Oct 25, 2007
A fortnightly newsletter highlighting some of the many classic songs in the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalog.
From Alan Warner, Creative Consultant
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Beatles songs…Instrumentally
Back in 1964, Capitol hit the Top 20 US album charts with “The Beatles Song Book”, a collection of 11 Lennon/McCartney tunes played a studio orchestra known as The Hollyridge Strings, arranged & conducted by Stu Phillips. A single off this LP with
ALL MY LOVING on the A side was a minor best-seller. In the movie “A Hard Day’s Night”, there’s a scene where Ringo walks along the bank of a canal and the sequence is accompanied by an instrumental version of the Lennon/McCartney song
THIS BOY conducted by George Martin; it was released as a single (coupled with George’s orchestral arrangement of
AND I LOVE HER) and the 45 reached #53 on the Hot 100.
RINGO’S THEME (THIS BOY) was also included on George Martin’s own album of Lennon/McCartney melodies titled “Off The Beatle Track” issued on Parlophone in the UK and on United Artists here.
These and many other Sony/ATV songs...which have been successfully released as Orchestral and Instrumental recordings...are featured - in this week’s “Musical Notes” newsletter.
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Sony/ATV Timeline
50 years ago, Leiber & Stoller were #1!
Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller’s
JAILHOUSE ROCK by Elvis Presley reached the top of the Billboard singles chart on October 21, 1957, and stayed there for 7 weeks.
Two of Emmylou Harris’s personal favorites
There’s a superb new 4-CD box-set out on Rhino containing rare tracks and forgotten gems by Emmylou Harris. Among the songs are Lennon & McCartney’s
FOR NO ONE and Leonard Cohen’s
BALLAD OF THE RUNAWAY HORSE.
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INSTRUMENTALLY SPEAKING
Over 35 memorable Sony/ATV melodies
Following is a list of just
some of many Sony/ATV copyrights which were instrumental best-sellers over the years. They range from movie themes to jazz compositions such as Duke Ellington’s
MOOD INDIGO which was first recorded as a non-vocal prior to the now-famous lyric being written. In the weeks and months ahead, I’ll be highlighting some of these in more depth; for instance, the version of
TANGERINE listed below is from a classic pairing of two of the finest tenor sax players in jazz history: Coleman Hawkins & Ben Webster and a future newsletter will list this and a slew of other key jazz recordings of standards in the Famous Music Catalog.
Remembering how effectively TV’s “Benny Hill Show” used our Boots Randolph tune
YAKETY SAX, there are endless possibilities for utilizing an orchestral version of a familiar melody in movies & television or even in a TV commercial. For instance, check out JAVA which you probably know as an instantly-recognizable melody without being able to immediately recall its title. Or similarly
ON THE REBOUND written and played by country pianist Floyd Cramer.
ALL MY LOVING (Lennon/McCartney)
By The Hollyridge Strings (Capitol/EMI: 1964) US #93 Pop
AXEL F (Faltermeyer) from the film “Beverly Hills Cop”
By Harold Faltermeyer (MCA/Universal: 1985)US #3 Pop, #13 R&B, #1 AC, UK #2
BABY ELEPHANT WALK (Mancini) from the film “Hatari”
By Lawrence Welk & His Orchestra (Dot/Universal: 1962) US #10 AC
BLACK AND TAN FANTASY (Ellington/Miley)
By Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra (Victor/Sony BMG: 1928) US #15 Pop
BORN FREE (Barry/Black) from the movie “Born Free”
By Roger Williams (Kapp/Universal: 1966) US #7 Pop, #1 AC
BUBBLES IN THE WINE (Calame/Loesser/Welk)
- the opening theme of Lawrence Welk’s long-running TV show
By Lawrence Welk & His Orchestra (Vocalion/Sony BMG: 1939) US #13 Pop
CARAVAN (Ellington/Tizol)
By Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra (Brunswick/Sony BMG: 1937) US #4 Pop
By Santo & Johnny (Canadian American: 1960) US #48 Pop
By Duane Eddy & The Rebels (Jamie: 1961) UK #42
By Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra (Decca/Universal: 1968) US #10 AC
EASYVILLE (Bernal/Leiber/Stoller)
By Gil Bernal (Spark/L&SP: 1953)
FREE WHEELIN’ (Thornton)
By Bachman-Turner Overdrive (Mercury/Universal: 1974)
GOLDFINGER (Barry/Bricusse/Newley) from “Goldfinger”
By John Barry & His Orchestra (United Artists/EMI: 1965) US #15 AC
By Billy Strange & His Orchestra (GNP Crescendo: 1965) US #55 Pop. #10 AC
By Jack LaForge, His Piano & Orchestra (Regina: 1965) US #96 Pop, #22 AC
A HARD DAY’S NIGHT (Lennon/McCartney)
By The Ramsey Lewis Trio (Cadet/Universal: 1966) US #29 R&B, #29 Pop, #10 AC
HOT PEPPER (Cramer)
By Floyd Cramer (RCA/Sony BMG: 1962) US #63 Pop, UK #46
JAVA (Toussaint/Tyler/Friday/Shack)
By Al Hirt (RCA/Sony BMG: 1964) US #4 Pop, #1 AC
By Floyd Cramer (RCA/Sony BMG: 1963) US #49 Pop, #12 AC
LAST DATE (Cramer)
By Floyd Cramer (RCA/Sony BMG: 1960) US #2 Pop, #11 Country (in ’61)
LIKE YOUNG (Andre Previn)
By Andre Previn & David Rose (MGM/Universal: 1959) US #46 Pop
LIMBO ROCK (Sheldon/Strange)
By The Champs (Challenge/Masters International: 1962) US #40 Pop
LONELY BALLERINA (Lambrecht/Carr)
By Mantovani & His Orchestra (UK Decca/Universal: 1955) UK #16 Pop
LOVE THEME FROM ROMEO AND JULIET (Rota)
By Henry Mancini & His Orchestra (RCA/Sony BMG: 1969) US #1 Pop, #1 AC
LOVE THEME FROM THE GODFATHER (Rota)
By Ferrante & Teicher (United Artists/EMI: 1972) US #28 AC
By Carlo Savina & His Orchestra (Paramount/Universal: 1972) US #24 AC
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (Shifrin) from the TV show & movies
By Lalo Schifrin & His Orchestra (Dot/Universal: 1968) US #41 Pop, #7 AC
By Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen (Mother: 1996) UK #7
MOOD INDIGO (Ellington/Bigard/Mills)
By Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra (Victor/Sony BMG: 1931) US #3 Pop
MOTEN SWING (Moten/Moten)
By Count Basie & His Orchestra (Roulette/EMI: 1958)
MUSIC MAKERS (James/Raye)
By Harry James & His Orchestra (Columbia/Sony BMG: 1941) US #9 Pop
ON THE REBOUND (Cramer)
By Floyd Cramer (RCA/Sony BMG: 1961) US #4 Pop, UK #1
SPANISH HARLEM (Leiber/Spector)
By King Curtis (Atco/WMG: 1965) US #13 AC
SOPHISTICATED LADY (Ellington/Parish/Mills)
By Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra (Brunswick/Sony BMG: 1933) US #3 Pop
SPOOKY (Buie/Cobb/Middlebrooks/Shapiro)
By Mike Sharpe (Liberty/EMI: 1967) US #57 Pop
STELLA BY STARLIGHT (Young/Washington)
from the movie “The Uninvited”
By Harry James & His Orchestra (Columbia/Sony BMG: 1947) US #21 Pop
SWEET DREAMS (Gibson)
By Roy Buchanan (Polydor/Universal: 1972)
TANGERINE (Schertzinger/Mercer)
By Coleman Hawkins & Ben Webster (Verve/Universal: 1957)
THEME FROM BORSALINO (Bolling)
By The Charles Randolph Grean Sounde (Ranwood/Welk Music Group: 1970) US #32 AC
THEME FROM LOVE STORY (Lai)
By Henry Mancini & His Orchestra (RCA/Sony BMG: 1971) US #13 Pop, #2 AC
By Francis Lai & His Orchestra (Paramount/Universal: 1971) US #31 Pop, #21 AC
THEME FROM STAR TREK (Rodenberry/Courage)
By The Charles Randolph Grean Sounde (Ranwood/Welk Music Group: 1975) US #8 AC
By Deodato (MCA/Universal: 1976) US #27 AC
THEME FROM VILLA RIDES (Jarre)
By Mantovani & His Orchestra (London/Universal: 1968) US #36 AC
THIS BOY (Lennon/McCartney) - aka RINGO’S THEME from “A Hard Day’s Night”
By George Martin & His Orchestra (United Artists/EMI: 1964) US #53 Pop
YAKETY AXE (Randolph/Rich)
By Chet Atkins (RCA/Sony BMG: 1965) US #4 Country
YAKETY SAX* (Randolph/Rich)
By Boots Randolph (Monument/Sony BMG: 1963) US #35 Pop
X-TEMPORANEOUS BOOGIE (Howard)
By Camille Howard & Her Trio (Specialty/Concord: 1948) US #7 R&B