LP 284: Norrie Paramor and The Midland Radio Orchestra – Radio 2 Top Tunes Volume 2 (BBC, 1975)

Side 1
01 The Dambusters March
02 Ebb Tide
03 Who’s In The Strawberry Patch With Sally?
04 The Harry Line Theme
05 Popcorn
06 Love In Bloom
07 The Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves

Side 2
08 Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer
09 The Way We Were
10 Georgy Girl
11 She
12 Go Before You Break My Heart
13 Minuetto Allegretto

The third collaborative album between Norrie Paramor and The Midland Radio Orchestra was released during 1975 and is confusingly titled Radio 2 Top Tunes Volume 2. Key tracks include the stark and lonely Ebb Tibe, a reflective Love In Bloom and a stirring She.

The Harry Lime Theme is wonderfully evocative especially when listened to with closed eyes while Norrie’s bash at Popcorn is fabulous stuff – slowed down beats yet still funky. You’ll find yourself standing to attention when the opening strings of The Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves kicks in and then being nicely surprised by the shimmering orchestral take on classic 1960s staple Georgy Girl.

Comments and feedback are welcome.

Preview

LP 277: Norrie Paramor and The Midland Radio Orchestra – The Most Beautiful Girl In The World (BBC, 1974)

Side 1
01 Dance In The Old Fashioned Way
02 For All We Know
03 The Entertainer
04 Solitaire
05 You’re Sixteen
06 As Time Goes By
07 The Ricochet Theme

Side 2
08 The Pallisers Theme
09 Holly Holy
10 When You Smile
11 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
12 Any Dream Will Do
13 Mah-Na Mah-Na

The Most Beautiful Girl In The World was the follow-up to BBC Top Tunes in late 1974. It’s a consistent LP with a breezy title track, a mournful version of The Pallisers and some great swinging lounge in When You Smile.

Other memorable tracks include the downbeat Solitaire and the funky dollybird brass of The Ricochet Theme. Beat-diggers may dig the groovy version of Mah-Na, Mah-Na that closes the album.

Comments and feedback are welcome.

Preview

LP 262: Norrie Paramor and The Midland Radio Orchestra – BBC Top Tunes (BBC, 1974)

Side 1
01 Sweet And Gentle
02 The Sky At Night
03 The Archers
04 Owen M.D. (Sleepy Shores)
05 Midweek
06 Medley: Family Favourites / Top Of The Form / Sing Something Simple / Desert Island Discs

Side 2
07 The Onedin Line
08 Film 74
09 The Forsyte Saga
10 The Lotus Eaters
11 Softly, Softly
12 Medley: Pebble Mill At One / Dad’s Army / Tomorrow’s World / Match Of The Day

Released in 1974, BBC Top Tunes is the first of five collaborations between Norrie Paramor and The Midland Radio Orchestra. Highlights are a groovy version of John Scott’s Midweek theme and a bouyant bash at the Pebble Mill and Tomorrow’s World themes. Check out the fuzzy guitar at the beginning of that sweeping medley.

The remainder of the album is pretty sedate and lush with a strings overload on both Sweet And Gentle and The Forsyte Saga. Sleepy Shores manages to sound pretty haunting, giving Johnny Pearson a decent run for his money.

Comments and feedback are welcome.

Preview

LP 251: Norrie Paramor and The Midland Radio Orchestra – My Personal Choice (BBC, 1976)

Side 1
01 Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
02 Midweek
03 The Pallisers Theme
04 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
05 Ebb Tide
06 Love In Bloom

Side 2
07 When You Smile
08 Sweet and Gentle
09 The Forsyte Saga – Elizabeth of Glamis
10 The Frightened City
11 She
12 Whistle Down The Wind

Another comforting album from my childhood.

My Personal Choice is a compilation of tracks selected from four collaborative albums between Norrie and the Midland Radio Orchestra. It’s an even spread with three tracks from each LP – Norrie picked 11 while the BBC chose one. As a sampler it achieves its aim – showcasing the sound and making us want to delve deeper into the albums themselves. I’ll be featuring each of them later on this year along with 1978’s Volume 4.

From BBC Top Tunes: A groovy version of John Scott’s Midweek theme stands out along with the sedate strings of Sweet And Gentle and The Forsyte Saga.

The Most Beautiful Girl In The World yields a mournful take on The Pallisers, a breezy title track and the swinging lounge of When You Smile.

Radio 2 Top Tunes Volume 2 is represented by the stark and lonely Ebb Tibe, a reflective Love In Bloom and a stirring She.

Radio 2 Top Tunes Volume 3 provides us with the opening track on the LP, a sweet rendition of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. The Frightened City is magnificient – funky and atmospheric with an Eastern flourish. Finally we finish with the powerful Whistle Down The Wind.

Comments and feedback are welcome.

Preview