1. 30 is a Dangerous Age
2. Head First
3. The Newsreel Overture
4. The Real Stuff
5. Cynthia
6. Legend
7. Waltz for Suzy
8. Morning Walk
9. Rupert Street Concerto
10. Madrigal
11. Mating Cry
12. The Detective
Dudley Moore composed the music for this movie, which starred him alongside Suzy Kendall. The film appeared in 1968, the year after Bedazzled, and
it was one of Dudley Moore’s earliest starring roles. The film was a typically Dudleyesque mixture of styles and jokes and this is the first release of the
soundtrack since the original LP came out in 1959.
I hoped that this soundtrack would include some of Dudley Moore’s jazz playing but unfortunately there is not much jazz here. At one point in The Real Stuff, Dudley says “Let’s have a little jazz now” and that’s what we get: a little. The opening title-track actually includes
some nice playing from Dudley’s trio: always an invigorating sound. Waltz for Suzy features some of Moore’s beautifully lyrical piano-playing, and
the orchestrations are attractive throughout – sometimes sounding remarkably like Bacharach & David (e.g. in Head First).
Many tracks are parodies, with Dudley’s talent for mimicry and satire very evident. The Newsreel Overture is a parody of the bombastic marches
used in the opening titles of Hollywood movies. The Real Stuff is a rhythm-and-blues or soul concoction in the style of James Brown. Rupert Street Concerto resembles the Warsaw Concerto in its imitation of the prodigal romanticism of Rachmaninov, while Madrigal
has falsetto voices taking off Elizabethan madrigals (“Ah me, oy vey”).
This disc only lasts for 35 minutes but it is full of rich, melodic arrangements as well as humour. I would have been even happier with it if Dudley had
filled another 35 minutes with his glorious pianism.
Tony Augarde
www.augardebooks.co.uk
CD Reviews
Martine Avenue MAPI 3275
