I know you did not think that higly of them, but they did soem nice clean instrumentals - and they sounded great on stage.

The Ventures version charted but who did the original on the show itself?

(That's not a quiz - I actually do not know.)

Come to think of it, "Dallas" by Floyd Cramer charted - and that was not the original version from the show either.

On the other hand, Mike Post's "Rockford Files" was the TV version, while the "Theme From Cheers" was (if I remember rightly) sung by the writer of the theme, and it charted by him also although in a slightly differently arranged version.

Sonny Curtis charted with his self-penned "Make It On My Own" from the Mary Tyler Moore show, but again it was a different recording.

Not too sure why they needed to either re-record or do totally different versions - well I suppose most themes run under one minute and you need a bit more for a 45rpm single?

Anybody out there remember a TV series called "Gilligan's Island"?

Many years ago, I spoke with Sherwood Schwartz, the guy who wrote the theme, and he had never written a song in his life before penning the theme, and as far as I recall, never wrote another one after.

Seemingly, or so he said, he had produced a pilot of the series, and took it into the TV execs, all of whom loved it but expressed disappointment that anybody who tuned in after the first episode, would never understand why everybody was on the island in the first place and would promptly tune out again.

So he went home - thought up the tune and words - went in the next day and without any musical backing - sang the song which was I think, called "Ballad Of Gulligan's Island", and said to the execs - "play that at the start of each show and everybody will know how they are in the predicament they are in".

And I do not think he ever wrote any more songs!

I have since remembered some more instrumental I liked - anybody remember "Asia Minor" by Kokomo, or "Nut Rocker" by B Bumble & The Stingers?

It isn't that I have fogtotten the classics - it is just that it takes me longer to remember them.

Honestly Judge.

• RE: Hawaii Five-O (1969) - The Ventures - John 06/19/2009 07:42:39 EDT (0)
• RE: Hawaii Five-O (1969) - The Ventures - John 06/19/2009 08:01:16 EDT (0)