaking of inspiration, I’m pretty sure that Love Won’t Let You Down spent much of its formative years wanting to be this song when it grew up..
.. through the sky. I was reminded of this last night, by une belle petite oisette (I know, that doesn’t really work, does it?). Anyway, the very striking girl accompanying Corinne in a few scenes is, of course, the lovely Belinda, delectable wife of Mr. Staveley O’Duffy, who can himself also be seen hurtling far too fast towards me down our favourite piste..
As is no doubt apparent, this was pretty much my first attempt at iMovie. Let’s be generous and say it has a certain..er, ‘naive charm’..
Gotta love Illeana Douglas. Here she is as Denise Waverley in Grace of My Heart, the thinly disguised Carole King Story, doing the thing I never had the guts to do well – pitching a song to a skeptical producer. What a song, though! Has to be the finest of all the late-period Burt efforts – how many damn hooks are in there, ferchrissake?…
“A good mate of mine (Karl Phillips) is a techy for Robanna’s Studios in Brum and one day recently he was asked to set up and operate a PA at a school concert..”
(Only click the link if you’re not drinking liquid of any kind.)
Another little Outsiders snippet, in the Satiesque style, which never made it to the final cut. Video is a brief moment from a picnic with Ayu in Yoyogi Park..
