Music Box 13th December 2025

Duncan Browne (1947 – 1993) was an English singer-songwriter and musician. His debut album, Give Me Take You, was released by Immediate Records in 1968. Its 1973 follow-up, Duncan Browne, spawned a minor UK hit single "Journey" and has garnered cult status among fans of 1970s folk rock. Browne formed the art rock band Metro with Peter Godwin and Sean Lyons in 1976, before resuming his solo career.  He also recorded the music for TV series Travelling Man, recently shown on Talking Pictures TV. He died very young due to cancer at age 46. Here is the title track from his debut LP Give Me Take You  (Immediate  1968), recently re-released by Charly Records.  Buy here 

Next up, Edinburgh post-punk Kafka fans Josef K, and their third single, the classic It's Kinda Funny (Postcard 7" 1980 cat no. 80-5) which deserves to be much better known (as does the band, an influence on Franz Ferdinand)

Manchester music scene legend (though born in Scunthorpe) Howard Devoto has been in three bands,  Buzzcocks, Magazine, and Luxuria. From the latter here's the official video for their classic debut single Redneck (Beggars Banquet 7"/12" 1987), also on their debut LP  Unanswerable Lust  (Beggars Banquet 1988). Again, both song and band need to be better known

JP Olsen works in music, film, and writing. Stories shaped by memory, steeped in history. His films have screened far and wide; his records include three LPs, an EP, and stray singles. Barge of Sorrow (self released digital track 2025) was released in September.  Buy here

Georges Delerue (1925 – 1992) was a French composer who composed over 350 scores for cinema and television. Delerue won numerous important film music awards, including an Academy Award for A Little Romance (1979), three César Awards (1979, 1980, 1981), two ASCAP Awards (1988, 1990), and one Gemini Award for Sword of Gideon (1986). He was also nominated for four additional Academy Awards for Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), The Day of the Dolphin (1973), Julia (1977), and Agnes of God (1985), four additional César Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and one Genie Award for Black Robe (1991). We conclude with two of my favourite pieces from two films by François Truffaut  (both films are excellent, among my favourites, and must watch films). If you've not seen them, I hope these soundtrack pieces will whet your appetite. First Vacances, from Jules et Jim (1962) and then Grand Choral from La Nuit Americaine (1973). The latter is not an edited montage, that is how it appears in the film. Until next week ...