01. THE HEAT IS ON BEVERLY HILLS COP

02. BACK IN TIME BACK TO THE FUTURE

03. PARTYMAN BATMAN

04. WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING THE JEWEL OF THE NILE

05. WALK THE DINOSAUR THE FLINTSTONES

06. PLAY WITH ME BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

07. ST ELMO’S FIRE (MAN IN MOTION) ST ELMO’S FIRE

08. GLORY OF LOVE THE KARATE KID

09. RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU STAKEOUT

10. HUNGRY HEART RISKY BUSINESS

11. IN YOUR EYES SAY ANYTHING

12. COME AND FOLLOW ME SHORT CIRCUIT

V O C A L S B Y J O E S T I L G O EC O N D U C T E D & A R R A N G E D B Y E V A N J O L L Y

W O R D S B Y J O E S T I L G O E

Growing up in the 80s in Southern England wasn’t much like the movies, but on the daydreamy days I would imagine I was Tom Hanks in Big, Michael J Fox in Back To The Future, Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club and sometimes even Mary Stuart Masterson in Some Kind Of Wonderful. I fell in love with the music from American films, as those films seemed to have everything I longed for - the wide streets with white clapboard houses, perfect front lawns and strangely amenable older residents with hoses, the bikes with armchair seats ridden by the kids in ET, the sense of adventure and stories in Stand By Me, the massive drums and massive choruses from those ballads that only the 80s knew how to deliver. All that was missing for a boy who would go on to dream of singing with a big band was that - big bands. I don’t remember any big band music from the 80s, or at least, none that reached me. So, for this album, I thought we’d bring it all together. What if all these songs from all these life-changing movies were actually big band classics?

So, we set to work, pulling together a set of songs all sourced from my favourite films of the decade, paying particular attention to those that, lyrically and

musically, could have passed for 50s standards. Working with the incredible arranger and orchestrator Evan Jolly, the task became much easier as he too was a child of the 80s, living life vicariously through the big screen and wishing for a glamorous life of shiny jackets, BIG hair and leg warmers, but also for that life to be scored by Nelson Riddle or Johnny Mandel or Billy May or Sammy Nestico. In a twist of fate, as we were brought together for this by the team at Silva Screen, Evan and I were destined to work on this together - we’d known each other for years since studying for a music degree together. I still remember the conversation at our university jazz bar (every Tuesday in the staff canteen) when Evan said “Joe, if you ever get to record a big band album, can I be the arranger?” To which I of course replied, “That won’t ever happen, but YES”.

So, here it is. A labour of love, not only from me and Evan, but from these exceptional musicians who also can think of nothing more fulfilling or life-enhancing than spending three days at Angel Studios recording brilliant arrangements of iconic songs and trying collectively to summon up the spirit of the 1950s, and the true big band sound that has inspired us all.

1. THE HEAT IS ONHard to disassociate this song from images of Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold running around with guns and pale grey suits, but listening again to this song there was something that screamed BERNSTEIN to me. So I suggested Evan we imagine this as the lost song from West Side Story.

2. BACK IN TIMEI’m still hoping, somehow, I get to drive a Delorean, play the guitar to Chuck Berry’s cousin and meet Christopher Lloyd. I had a geography teacher called Doc Brown once, but that’s not the same. I want 1.21 jigawatts and a flux capacitor in my life. Also, I would love to go back to 1955. This song was playing on the radio in Marty McFly’s room - the less famous of the two Huey Lewis songs on the soundtrack, but it’s always been a favourite, not just for the memories of the film, but the sentiment of the yearning to experience the 50s.

3. PARTYMANThe bright yellow cover, the black Batman logo… Prince and Batman were my new obsessions aged 9, so to dig this one out and give it the big band street-beat treatment was a dream come true. (P.S. Michael Keaton will always be the greatest Batman, in my humble, and correct, opinion).

4. WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOINGWe wanted a nod to Nelson Riddle on this so we used the original riff from Billy’s original and transposed it for swinging woodwind. The band add classic meaty 50s backing vocals and hopefully the ghost of Boyzone is forever expunged from this classic of the decade.

5. WALK THE DINOSAURI had this single on vinyl, bought with pocket money from Woolworths. It was during my ‘all songs are good if they have animals in the title’ phase (not one I’ve veered too far from, it must be said). Was Not Was didn’t release much, but I always thought this song was a belter so I’m thrilled to get the chance to record it. We took the dinosaur for a walk to the Cotton Club for this one.

FACT: Pete Beachill (trombone) played on the original session in 1988.

6. PLAY WITH MEI think I watched Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure about 70 times when I was younger. Clearly it’s a bit of a thing for me - movies about going back in time… This song by Extreme is completely bonkers, which fits the film perfectly, and I thought it would make a great Louis Prima-style swinger, especially as big bands are all about playing (in every sense). Duck duck goose is also my daughter’s favourite game, so this is for you, Sylvie.

7. ST ELMO’S FIRE (MAN IN MOTION)I have an album at home, whose front cover is mostly taken up by John Parr’s fabulous hair, and for me he is the complete embodiment of 80s gloriousness, as is this song. We all remember the song more than the film. I’d be very happy listening to the opening trombone chorale on a loop. Rick wanted us to include the classic intro from the record, so this was the compromise. Higher and higher!

8. GLORY OF LOVEPeter Cetera has such a distinctive voice we thought we should move as far away from the original as possible. We built the big band as if an orchestra, with lovely woodwind tones and muted brass,so the song still has that emotional weight without ever unleashing the big 80s drums that powered the song so fondly remembered from The Karate Kid.

9. RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOUAnyone remember Stakeout? Emilio Estevez and Richard Dreyfuss looking through curtains? Well, I do. And this absolutely killer tune from Gloria Estefan is part of the soundtrack, not only to the film but to memories of me and my brother hiding behind bushes with plastic binoculars, waiting for the big boss nasty crime guy to come round the corner. Still waiting…

10. HUNGRY HEARTI’ve always loved the simple, and very 50s, chord structure and sentiment of this Springsteen song. I never thought I would record a song by The Boss, as our musical paths don’t tend to meet a great deal, but I’ve always loved this one, and with an arrangement inspired by Count Basie we think it now sounds like a classic standard.

11. IN YOUR EYESOh, this song! Heartbreaking lyrics and a classic Peter Gabriel melody that doesn’t go where you think it will, but somehow where it should. I’m so glad we found this song. We used tracks like Peggy Lee’s Folks Who Lived On The Hill and Dinah Washington’s Mad About The Boy as inspiration for the arrangement. Tip of the cap to Mr John Stokes for that trombone tone!

12. COME AND FOLLOW METhis was Evan’s shout. We’d been trying to find a great closer for the album, something that would tie it all together and lead us out with that joyous spring in the step that 80s films gave us back in the day. Short Circuit was the film of all playground conversations. Something about funny robots that captivated children, and still does to this day. We changed this song into a big jazz waltz that made us all very happy in the studio. I hope it does the same for you!

A L B U M C R E D I T S

Vocals: Joe StilgoeSaxes: Martin Williams, Jamie Talbot, Phil Todd, Phil Knights, Gemma MooreTrumpets: Andy Greenwood, Louis Dowdeswell, Simon Gardner, Craig Wild Trombones: Jon Stokes, Callum Au, Pete Beachill, Mark Frost, Simon MinshallPiano: Rob Barron, Ross Stanley & Joe StilgoeGuitar: Tommy EmmertonBass: Laurence UnglessDrums: Ed RichardsonAdditional flutes: Benjamin Griffiths Strings: The City of Prague Philharmonic OrchestraFrench Horns: Evan Jolly

Conducted by Evan JollyArrangements by Evan Jolly

Produced by Rick Clark, Evan Jolly & Joe StilgoeExecutive Producer: Reynold D’SilvaRelease Co-Ordination: David Stoner & Peter ComptonAlbum Design: Stuart FordPhotography: Jordan McLachlan

Recorded by Mat Bartram at Angel Studios, LondonAssistant Engineer - Laura BeckVocals recorded by James McMillan at Quietmoney Studios

Strings recored by Jan Holzner at Smecky Studios, Prague Album Mixed & Mastered by Rick Clark

Solos:

The Heat Is On: Martin Williams - Tenor Sax

Back In Time: Gemma Moore - Baritone Sax

Partyman: Joe Stilgoe - Piano

Walk The Dinosaur: Callum Au - Trombone

Play With Me: Simon Gardner - Trumpet Jon Stokes - Trombone

Rhythm Is Gonna Get You: Joe Stilgoe - Piano

In Your Eyes: Evan Jolly - Trumpet Jon Stokes - Trombone

Come And Follow Me: Martin Williams - Tenor Sax

T H A N K Y O U S

Firstly, a huge thanks to Rick and all the team at Silva Screen for making this project happen. A labour of love for us 80s kids, and all the time and effort is much appreciated. To Evan, for the most wonderful set of big band arrangements I could wish for, and cool calm conducting in the studio. We always said we’d do a record together! To the musicians, who were simply incredible and played like a dream. Mat and everyone at Angel studios, James McMillan at Quiet Money Studios for expert vocal recording, coffee and sausage rolls, Giles Thornton for transcriptions (sunshine and rail, Giles?), Phil Knights for copying and printing and playing and general A1 Phil Knights work. To Emma and the team at EBP for their continued support and continued loyalty in terms of mug usage. To Gill and all at Music Sales, and to Johnny Barran, the KBJ team and others involved with keeping me in socks. Final and biggest thanks to Katie, Sylvie |and Clementine, without whom none of this would be much fun at all.

Joe Stilgoe

1. The Heat Is On (From “Beverly Hills Cop”) Written by Harold Faltermeyer / Keith Forsey | Published by Sony/ATV Harmony UK

2. Back in Time (From “Back to the Future”) Written by Johnny Colla / Chris Hayes / Sean Hopper / Huey Lewis | Published by Warner/Chappell North America

3. Partyman (From “Batman”) Written by Prince | Published by Universal/MCA Music

4. When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going (From “The Jewel of the Nile”) Written by Wayne Brathwaite / Barry Eastmond / Mutt Lange / Billy Ocean | Published by Concord Music Publishing / Universal Music Publishing / Sony/ATV Music Publishing Allegro UK

5. Walk The Dinosaur (From “The Flintstones”) Written by David Weiss / Don Fagenson / Randy Jacobs | Published by Universal/MCA Music

6. Play With Me (From “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure”) Written by Nuno Bettencourt / Gary Cherone | Published by Universal Music Publishing

7. St Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion) (From “St Elmo’s Fire”) Written by John Parr / David Foster | Published by EMI Music Publishing / Peermusic UK / Sony/ATV Music Publishing

8. Glory Of Love (From “The Karate Kid”) Written by Peter Cetera / David Foster / Diane Nini | Published by Universal Music Publishing

9. Rhythm Is Gonna Get You (From “Stakeout”) Written by Gloria Estefan / Enrique Garcia | Published by Universal Music Publishing

10. Hungry Heart (From “Risky Business”) Written by Bruce Spingsteen | Published by Universal Music Publishing

11. In Your Eyes (From “Say Anything”) Written by Peter Gabriel | Published by EMI Music Publishing

12. Come and Follow Me (From “Short Circuit”) Written by David Shire / Will Jennings / Max Gronenthal | Published by Universal Music Publishing

P U B L I S H I N G C R E D I T S

W W W . J O E S T I L G O E . C O M

ⓟ + © 2019 Silva Screen Records Ltd. All rights reserved. SILCD1601