Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 46

Bringing Film February to a close is "Happy Ending" by Kristy McNichol, Christopher Atkins and Ted Hamilton from The Pirate Movie a really fun feel good movie! Come back for March!

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 45

Film February has a real 70s weirdo, Robert Stigwood's disaster that is the movie of "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". This is the opening to the film. Delight in this!

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 44

Back with Film February and a curiosity of the 70s, All This And World War II, a film combining documentary footage of the War with covers of Beatles' songs. Here Leo Sayer sings "I Am The Walrus".

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 43

I couldn't let Film February go by without some more Streisand. Here she is in the 1976 version of A Star Is Born singing "Everything".

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 42

Film February is drawing to a close and it would be remiss not to include the very 70s vibe of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a film that is never shown these days, with the Neil Diamond soundtrack. "Be" was the most famous song from the trippy film, but this is nice too.

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 41

What would film February be without a classic from Grease? Here is Stockard Channing in the days before she became the First Lady.

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 40

After a week's break the film February rave continues with some selections from "American Graffiti", a great film!!

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 39

A classy film theme today with Barbra Streisand singing the title theme to the film she and Robert Redford starred in, The Way We Were. This was a hit and of course a Streisand standard, so I guess it isn't really a lost 45, but like so much from the 70s never gets played on UK radio these days.

Review - Wire - Fleece & Firkin

I first saw Wire in January 1978 when they were supporting XTC at the Lyceum. The Lyceum is now where The Lion King is playing; Wire are now a three-piece (albeit augmented by a guitarist) and have recently released a new album Red Barked Trees, which is both a far cry from debut Pink Flag and also not a far cry. They failed to play "12XU", "I Am the Fly" or "Outdoor Miner", but attacked with a buzzsaw set of loud and shouty songs, some of which were from the new album. Between song banter and announcements were completely absent, so a setlist can't be given here. But not to worry as they did something that sounded like "Oh Spence" and blew the fuses in the second encore. This pleased the assembled crowd, which, like me, seemed also to have seen Wire back in 1978 and were intimately acquainted with The old Marquee Club. A fun blast from the past - 3/5

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 38

Not an unknown tune today - but was an US hit but not an UK one. Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" which was the eerie theme to The Exorcist.

New Band alert - Escape Directors - Motorway @ Maxwells (Green Arrows cover)

Today's new band are the excellent New Jersey fourpiece, Escape Directors. Go and download their first LP "Ladders" from www.myspace.com/escapedirectors

I hope we hear a lot of this band in the future - very exciting!

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 37

Oscar winning film Rocky had two great soundtrack themes to it during its series. This is from the original and is Bill Conti's instrumental to "Gonna Fly Now".

New Band Alert - The Fuel - What's That Silence Official Video

This is local Bristol band, The Fuel, with their new video for "What's That Silence", filmed at the Academy gig reviewed back in January. Good guitar based sound for a band that could break through this year. Good live and catchy songs. they can only get better!

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 36

Film February offers the title theme to disaster film Airport 75, one of Charlton Heston's finest films.

Review - Black Swan

I went to see Darren Aronofsky's ballet drama Black Swan which has had good reviews for its claustrophobic story of obsessive focus of ballerina Natalie Portman. Her performance is justly praised, but unlike many I found the story overwrought and overhyped. Oh gosh here comes the blood - is this a metaphor for puberty (Portman's character fears sex and the animalistic side of life represented by Mila Kunis' character who comes with a - gosh - tattoo)? And oh gosh she is starting to wear black !! All in all this is a retread of the director's The Wrestler which portrayed essentially the same story to somewhat better and more naturalistic effect - the same obsessive focus on the "job" and the same dysfunctional family relationships - daughter/mother in Black Swan; father/daughter in The Wrestler. Portman should be garlanded with the Oscar, but the film isn't up to much!

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 36

Film February continues with Mort Schuman's "Un été de porcelaine" from the 1978 French film Hotel de la Plage. Excellent song and fun film. And yes Schuman was Doc Pomus' writing partner. The opening clip features disco singer GG Junior in his only film role. He died young in the 1990s.

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 35

Film February continues with the theme to disco film "Thank God It's Friday" sung by Love & Kisses which featured such luminaries as Tony Burrows, Stephanie De Sykes, Sue & Sunny. Great film about whether Donna Summer can get into perform her song at the disco!

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 34

Today in film February we have a well-known clip from Butch Cassidy with B.J. Thomas and "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head". Huge hit and great film.

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 33

A curio from Elton John, this is the title track from a film called "Friends" which was recorded before his breakthrough year. I remember buying this on 45!

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 32

Continuing yesterday's film theme for February, here is Curtis Mayfield's theme for "Superfly" which always was less regarded than "Shaft" both as a theme tune and as a film. Enjoy some funk. this was never a hit in the UK.

Rave from the Grave - Lost 45s - Number 31

Welcome to February and the first Rave for the month. This is the theme from the film Gold sung by Jimmy Helms whose only solo hit was "Gonna Make You An Offer". Dramatic Elmer Bernstein music.