“I am father of a thousand children, mother of a thousand million more.”

Perhaps the fade out goes on just a bit too long.

The Locomotive: Mr Armageddon

It’s astonishing that this piece of brass heavy psychedelia came from the same band as the ska influenced Rudi’s In Love – a hit a year earlier.

Compare and contrast.

The Locomotive: Rudi’s In Love

This is by the Magic Lanterns, of whose existence I only learned when I looked the song up on You Tube.

They do seem to have had some impressive members, though, who went on to greater things.

However, the (actually quite good) version of this song that I remembered – and the reason I was searching for it – was by Chicory Tip.

Yes, that Chicory Tip. (Wiki article here.)

Later with Jools Holland came on the TV on Friday (8/5/09) as I was brushing my teeth. When I got to bed the good lady said to me, “Paolo Nutini’s been on. He sounds just like an old Scottish singer, I can’t think which one.”

I watched the rest of the show and when Nutini came on again, true enough, he spent most of his performance bent over like an old man. All he was missing was a walking stick.

Then I had it. He’s Harry Lauder returned.

This clip is from 2006. Nutini was a bit more upright then.

Here’s what he looks like more recently. Bent over, you’ll see.

And here’s how he sounded when he first found fame.

I couldn’t find actual footage of Lauder on You Tube, which is a pity.

I caught Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra on BBC 2 on Saturday night (9/5/09.) His take was, of course, comedic, but included some semi-serious stuff about the use of bassoons, oboes, muted trombones and the like.

Even more light-heartedly we had a rendering of both the Moonlight Sonata and the William Tell Overture incorporating Cockney Music (Oi!) More examples from Bailey of Cockney Music influencing the classical arena can be found in the following clip.

The highlight of Saturday night’s show for me, though, was the Doctor Who theme tune reimagined as a Belgian Jazz song. Like the Cockney Music section this seems to be a reworking of part of Bailey’s stage show as in this clip from You Tube but he added some more jokes in cod French in the Orchestra programme. (Les Daleks ne pouvait pas monter les escaliers was one that tickled me.)

He did say, “Je suis Docteur Qui,” at one point, though. True aficionados (aficionadi?) know the correct phrase would be, “Je suis le Docteur.”

If you’re interested in music in a general sense with, like me, only a smattering of knowledge about it, search the programme out. I suppose it’ll be on the iPlayer at the moment.