Missing… But Not Forgotten!

A sub-title of this Musings could be, “Tunes you no longer hear on SiriusXM’s Escape channel.”

Why? While these melodies have long been favorites of a significant percentage of those who listen to the channel — easily counted in the tens of thousands of subscribers — these titles are what we long ago categorized as “turntable hits” or “tape recorder hits.” Meaning they were heard by yours truly, or other programmers of this genre of music for radio, who said, “I think the listeners will like this,” and played the recording. The ones I’ll talk about in this Musing are ones that drew an immediate positive response, even though previously lacked familiarity.

While currently doing a good job overall, today’s channel management has the mistaken philosophy that only tunes that were hits on the Billboard pop music charts can be considered familiar to a listening audience.

Another factor for listeners when attempting to purchase copies of these great melodies is the format. They were released back when LPs still ruled the land, and the majority were passed over for re-release on CD by the record companies.

I’m finding it difficult to fathom that we’re coming up on seven years since I retired from SiriusXM and the management of Escape. Yet, I still feel good overall about the channel and its sound — despite the recordings discussed here not being heard. Plus, I carry a particular pride in the library I built over the years, much of which is still in play. I assembled the basic library from my private collection of CDs and even LPs, which I transferred to CD to load them into what I call XM’s “giant digital tub,” which holds virtually all of the musical selections heard on SiriusXM, regardless of channel.

Turning now to a few of the most favorite titles formerly heard on Channel 69 and, in my opinion, should still be in play based on their popularity among listeners and confirmed by some of the comments you’ll read below.

This first recording doesn’t quite fit as to why it’s not being heard, as the original composition was written and performed by Paul McCartney of Beatles fame and is considered at least a “notable” hit title.

The Mull of Kintyre is the southwestern-most tip of the Kintyre Peninsula, located in southwest Scotland. The song is a tribute to the area where Sir Paul acquired a farm in 1966 but, following the loss of his wife Linda to cancer, would lose interest and sell the property.

As I write in my memoir, RADIO … My Love, My Passion, this recording may never have become known in America if it hadn’t been for my accidental meeting with Maestro Dick Bakker in London. We both were at CTS Studios adjacent to Wembley Stadium, involved with recording sessions in separate studios … I was on hand for John Fox’s recording of multiple tracks for our Bonneville programming. I was walking the hallway past Dick’s studio when he suddenly popped out, inquiring if I were the American radio chap. Replying “yes,” he handed me an LP copy of an album titled “Around the World,” featuring songs representing different places around the globe. His previous albums were under the auspices of a record company, whereas he had produced this on his own.

Another big-time favorite among the genre’s listeners is Caravelli’s orchestral arrangement of the Midnight Blue Theme, based on Beethoven’s Piano Sonata #8, the Pathetique. The melody received this name when words were added, and English singer Louise Tucker’s 1983 recording became a mild pop hit in both North America and Europe.

Another favorite is by Swiss pianist Alain Morisod, sometimes recording under his own name, other times under the Sweet People group name. While not the most famous artist we ever played, his composition Le Lac de Come, or “Lake Como” in English, has long been a beloved melody of many throughout the decades dating back to the 1960s.

However, I must note that this recording does have its detractors among a segment of the female population — but it has nothing to do with the beautiful melody. It’s the arrangement that draws the thumbs-down reaction!

The world’s most acclaimed and celebrated pan flutist is Zamfir. However, if I remember correctly, he was not the artist on the first pan pipes — or pan flute — recording I incorporated into our programming in the early 1970s. I share this with you as it didn’t take long for listeners to our stations across the nation to become intrigued with the unique sound of this ancient musical instrument of eastern European origins. Until then, listeners had not widely heard the panpipes in North America. Interest in and requesting details about this unique instrument was so great that we quickly prepared a fact sheet for our stations to share with callers.

As soon as I heard this recording featuring the dynamic talents of both Zamfir and James Last after it was released in 1977, I couldn’t wait to get it into play. I cannot remember another recording that had such an instantaneous volume of response as this one. Not only did the James Last Orchestra accompany Zamfir’s solo performance, but Maestro Last is also the composer and arranger of “The Lonely Shepherd” or Einsamer Hirte, its original German title.

Another orchestral favorite is “Chi Mai,” composed and recorded by the acclaimed Ennio Morricone. While filmmakers used it in a couple of films and another TV production, it gained recognition and popularity when featured in the BBC 1981 documentary, The Life and Times of David Lloyd George. He was Great Britain’s Prime Minister during the World War I period.

A few of the comments from this tune’s YouTube page:

Two Frenchmen, Paul de Senneville and Oliver Toussaint met in the 1960s and became a very successful musical team involved in the business’s composing, production, and promotional aspects. They composed two tunes that became very big with our Beautiful Music/Easy Listening listeners, both those listening to the format on regular radio back in the latter part of the last century and Escape. One was Ballad for Adeline, or the official French spelling, “Ballade Pour Adeline,” as recorded by the French pianist Richard Clayderman, and this one, Dolannes Melody, as recorded by trumpeter Jean-Claude Borelly, who also plays the panpipes.

Again, comments from the recording’s YouTube page:

To close out this session of musical memories, I’ll change the pace and invite you to listen to this unique performance of a melody I only twice included in my programming in my near half-century of programming the instrumentally-based Easy Listening format. The first time was in Philadelphia in 1964 — I believe the recording was by the 101 Strings — and the second time was in 2004 on XM Radio’s Escape — a performance by the Paul Mauriat Orchestra … in both cases, it was quickly removed from play at the request of listeners.

I’ll share with you the reason after you listen to this performance by 13-year-old Dutch trumpeter Melissa Venema performing Il Silenzio live with Andre Rieu and his Orchestra in Maastricht, a city in the southern part of the Netherlands.

Two of the YouTube comments state:

Today, Melissa is twice that age, and in the days since, she and her trumpet have traveled the world, performing in nations around the globe!

Oh, why did listeners ask that I discontinue playing this tune? While it’s not as evident in Melissa’s arrangement of Il Silenzio, the other recordings come off sounding very much like Taps. Hence, those most disturbed by its playing were mothers and wives who had lost their son or husband in the military. Even though they were likely small in number compared to the total audience, there was no way that I needed to inflict additional heartache.

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Wrapping up, the wonderfully appropriate slogan used by the record retailer that was once big in the U.S. as well as in overseas places like Brazil and Japan, Tower Records, is one I buy into completely:

As always, I’d love to read your comments and thoughts regarding these melodies and stories, especially have you share what one of these tunes possibly means to you personally or how it may have impacted your life. Thank you.