The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society discussion

Here's an idea from Manfred...



Which music makes a suitable Hamilton soundtrack?



Manfred pitches in with Tindersticks first album as a starting point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDepF...

There's been a bit of love for Tindersticks round thee parts before, so I suspect his suggestion will find favour with a few Hamiltonians

When my book group read Hangover Square I knocked up a little mix to enrich the experience...

The mix contains music that is either from the era, or sounds as though it could be, and also includes other contemporaneous sounds and samples (the abdication speech, declaration of war etc.).

http://www.mixcloud.com/nigeyb/hangov...

Manfred wrote: "Dang, I couldn't get it to work.
Might I also suggest From the Heart of the Town by Gallon Drunk?"

As far as I'm concerned, you can suggest 'From The Heart of Town' for anything and everything, and I'll be first in line to second it each and every time.

I can't speak for the other novels, but for "Hangover Square" I think the perfect soundtrack would be Gyorgy Ligeti's Atmospheres.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI0P1N...

^ A very intriguing choice Lobstergirl and not one I'm familiar with but, yes, it definitely has that creeping sense of dread and menace that would make it a fine accompaniment.

I'd add that a lot of popular tunes from the 1930s have a creepy quality that I think would fit in well with the Hangover Square vibe.

For example...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh0QZ...

"Hush Hush Hush Here Comes The Bogeyman" by Henry Hall & His Orchestra

or, more famously....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZANK...

"The Teddy Bear's Picnic" by Henry Hall & His Orchestra

Part of Henry Hall's remit was clearly to terrify kids and adults alike - even referring to himself as "Uncle Henry" in the Bogeyman tune.

The soundtrack to the BBC adaptation of "The Singing Detective" is chock full of this sort of stuff. Who can forget this fantastic scene that culminates with Dem Bones...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVU0F...

Whole soundtrack...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Singing-D...

"Hush Hush Hush Here Comes The Bogeyman" by Henry Hall & His Orchestra

"The Teddy Bear's Picnic" by Henry Hall & His Orchestra

Both of these would be great to sing to kids right before bedtime.

err, sorry to be pendantic but the BBC version was not an adaptation of The Singing Detective, but was the original: Dennis Potter wrote it specifically for this medium. And indeed, it was probably the best piece of TV ever made - Michael Gambon was superb - as were all the cast. There was subsequently a US movie version with Robet Downey Jr and Mel Gibson, which was pale imitation of the original, but survived mainly because of the power of Potter's scripted dialogue. Am I right or am I right?

You are right. An important clarification.

By the by Painting The Clouds is a splendid tribute to Dennis Potter.....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDYB0...

If you're short of time have a quick listen to Potter's impassioned speech about the medium of television that starts at 2 minutes and lasts for about 50 seconds

I know there's a lot of love for Tindersticks round these parts so this seems as good a place as any to mention....


On 17th October 2014, Tindersticks will release the commissioned soundscapes from the In Flanders Fields WW1 museum in Ypres, Belgium.

LP, CD and download.

http://www.tindersticks.co.uk/ypres/

Sleepy Lagoon by Eric Coates. But perhaps Dennis Potter got there first: "Potter specifies that the music to which Blackeyes should provocatively audition is Eric Coates' Sleepy Lagoon (its title carrying obvious resonances for the model's ultimate watery fate)" - Dennis Potter, A Life on Screen, John R Cook.

Patrick wrote: "Sleepy Lagoon by Eric Coates"


I had to go and check it out...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNac1...

Known to millions of course as the Desert Island Discs theme and quite beautiful. With the melancholic vibe that is at the heart of Patrick's work too.

Wonderful choice.

^ Thanks Manfred. Had to go and listen to that one too....



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMhkf...

Gots to say it doesn't quite work for me like the original by Eric Coates.

This thread took me off on a exploration of Eric's music which I must say seems to be a splendid example of the light English classical genre that abounded in the 40s and 50s. I've ordered a CD so will report back.

^ I'm not really familiar with Mr Dorsey's oeuvre though do enjoy some of the Sinatra tunes from his era, Glen Miller, Louis Jordan etc and feel sure there's plenty I could dig in amongst his recordings. It was simply that his arrangement of Sleepy Lagoon lost the subtlety of he original by Eric Coates.

By the by, I have one tune in my music library by TD "The Dipsy Doodle" which is a pip and a dandy.

^ Thanks Manfred. I shall investigate.

Well, given that the review appears in UK music mag RNR’s ‘Roots’ review section, I’m unsure as to suitability of the “Bristol-based duo of Victoria Bourne and Chris Harper, named after the Patrick Hamilton 1941 novel or its 1945 film* noir adaptation” as purveyors of Hamilton-esque music, or ‘Hamiltoons’. I will listen to their track “Retreat To Hamilton Square” on the mag’s free CD with some interest. The album’s titled ‘Painting With An Open Heart’ and if my ultra-talented reviewer colleague Andrew Darlington gives it 4/5 stars, that’s recommendation enough for me to snoop further. I’ll try to find the time to transcribe Andrew’s review, but I have a review deadline to meet for RNR’s next issue.

* on the Freeview guide a couple of evenings back, Talking Pictures TV was trailing a film titled ‘Hangover Square’. The info suggested that it wasn’t what I thought it might be, so I ignored it. I’m now wondering if I screwed up and missed out.

Please do report back David

HANGOVER SQUARE
****
Painting With An Open Heart
(OWN LABEL) www.hangoversquare.net

There's dialogue with the dead, through an atmospheric ambience of bells and birdsong in immaculate taste, where words are pictures in smoke, within a soundtrack for your inner eye. Hangover Square are the Bristol-based duo of Victoria Bourne and Chris Harper, named after the Patrick Hamilton 1941 novel, or its 1945 film noir adaptation, evoking a decadent banquet of Chris Whitley's alternate tunings, folk-rock electro-acoustic blues and beautiful steel slide guitar, woven through the MIDI magic of remote Internet collaborations with Mat Sampson's bass and production tweaks, and drum touches from Andy Edwards.

Victoria's voice has classical purity and laser clarity, creating poetic structures that have only to be felt to be understood. 'City Slumbers' breathes dreams in slow poised duo harmonies that build into a scorching guitar solo. And there's the fast handclap to 'A Thousand Prison Nights' dedicated to the sisterhood negatively affected by global events. 'We'll Get By Somehow' samples seven diverse Zoom voices that offer mutual comfort and support in extreme days. Mournful click-drums that hunger in a diary of our shared times, our night fears and waking horrors, to dare less would be a failure of the imagination.
Andrew Darlington (RNR, Issue 88)

AC/DC and Metallica fans won't be impressed then.

I listened to the track on the RNR CD, and was impressed by its mellowness and melody, but I think that those perhaps mask a tougher message. I'll give it a closer listen. I'll also dial up my charming jazz diva contact in Bristol (Victoria Klewin) to see what she knows.

Spotify has nothing by the duo as far as I can see, but there is a trove of songs titled 'Hangover Square' and even a playlist which looks like a hangover diary.

Right, back to the reviews. Who thought that a Don Ellis Lost Tapes jazz collection could be so much fun?

Regarding the Hangover Square film, if it stars Laird Cregar then it is indeed the film version of PH,,'s book but it's not as straightforward as it might be. The studio were cashing in on a version of The Lodger that starred Cregar and so they decided to set it in Victorian London and for some reaskn turned Bone into a ckmposer. It's your standard Hollywood messing about with books to fit a mold. That said it's actually a very good film in its own right and makes you wish Cregar could have starred in a moe faithful adaptation.

Thanks, CQM.

That sounds familar from what I recall of the channel guide’s information.

I’m annoyed that I missed it now.

Ah well…

You know TV these days, be on again next week. Definitely give it a go though, most entertaining if you don't think about the book.

I’m travelling at the moment however will follow that link as soon as I am back. Thanks David.

Keen to see the film too

The blurb on the TPT site:

“Mon 12 July 22:45
Hangover Square (1945).
Mystery.
Director: John Brahm.
Stars: Laird Cregar, Linda Darnell & Glenn Langan.
A promising musician finds his life poisoned by a music hall dancer; and by the gaps in his memory.”

Only the title made it sound like a film adaptation of the Hamilton classic.

As CQM says, it’ll come around again. I’ve caught various bits of the marvellous Spring And Port Wine over three separate TPT showings in the past year.

Whoa whoa. Hang on.

Has this been previously discussed and I missed out? (Goodreads frequently omits to alert me to new wise words on PHAS).

https://open.spotify.com/track/4xmQ4S...

I don't think so David - although my memory is not always to be relied upon


Title aside, the little I've just read suggests it is not particularly Hamiltonian....

https://www.allmusic.com/album/20000-...

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/...

Yes, I read the band’s info on Spotify, and could see nothing relative to Our Man, but big hints of influence from NJ.

Nothing in the track either to suggest a merry late evening sing-along around the joanna in The Midnight Bell, but they must have picked the title up from the trilogy’s title, unless PH had a source for it that Marah have also discovered.

It came up on eBay where I searched for a link to The Midnight Bell, as it’s my turn to nominate a book for three decrepit old 1979 English Lit graduates to read and discuss (by WhatsApp video usually, but an in-person meet yesterday where we deconstructed Mayflues, but mostly spoke about football). I’m offering The Midnight Bell as their induction to PH, and hope that Full Immersive Baptism as Hamiltonians will ensue.

Wow. Exciting times. Your old muckers won't be able to thank you enough.


Aberdeen have got a lad from Brighton and Hove Albion on loan as you doubtless know. Young Teddy Jenks. Look after him.

We will.

Here he is scoring his first goal for us last Sunday.

https://youtu.be/DHuD6iXoHiM

Great goal

A snippet of his post-match interview here for non-subscribers to our TV service:

https://redtv.afc.co.uk/video/5777

We have a good record of treating loanees well, and playing a good part in their development.

James Maddison (Norwich and Leicester)? Right you are. Last minute winner, and v THEM. Joy unconfined. I said at the time that apart from the first healthy cries of my two new-borns, that ‘clunk’ as the ball kissed the post on its way in, is just about the sweetest sound I have ever heard.

https://youtu.be/pw4PtnAABFM

Thanks David


Sweet sounds indeed