I'm participating in Musical Monday and I am sure River will her MM up first thing Monday morning. I was watching what was supposed to be an amusing You Tube clip when I realised I knew the background music, used to comedic effect. (almost anything can be made funny with music, especially But I could not quite place the music. I used Shazam to identify the terrific piece of music used on the clip of the very long Canadian train going through the spiral tunnels. Shazam worked out the name and artist of the track instantly.
This piece of music took Shazam a little longer, but amazingly it gave me the correct result, 'written for the tv show Blott on the Landscape'. Of course, and what a brilliant show it was. R tells me it was shown here in the eighties. I thought nineties.
How to describe it? George Cole (Arthur Daley) from Minder played the husband who lived with his wife at her family estate, that she was prepared to fiercely protect from a motorway ploughing its way through. The wife was played by Geraldine James who I remember from Jewel in Crown. The gardener of estate, Blott, was German and was also fiercely protective of his newly found English heritage home and country, played by David Suchet, yes later Poirot. Julia McKenzie played Cole's mistress, also well known then and later went on to more than adequately replace Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple. I remember her from the tv show French Fields, from where we still at times use the line of her too close neighbour, It's only Sonia, as the neighbour Sonia entered the house without knocking.
I suppose it was a comedy drama and it was really a terrific show, with Blott and his mistress up against her philandering and pro motorway conspiring husband.
Here is the theme music and it seems the whole show can be watched on You Tube, but as much I loved it, I won't be....well, I don't think I will. I just don't have the time.
Later note: This note at the You Tube clip is interesting. It obscurely makes reference to David Suchet but also the brass instruments are not. Before Poirot, there was THIS. By the way, the brass instruments on this are in fact all one multi-tracked human VOICE.
I don't know the program (or thought I didn't) but the music is certainly familiar.
ReplyDeleteThe brass is a human instrument? Amazing.
EC, I really thought the music was an existing piece but it seems not.
DeleteThere were a few themes in there that were familiar and I finally got it, the St. Trinian's school song. And I should know I went to St. Trinian's.
ReplyDeleteI love that song
DeleteJah Teh, yes, I thought as much. Bits sounded familiar.
DeleteGood John. Do you remember the show?
The music sounds vaguely familiar, but very vaguely and I don't remember the show at all.
ReplyDeleteRiver, it seems I am the only person in the world who saw the show and remembered it fondly.
DeleteHave just read JahTeh's comment, now I know why it's familiar. St Trinian's of course!
ReplyDeleteI am not really familiar with St Trinian's.
DeleteI loved Tom Sharpe and in the 1970s thought his satire was very clever. So why don't I remember Blott on the Landscape?
ReplyDeleteHels, it was mid eighties. You were busy with other pleasures.
DeleteCan say I haven't heard of anything to do with the this. Listened to the video but doesn't ring a bell - no one home at the moment!
ReplyDeleteMargaret, no one home means you can play it quite loudly.
DeleteAndrew the music is different but interesting
ReplyDeleteGosia, it is quite different.
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