Spider-Man cartoon's jamming background: the classic underscore, pt. 2



I can almost here a Peter Parker voice-over on this one, plus that great Bernard Cowen narration about "born losers"


As you will find on the channel, Struttin' Success, on YouTube: From the original master tapes from the KPM music library in Britain: 1) "Drive On" composed by Alan Hawkshaw; 2) "LSD" composed by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter; 3) "Quite Contrary" composed by Syd Dale.

This middle track is really weird! So creative, though. That third number,"Quite Contrary," brings things back to Chill Mode. VEry nice.
Another crazy way the cartoon's been reincarnated: a huge Reddit stream of memes, many composed and posted in real time during online viewing parties in recent years.
I am really crazy for "Latin Gear," but I haven't found it listed alone. It's worth hearing "The Eyelash" again!


Due to the similarity in their names, I've seen some confusion about "Beat Street"- composed by Johnny Hawksworth, or Alan Hawkshaw? I'm leaning towards the former. More listings, is all.
The fourth track is actually said to be Syd Dale's "Late Night in London."

David Lindup's compositions were also heavily used. Here's one, "Trap Door":


You hear this one at the Coffee Shoppe during the pretty decent SEason 2 episode, "Home."
https://www.facebook.com/Plaidstallionsdotcom/videos/10153933079173077/

Here's more Dave Lindup, along with a Syd Dale composition "Slipstream," which exists in two forms, one more as an underscore beneath dialogue. Both are found on KPM's 1967 Sounds of Syd Dale LP! I found it on Spotify as well. Slipstream appears on the third SEason Two episode, "Swing City" and other places. I don't care so much for the resolution, among other things, of "Super Swami"- but it did prominently feature Lindup's relentlessly cheery "Stop, Look, Listen"- about which I've seen people asking! If the Swami doesn't make you uncomfortable as a weird Oriental stereotype, the overuse of the 'swinging in front of mirrors' climax- aw, you know, budget! Still not as lame as the armored guy in "Knights Must Fall." (Though he does use a motorcycle as his horse, which gets weirdness points, but the cartoon contrives to let villains get the drop on Spidey and also, get away, much too easily!) It's a great tune I found hung up in my head.



I want you to know most of these songs that followed the Ray Price scores of Season 1 were from a British library called KPM. Until 2008, these tracks were virtually anonymous, despite so many of them also being part of NFL Presents!

I also love Ray Price's "Villains Theme"-sampled so ruthlessly by MF DOOM for a great Ghostface Killah track- be warned, it's villainous and is ill-i-nest!

I tried posting these with only clues as to where you may've heard them...I'd drawn many of them from NFL PResents videos. NObody bit, last weekend! So, here we are. Too good not to share!

Until my partner was very sick and then IDW changed Presidents- so he says- I'd been working on a series proposal for over a year. That may be as close as I'll get to mainstream comics, writing- but something like this takes me back to where the inspiration began. It's this music that made me musical. It's this awkward, sometimes silly, yet wonderful old first Spider-Man cartoon that made me want to create- and read- comics. Whatever I've written professionally since then, and whatever songs I've made, they have their roots in the amazed little boy of years ago. An amazed little boy who's been humming a lot of jazzy old scores lately, driving down the road!

Here's one any fan of the cartoon will know:
How about a well-researched, revised article? http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/01/the_music_every.html It describes the practice of "Needle-drop music": generic themes composed for licensed use by commercials, TV shows, plays, and movies.

Here's a cover of "Swing Shift" you can actually purchase:



There's lots more. Try looking up "All the Background Music from Spider-Man '67-69" and you are in for a treat!

OH yeah. Someone will be upset if I don't include the iconic theme. I have presently heard it all I can hear it. (OK, it's still awesome. I do leave it on sometimes but it's at the end or beginning of each episode!) For variety, I recommend the cover version I found in the 90's. It's from a hidden track on the Ramones' farewell LP.








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