New Vintage: The Best of Simon May

New Vintage: The Best of Simon May is a 1994 compilation album featuring some of the key works from British film and television music composer Simon May.

New Vintage: The Best of Simon May
Compilation album by
Released1994
GenreSoundtrack
Length53:12
LabelArtist Record Company
Simon May chronology
Simon's Way New Vintage: The Best of Simon May The Simon May Collection

The album was accompanied by a UK tour, named "A Night Away From the TV". May used several school choirs for the show including Wareham Middle School, which also included performers Kate Robbins and 1990 Opportunity Knocks winner Mark Rattray.[1] Some performances had to be cancelled because of low ticket sales.[2]

A BBC television Pebble Mill special was broadcast on BBC1 on 20 December 1994.[3] It featured aspects of the planning, rehearsals and performances of the tour, including comments by Cliff Richard about the failure of some projects. May discussed the writing process, especially for the theme to Jobs for the Girls. It included interviews with Tony Holland, Gerard Glaister and Verity Lambert, who discussed his work for EastEnders, Howards' Way and Eldorado respectively.

Track listing

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Orchestral tracks are performed by the Simon May Orchestra.

Track No. Title Associated show Notes
1 "EastEnders" EastEnders Leslie Osborne has a co-writer credit. This track is similar to the unpopular jazzy revamp of the theme heard in the programme around the time of this album's release.
2 "Always There"
Vocals: Marti Webb
Howards' Way Leslie Osbourne has a co-writer credit. Lyrics by Don Black. Vocal version of the theme tune, used over the end credits in the second series.
3 "Barracuda" Howards' Way Extended version of the closing theme.
4 "When You Go Away"
Vocals: Johnny Griggs
Eldorado Vocal version of the theme, used over the end credits of the show's final episode. It was released as a single.
5 "Every Loser Wins"
Vocals: Nick Berry
EastEnders Featured in a 1980s EastEnders storyline with Simon Wicks (Berry), and was a UK number one single in 1986.
6 "Trainer" Trainer
7 "More Than in Love"
Vocals: Kate Robbins
Crossroads Co-written with Barry Leng; reached no. 2 in the UK singles chart
8 "Summer of My Life"
Vocals: Simon May
Crossroads Reached no. 7 in the UK singles chart.
9 "Holiday Suite" Holiday Co-written with Barry Leng; reached no. 2 in the UK singles chart
10 "More to Life"
Vocals: Cliff Richard
Trainer Lyrics by Don Black. Vocal version of the Trainer theme
11 "We'll Find Our Day"
Vocals: Mark Rattray and Emma Robbins
Smike Re-recorded version with one of the performers on the 1994 tour.
12 "Jobs for the Girls/Food and Drink/TV Weekly/Morning on BBC1" Jobs for the Girls/Food and Drink/TV Weekly/Morning on BBC1 Compilation of several themes.
13 "The Dawning" The Dawning
14 "Wolfgang"
Vocals: Simon May
Inspired by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mark Rattray
  2. ^ PEBBLE MILL SPECIAL, SIMON MAY, BBC1, 20 December 1994
  3. ^ BBC Programme Catalogue
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