Mark(Marc) Wirtz/Teenage Opera anyone?

In truth didn't he only write 2 tunes expressly for TO ('Sam' & 'Weatherman')?

'Grocer Jack' was given the more enigmatic title 'Excerpt from a Teenage Opera', and a beast was born when the record became a huge hit. I think 'Teenage Opera' was a compositional concept rather than a single artistic body of work...Mark's version of 'pocket symphony' if you like. I think it suited Mark (and the mood of the times) to encourage the public's belief that there may be an actual 'Teenage Opera'. Lloyd-Webber was paying attention...hence 'Joseph' a year or so later.

 

Mmmm. Worth considering. Mafru2?

How did you get into TO Gazman?

 

Been offline a while, Mike. I knew all the Keith West and Tomorrow tracks, and have long really liked them.

Of the stuff new to me on Soundtrack, I really enjoyed Mr. Rainbow, Weatherman, and a few of the instrumental tracks. Not a great CD, but some very interesting material. I didn't remember Colonel Brown from Tomorrow particularly, and quite like that now.

And I badly wanted a copy of Kippington Lodge's Shy Boy on CD. I missed out on that Brinsley's reissue a few years back, never knew it came out, with all the KL tracks, and it goes for a small fortune now if you can find it at all.

Definitely readin' the forum that inspired me to find this online and pick it up, tho.

 

Is what worth considering?

By the way Mike, have you heard Philwit and Pegasus. It's on the light side but it's a close cousin to TO. A lot of good vocals by John Carter, Roger Greenaway, Peter Lee Stirling (aka Daniel Boone).

 

I first heard 'Excerpt from a Teenage Opera' on Radio 1 back in '82, when they were celebrating their 15th birthday (scary to think that Radio 1 is 40 now).
I was 15 at the time and starting to get pretty obsessed with 60s pop music (still am) and just loved it. I found a copy of the 'Grocer Jack/Sam' Parlophone maxi-single and never looked back!

 

I didn't know said maxi single exists? Is there a third track on it?

 

Worth considering: Was Grocer Jack written expressly in mind for TO (I think it was) or was it a completed track that lead to the idea of TO?

I've heard of the Philwit album - there's a few tracks on Fantastic Story, but I don't remember them standing out. I haven't heard the whole album though. Does Mark do any the vox on that album? I like the Hothouse Smiles album which (expecially Swan) seems to evoke something of TO but in a way I can't really pin down...

 

Sorry...not really a max-single. More like a re-issue of 'Excerpt' with 'Sam' on the b side. Says '67 on black Parlophone but I think it dates from around 1970.

 

Don't know Mike. As you probably know the way Mark worked was that he just recorded tracks and lyrics/vocals came later. I don't think he had a grand plan for a Teenage Opera until the first one became a hit. So technically I say the answer is no. But really it's was the start of the whole thing.

Philwit is more dramatic but as a whole unit I really love it. You really must get Balloon (unless you already have the Hollywood Years CDs). Balloon is a wonderful album, recorded at Apple Studios. Lost of classic Wirtzian touches.

 

Yes. I'm pretty sure that the double A-side reissue was 1972. I used to have a very warped copy and I think I traced the cat # to 72 or so.

 

Funny you should mention that - I do have the HY CDs and I listened to Balloon in correct sequence for the first time today (found I had missed a track while doing it)

 

I listened to the instrumental of Sam on the Soundtrack CD today Willy (I think) mentioned Festival of Kings on the same disc. It sounds so well declicked, that I do wonder if another source was found. I've not tried declicking in a LONNNG time (and that was with a very old 78 and I didn't understand how to use the noise removal) if that was the result I'm very impressed with what can be achieved.

 

I was listening to Mike Vickers' album 'I Wish I Were A Group Again' the other day. It's great, but it's a total rip-off of the Mood Mosaic style.

 

I've had a look on amazon. Covers guy it seems.

 

Yes...with a couple of originals. 'On The Brink' is fab. It's the way he uses the girl singers (might even be The Ladybirds again like Wirtz) to just sing the choruses and odd vocal effects during otherwise instrumental tracks that reminds me of the Mood Mosaic album.

Vickers was a very talented arranger whose name crops up on a lot of late 60s brit orchestrated pop. He was a Manfred of course earlier on.

 

Speaking of Vickers and Mood Mosaic here is a clip of a track that is only available on one of the Mark Wirtz Orchestra albums. It's a great version of Ragamuffin Man. Pretty sure the singer is Chas Mills.

http://download.yousendit.com/DB53567702743CF4

 

I enjoyed that. I think it must have been the law not to actually sing the verses!

I just received a copy of the 'Ragamuffin Man' single today. Fab B side called 'A 'B' Side'.

 

Glory's Theme, which is the same as the first track I posted uses the exact same source. Mark supplied the same DAT to Phil and Mark for the soundtrack. The version on the CD has heavy noise reduction to remove the crackle. The version I posted is not that noisy to begin with but I know one of the other versions has a huge skip in it that could be edited. But anyway, there wasn't much trick for Nick Watson on Glory's Theme... just some noise reduction.

 

Totally into it. The whole West/Wirtz world. Tomorrow, Philwit, Pegasus, etc. Marvelous stuff.

 

How did you get into it gilbert green? (and why did they give that song away? - sounds like it would have been a classic in their own back catalogue)

 

Mike - here's your chance to get that Sam sleeve:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KEITH-WEST-SAM-...ryZ27350QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

£25!!! Does this edition have the edit on it?

 

No, it looks like the regular version which would be correct for the color sleeve. They sent the edited version in plain company sleeves and some in a black and white version of the picture sleeve. They didn't have a b-side when the single was sent to radio stations so both versions of the promo are one-sided only.

The edited version clearly states that it's edited as per...

 

View attachment 59980

 

Hmm. I don't fancy £25+ for a picture sleeve (not today anyway!) but thanks for posting the link Mark. I've looked for TO stuff on ebay before but don't recall seeing anything other than the first two singles. I'd possibly consider that for the edit though. I'm still quite surprised that two b-sides were rejected. I didn't realise b-sides were thought of as so important (save for notable exceptions...)