TVTHEMES by µ-Ziq

Denton & Cook - Hong Kong Beat LP

Saving the best for last, here's a fresh rip of Hong Kong Beat & Other BBC TV Themes - Richard Denton & Martin Cook which I found only recently and what's more, for a sensible price after a fair amount of searching. All the 7" singles I've posted here are repeated in the track-listing, plus the one that got away, the theme tune to The Great Egg Race. A fine body of work, a great pity that there was never any more released. 

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Denton & Cook - Jigsaw

Richard Denton & Martin Cook's theme tune for the Children's BBC programme Jigsaw (1979-84) was never released officially, a great pity that as it was always a favourite 'round our house. To be honest Jigsaw was one of those shows I watched because there was nothing else on the telly. The puzzle based content flew right over my tiny brain and that Mr. Noseybonk... well he was a bit disturbing.

In the spirit of make-do-and-mend I've grabbed some audio from the youtubes cleaned it up a bit, edited it looping around the dialogue as best I could and here are the results:

There are also a few Real Media files on some ancient fan sites that date back to the World Wide Web's Triassic era here and here. In addition to those, you can also hear library music featured on Jigsaw on this compilation courtesy of the excellent Retro-Teque blog.

Don't have nightmares!

Denton & Cook - Quiller (Soundhog Extended Edit)

Denton & Cook - Quiller (Soundhog Extended Edit)

Listen to the original 7" here.

Stone Fox Chase

Top BBC TV Themes (1978). The usual mixed bag of tunes. Highlights naturally include Denton & Cook's The Hong Beat, also any beat hunters out there should dig Area Code 615's  The Old Grey Whistle Test (Stone Fox Chase) and Alan Parker's funky theme to Angels, I know I do.

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Denton & Cook - Theme From The Hong Kong Beat 7"

Richard Denton & Martin Cook - Theme From 'The Hong Kong Beat' b/w Chasing The Dragon (1978). The Denton & Cook single that sold enough copies to grace the UK Top 40, reaching #25 on 6th May, 1978 pop-pickers! Could be because The Hong Kong Beat sounds like nothing if it doesn't sound like a rejected demo from Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album, in a very, very good way you understand. More Denton and Cook goodness to come soon.

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Denton & Cook - Diamonds In The Sky 7"

Richard Denton & Martin Cook - Diamonds In The Sky b/w Jet Lag (1979). A suitably sophisticated soft rock instrumental incorporating a similar vocoded vocal effect used on Tomorrow's World. The b side Jet Lag sounds like funky disco strings for a cocktail party on Harold Shand's yacht.

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Denton & Cook - Circuit Eleven Miami 7"

Richard Denton & Martin Cook - Circuit Eleven - Miami b/w The Spangler (1979). A jaunty country bar room boogie rock styled theme tune for a  "thirteen-part documentary series on law and order in Florida, including coverage of court-room proceedings". The b-side continues in the same vein.

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Denton & Cook - Tomorrow's World 7"

TW Looks To The 80's: An Illustrated Guide.

Richard Denton & Martin Cook - Tomorrow's World b/w Inside Story (1980). The sound of your future yesterday. An early electro/space disco masterpiece. The b-side could not be more different, a lovely reflective pastoral piece for flute and acoustic guitar, akin to the music often used to introduce Programmes for Schools and Colleges around that time.

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A rather tastefully done white label edit of the TW Theme:

Denton & Cook - Quiller 7"

Denton & Cook are all about the bongos, bass and synth, with this exceedingly funky sig tune from the 1975 TV spy show starring Michael Jayston. Those keyboards might sound hauntingly familiar from being sampled by The Avalanches all those years ago. Also the B-side's not half bad either in a 'contemporary pop' library-music-playing-over-a-kitchen-radio-in-The-Sweeney type way.

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Your Michael Jayston themed music needs still not sated? Time to investigate the playful yet haunting sounds of The Jayston Mix by Moon Wiring Club and then do yourself a favour and put an order in for some MWC albums. Your home radiogram unit will thank you for it in the long run, I assure you.