The Enid Blyton Society

Tidying up my attic on a rainy Sunday, I chanced upon an old LP containing sound effects and mood music. I obtained this back in the early 1980s during my period as an amateur film maker. (super 8, anyone remember that?) Anyway, it contains a track titled "Exotic Islands" which was used as incidental music in a few episodes of the series. Five on Kirrin Island and Five Go Off in a Caravan certainly featured this track.

Have a listen, the quality is not brilliant but it will bring back a few memories.

1970s series Famous Five Incidental Music

Thanks for posting this! Quality is very clear actually, I can hear sounds that I never noticed whenever this was played in the series. I had long suspected that most, if not all, of the 70s series incidental music was stock/library music, as I've heard various pieces on several other programmes over the years, including an Australian soap from the 80s that I used to watch called 'Prisoner: Cell Block H'!

Cheers, Petermax!

Wahey!!!

That's SO cool

Many thanks am swaying along

Cheers thats great.

Soooo cool!!

cheers for that PeterMax.. more more I say, Absolutely smashing!

Do you have the one with the bass guitar that goes "whaaa whaa whaa, wha wha wha whaaa wha wa"....?

I love that one... pls more!

Marc

ingots wrote:Soooo cool!! cheers for that PeterMax.. more more I say, Absolutely smashing!
Do you have the one with the bass guitar that goes "whaaa whaa whaa, wha wha wha whaaa wha wa"....? I love that one... pls more! Marc

What I would give to get hold of that bass guitar music, I presume that it was a library track as was "Exotic Islands". Can anyone help?

Thanks for posting this Peter !
BTW I have noticed that some of the incidental music used in The Famouse Five was also used in The Sweeney, which was filmed around the same time.
I have noticed at least 3 different sequences that were used in both programmes --"scary music" for suspense scenes, "fast base guitar" for chase scenes and the "Exotic Islands" sequence that you posted.
I guess they were made for different audiences so the producers probably thought no one would notice !
The entire Sweeney (series 1- 4) is now out on DVD. I believe the music I am referring to can be found in series 3 and 4. Well worth buying, if you you have an interest in 1970s tv or missed it first time round.

Michael

That is fascinating information Michael. It just so happens that I have the Sweeney series in my rental queue at an online DVD club. No idea when I will receive it though. They're currently sending me the Jack Hargreaves Out of Town series but that's another story!

By way of coincidence Jenny Thanisch has made appearances in The Sweeney in a least three episodes. This would probably have been around 1975/76.

petermax wrote:By way of coincidence Jenny Thanisch has made appearances in The Sweeney in a least three episodes. This would probably have been around 1975/76.

Indeed! And pictures can be seen of her in The Sweeney, on the Yahoo Jennifer Thanisch Group.

Thanks to both George and Petermax!

Thanks George, a very interesting link. It would appear that both The Sweeney and Famous Five incidental music tracks were composed by Brian Bennett, a former member of The Shadows. The tracks are from the Drama Montage LP released in 1978. A copy of this rare album is currently available on Ebay USA at a rather silly price.

STOP PRESS

My brother has found one of the tracks and I now have it as an MP3.

It's the one I think that's used in many of them, including Trouble when they're loading Richard into the car and the subsequent chase....

Don't know how to upload it at the mo and am dashing out to work but for now I'll email to people who pm me their address on my return.....

yes please