Friday, September 16, 2011

Eye Level


Eye Level

The Simon Park Orchestra produced music for the De Wolfe Music Library amongst others, and ‘Eye Level’ was selected as a theme tune in 1973 for the popular Van der Valk series, set in Amsterdam and produced by Thames Television (which closed in 1992). 

An associate of the Simon Park Orchestra, Jack Trombey (real name Jan Stoeckart), was a distant relative of our drummer Hot Stix (not his real name either) and from Trombey, Stix developed his love of goats. Trombey wrote the hook for Park’s arrangement: without that top line, nicknamed ‘the Hook of Holland’ in the business, Eye Level may never have sold over 1 million pressings.

Stix insisted on Van Credenza covering this number as a tribute to Stoeckart, many of whose tunes are familiar to you, but uncredited. This is because Stoeckart, like Van Credenza, produced music for stock use, and he also used many aliases. 



Thursday, September 01, 2011

Rehabilitation Mortuary Part 2


Part 2: hope for Hilton Coldstream?





Is it now open to all? We’ve seen the signs. Some new hospitals offer another chance of life: we’ve seen it with our own eyes.

Perhaps controversially, Van Credenza hopes to collect enough of Hilton Coldstream together to assemble a new being, one at least capable of contributing to the band, as contracted. Already, we have the body parts purportedly sent by his kidnappers and killers from Asia. These are mainly digits and limb sections: sufficient for a tuneful contribution, if these rehabilitation mortuaries are to have any credibility.

Publically, here, we plead with any individual and/or group with anything more to give (of Hilton): send to the usual address, no questions asked.

In the meantime, Rehabilitation Mortuary Part 2, in the style of Coldstream’s favourite genre, serves as a reminder to those Oriental criminals that there may just be redemption for us all.