Teasing the Korean Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 When I traverse this friendly, freedom-loving land of ours, I am often asked what my favorite brief piece of music is. And without hesitation, I reply, "The ITC Logo, the 1960s one, composed by Edwin Astley." When I was a kid watching TV, if I heard this music and saw this logo, I almost jumped out of my skin, knowing that whatever was coming on next would be great. Here it is. Don't let the 1985 date in the title scare you. This is the 1960s logo. So turn up the speakers, take seven seconds out of your life, and thrill to Edwin Astley's ITC logo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 (edited) Ttk, do you know the six (6!) Pete Townshend solo-songs that Astley orchestrated in the mid-to-late 70's? If not, you should!! The first one came out on Pete's 1977 album Rough Mix. Then 4 more on Pete's 2nd compilation of 'demos' in 1987 called Another Scoop, and the last one on his 3rd demo compilation, 2001's Scoop 3. All but the very first one seems to have been recorded in 1978, iirc. If only these had been collected together, along with maybe 3- or 4 more -- or even some acoustic songs (without orchestra), it might have been Pete's finest hour's on record (imho). For anyone not aware, Edwin Astley (1922-1998) was also Pete Townshend's father-in-law (didn't want to presume you didn't know that, TtK). I don't really know a whole lot about the genesis of these tracks, but I think they are pretty close to divine! "Street In The City" (Rough Mix) "Football Fugue" (Another Scoop) "Brooklyn Kids" (Another Scoop) "Praying The Game" (Another Scoop) "The Ferryman" (Another Scoop) "I Like It The Way It Is" (Scoop 3) A bit of discussion here too (on the Hoffman board, and I think they've been mentioned collectively there in some other threads too). I'll try and post YouTube links to all of them in a moment. https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/street-in-the-city-pete-townshend.94039/#post-2070859 Edited February 14, 2019 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 "Street In The City"... "Football Fugue"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 "Brooklyn Kids"... "Praying The Game"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 "The Ferryman"... "I Like It The Way It Is"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 (edited) Apparently Astley also did some string-arrangements on a couple tunes on Who's Next (released in 1978). I'm not familiar with either of these songs, as I'm about a 5x bigger fan of Pete Townsend's solo output, than I am of The Who. http://www.thewho.net/discography/albums/WhoAreYou.html Roger Daltrey Vocals John Entwistle Bass Guitar, Vocals & synthesizer [and horns] Keith Moon Drums & Percussion Pete Townshend Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer & Vocals Andy Fairweather-Low Backing vocals on "New Song," "Had Enough," "Guitar And Pen," "Love Is Coming Down" and "Who Are You" [Andy was the lead singer of The Amen Corner in the mid-60's. Since 1991 he has been Eric Clapton's backup guitarist/vocalist and appeared on Clapton's Unpluggedalbum and also accompanied Pete on his 1993 Psychoderelict tour.] Rod Argent Synthesizer on "Had Enough" and piano on "Who Are You" [Rod was the keyboardist for The Zombies ("She's Not There," "Tell Her No") then headed the early 70's band Argent ("Hold Your Head Up"). He is now a producer, composer and performer.] Ted Astley String arrangements on "Had Enough" and "Love Is Coming Down" [Ted Astley, full name Edwin Thomas Astley, was born in 1922. In addition to being Pete's father-in-law, Astley was a composer for many British films and TV series including The Mouse That Roared, the 1962 version of The Phantom of the Opera, The Saint, and, oddly enough, the 1961 film A Matter Of Who. He died in 1998.] Produced by Glyn Johns and Jon Astley [Jon Astley is the son of Ted Astley and Pete's brother-in-law. He was [also] in charge of the 1994-1998 Who [CD] re-release program. Glyn Johns quit Who Are You after getting head-butted by Roger. He returned for 1982's It's Hard.] Engineering Assistance: Judy Szekely Edited February 14, 2019 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 Twenty years ago, I picked up the soundtracks of two of my favorites, Secret Agent and The Saint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 11 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said: When I traverse this friendly, freedom-loving land of ours, I am often asked what my favorite brief piece of music is. And without hesitation, I reply, "The ITC Logo, the 1960s one, composed by Edwin Astley." When I was a kid watching TV, if I heard this music and saw this logo, I almost jumped out of my skin, knowing that whatever was coming on next would be great. Here it is. Don't let the 1985 date in the title scare you. This is the 1960s logo. So turn up the speakers, take seven seconds out of your life, and thrill to Edwin Astley's ITC logo. This always scared me. It felt very foreign (and the cheap, ominous animation, and the white flakes and film wear that were often on the visuals didn't help). I'm still not a fan of kettle drums and blaring brass in music, in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted February 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 On February 14, 2019 at 1:30 PM, Rooster_Ties said: Ttk, do you know the six (6!) Pete Townshend solo-songs that Astley orchestrated in the mid-to-late 70's? If not, you should!! The first one came out on Pete's 1977 album Rough Mix. Then 4 more on Pete's 2nd compilation of 'demos' in 1987 called Another Scoop, and the last one on his 3rd demo compilation, 2001's Scoop 3. All but the very first one seems to have been recorded in 1978, iirc. If only these had been collected together, along with maybe 3- or 4 more -- or even some acoustic songs (without orchestra), it might have been Pete's finest hour's on record (imho). For anyone not aware, Edwin Astley (1922-1998) was also Pete Townshend's father-in-law (didn't want to presume you didn't know that, TtK). I don't really know a whole lot about the genesis of these tracks, but I think they are pretty close to divine! "Street In The City" (Rough Mix) "Football Fugue" (Another Scoop) "Brooklyn Kids" (Another Scoop) "Praying The Game" (Another Scoop) "The Ferryman" (Another Scoop) "I Like It The Way It Is" (Scoop 3) A bit of discussion here too (on the Hoffman board, and I think they've been mentioned collectively there in some other threads too). I'll try and post YouTube links to all of them in a moment. https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/street-in-the-city-pete-townshend.94039/#post-2070859 This is CRAZY!!! I had no idea! I have not listened to any rock music in several decades. When I used to listen to the Who, I only listened to the stuff from when they were stylishly dressed, up to maybe 1968 or so. I didn't listen to their music when they looked like sweaty, unwashed hippies, so I don't think I know any of those songs that you posted. Still, I will be eager to listen! On February 15, 2019 at 8:04 PM, GA Russell said: Twenty years ago, I picked up the soundtracks of two of my favorites, Secret Agent and The Saint. The Saint is just the best. I really love that album. I also have Network's 4-CD set of The Saint music from the actual TV soundtracks. I love those suave 1960s British spy music composers, including Astley, Syd Dale, Laurie Johnson, Barry Gray, John Barry, and John Dankworth. And probably others I'm forgetting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted February 16, 2019 Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 12 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said: This is CRAZY!!! I had no idea! I have not listened to any rock music in several decades. When I used to listen to the Who, I only listened to the stuff from when they were stylishly dressed, up to maybe 1968 or so. I didn't listen to their music when they looked like sweaty, unwashed hippies, so I don't think I know any of those songs that you posted. Still, I will be eager to listen! And I'm eager to get your feedback on all 6 songs that "Ted" orchestrated for his son-in-law. I doubt many Who fans even know of them, and probably not even half of fans who profess to like Pete's solo work either. A couple of them are pretty unconventional too, particularly "Football Fugue". I barely have 3-4 Who albums, all expanded CD-reissues with bonus material with key Pete-only demos, and the like. Whereas I have about half to 2/3rds of Pete's entire solo catalog on CD, and even a few solo things that haven't ever been on CD. And these few obscure orchestral songs of his (the only versions of these particular tunes that he's ever recorded, far as I know), are among my favorites out of his entire solo catalog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 16, 2019 Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 On 2/15/2019 at 7:29 PM, mjzee said: This always scared me. I am SO glad that I have no conscious memories of this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted February 16, 2019 Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 1 hour ago, JSngry said: I am SO glad that I have no conscious memories of this: I remember that, even though I only saw it on our black & white TV. But yeah, stern voice, blaring brass...it sounds more like a warning than an invitation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted February 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 5 hours ago, JSngry said: I am SO glad that I have no conscious memories of this: Do you remember the version with the same/similar graphics but a hip, modern woodwind backing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 17, 2019 Report Share Posted February 17, 2019 Oh yeah, that one was on for years! Check this out if you haven't already: http://www.classicthemes.com/nbcLivingColor.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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