Music Makers

Music Makers

Well, that's two discs of 'The Goodies' polished off. It's proved to be a mix of very familiar episodes ('Radio Goodies'), with some that were utterly new to me ('Playgirl Club').

It's been fun trying to spot the influences on a particular storyline, with something like 'Pollution' just needing a few changes here and there to pass as an episode of 'Doomwatch'.

The bonus CDs that you get with the set are in the player at the moment, helping me along as I write this, which is most appropriate as last night we watched 'Music Lovers'.

I'd seen this one once or twice before, but Henry McGee's turn as the Music Master still entertains. An early 70s supervillain using the title of 'Master' who travels around in an organ that packs some serious firepower was perhaps an obvious part for Roger Delgado, but our Henry is clearly having the time of his life zizzing it up with all those dramatic chords.

This one always impressed me by the way our heroes tackle the Music Master's henchmen by making them do a Square Dance where most of the instructions involve causing themselves various injuries.
It's got a good beat too and I was very pleased to find it included on the first CD, though thankfully I've not been foolish enough to follow the lyrics too literally.

Once upon a time I had the LP 'The World Of The Goodies' and must admit to having found it a bit disappointing as I only knew their late 70s stuff and most of the tracks on there were from episodes that I could not remember, or had probably never even seen.

What I hadn't clocked until recently was how often the music was re-used, though. Part of the Square Dance turns up in 'Movies', 'Chubby Chumps' and 'Bunfight At The OK Tearooms'. But the CD notes reveal it's actually based on a piece called Square Bashing Dance from their 1960s radio series 'I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again'.

I'm certainly learning as I go along, so onwards to the next episode of Series Two!

(Written by Andrew Trowbridge)