1970s FF Series Incidental Music.

[Marc]

Thanks so much again Marc for listing all that info.

I’d agree it’s doubtful whether the Andrews/Spur/King tracks were on any Bruton releases - none that I’ve seen anyways.

My fear is that they might just be internal tracks created for the series and owned by Portman and not featured on any release - hopefully not!

Did you say you got cue sheets for every episode? I suppose it’s the same situation (artist/album) etc listed as ‘Kirrin Island’?

That's right, Ive got all the cue sheets and the known tracks from Bennett, Les Hurdle, Mansfield and Gray are all taken from the Brutons, the other music was composed mostly by those three lads.
I highly doubt that the tracks were released, therefore it would be interesting to find out where Balthazar Music from France reveived the copyrights to release the soundtrack. I am sure the music library still exists with some company . We need to find out who they are......
Is there any information about Les Spur?

[neilryan8881]

For Andrews/Spur/King all I can find on Discogs is references to old Famous Five LPs from
late 70s, some in different languages (below as example)

https://www.discogs.com/artist/937009-Les-Spurr

As you say, very interesting that the French CD soundtrack was able to use the original theme and ‘Together Again’.
The rest of the tracks on that CD are from Bruton releases which are now ultimately controlled by Universal and could be licensed.

It’s great to have the names anyway of some of these tracks even if we don’t have full info yet!

[FiveFanDownunder]

Wow! Haven't been around for a while and look what I missed!

Thanks to everyone for the recent discussion and to Marc for the info. Do you have time to list the track cues for the rest of the episodes? A big job, but would be gratefully received, in whatever number of posts was workable!

I am very very interested in this subject as well; the lost music of the series. Very interested to hear that perhaps some of the tracks might have been commissioned by Southern especially for the series, considering the composers' names.

The BRT prefix doesn't correlate to any of the vinyl albums I know of; is this some other format ( possibly tape I have heard suggested ) that was available to the production but not publicly listed anywhere? I think Bennett and some of the other composers came across from KPM ...

If so, I suspect there were many more tracks than ever made it out onto vinyl. This would almost have to be the case as it is my understanding that Bruton was quite a new undertaking at the time and the catalogue must have comprised recordings created before Bruton existed, with the rights being purchased somehow? This would also explain why some of the tracks heard on the episodes are different to those on the albums, for example with the track 'Moving Tension', the funky synth bass line is heard by itself in the episodes ( when the kids come out onto Sowley Pond/Gloomy Water in Hike for example ) but nowhere else that I can find. And with the first series in production by the time Bruton was formed and the first albums released, there must be something else out there ...

I am going to dig around with a bit of fresh energy again after these interesting posts thanks!

As far as the French CD release, there are at least two tracks on there that I have not heard at all in any of the episodes, so not sure how that happened. And the track titles used on the disc translate well or not so well back to the Bruton English titles.

Marc, one track I ( and others ) am HUGELY interested in is the creepy music that opens Smugglers Top ... this was used in many spots through the series and is one of the biggest unknowns for me. Would love to see the Smugglers cues as the music used for Barling and Block is also not on any of the Bruton vinyl afaik ...

If you list the Bruton Music releases by year the full range of three letter codes can be seen; no BRT, but many others, grouping the music into types such as comedy, orchestral, sport, rock, drama, suspense etc

[FiveFanDownunder]

Marc,

Cannot thank you enough for the list of music cues for Kirren Island. Already blown away by it and I've only just watched five minutes of Kirren Island with the new info.

Many of these cues are for tiny links, bridges, stings etc, as suggested by the I or II in the titles. The 'moody slow' is a short guitar driven link played when George storms outside after meeting her cousins ... and 'Strange Goings On' is used quite alot; very happy to have a name for this track ...

[FiveFanDownunder]

In listening this morning, it looks like the track listed as KM4A is 'Perpetual Motion' which was on Advanced Technology. It checks out in the right position in both the Kirren lists posted earlier here. Wonder why it didn't have the title as on the album as the other Bruton tracks listed? I am assuming KM is for Keith Mansfield, the composer.

'Horror II' seems to be another common theme, used for Barling a lot in ST and i think closes out the episode when we zoom in on the bed and find UQ is gone!! Another important one ...
'Creepy 1' should also be the music that opens Smugglers Top ... in KI 2 it is played while the children discuss the recent events of episode 1, just after AF pops the flowers in the vase. This cue is used quite a lot.
'Rusty Menace' I think has been discussed here as a theme that many wanted to find ... it should also be the one that plays when the kids explore the old hall in BH. In KI II I think it is playing while George is pouzzling over her father and walks from the boys' room back to hers, just after she thinks she sees someone else in the tower with UQ.
'Still motionless' plays while Johnson offers UQ caviar in the castle dungeons. I puzzled over this track, and as far as I can tell this is the only spot in the series where I have heard it.

Perhaps some tracks have different names here than on the albums?? The 'Fight - Nasty' cue ( which happens twice in succession ) in KI II appears to be the music that we know as Moving Tension from the albums ... but this is the track that has a longer bass intro on the episode that is not on the album. It does play twice, and it's in the right spot on the list, so not sure why a different name.

It may also be that two musical cues cam play at once ... the Zap I and II may be the quiet electronic murmurings that play in the background to give UQs energy equipment some life ... this appears to check out with the order of the tracks listed.

That's all I have time for for now ... lots to puzzle over ....

[Marc]

Here´s episode 3 - Five Go Adventuring Again

FF Theme - Andrews
Halycon Days - Duncan Lamont
-do- -do-
Rusty Menace - Andrews, Spur, King
Underwater Beauty - Andrew Jackman
Horror 2 - Andrews, Spur, King
Horror 1 - -do-
Surprise 1 - -do-
Papillion - John Cameron
-do- -do-
Footsteps on the Stairs - Andrews, Spur, King
-do- -do-
Rusty Menace - -do-
Strange 1 - -do-
Jolly - Andrews, Spur
-do- -do-
Rusty Menace - Andrews, Spur, King
Stop or I Shoot - -do-
Dank Underground -do-
Murky Search - -do-
Zap 2 - Brian Bennett
Horror 2 - Andrews, Spur, King
Horror 1 - -do-
Fight - Nasty - Les Hurdle & Frank Ricotti
Underwater Beauty - Andrew Jackman
Rusty Menace - Andrew, Spur, King
Heavy Chase - -do-
Jumpy on Edge -do-
Horror 2 - -do-
Lively - -do-
FF Theme - Andrews

[Marc]

I will gradually list all episodes for everyone's benefit. It'll take a while to complete it but they will come for sure! I am glad to share the info with you guys!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks, Marc! That's a great help.

[FiveFanDownunder]

Another great list thank you Marc.

Very pleased to see your AA list as it was one of the few films I got around to listing here for music cues, even though many of them were unknowns ( non Brutons ). Comparing the lists and with a quick watch of AA it seems to check out really well.

I am still puzzling over Horror 1 and Horror 2 ... they often play together, and these like many other tracks are not necessarily played in full, so working out which is which is still a job to do .. at least for me!

Enjoyed getting a name 'Heavy Chase' for that track where the photographers chase the kids back along the secret way ... guitar with chorus and flanger, brass and bass hits ... this is the only place I remember hearing this one.

The titles on your list suggests that 'Zap II' might have been an early or alternative name for one of the Startle tracks from Drama Montage ... like the KM4A and 'Fight - Nasty' names seen in your lists. This seems possible as Bruton I think had only just got started ...

And not 100% sure ( a track listing for Hike will help, but no rush ) but it looks like Dank Underground is the title for that cloak and dagger / creeping around sort of tune which is quite bass heavy ... the same one that plays when Julian looks out the window as Dirty Dick and Maggie pull up to Two Trees in Hike. This is one I have listened to quite a bit, and like the creepy/rusty cues, is one of the more frequently played mystery tunes.

Marc, in your emails with Portman music people, was there ever any hint as to when the studio session/s to record these tracks might have been?

[Marc]

Unfortunately not. I should have asked Barry Ainsworth exactly that. He would’ve known

[Marc]

Happy Easter everyone.
Here’s Smuggler’s Top 1+2


Smuggler´s Top 1



FF Theme - A

Horror 2 - same

Five Alive - same

Papillon - John Cameron

Stop or I Shoot - A, S, K

Rusty Menace - same

Stop or I Shoot - same

Slow Bad - same

Horror 2 - same

Light Happy - same

Stop or I Shoot - same

Surprise - same

Spooky Tension - same

Snoopy Around - A, S

Surprise 1 - A, S, K

Jolly - A, S

same - same

Sensing Danger - same

Footsteps on the Stairs - A,S,K

Stop or I Shoot - A, S, K

Soft Haze - Keith Mansfield

Horror 1 - A,S,K

Strange 1 - same

Speak Your Mind - Les Hurdle, Frank Ricotti

Jump on Edge - A,S,K

Creepy 2 - same

Horror 1 - same

Horror 2 - same

FF Theme - A



Smuggler´s Top 2



FF Theme - A

Horror 1 - A,S,K

Horror 2 - same

Underwater Beauty - A. Jackman

Papillion - John Cameron

Stop or I Shoot - A,S,K

Foiled - Brian Bennett

Horror 2 - A,S,K

Pleasant Surprise - same

Foiled Again Tag - Brian Bennett

Jolly - A,S

same - same

Horror 1 - A,S,K

In Suspense - Brian Bennett

Stop or I Shoot - A,S,K

Foiled Again - Brian Bennett

Creepy 1 - A,S,K

Zap 1 - Brian Bennett

Creepy 2 - A,S,K

Place to Place - Steve Gray

The Plot - Brian Bennett

Soft Machine Link - Keith Mansfield

Montago Bay - Brian Bennett

Underwater Beauty - A. Jackman

Five Alive - A,S,K

FF Theme A

[FiveFanDownunder]

Marc, thank you.

I remember thinking how many unknown tracks were in Smugglers when ticking off the Bruton tracks that were identified.

I enjoy on these stories how certain tracks ( esp. Horror and Stop or I Shoot ) are closely and clearly connected to the bad guys Block and Barling; not something I noticed on any of the other stories ...

It is also going to be fun to get names for those little links / stings ( there are about five of them I think ) that emphasise those funny, surprising, puzzling or shocking moments, such as when the Five are puzzled by the behaviour of the twins in Secret Trail ... those little cues are burned onto the brain after watching so many times through the series.

If you are planning on working through the series in transmission order, then I'm all set for a lot of 'Montego Bay' cues for 'Camp', most memorably as the Five visit the circus camp for the first time ...

[Morgan Jones]

Hi Marc

Sorry I haven’t been online for absolutely an age! I have received your PM, thank you, and happy to chat anytime.

I have just bought the French CD and it’s great to now have high quality copies of some of the tracks where previously I only had crackly rips from LPs. All of the Bruton/Library tracks have French titles (sometimes a straightforward translation of the original title - other times very different).

Do you have any information on Track 15 from the CD - “Les Vacances” (possible original title Holiday(s)? I don’t recall it being used in FF - your lists may show otherwise - but I recognise it from elsewhere.

[Marc]

Hi Morgan,

sorry for not replying earlier. I wasn't online for quite a while.
That track you were asking for is called " Day Off " by Brian Bennett and you can find it on the Bruton Drama Montage 2 Record BRJ 8 as the last track.
Having a look at the sheets, it is not listed but could as well be used under another name.
I haven't noticed it on any episode, as you say.
Say is there anything to be found out about Andrews/ Spurr/ King?
Can it be that Spurr is still around?