Music Box January 18th 2025

We start with the genius of Bernard Herrmann, an American composer and conductor best known for his work in film scoring. He scored "Citizen Kane" and all Hitchcock's pictures from 1955-1964 (yes, he wrote the shower scene music for "Psycho"). Here he is (conducted by Muir Matheson) with "Prelude" & "Rooftop" (from "Vertigo" OST 1958,CD release by Varèse Sarabande 1996) that open Hitch's 1958 masterpiece "Vertigo". One of the great composers of the 20th century.
Next up, a demo by Kevin Hewick and New Order (their first recording) with Haystack (1980), released on sampler compilation From Brussels With Love (Les Disques Du Crépuscule cassette 1980 cat no.TWI 007). They weren't called New Order then when the three remaining members of Joy Division recorded this only two weeks after Ian Curtis' death.
(The) Honeybus were a 1960s pop group formed in April 1967, in London. They are best known for their 1968 UK top 10 hit single I Can't Let Maggie Go (Deram 7" 1968), an absolute classic. People old enough to remember the 70s might recall this as the music used in the Nimble TV adverts (where a girl flies in a hot air balloon), which was affectionately parodied in Wallace & Gromit's A Matter of Loaf and Death.
Another 70s classic now from Lindisfarne, an English folk rock band from Newcastle upon Tyne established in 1968 (originally called Brethren), renamed after the small island, Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland (where Polanski filmed Cul-de-Sac). This is Lady Eleanor (Charisma 7" 1971), from their debut LP Nicely Out of Tune (Charisma 1970). This is the longer LP version.
We conclude with a double-bill from U.S. singer/songwriter Cat Power. First, the acerbic rage that is Nude As The News (Matador 7"/CD 1996), which came from her third LP What Would the Community Think (Matador 1996). We then fnish with the brilliant Cross Bones Style, from her fourth LP, the fantastic Moon Pix (Matador 1998). I highly recommend you dig deeper into her discography. Until next week ...

Comments