Wednesday, January 27, 2016

January's Underappreciated Music: Bat Music!


Like any decent American, I love the Batman TV show of the '60s. The fight scenes, the villains, the sets, and..the music? Absolutely! Play close attention to the music of the series, courtesy of Nelson Riddle in seasons 1 and 2, and Billy May in season 3, and you'll hear how awesome it is. And of course, the theme! So simple, yet so effective, written by the great Neal Hefti. So awesome that it was recorded and released by several artists wanting to put their own spin on it--and cash in on the series' phenomenal success. Here are several examples.

The theme by Nelson Riddle's orchestra as it opened every episode:



Riddle's version for the original soundtrack LP of the series:



Neal Hefti's own orchestra recording the theme:



A version by the one hit wonders The Marketts:



Surf music favorites Jan & Dean recorded an entire concept album inspired by the Batman series, which is a topic deserving of its own article, but for now, here is their take on the theme:



Finally, here is a version by the greatest selling instrumental group of all time, the Ventures:



See you next time--same Bat time, same Bat channel!


1 comment:

Todd Mason said...

And of course, my fave so far, members of the Sun Ra Arkestra (Philly's Own, eventually) and the Blues Project doing their engaging quick take for a knock-off record:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA2WoaNRjt8

http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-sensational-guitars-of-dan-and-dale-batman-and-robin-mw0000006532 Though this is more fusion than avant-garde...