Film & TV Reviews 4U - The Edgar Wallace Mysteries

 

Film & TV Reviews 4U - The Edgar Wallace Mysteries

The Edgar Wallace Mysteries were made for television from 1959-65 as one hour programs. The early films were produced by Independent Artists and the later by Merton Park film studios.

The theme tune by Michael Carr started the programs and there were around four versions of the main theme over the time of the productions. The early version is orchestral and quite 'mysterioso' in style, the later version was more upbeat and modern sounding with a guitar lead reflecting the popularity of guitar instrumental music.

It was recorded as a chart single in 1960 by the Shadows, Cliff Richard's backing group who had a No.1 hit with the track. The Shadows were the most successful guitar instrumental band in the 1960's and beyond.

The No.1 Hit by the Shadows - the Sheet Music

A number of composers were brought in to provide background incidental music, one being Ron Goodwin, who would find fame later in the decade with this film scores.

The Shadows in 1960

Behind the camera the episodes were crafted by a range of names that would come to the fore later in the 'golden age' of television, writers like Gerald Glaister who wrote the Secret Army and Kessler series, Robert Tronson who would go on to direct episodes in the Bergerac TV series and the episode credits read like a foretelling of future fame and fortune.

Lobby Card from the 'Flat 2' Episode

The Edgar Wallace episodes featured many actors who would later go on to greater things, there are also some quite spooky connections to, with actors who would later appear together in the future or be directed by people in the Edgar Wallace episodes they would later work with on other productions.

John Thaw, later to appear in the Sweeney worked with Brian Mc Dermott and Lee Montague in an episode 'five to 1' - Brian Mc Dermott played Ken Agar in a Sweeney episode, Lee Montague played Kibber in a Sweeney episode and also in 'Regan', the pilot episode that was the test film for the Sweeney as part of the 'Armchair Theatre' type films for television.

Garfield Morgan also appears in one episode, later to play Frank Haskins in the Sweeney, Michael Robbins and John Colin, appear together with John Thaw, Michael Coles was another who appeared in the Sweeney series and in the first Sweeney film - all four would cross paths in the Sweeney in later years.

Besides the episodes filmed, a number of 'fillers' episodes were made to be used to package the films for sale outside of the UK. In the DVD Box set the fillers were also included as extras on disc 3 in each DVD case.

Besides the obvious connector actors, the casts often featured many 'B movie' actors of the time and people who would populate television for the next twenty or thirty years, John Le Mesurier who would appear in many productions, most famous in Dad's army as an example who appeared in one episode.

Many character actors would also appear in the episodes who would go onto appear in television for the next twenty years such as Wilfred Bramble, Peter Barkworth and Maurice Denham.

The acting is good, the scripts are tightly written and the action is pacy. The old street scenes and backdrops of a world now long in the past are worth a look at, some of the locations lost to redevelopment, the old vehicles now only driven by enthusiasts, aeroplanes and trains lost to progress and a way of life to look back on.

Many of the locations are quite easy to spot, even later on, some like a boat yard that was used in the 70's in the Professionals series in one scene. Chobham was used in one episode with the Common in one episode and a house off the road that runs near to the village in the same episode.

Watch out for the cars too in the episodes and some frequently appear in more than one episode, a 1961 E Type Jaguar fresh out of the showroom appears in a couple of episodes, a Sunbeam Alpine crops up in at least three episodes, a Triumph Herald, a Citroen DS , A Bentley, Humber Estate and an Austin A60 Cambridge - just for a few cars for you to look out for if you have the box set of episodes.

The black and white film used on these episodes makes them atmospheric and they have that old 'B movie noir' quality. With AI, it would be interested to see these in converted colour.

Great nostalgia and worth watching for the historical scenes!

In the era, the strong message that 'crime does not pay' was an edict that the script writers had to adhere to and even though until 1965 the crime of murder could be punishable by hanging, it is interesting just how many of the episodes feature loss of life that could have led to the rope. 

However, the episodes are fictional, but nonetheless features some great writing and ideas, with some interesting plots.

Merton Park Studios was just one of a small number of studios making these productions, Butchers Films and Lion Films were other companies. 

Music Reviews 4U - Cool for Cats by Squeeze

 

Music Reviews 4U - Cool for Cats by Squeeze

The Iconic single Cool for Cats by Squeeze

Recorded in 1978 and launched onto the UK pop charts in March 1979, this second chart single from Squeeze hit the No.2 chart position and was certainly good enough to have been the chart topper at the No1 slot.

Chris Difford has a rare outing on lead vocals and the 'cool for cats' spelt out in musical notes sounds provides a nice little leitmotif, as Jools Holland might say.

The Cool for Cats era lineup features Harri Kakouli on Bass

The song is a bit of Pub Rocker in the sound that comes off the record and it reflects the area it was written in or about - that was Deptford, South East London. The song featured on the '45's and Under' compilation album which I've reviewed earlier and it is one of their songs which are personal favourites of mine.

The song has great musicality and even played on the radio all these years later it sounds great and takes you back to the Top of the Pops video with the 'dancing girls' as everyone remembers in the song.

The song verses seem to follow small themes or vignettes, variously centred around old cowboy films, the Flying Squad, pubs and casual sex. In a nutshell. 

The song title Cool for Cats references a music show for the young which was aired in the mid 1950's until 1961 and hosted by Kent Walton, a middle aged sports commentator who found his greatest fame perhaps in hosting the ITV World of Sport Wrestling slot on a Saturday afternoon. 

Still from Summer Holiday 1963 with Cliff Richard

singing the hit Bachelor Boy, somewhat ironically as he never married

Una Stubbs appeared in this film which provides a thread to Glenn Tilbrook

There's a connection of sorts here to the Cool for Cats show in that Glenn Tilbrook was taken to see the film Summer Holiday featuring Cliff Richard and the Shadows in 1963, when they were at the height of their fame - Tilbrook from seeing the instrumental band the Shadows play on the film, was thus inspired to learn the guitar.

Una Stubbs an actress in the Summer Holiday film, was one of the dancers on the Cool for Cats program, who suggested Cliff Richard for the part in the Summer Holiday film, which gives a great set of connections and coincidences linking the program to the song!

'The dancing girls' who appeared on Squeeze's  

Top of the Pops performance of the hit song

Verse one references Davy Crockett,  with 1950's Westerns, popular in cinemas at the time Difford and Tilbrook were young kids in the late 1950's and cinemas often put on cheap ticket Saturday morning screenings for children. Usually on the bill were cartoons and American 1950's Westerns, Davy Crockett was a popular Western made in the 1950's.

Dennis Waterman and John Thaw as Carter and Regan

in the iconic ITV 'The Sweeney' series running from 1974-78

Verse two references the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad known as 'the Sweeney' rhyming slang for Sweeney Todd, Flying Squad. The Sweeney specialise in going after armed robbers or 'Blaggers' as they are known in the trade. South London was somewhat awash with Blaggers.

The lyrics of verse 2 with the line 'in and out of Wandsworth with the numbers on their names' are a reference to the frequency of the Blaggers being in and out of the South London Wandsworth prison on remand for their 'jobs', the 'numbers' being the offences they were nicked for, usually armed robbery and the like. So now you know.

(Dennis Waterman who was in the Sweeney was also in a film called 'Up the Junction' in 1966 which was also one of the song titles on the '45's and Under' Squeeze album.)

The reference to 'a couple of likely lads that swear like how's your father' is real London lingo, 'how's your Father' being a slang term for fornication, more succinctly an oblique reference to a short four letter word describing sex beginning with 'F'. So 'swearing like f---k' has perhaps been sanitised for the lyrics and the line quoted in the song actually works nicely.

Singles bars and pubs were often used to pickup 

people for casual sex - before AIDS came on the scene

Verse 3 documents the efforts of a single young man 'posing down the pub' - looking smartly dressed and available, hoping to pickup a woman for casual sex. The world then was different and the one night stand on a Saturday night was often the norm for many young people. People openly lived together then, the stigma of this was now mostly long gone.

The line 'all I get is bitter and a nasty little rash' alludes to the young man's results of his endeavours finding a few days after his Saturday night efforts that he has contracted a minor sexually transmitted disease, whether the Bitter beer was lousy or the fact he is bitter in reflection of disappointing sex is open to interpretation.

In late 1985 the AIDS virus transmitted by sex, became well known and was fatal, and a national concern which many now seem to have forgotten but claimed the lives of celebrities like Freddie Mercury and Kenny Everett.

The Disco was a staple of the 1970's and 80's singles scene

after the hit film 'Saturday Night fever' brought the Disco

back into fashion again

Verse 4 finds our hero going a bit more upmarket in his 'conquest for congress' and picking up a young lady in a Disco. The lyrics 'I'm invited in for coffee and I give the dog a bone' has nothing to do with pet dogs and is a euphemism for sex ' giving her a boning , 'inviting in for coffee' was often an invitation for a bit of 'how's your Father' as we found out earlier.

'Giving the dog a bone' was a rather in poor taste by suggesting the 'dog' was a young lady who might not be very good looking but was up for a bit of uncomplicated sex, the bone was a male member and you can guess the rest.

'Seeing her later and giving her some old chat' was a throwaway 'thank you and goodnight' which the young shagger would say as a parting message and likely never see the woman again.

If you've ever seen pub rock bands in the 70's and 80's then this song is just like watching one of those bands at the time, it certainly brings back memories for me when I hear the song, having been around in the 80's as a teenager and in a band ironically with some old school friends that had since managed to escape the education system at 16 and played in a London pub in Richmond.

The song is cleverly potted and packaged nostalgia for London Boozers (Pubs), uncomplicated sex and when the Ford Capri was commonplace on the streets, often driven by a young chancer looking for a bit of easy 'how's your father.' Happy days.

Music Reviews 4U - Squeeze - 45's and under album

 

Music Reviews 4U - Squeeze - 45's and under album

An album I still listen to now on my IPod 40 + years later!

45's and Under captures Squeeze's their 'golden era' hits

An early lineup of Squeeze c.1980

Music Reviews 4U - Squeeze - 45's and under sheet music -

Still have mine, well thumbed - bought from ABC Music from about 1983

The cover image was also used on the 12" Vinyl and Cassette Tape albums covers

South London Pub Rock band Squeeze formed around the Deptford area south of the river Thames in the 1970's as a result of a music shop advertisement placed by Chris Difford in 1974, that Glen Tilbrook saw. 

Squeeze came to public attention around 1979 with a swathe of commercially attractive & catchy singles in the musical era now known as Post Punk / New Wave. Alongside other artists like Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello in a rapidly evolving music scene which was exciting to behold.

Rubbing shoulders with Dire Straits another locally Deptford based pub rock band that would later become world famous, Squeeze were frequent guests on the BBC TV Top of the Pops show and appearing on the BBC2 music magazine show the Old Grey Whistle, their new singles were always eagerly awaited.

 Pulling Mussels from the Shell a great 45rpm single 

The Jools Holland piano solo on this song is just superb 

and Glen Tilbrook gives us another guitar masterpiece solo too

By 1980 the band lineup comprised Glen Tilbrook - Guitar and Vocals, Chris Diffird - Guitar and Vocals, Harri Kakoulli - Bass Guitar, Jools Holland - Keyboards and Gilson Lavis - Drums.

The Squeeze lineup has been quite fluid since its inception, with John Bentley later on Bass in the early 1980s and Paul Carrack and Chris Holland on Keyboards variously became band members.

Jools Holland came back in and went out of Squeeze to pursue other other projects such as co-hosting the Tube on Channel 4 with Paula Yates and Muriel Grey and his BBC2 'Later' programs and to tour and record with his Jools Holland Big Band project. And not to forget his large model railway project!

The Squeeze compilation album '45's and Under' was issued in October 1982 and showcased the major hits of the band in what was their most commercially chart active era.

The album title '45's and Under' reflects the 'singles bars' culture of the era, which like the wine bars were more upmarket than most Pubs (known as 'Boozers' in London). The bars would have theme nights and sometimes '45's and under' promotions to attract a target clientele.

This was in the pre AIDS era and causal sex was rampant in Britain, a bit like the people involved! AIDS changed all that and affected both men and women was identified around 1986 in the public domain through stark television adverts with banner headlines like 'don't die of ignorance' were broadcast as AIDS was not curable then.

By this time in society, marriage although popular was now seen as optional, people living together was no longer the stigma it had once been. The themes in the song lyrics from this compilation reflect the life as lived when the songs were written, of casual sex, broken love affairs and relationships, domestic situations et al. 

Side 1 Tracks

Take me I'm yours - Starting with a chugging synth intro, the song is a musical odyssey in the lyrical journey style. It was really different from anything else on the charts then, keeping the song to an almost continuous synth line throughout the verses. You just have to hear it to appreciate it. Synths with arpeggiation and programming were just breaking out into Pop music at the time.

Goodbye Girl - A song of regret with the great line 'the sunlight on the Lino', brings to the fore Chris Difford's lyrical genius of portraying ordinary people's life in song form and the minutiae of suburban working class life. The minutiae people often disregard is brought into play with his vignette of a relationship gone sour and ended.

Cool for Cats - A stormer right from the off, a track melding Davy Crockett's wild west with the Sweeney's operational policing of armed robbery in London and more! Brilliant lyrics, which I'll probably dive into in another review, one of the best tracks on the album. The line 'The Sweeney's doing 90 'cos they've got the word to go' from the song is just so good.

Jools uses the leitmotif of the phrase 'cool for cats' in musical note form which is worth listening out for. 'Cool for Cats' was a saying of the 50's and also used as the name of a music show on Independent Television from 1956-61 aimed at a teenage audience and hosted by the very un-teenage almost 50 year old sports commentator Kent Walton! (as was the fashion then in television!) 

Una Stubbs was one of the 'Cool for Cats' show's dancers, who would in 1962 recommend Cliff Richard for the film Summer Holiday, more of which later is referenced in the 'Pulling Mussels from the Shell' track in respect of Glen Tilbrook.

Up the junction - A film from around 1966 featuring a young Dennis Waterman of Sweeney fame, now that's a coincidence as he appeared in the ITV series The Sweeney from 1974 -1978 - see the 'Cool for Cats' track above!. 

'Junction' is another 'Kitchen Sink lyrical drama', which no doubt led to Difford and Tilbrook being labelled at the time as 'the Lennon and McCartney of Deptford' - the lyrics start well then the fortunes of the mainstay character goes downhill, backed up with great Hammond organ by Jools and Gilson's drum patterns. The Deptford area of this era was undergoing redevelopment work with much of the old dockland area being redeveloped and it was quite a poor area of London. 

Slap and Tickle - In a similar vein to the 1st track in style and quite musically similar in pattern, it is a tale of at first unrequited love and how it was then, you pass a driving test, get a car and take your girlfriend out for a drive and hopefully use the car as a venue for uninterrupted sex. The song changes from the rythmic staccatto beat of the verse to a rock style middle 8. 

Another nail in my Heart - Another meaty rythm here with bass and drums pounding out some sort of musical urgency of the track as the music bursts out from behind the intro into another relationship gone sour. "And in the bar the Piano man's found another nail for my heart" the lyric goes - and this can be true enough, then there were Pianos frequently found in Pubs, often in London. 

The video of the track was great with Jools pushing a piano through the local streets just getting to the studio in time to play the last crashing chord. A quality track that stands out.

Pulling Mussels from the Shell - A great song and musically one of the best on the album. It is a rose tinted view of long gone summer holidays and as usual brilliantly observed by the writers. An outstanding pair of solos from Glen and Jools seal the deal. 

Glen Tilbrook was taken as a 5 year old to see the film Summer Holiday film in 1963 from where he was influenced by seeing Cliff Richard's backing group the Shadows playing on the film, to learn the guitar. Funny old world ain't it?

Jools Holland and Glen Tilbrook - on the video

for Pulling Mussels from the Shell

Side 2 Tracks

Labelled with Love - one of their last tracks commercially in the 80's for a while is an almost country and western feel tale, could easily be at home in Nashville as in Deptford. Regales the story of a wartime romance with a US Serviceman and a GI Bride going to America for a new life, that was not uncommon in WW2. A rather sad Coda to their run of hits but a good song.

Is that Love - A real rocker and one of the best tracks on the album, mines the Kitchen Sink / love affair / rocky relationship vein but so what? Isn't most music really 'folk music' about 'folk' and their lives, about real people? 

A personal favourite track of mine. "She's left my ring by the soap, now is that love?" is such a great line. I believe that the lyrics resonated with people's lives which is why the group had success, along with great musicianship. Life imitates art, art imitates life.

Tempted - Paul Carrack makes an appearance on this track on Keys and Vocals and on the video, a song that starts in the unusual key of B Major and resolves to G Major. A great song lyrically and musically, about ends and beginnings thanks to the old Adam and Eve conundrum.

Black Coffee in Bed - Almost a Blues song in structure and feel, it features a great lyrical Glen Tilbrook guitar solo in the musicality of the whole venture. Again underpinned by the old Hammond organ, another pub rock band gem!

Annie get your Gun - The finale track of the album and one of the best saved for last - full of energy and with great lyrics - even though Chris Difford apparently didn't rate it at the time the song is about a good time gal living it large - as a live track it comes across really well and on the record it sounds great too. There was a London stage musical of the same name so that is likely a contributing factor in the mix. It features on my Ipod playlists for sure.

The instruments

The musical technology of that 70's / 80's era was undergoing something of a new wave in itself, with Synthesizer and Keyboards technology making great advances mainly from Japanese companies like Korg, Roland and Yamaha as examples.

Arpeggiation facilities and programming on Synths was becoming widely used and also musical sequencing on computers was coming in with home computers and desk top computing now a reality. In a few years time the home recording studio on a desk top computer would be commonplace with studio programs like Cubase.

Keyboards and Synths were expanding music beyond mere notes with different voices, they were bringing new sonic possibilities with synthetic strings that almost negated the need for string orchestras.

Guitars were undergoing a new era with new designs breaking away from the often either / or Fender or Gibson offerings that largely dominated the market. Synth guitars were coming in and then went nowhere strangely, effects pedal modules and amplifier modelling would soon become part of the sound.

Bass guitars developed away from the often stock Rickenbacker, Fender or Gibson choices and companies like WAL and Hamer made Bass Guitars now seen frequently on pop videos of the time. Active sound on both guitars and bass guitars was now sometimes used to create new sounds.

Musical memories and the era

Music often resonates for people in different ways. For instance if we get into 'Another nail in my Heart' territory where a song can have great impact personally good or bad, I remember at the time that 'Careless Whisper' by George Michael hit the charts, a great song, someone I was into was stolen by someone else at work and I couldn't listen to that track for some years after because of that connection. 

So I really get what 'Another nail' is about and I suppose we have all been there. Times change and that relationship I mentioned went sour so I can listen to that again and smile. 

When Squeeze hit the charts in 1979 I was at Secondary school and playing the guitar as a hobby. Instantly on hearing Cool for Cats and the singles that followed I loved this band and their music. 

Memories of their tracks which we then had on a cassette which we still have now, include going across South London and down the A2 to Kent to see a car for sale and Annie Get Your Gun being on the tape deck of the E Type Jaguar I was in going down places like the Old Kent Road or Shooters Hill. 

Listening to these old songs and realising the years they were released brings back memories of the time, where I lived, the people then, what we we doing. It is perhaps a nostalgia trip. 

Today I still play along to those tracks on guitar and I am still enjoying the songs through that interest as well as listening to them on my Ipod at work. 

As a writer in my spare time I may often draw on songs of the era in the works to take me back to an era seen through my own eyes, which I am doing on a project I have set in the early 1990's but with roots in the 1980s'.

Coda

In closing, 45's and Under is a great compilation of Squeeze at their best commercially. Music moves on and pop music does not stand still with fashions changing quickly and often drastically.

People I know who weren't even born when this album was released like the songs, proving that good music will always be popular. 

Glen and Chris were very good at their craft of songwriting and their musical legacy is of great quality as is the standard of musicianship on these recordings. 

The pub rock scene is now greatly diminished sadly, I was lucky to have played in Richmond in a pub in 1985 with a band of people I was formerly at school with only a couple of years before, I have now been playing live for 45 years at the time of writing.

We are also lucky that Squeeze came along when the pop video was an emerging adjunct to the music. When you find these old videos on youtube, it is great to see how creative they were and how life was so different then.

They also bing back memories of the era, leaving us visual time capsules.

I'd recommend this album without a doubt.

Sadly, a few days after writing this review, we have news that Gilson Lavis has passed away.