Who: Bud Flanagan
What: Who Do You Think You're Kidding Mr Hitler? (b/w"It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo!" by Bernard Bedford & Chorus)
Label: Pye
When: 1969
Where: Music and Video Exchange, Camden High Street
Cost: 50p
You'll be aware from previous blog entries that I have a passing interest in BBC television themes being given disco remixes, so imagine my surprise and disappointment when I discovered that this (the theme to "Dad's Army") wasn't one of them. True, I can't imagine many people pointing their fingers in the air and shaking their booty to such a defiant patriotic anthem, but you'd think in this instance somebody at the Beeb would have tried to add a funky bassline, or at the very least a Mellotron.
This, then, is an exceptionally rare example of a TV theme being issued much as God intended it, right down to the fact that it peters out after just over one minute of playing time, brevity even Wire would have balked at across seven inches. There appears to be only one line added to the whole affair, and fans of "Dad's Army" will know what they're getting here - a fairly bog-standard forties-styled bit of brassy belligerence - and people from other nations who aren't aware of the programme may get something out of this tune without the context of the show that surrounded it, although it's hard to tell exactly what. The Bonzo Dog Band it is not, although it may have a certain period cuteness about it.
Perplexingly, the b-side is a seemingly unrelated track by Bernard Bedford & Chorus entitled "It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo!" which is middle of the road music hall silliness. I can only assume somebody at Pye found it down the back of an archive somewhere, unless anybody can enlighten me further about the situation (I'm sure you can tell I haven't the first clue who Bernard Bedford is or was, although I'm fearful of the fact that perhaps I should do, and somebody is going to come along and tell me that he played a key role in the British comedy scene at some point).
2 comments:
I think the situation with the B'side was down to the fact that Bud Flanagan was deceased. The A'side was the very last song he recorded and that was done in mid 1968. The surprise success of the show I guess led to demand for a record to be released... but Bud was no longer around to record a B'side.
Arthur Lowe did his own version two or three years later on EMI. Would be fascinating to hear that one!
Thanks, that clears that particular situation up - although split A/B sides weren't necessarily completely uncommon around this period, whatever the circumstances.
I haven't heard the Arthur Lowe version, but will keep my eyes peeled!
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