SPANISH ARMADA

[Stratpicker]

Happy New Year everyone
Caramba!! - A nice bit of Latin American to warm us up this winter.
I was looking for something to mess about with over Christmas, I came up with this.
BT from Dave Robinson's “LEAD 4” CD. Available from Dave or Leos Den.
Dunno why but this tune always reminds me of going to the “Pictures” in the 60's.
Cheers
Ian
http://www.4shared.com/file/186106495/3 ... -2010.html

[JimN]

Dunno why but this tune always reminds me of going to the “Pictures” in the 60's.

Quite right.

The record (which sounded absolutely TREMENDOUS on the big sound system of a cinema) was used as the background music to the in-house advertising film promoting ABC's "Showtime" magazine, available in the foyer of ABC cinemas.

JN

PS: I was just doing a Google search for "Spanish Armada" and came across this little gem from Chapter One Records (http://www.chapteronerecords.com/album.asp?album=201):

Also included on this album are pieces such as "Imogene", the signature tune for 11 years of the John Dunn Show, BBC Radio 2 and "Spanish Armada" which, in the early 70's was the opening music to the Pearl and Dean adverts in cinemas throughout the Country.

<cough>

[Stratpicker]

BLIMEY Jim! SPOT ON!!
All the time I was recording this I kept thinking of my local Cinema in Eccles Manchester. It was indeed the ABC BROADWAY!!

Many famous groups played there in the 60's . Not only did it have a superb two tier Cinema but also a magnificent Ballroom. It closed and became a Kwiksave supermarket before being demolished to make way for a "New Look" Eccles centre.
Been there - seen it - its a Disgrace!!
cheers - and thanks for the info.
Ian

[Phil McGarrick]

Hi Ian,
Another super soundfile from you.
Just playing it through my new enclosed headphones which father christmas bought and it sounds great!

Very well played... Phil

[JimN]

...I kept thinking of my local Cinema in Eccles Manchester. It was indeed the ABC BROADWAY!! Many famous groups played there in the 60's . Not only did it have a superb two tier Cinema but also a magnificent Ballroom. It closed and became a Kwiksave supermarket before being demolished to make way for a "New Look" Eccles centre.
Been there - seen it - its a Disgrace!!
Ian

Ian, was that cinema on the main A57 Warrington-Salford road (on the south side)?

If so, I'm sure I remember passing it a few times in the late sixties or early seventies on the way to Manchester.

JN

[Stratpicker]

Jim
It most certainly WAS, my friend. On the south side of the roundabout in the centre of Eccles.
On the Opposite side was a Burtons tailors which had a "Beat CLub" - the "Lindale" above it in the 60's. Played there many times between 63 and 67.
Do you remember passing the "Carlisle Club" and "Talk Of The North" clubs, both on the A57 in Eccles. Both great local Nightclub gigs.
cheers
ian

[dave robinson]

Nice one Ian, I remember this from 1965 when I first heard it at the cinema on the Pearl & Dean adverts. I sought it out and it is by The Les Reed Combo on the Fontana label - the 'B' side is called 'Madrid'. I was looking through the old records back in 2002 which was when I made the BT to be included on Lead 4 - glad you used it and made such a good job.

[JimN]

This is exactly my sort of thing...

The point about the reference above to Chapter One Records (who do a great job in reissuing British "easy listening" material) is that their claim that Spanish Armada was used for the Pearl And Dean advertising segments at cinemas isn't correct. The tune was used in cinemas (no question about that), but not by Pearl & Dean.

P&D, very helpfully, have a website, with all of their theme music since the 1950s (extracted from soundtrack) playable on the front page. Here it is: http://www.pearlanddean.com/?node_id=1.9.3

There have been exactly three pieces of music used since the 1950s, none of them being Spanish Armada (which was used by the ABC cinema chain for an in-house "collage" film advertising their film magazine (which was called "Showtime"). The one I most fondly remember from Pearl And Dean was what they call (on their site) the "pillar" music. You can see why they called it that here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INIENB4M5AU&feature=related. They then list 60s groovy dancer music (which I don't remember) before they adopted the first version of the Asteroid tune (pa-pa-pa-pah pa-pah-pa-pah pa-pa-pa): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxU6LT6DonE&feature=related, which I suspect was firmly based on the instrumental section of McArthur Park.

Ian: you might like the adverts attached to that first Youtube URL above...

JN

[Stratpicker]

Hi Jim
what a mine of information!
Who IS that guy in the "Medley" commercial? Jess Conrad, Craig Douglas? Any ideas? Whoever, he looks far too excited about a fruit and chocolate bar to be safe - look at those wide, staring eyes at the end! Scarey!
cheers
Ian

[Stratpicker]

And my thanks too to Phil and Dave for their kind comments.
When I started this guitar playing lark in 2004 after a LONG break, I just played along to Records, mostly old 60's and 70's tracks which is where I left off in the 70's. I never knew BT CD's existed and I think it was my friend Steve at ManchesterGuitarTech who put me on the right track - every pun intended.
Then I discovered (RE- discovered) The Shadows and BT CD's like Lead 4 were a total revelation to me.
In quick succession I had bought Do You Wanna Be Hank V1, 2 and 3 and then Lead 4 - and onwards. These are all quality work with excellent Demos to help Newbies like me follow the 'correct path'. So, Dave, if you think I made a passable job of putting my Lead over the top of your BT, then I'm honoured!
cheers
ian