Yesterday Once More

28 Jul 2015

Music Noir Soundscape

HI Listeners,

This week we are trying out a different type of show. Rather than themed program it is more of a concept program. Taking the elements of film noir: black/white colours, spies and secret agents, crime, moody urban landscapes and the general mood of film noir we are trying to replicate these elements through music. Hence our title Music Noir Soundscape.

Some of the songs featured will be instrumentals such as the Viscounts ‘Harlem Nocturne’ which evokes perfectly the mood of film noir and two theme tracks: one from a famous spy noir film (The Third Man Theme) or a television series (Peter Gunn). Vocal tracks include Paper Lace’s “The Night Chicago Died’ which tells the story of the noirish landscape in Chicago during the Al Capone era and Louis Armstrong’s moody and sardonic version of Brecht’s ‘Mack The Knife’. Johnny Rivers’ ‘Secret Agent Man’ is what noir films are all about while ‘Ma Baker’ by Boney M and ‘Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ deal with crime villains.

‘Black is Black’ by Los Bravos is simply the colour of Noir, while “The Man In The Raincoat’ an old song by Marion Marlowe and ‘Streets Of London’ performed by Ralph McTell evoke the mood and atmosphere of noir as does the foggy background to Simon And Garfunkel’s ‘Bleecker Street’. Taken together all of these songs should paint a music noir soundscape.

We hope you enjoy this different approach.

Playlist