Geoff Love And His Orchestra Big Big Themes Thread

[MacNimon]

Way back in the 70s, while OST albums were available the only easy way to get a hold of many of your favourite tv and film themes was to buy a compilation of cover versions. Usually they weren't of the same standard as the original versions, and often varied greatly in style. The most common and easily available were the series of albums recorded by Geoff Wayne And His Orchestra...some of this stuff was really cheesy (disco version of Close Encounters, anyone?), others simply brilliant...whatever, they were my introduction to the world of soundtrack and incidental music and much of his stuff remains firm favourites with me to this day, even if the originals are better. You could find his albums almost anywhere, and the covers were often so distinctive that you simply HAD to buy them.

So here we go with a Geoff Love Appreciation thread, kicking off with some of my favourite covers followed by some great tracks. Any other Geoff Love fans out there?

[MacNimon]

Up first, from 1978, is his version of the Space 1999 S1 theme...

[Mike Saville]

I had all of them. His Themes for Super Heroes had a great take on Neil Hefti's Batman theme, Wonder Woman, and the walking away theme from The Incredible Hulk.

I played them all constantly.

[Perry Vale]

No serious vinyl collector of the last few decades could be unfamiliar with Geoff Love, nice to see a thread for him here.

Although I undoubtedly picked up one of those soundtrack LPs in a charity shop at some point, I don't own any these days, but I do have a couple of the LPs he made under his pseudonym Manuel and his Music of the Mountains.

He had quite a career, that many don't realise now. His band played backing on the UK and US #1 hit by Peter & Gordon 'A World Without Love' - written by Paul McCartney. He also wrote the theme tune for Bless This House, among many others.

And from Wiki...

Love's prolific career garnered one platinum, fifteen gold, and thirteen silver discs, and a special trophy for selling in excess of 2.5 million records.

[MacNimon]

I had all of them. His Themes for Super Heroes had a great take on Neil Hefti's Batman theme, Wonder Woman, and the walking away theme from The Incredible Hulk.

I played them all constantly.

That Incredible Hulk theme in particular is one of my all-time favourites...even better than the tv version, imo.

[Paul Clement]

I had the Star Wars and other Space Themes on cassette. Played it to death.

[SiHart]

Me too! The joys of the down tempo, grandly orchestral Space :1999 are many.

I absolutely adore the full orchestra version of Blakes 7. It sounds so huge and grand.

[Mike Saville]

His Blake's 7 was bloody brilliant, wasn't it?

[SiHart]

Yeah, in some ways the TV version is a let down compared to the Geoff Love version... and there aren't many themes you can say that about.

The huge sax break in the Doctor Who theme is also pretty awesome!

[MacNimon]

I'd thought about starting the thread off with that Doctor Who theme, but thought that would be a bit obvious...and I would probably have posted it now if the Blakes 7 theme hadn't been mentioned!

I can't seem to find a copy of that Blakes 7 theme on YouTube, although the's a disco version available there. Here's his original on another streaming site, though...

Blakes 7

Here's another of his tv themes, about as far removed from sci-fi as you can get and a favourite series of some here on PS...

[MacNimon]

Moving on to some of his film work, here's his version of Leia's Theme from Star Wars, another track which I prefer to John Williams original.



And changing genres, here's his take on an Elmer Bernstein western classic...

[Mike Saville]

UFO was brilliant.

Though can we skip over his Thunderbirds theme please, eh?

[MacNimon]

Here's his UFO...




From the same album, I've always loved his Barbarella theme...




One of the classic war movie themes, 633 Squadron...




It was Geoff Love who made me think of James Bond as more than just a series of films. Back around 1976 (certainly before the release of The Spy Who Loved Me) his Big Bond Movie Themes album introduced me to such classic pieces as Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and We Have All The Time In The World as pieces of music in their own right. I would later come to love the originals, but for a number of years this was the only copy I had of such tracks...

[Mike Saville]

Oddly enough, I can't seem to find His Knight Rider theme on the tube of you.
Was going to post it up in tribute to the great Glen A Larson who has sadly demised. :-(

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Ah yes, the Geoff Love Sci Fi themes, if you've ever wondered "What would Star Wars sound like reimagined as a disco track", well wonder no more.

[MacNimon]

Who ever said it was all good?

Here's said disco version of the Star Wars Theme...



Not to mention Close Encounters, disco-style...



And Mike, I couldn't find that Knight Rider theme either. Sad news there too, another big name gone. I think Larson is due a thread of his own anyway, given the influence he had on tv over the years.