Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Hot Buttered Popcorn...
Hot Butter - Popcorn
Gershon Kingsley - Popcorn
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Popcorn
Well hello from Simon James (or Simon II given Simon SVC's attempt to turn his esteemed corner of the internet into a Gormanesque Simonfest) and thanks to Simon for inviting me to join the SVC family. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's only taking on staff to enable him to introduce Elizabeth to the delights of the Isle Of Man, (and no that's not a euphemism, the IOM powers that be don't allow them), however regardless of the reason I'm pleased to have been asked.
And so to Popcorn - to me everything always starts with Popcorn...
Popcorn is easily my favourite track of all time (it would be the one record from eight I'd ensure I took on my desert island if the invite ever came). As a kid I was aware of the tune by it's regular use as incidental music for a variety of TV programmes (and as the theme tune for the super camp Patrick's Pantry - a local TV chef slot during the days when the terms "TV", "chef" and "celebrity" were rarely combined) however it wasn't until I stumbled upon it years later on a compilation tape curated by a friend, (step forward Mr Andrew Rayner), that I realised its genius.
The original version by Gershon Kingsley (surely worthy of investigation on name alone) was released on his 1969 album Music to Moog By and is a pleasingly out there version very much of it's time however the version closest to my heart is from 1972 by the mighty Hot Butter - a wonderful concoction of early electronica that overlays a quietly understated rhythm shuffling around in a world of it's own. At well under three minutes it's almost as near pop perfection as it's possible to get and the great thing is it's available on a whole host of long since abandoned compilation albums in a charity shop in a town near you.
Buy - Hot Butter - Hot Butter
Buy - Gershon Kingsley - Music to Moog By
Visit - Popcorn Song
Visit - A Huge Helping of Popcorn at WFMU
Visit - Gershon Kingsley @ Space Age Pop Music