Dogshit Tier TV Theme Remixes

[Pseudopath]

Wasn't really sure what other thread to post this in, and it really isn't worth starting a fresh thread just for this video, but this got brought to my attention earlier.

Apparently, in December 1994, someone thought it would be a good idea to release a danced-up version of the theme from 'One Foot In The Grave'.  (The CD single contains no less than 5 additional dance remixes).



Anyway, a music video was made, featuring Eric Idle and Richard Wilson (true to form, Idle is filmed sitting by a swimming pool in Los Angeles). 
Idle mimes along and does some appalling half-arsed physical comedy, and it's the most pathetic, unfunny, tossed-off-in-about-an-hour thing I've seen in some time.

BEHOLD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdtAXqec9-w

Inspired by this glorious post in Comedy Chat, I just realised that we've never had a thread to collate and discuss the glut of terrible back-of-a-fag-packet dance tunes based on TV themes which appeared in the early 90's. Here are a couple more horrific examples which I'm ashamed to say I bought back in the day (although, in my defence, I was 13 years old):

Smart E's - Sesame's Treet (1992): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odQgfUUegQI

ShaFt - Roobarb and Custard (1991): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbat8XEL8gA

Anyone know of any more? Name them. Shame them.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Eurobop - Raynboe (1993): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obc9KEhKS34

[the]

Smart E's - Sesame's Treet (1992): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odQgfUUegQI

ShaFt - Roobarb and Custard (1991): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbat8XEL8gA

They're not remixes of TV themes, they're tracks that sampled TV themes. A different endeavour to the OFITG one.

Sesame's Treet A-side is shite but pretty sure it was not entirely serious. Roobarb And Custard was a decent track, ignoring the cloyingness of the sample. B-sides are decent too.

[Pseudopath]

They're not remixes of TV themes, they're tracks that sampled TV themes. A different endeavour to the OFITG one.

Fair point, but you know what I meant. How do you know Eric Idle's vocal wasn't just one long sample of the original theme?

Another one I just remembered (read: saw on the shelf):

Nexus & Blowback - Totally Cabbaged (1992): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei35f-wDwCw (sample starts here)

[Danger Man]

I like this remix of the Sorry theme tune and I will fight anyone who disagrees

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e32tuq-1T4

[Danger Man]

And this Countdown remix is good fun as well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbq7uqM2AIQ

[monkfromhavana]

Bolt - Horsepower (Black Beauty)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMrjgD9PCnk

Urban Hype - A Trip To Trumpton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMkvaVhEusE

G.S.P. - Banana Song (Banana Splits)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ54DFdBb-U

Sonz Of Bungle - Rainbow Vibes (Rainbow)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwnZabEL0-8

DJ Burnz - Bagpuss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FFSdYdPY70

DJ Parkhurst - N S Fletcher (Porridge)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXzd4wjlSwE

[DrGreggles]

Mark Summers - Summers Magic
https://youtu.be/xJz-UGxm_b8

[Pseudopath]

I like this remix of the Sorry theme tune and I will fight anyone who disagrees

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e32tuq-1T4

This is amazing.

[Captain Z]

Ah great, probably a slightly better place for this - can anyone help?

Speaking of naff novelty dance records, does anyone remember one that sampled the Nokia ringtone around 2000? It was definitely riding off the success of Trigger Happy TV and there was a big mobile phone on the cover of the CD single. I'm not thinking of Mario Piu - Communication, this one definitely sampled the ringtone rather than the interference noise.

[buzby]

Ah great, probably a slightly better place for this - can anyone help?

Solid Gold Chartbusters - I Wanna 1-2-1 With You
Replied to your original post here:
https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,61199.msg4203400.html#msg4203400

[the]

Fair point, but you know what I meant. How do you know Eric Idle's vocal wasn't just one long sample of the original theme?

Because the record contains bits that weren't in the TV version. Because it would've been nigh-on impossible to sample that much audio at the time. Because the record is BY Eric Idle. Take your pick.

Remixes are usually commissioned or sanctioned by the original artist (unless it's a bootleg), and legally they're treated as an alternate version of the original composition. They usually use the title of the original (plus suffix).


The real grubby stuff goes on when a show decides their theme needs an update:

Eastenders (early 90s version)  -  where they get paranoid about the synths and electronic drums of the original and try to turn it into a Bruce Hornsby / Lady In Red affair... about 7 years too late

The Bill - 4/4 Saxophone Tragedy Mix

[JesusAndYourBush]

Sometimes during the run of tv series, after a few series they decide to do a new arrangement of the theme and it's so much worse than the original.  (Dr Who gets an exemption here, although it's had the odd stinker.)

I like this Dads Army drum n bass 'remix', mainly because it's not serious and the person who made it was taking the piss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuKL1aqUa2o

[Spiteface]

Because the record contains bits that weren't in the TV version. Because it would've been nigh-on impossible to sample that much audio at the time. Because the record is BY Eric Idle. Take your pick.

Remixes are usually commissioned or sanctioned by the original artist (unless it's a bootleg), and legally they're treated as an alternate version of the original composition. They usually use the title of the original (plus suffix).


The real grubby stuff goes on when a show decides their theme needs an update:

Eastenders (early 90s version)  -  where they get paranoid about the synths and electronic drums of the original and try to turn it into a Bruce Hornsby / Lady In Red affair... about 7 years too late

It gets worse. They stuck a vocal on it and released it as a fucking single.

It's no "Anyone Can Fall In Love" is it?

[the]

It gets worse. They stuck a vocal on it and released it as a fucking single.

It's no "Anyone Can Fall In Love" is it?

Bloody hell, that passed me by.

It works better than Anyone Can Fall In Love though, in that glistening chart soul-lite sort of way.

Would've liked to have seen it done by Alan and Carol Jackson

[buzby]

Because the record contains bits that weren't in the TV version. Because it would've been nigh-on impossible to sample that much audio at the time. Because the record is BY Eric Idle. Take your pick.

It was a remix of the full version of the theme song that was first recorded for the end credits of the 1993 feature length episode One Foot In The Algarve. The original version (with new added interjections from Richard Wilson compared to the Algarve version) was only included on the CD single (released on Victa Records, ho ho), so for some reason prior to release they decided to go with this terrible remix as the version that would get radio play and sell. Idle even recorded a video for it. The other dance mixes only use the vocal track, so 'Adesso' must have been commissioned to produce the mixes and given the multitrack.

The CD single also included the pointless Wireless mix, which was the regular 'short' version of the theme from the TV show with the bass eq'd out and a '78 crackle' sample looped over it

[Brundle-Fly]

Are You Being Served? (Drum & Bass version) - Grace Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOSSjsnLwnI

[Huxleys Babkins]

Sometimes during the run of tv series, after a few series they decide to do a new arrangement of the theme and it's so much worse than the original.  (Dr Who gets an exemption here, although it's had the odd stinker.)

Yes.

Not many horrible Who themes, but I hated Murray Gold's second theme for Smith and David Arnold's Big Finish theme for McGann. Horrible dirges. Capaldi's theme wasn't great either.

The aborted Delaware theme is obviously bad too but at least the BBC attempted to wipe it from history. A real case of "Oh, fuck, we've just spent a massive amount of licence fee money on a new synth and we can't be seen to have wasted it."

[Sebastian Cobb]

Not a TV series but nothing can compete with Aphrodite remixing East 17's stay another day. It's so perfunctory

[the]

It was a remix of the full version of the theme song that was first recorded for the end credits of the 1993 feature length episode One Foot In The Algarve. The original version (with new added interjections from Richard Wilson compared to the Algarve version) was only included on the CD single (released on Victa Records, ho ho), so for some reason prior to release they decided to go with this terrible remix as the version that would get radio play and sell. Idle even recorded a video for it. The other dance mixes only use the vocal track, so 'Adesso' must have been commissioned to produce the mixes and given the multitrack.

The CD single also included the pointless Wireless mix, which was the regular 'short' version of the theme from the TV show with the bass eq'd out and a '78 crackle' sample looped over it

Thanks for the info, I was just responding to the suggestion that it might've been sampled (and, by implication, unofficially so).

Not a TV series but nothing can compete with Aphrodite remixing East 17's stay another day. It's so perfunctory

A big label remix is a few grand for not very much work. If you feel your credibility can absorb the impact as an artist, it's a nice little earner.

[DrGreggles]

Yeah, but I prefer Jive Bunny's early stuff.

[Brundle-Fly]

There was also a nineties trance(?) mix of the Ferrero Rocher advert. The Ambassador's Party by Robert Ferrera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=zZYgMLqWook&feature=emb_logo

[Better Midlands]

Mix of samples/replays here

Hardcore Rhythm Team - Ragga Clash (Emmerdale Farm)
Payback - Eastenders
Ray Keith - News At Ten
K Klass - Wildlife (Animal Magic)

Bit tenuous, but starts with a Rik Mayall/Young Ones sample
Low Noise Block - Rave In The Bedroom

[Sebastian Cobb]

Thanks for the info, I was just responding to the suggestion that it might've been sampled (and, by implication, unofficially so).

A big label remix is a few grand for not very much work. If you feel your credibility can absorb the impact as an artist, it's a nice little earner.

Even still.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnMHmugP0-Q

[lazyhour]

Regurgitator: Are U Being Served?

https://youtu.be/hmgs6sTVqsk

Nice speech sample of the list of what's on each floor of the department store at 02:35.

[monkfromhavana]

I remember in about 1995 time there was a remix of the Blind Date theme tune, but annoyingly I can't seem to find it on Youtube.

[monkfromhavana]

I remember in about 1995 time there was a remix of the Blind Date theme tune, but annoyingly I can't seem to find it on Youtube.

After spending the last hour ignoring work and searching, I've found it

Dorothy - What's That Tune?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgBRLa5UsKY

[Brundle-Fly]

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned. The 'Motown Chartbusters' of TV theme remix comps.



A TV ad. OK Parker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLVk4zFKSZY

[DrGreggles]

FOURTEEN POUNDS AND SEVENTY FOUR PENCE?!

Fuck off, Parker.

[Brundle-Fly]

Jane, Get Me Off This Crazy Thing! : The Tee Vee Toons Master Mix.   1986-tastic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEHp3JRZgKM