Fady
Joined: Mar 07, 2010
Posts: 2274
North Carolina
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Posted on Dec 17 2011 09:32 PM
Beautiful song to conclude an amazing album, Ride the First Wave by The Bitch Boys. I had learned this song a while ago in a lesson, but dusted it off again today. I knew the album was a bunch of covers, but never really looked into the history of this one... until now.
The one I love from the record (first clip)
The original (? ...I think) from the early 80's short film and based on the children's book called "The Snowman", written in '78. (second clip)
Wikipedia Wrote
The song forms the centerpiece of The Snowman, which has become a seasonal perennial on British television. The story relates the fleeting adventures of a young boy, and a snowman who has come to life. In the second part of the story, the boy and the snowman fly to the North Pole. "Walking in the Air" is the theme for the journey. They attend a party of snowmen, at which the boy is the only human. They meet Father Christmas and his reindeer, and the boy is given a scarf with a snowman pattern.
Howard Blake developed the melody of "Walking in the Air" from a theme in his 'Lullaby - A Christmas Narrative', an a cappella choral work commissioned by The Scholars (Vocal Group) in 1975 and first performed by them at St John's Smith Square, London on 21 December that year.
Plenty of others takes on it if you search the original title, Walking in the Air (Given the recent convo on DubStep, I'll even warn you now... there is a DubStep version too  )
Wikipedia on Howard Blake (he scored Flash Gordon too!)
— Fady
El Mirage @ ReverbNation
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Brian
Joined: Feb 25, 2006
Posts: 19351
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
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Posted on Dec 17 2011 10:24 PM
Ritchie Blackmore & Rainbow's version.
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Dec 17 2011 10:51 PM
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Fady
Joined: Mar 07, 2010
Posts: 2274
North Carolina
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Posted on Dec 18 2011 05:49 AM
Nice Brian & Ivan! I'd not encountered those yet.
Kinda funny in the Maiden video that you don't even recognize the song but for like 45 seconds starting a little past the 3 minute mark of the 5 minute clip. At least I didn't really recognize it.
These examples have sent me on a search for other interesting versions - less frightened by my early encounter of the Dub Step version.
Ivan, I'm surprised you didn't cite this one! It's obviously 80's Shads given the time of the original composition.
— Fady
El Mirage @ ReverbNation
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 18 2011 12:24 PM
I have the DVD of the original cartoon,
was very captivated by it when it came out in the early 80s.
thanks for posting the other versions of it.
I have the Bitch Boys version, but didn't know about the others.
The Shadows is good, I just wish there was some more rhythm guitar in it, and less cheezy keyboards.
— Jeff(bigtikidude)
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Dec 19 2011 12:08 PM
Onslow_Beach wrote:
Nice Brian & Ivan! I'd not encountered those yet.
I really, really love the Rainbow version. Ritchie's playing is just devastating on that song. For my money, his playing hit the peak around '83-'84, with Rainbow's Bent Out of Shape (where this track comes from) and Purple's Perfect Strangers albums. I love the overall atmosphere of this track, too, so desolate....
Kinda funny in the Maiden video that you don't even recognize the song but for like 45 seconds starting a little past the 3 minute mark of the 5 minute clip. At least I didn't really recognize it.
Well, the story behind that is that it was the break for the guitar solos. But Maiden being Maiden, rather than just wanking away for 5 minutes, they constructed this whole showcase in which they incorporated this song. That's why you get all the guitar stuff at the beginning before they go into the song.
Ivan, I'm surprised you didn't cite this one! It's obviously 80's Shads given the time of the original composition.
Honestly, I completely forgot about it! The Shads recording output pretty much ceases in my mind around '81, and though I have a bunch of the stuff from after that, I never listen to it. From '82 until '90 they were heavilly synthesized, with electronic drums and drum machines and synths everywhere, and I just can't stomach it. Bruce disappeared, and their songs started following a very clear recipe: "replicate the sound of the original pop hit down to every detail, replace the vocal with Hank's guitar - voila, a new Shadows track!" No, thanks. (There are a few gems in that period, but they're very rare. I once made a CD-R of the better stuff from that time, I should check it out again. I think I included Snowman on it.)
— Ivan
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 25 2012 09:50 PM
bump for x-mas
— Jeff(bigtikidude)
Last edited: Dec 25, 2012 22:20:16
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 25 2012 10:48 PM
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 25 2012 10:57 PM
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 25 2012 11:00 PM
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 25 2012 11:06 PM
not crazy about this one, but there is a bunch of them on youtube by
Nightwish, so I thought I'd post for comparison.
— Jeff(bigtikidude)
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 25 2012 11:20 PM
This one really freaked me out, I think I like it, but not sure.
It's out there. I wonder if Jake likes it?
what genre/style of band are they?
— Jeff(bigtikidude)
Last edited: Dec 25, 2012 23:34:38
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 25 2012 11:30 PM
super slow shoe gaze version,
love this vibe on this one.
— Jeff(bigtikidude)
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 25 2012 11:47 PM
from very mellow to very heavy
— Jeff(bigtikidude)
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Dec 25 2012 11:59 PM
bigtikidude wrote:
This one really freaked me out, I think I like it, but not sure.
It's out there. I wonder if Jake likes it?
what genre/style of band are they?
I really don't like his vocal style/delivery/voice. Never really heard of them before. I'm really quite behind on new bands.
I dig the Oceansize take, a thing or two I don't like about the heavy portion but the rest is good.
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CousinMary
Joined: Nov 16, 2009
Posts: 1077
San Francisco Bay Area
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Posted on Dec 26 2012 12:34 AM
Thanks, BTD for all of these versions. I love this cartoon and this song so much. Merry Christmas, everyone.
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Fady
Joined: Mar 07, 2010
Posts: 2274
North Carolina
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Posted on Dec 26 2012 09:06 AM
The original composition is quite the juxtaposition; the music is so melancholy and the choir boy vocal is on the verge of haunting for such an exciting adventure to the North Pole.
There's something about the slower, darker takes that just feel right to me. Never the less, something to be liked in each of those you posted, Jeff... even the ska one. Nice bump & update! 
— Fady
El Mirage @ ReverbNation
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 26 2012 04:52 PM
I have been in awe/love of this song since I saw the cartoon film on PBS in the mid 80s.
Then I forgot about it for awhile.
When the Bitch Boys covered it for their "Ride the 3rd Wave" cd.
It brought it all back to me.
There was many more versions of the song on youtube.
Including some choir and chamber singer groups,
that broght me back to my High School years when I was in both.
— Jeff(bigtikidude)
Last edited: Dec 26, 2012 16:52:51
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bigtikidude
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25704
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 18 2014 04:39 PM
Bump for the holiday.
— Jeff(bigtikidude)
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Fady
Joined: Mar 07, 2010
Posts: 2274
North Carolina
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Posted on Dec 18 2014 05:12 PM
Annual note of appreciation, Jeff!
This is a tune I enjoy throughout the year. Just a little more this time of year.
— Fady
El Mirage @ ReverbNation
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