|
Post by Patrick Coles on Jun 16, 2023 21:49:56 GMT
BBC announcers always made a very clear point of saying; 'now it's BOSS CAT !' - in case we mistakenly thought the theme song was singing about 'Top Cat' and the fact the cats all referred to him as 'TC' - when of course it was 'BOSS CAT' (not the cat food ITV advertised)
we kids all knew him as 'TOP CAT' anyway...
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on Jun 8, 2023 21:23:44 GMT
Yes indeed Peter !
if you take those final 5 PYE singles A and B sides ten songs and add on 'He's Got No Love' / 'So Far Away' plus 'When I Get Home' / 'I'm Never Coming Back' it's possible to construct a 14 track extra album from the PYE era following the 'Take Me For What I'm Worth' album (which Frank Allen revealed was recorded earlier in 1965 around the same time The Beatles released 'Help !' - but PYE sat on it for months finally releasing it later on in '65 by which time the album sounded a little dated in places compared to other albums of later 1965)
here is my suggested 'extra' Sixties Searchers 'missing album' track listing;
'side one'
1. He's Got No Love 2. So Far Away 3. When I Get Home 4. I'm Never Coming Back 5. Don't Hide it Away 6. It's Just The Way (That Love Will Come And Go) 7. Take it Or Leave it
'side two'
1. Have You Ever Loved Somebody 2. Popcorn Double Feature 3. Lovers 4. Western Union 5. I'll Cry Tomorrow 6. Crazy Dreams 7. Second Hand Dealer
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on Jun 7, 2023 21:32:27 GMT
Not the 1966-69 Searchers line up but here a now elderly Johnny Blunt returns on drums with the group on 21 October 2012 for 'Take it Or Leave it' and 'Have You Ever Loved Somebody' www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cpDb1KqCCoGreat comment by John at the end - while this live performance shows more of the actual power in John's drumming on 'Have You Ever Loved Somebody' that was so diluted by the producer / engineer on the 1966 single down to a mere 'tap tappy' sound minus all the power in John's great playing (causing Chris Curtis to remark; 'it sounds like a rat scurrying across the snare drum !')
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on May 29, 2023 21:35:12 GMT
Doomwatch; 'Winter Angel' was out on DVD as was the film version
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on May 27, 2023 21:24:47 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on May 26, 2023 21:50:53 GMT
Some info on a couple of shows on your list....
The Adventures of Don Quick (1970)
- starred Ian Hendry and Ronald Lacey and was a six episode series of 50 minute episodes made by London Weekend productions
only the first episode 'The Benefits of Earth' (aired 30 October 1970) is held it seems the rest are missing
a Sci Fi satire based upon Don Quixote, Anouska Hemple, Patricia Haines, Kate O'Mara and Madeline Smith were among the guest stars
I recall some TV critics really hated the show !
details can be found on wiki
Doomwatch (1970-72) - was created by Dr Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis
Produced by Terence Dudley with scripts by him, Robert Holmes, Dennis Spooner, Louis Marks, Pedler and Davis all of whom also wrote scripts for 'Doctor Who'
the show had 38 episodes (14 missing) of 50 minutes and is out on DVD tho' as stated some episodes are lost - including I believe the infamous 'Survival Code' the shock ending first series episode (which saw BBC flooded with viewers letters as a result)
starring John Paul, Simon Oates, Joby Blanshard, and a youthful Robert Powell (first series) later John Nolan (second series) this was a flagship 'serious' BBC Sci Fi almost semi documentary which got Radio Times cover pics and was seen by some as a far more adult show in the 'Doctor Who' idiom but kept totally in a factual based setting despite some equally fantastic plot ideas
'Probation Officer' star John Paul played Dr Spencer Quist who headed up a small Government investigative team - Quist was a controversial scientific figure in British civil service circles and the show dealt with issues such as enhanced rats attacking humans ('Tomorrow The Rat'), a plastic eating virus, a ill fated space mission ('Re-Entry Forbidden') plus social issues such as ecology concerns and high rise blocks of flats affecting people's mental health
again full show details can be found on wiki
the series was so popular - it had 13.6 million viewers for the episode 'Invasion' - that a film version was made starring Ian Bannen and Judy Geeson with the TV show cast rather wasted as not much more than marginalised supporting figures, but this was not a success
later in 1999 a revival TV movie was made titled 'Doomwatch: Winter Angel' starring Trevor Eve - this was well received but no follow up series was made.
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on May 20, 2023 22:00:40 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on May 20, 2023 21:30:59 GMT
Good luck in locating that one ! for now here's the SIRE era line up of Mike Pender, John McNally, Frank Allen and drummer Billy Adamson playing live nine years on from that 'Midnight Special' in a 1982 concert in listenable sound quality ! A Little Bit of Heaven / Where Have All The Flowers Gone / Farmer John www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X8PkWRnAi0
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on May 17, 2023 21:47:41 GMT
Great find Peter !
In retrospect while they did a few nice singles for Liberty it seems a pity they did not renew their PYE contract as intended with new producer Tony MacCauley taking over from Tony Hatch in 1967
- for years I had believed PYE just dropped them when the contract expired after 'Second Hand Dealer' but it appears this was not the case I later learned...
it's very possible that the actual band members themselves had no knowledge or say in the matter...(?)
- for example they later said they had NO idea at all that Paul McCartney had offered 'Things We Said Today' to their management in 1964...saying they would have jumped at the chance of cutting a version of Paul's song had they known...
turning down ex-Searcher Chris Curtis offer to produce their cover of The Hollies 'Have You Ever Loved Somebody' (Chris duly handling the Paul & Barry Ryan rival cover instead) was another unwise move in (easy) retrospect as well...
RCA UK wing while allowing them to cut mostly unissued at the time new material seemed only to really want re-cuts of old hits and appeared to view them as a nostalgia act which sporadic 'new' RCA singles such as 'Desdemona' (which charted in the USA) and 'Vahevala' (which picked up considerable airplay on Radio Luxembourg) indicated they were MUCH more than...
I would have loved a 1967 new Searchers album featuring Johnny Blunt on drums...and some proper new material RCA albums with Billy Adamson on drums rather than just the re-recordings (mainly) on 'Second Take' (which was then totally eclipsed by PYE's 'Golden Hour of...' original recordings set)
the two SIRE records albums later were excellent
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on Jan 16, 2023 23:19:36 GMT
Kingsize also recorded both his band and The Beatles at the Star Club Hamburg in 1962 having purchased a tape recorder and microphone
so we owe that historic early Beatles recording, which gradually gets a bit better sounding as technology advances, to Kingsize - whose Dominoes drummer Dave Lovelady moved on to The Fourmost playing on their six hits and acclaimed album
Kingsize deserved more musical success himself but remains a legendary Merseybeat figure....
.....'and you know that can't be bad' !
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on Nov 11, 2022 23:53:23 GMT
The driving guitar led harder sound of 'Blue Turns To Grey' was also in evidence on a couple of vocal Shadows 1966 album tracks notably 'One Way To Love' and 'Stay Around' on their 'Shadow Music' album and 'My Way' for the film 'Finders Keepers'
- possibly those and the Cliff/Shadows single were cut at the same sessions ?
a few other tracks by Cliff/Shadows such as the 'B' side; 'What Would I Do (For The Love of A Girl)' which backed 'Visions' in 1966 also had the powering sound too
they should have done more songs in that style I think...
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on Nov 3, 2022 22:31:25 GMT
"There's a good drummer in Manchester...." - George Harrison in 'Help !'
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on Aug 12, 2022 21:51:58 GMT
Speaking of her producer and former Shadow John Farrar....
Olivia played a lovely recorder solo on Marvin & Farrar's own version of 'Music Makes My Day' sung by John (1973)
- a song Olivia also recorded herself
A talented Lady...!
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on Aug 11, 2022 21:57:23 GMT
Very Sad news R.I.P. Olivia
strange, today I was looking around a local charity shop (for cancer) and in a box of singles were 'I Honestly Love You' by 'Livvy'....and 'The Carnival is Over' by The Seekers !
I got 'em both...
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Coles on May 15, 2022 22:25:37 GMT
Sad news - yes Ann was great in that classic tale
I believe she was lifelong friends with the late great Jackie Hill thereafter
|
|