Song of the Week: That’s What Friends Are For
Madeline Bell and Alan Parker
That’s What Friends Are For
No, not that ‘That’s What Friends Are For’. There’s no Elton John and Dionne Warwick here. Instead it’s composer Alan Parker and session stalwart Madeline Bell on a track that’s light and breezy like summer.
‘That’s What Friends Are For’, Madeline Bell and Alan Parker, 1975 from Music for Dancefloors: The Cream of the KPM Music Green Label Sessions, Strut, 2000
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Tags: song of the week
May 1st, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Good tune to end out this week. I hope you’re doing well. Have a great weekend. Cheers! What’s funny is that now you’ve got that Dionne and company song in my head now. lol
May 1st, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Oh that is F.A.B and who’s he on the drums what a player. (my guess is Tony Newman) – love the wah, the electric piano, Acid Jazz synths and session-man-samba of it all
PS whoever the drummer is I’d guess he also drummed on this
T tune (The Mystery/Two Ronnies one)as the style is so similar..
http://planetmondo.blogspot.com/2009/01/watching-detectives-uk.html
PPS there’s a Tony Newman number here
http://planetmondo.blogspot.com/2008/07/funky-friday-hear-drummer-get-wicked.html
May 4th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Thanks Keith.I like the Dionne version too actually. I saw her sing a few years ago and she was great – particularly when she did Heartbreaker and Promises Promises – went down a storm.
I thought you might like this PM. I’ve checked the liner notes to see who the drummer was, but typically there is no mention. Could be Tony though – there are certainly some similarities in the records you’ve suggested…
May 5th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Did you see Madeleine Bell on that BBC programme about ‘Queens of British Pop’? She still looks amazing.
May 5th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
No! I assumed that the show was the same old drivel about how great Dusty Springfield et. al. are so I purposely didn’t watch it. Perhaps I should stop being so cynical about the BBC. Was there much about her? Did they actually talk about her work or was she merely there to comment on how great Dusty Springfield et. al. are? (sorry, it’s hard to bury that cynicism)
May 5th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
i’ve got another version off the this is one girl lp which is marvelous. you can find it here -
http://dusty7s.blogspot.com/2008/07/do-you-wanna-be-in-my-gang.html
x
May 6th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Hi Ally – thanks so much for this. I had no idea! It’s fab isn’t it? Completely different sound, but still with her lovely light voice floating over the top.
And on a completely different note, I’ve also been meaning to tell you that I love your photos from your trip to the States. Especially the signs – it doesn’t just look like another place, but another era altogether!