Sounds Orchestral
Encyclopedia
Sounds Orchestral was a British
studio
-based easy listening
group, assembled by John Schroeder
with Johnny Pearson
in 1964.
, producing Johnny Pearson's first solo album. Moving to Pye
, Schroeder was quick to assemble the line-up which would become Sounds Orchestral. Sounds Orchestral was intended to be a competitor group to EMI
's successful Sounds Incorporated
. Johnny Pearson
(piano), Kenny Clare
(drums and percussion), and Tony Reeves
(bassist, who later played with Curved Air
) filled out the group. Other members included Peter McGurk on bass, who died in June 1968. McGurk's position was assumed by Frank Clark. Generally in the studio, there would be a trio, backed by other instruments led by Tony Gilbert, who would play violin on many of the tracks. On the last album in 1975, members had changed to Johnny Pearson on piano, Ronnie Verrell
on drums, and Russ Stapleford on bass guitar.
Sounds Orchestral's version of Vince Guaraldi
's 1962 instrumental "Cast Your Fate to the Wind
" hit #1 on the 1-15 May 1965 U.S.
Adult Contemporary charts and #10 on the 8 May 1965 Billboard Hot 100
chart
. With Sound Orchestral's peak that week, the British Commonwealth came closer than it ever had or would to a clean sweep of a weekly Hot 100's Top 10, lacking only a hit at #2 instead of "Count Me In" by the American group Gary Lewis & The Playboys
. "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" sold over one million copies and achieved gold disc
status. The track peaked at #5 in the UK Singles Chart
some three months earlier. The follow-up, "Moonglow" (1965) reached #43 in the UK.
Pianist Johnny Pearson is featured on all the Sounds Orchestral album
s. When Sounds Orchestral effectively came to an end in 1975, Pearson had already established a successful solo career on other record label
s. He was also music arranger on the UK
BBC
television program
me, Top of the Pops
.
By the close of 1975, Sounds Orchestral had released sixteen different record albums, twelve vinyl 7" singles and three vinyl EPs. This is excluding the market outside of the United Kingdom, which had many differently packaged versions of the latter, particularly the singles.
Sounds Orchestral would make one further LP, in 1977 though, for K-Tel. Featuring 20 of the most current and popular tv and movie themes, once again John Schroeder and Johnny Pearson would team up, along with Sounds Orchestral's musicians. This would be the last Sounds Orchestral original album until the compilation reissue albums of the '80's.
At the end of the late '80's, the CD era was in full start. A number of Sounds Orchestral albums would be re-released for the first time on compact disc. Most notable was the reissue in 1991, of the fourth 1966 Sounds Orchestral album, "Sounds Orchestral play favorite classical melodies". Retitled "Classical Classics", this was a repeat of the fourth album but this time with eight new tracks for CD, with John Schroeder and Johnny Pearson once again. The album is also dedicated to the memory of Sounds Orchestral members who had passed away, including Peter McGurk on bass, Kenny Clare on drums, and Tony Gilbert on lead violin. Pearson died in 2011.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
-based easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
group, assembled by John Schroeder
John Schroeder (musician)
John Francis Schroeder is a British easy listening composer, arranger, and producer.Schroeder worked as an A&R assistant to Norrie Paramor at Columbia Records. He was also a songwriter and, with Mike Hawker, wrote the song "Walkin' Back to Happiness", which in a version by Helen Shapiro reached...
with Johnny Pearson
Johnny Pearson
John Valmore Pearson known as Johnny Pearson, was a British composer, orchestra leader and pianist...
in 1964.
Career
John Schroeder had worked with Johnny Pearson previously over at Oriole RecordsOriole Records
Oriole Records may refer to:* Oriole Records * Oriole Records...
, producing Johnny Pearson's first solo album. Moving to Pye
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
, Schroeder was quick to assemble the line-up which would become Sounds Orchestral. Sounds Orchestral was intended to be a competitor group to EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
's successful Sounds Incorporated
Sounds Incorporated
Sounds Incorporated, later known as Sounds Inc., were a British instrumental pop group who recorded extensively in the 1960s.-Career:The group formed in 1961, in Dartford, Kent, and gained a local reputation in nearby South London for the fullness of their saxophone-led instrumental sound...
. Johnny Pearson
Johnny Pearson
John Valmore Pearson known as Johnny Pearson, was a British composer, orchestra leader and pianist...
(piano), Kenny Clare
Kenny Clare
Kenneth 'Kenny' Clare was an English jazz drummer. He should not be confused with Kenny Clarke, whose band he played in....
(drums and percussion), and Tony Reeves
Tony Reeves
Anthony 'Tony' Reeves is an English bass guitarist/contrabassist, noted for his "extremely prominent and complex bass sound" and use of electronic effects...
(bassist, who later played with Curved Air
Curved Air
Curved Air are a pioneering British progressive rock group formed in 1970 by musicians from mixed artistic backgrounds, including classic, folk, and electronic sound. The resulting sound of the band was a mixture of progressive rock, folk rock, and fusion with classical elements...
) filled out the group. Other members included Peter McGurk on bass, who died in June 1968. McGurk's position was assumed by Frank Clark. Generally in the studio, there would be a trio, backed by other instruments led by Tony Gilbert, who would play violin on many of the tracks. On the last album in 1975, members had changed to Johnny Pearson on piano, Ronnie Verrell
Ronnie Verrell
Ronald 'Ronnie' Thomas Verrell was an English jazz drummer. He played in two of the United Kingdom's "most famous" big bands, The Ted Heath Orchestra and The Syd Lawrence Orchestra. Verrell also worked extensively in television, including as a drummer in Jack Parnell's ATV Orchestra and Sunday...
on drums, and Russ Stapleford on bass guitar.
Sounds Orchestral's version of Vince Guaraldi
Vince Guaraldi
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi was an Italian American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip...
's 1962 instrumental "Cast Your Fate to the Wind
Cast Your Fate to the Wind
"Cast Your Fate to the Wind" is an American jazz piece written and originally recorded by Vince Guaraldi, with lyrics later added by Carel Werber. It won a Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition in 1963...
" hit #1 on the 1-15 May 1965 U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Adult Contemporary charts and #10 on the 8 May 1965 Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. With Sound Orchestral's peak that week, the British Commonwealth came closer than it ever had or would to a clean sweep of a weekly Hot 100's Top 10, lacking only a hit at #2 instead of "Count Me In" by the American group Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Gary Lewis & the Playboys
Gary Lewis & the Playboys were a 1960s rock group fronted by Gary Lewis, son of comedian Jerry Lewis. They are best known for their 1965 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "This Diamond Ring."-Original members:* Gary Lewis - Drums and vocals...
. "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" sold over one million copies and achieved gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status. The track peaked at #5 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
some three months earlier. The follow-up, "Moonglow" (1965) reached #43 in the UK.
Pianist Johnny Pearson is featured on all the Sounds Orchestral album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. When Sounds Orchestral effectively came to an end in 1975, Pearson had already established a successful solo career on other record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s. He was also music arranger on the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
me, Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
.
By the close of 1975, Sounds Orchestral had released sixteen different record albums, twelve vinyl 7" singles and three vinyl EPs. This is excluding the market outside of the United Kingdom, which had many differently packaged versions of the latter, particularly the singles.
Sounds Orchestral would make one further LP, in 1977 though, for K-Tel. Featuring 20 of the most current and popular tv and movie themes, once again John Schroeder and Johnny Pearson would team up, along with Sounds Orchestral's musicians. This would be the last Sounds Orchestral original album until the compilation reissue albums of the '80's.
At the end of the late '80's, the CD era was in full start. A number of Sounds Orchestral albums would be re-released for the first time on compact disc. Most notable was the reissue in 1991, of the fourth 1966 Sounds Orchestral album, "Sounds Orchestral play favorite classical melodies". Retitled "Classical Classics", this was a repeat of the fourth album but this time with eight new tracks for CD, with John Schroeder and Johnny Pearson once again. The album is also dedicated to the memory of Sounds Orchestral members who had passed away, including Peter McGurk on bass, Kenny Clare on drums, and Tony Gilbert on lead violin. Pearson died in 2011.
Albums
- 1964 Cast Your Fate To The Wind (PyePye RecordsPye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
) - 1965 The Soul of Sounds Orchestral (Pye)
- 1965 Sounds Orchestral meet James Bond (Pye)
- 1966 Sounds Orchestral plays Classical Melodies (Pye)
- 1967 Sounds Latin (Pye)
- 1968 Words (Pye)
- 1969 Sounds Like a Million (Pye)
- 1969 Sounds Orchestral meet Henry Mancini (Pye)
- 1970 Hits Orchestral, Sounds Orchestral (Pye)
- 1970 Good Morning Starshine (Pye)
- 1970 Sounds Orchestral at the Movies (Pye)
- 1971 You've Got a Friend (Pye)
- 1971 Wigwam (Pye)
- 1974 The Amazing Grace of Sounds Orchestral (Pye)
- 1974 Clouds (Pye)
- 1975 Love Me for a Reason (Pye)
- 1977 20 Great TV Themes (K-Tel England)
- In Australia, all of these were released through Astor, the forerunner to Polygram. Some releases were released in New Zealand through Astor, others through Polygram, New Zealand. In Canada and the USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Sounds Orchestral was released through Parkway and easy listening independendent record labels. From 1970, see also Johnny Pearson and his Orchestra.
- In Australia, all of these were released through Astor, the forerunner to Polygram. Some releases were released in New Zealand through Astor, others through Polygram, New Zealand. In Canada and the US
Compilation albums
- 1968 Portrait in Stereo (Pye)
- 1970 Golden Hour of Sounds Orchestral, Earth Moon and Sky (Pye Golden Hour)
- 1970 Golden Hour of Sounds Orchestral Vol. 2 (Pye Golden Hour)
- 1970 Readers Digest Box Set World Record Club (Six album box set UK release) (EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
)- All the above were 12" LP vinyl. Cassettes were also issued for the later titles. Some of the above have been repeated on CD. Various releases on CD occur through Castle UK and other labels, starting 1989.
Compact disc releases
- 1988 The Best Of Sounds Orchestral (PRT PYC4011) UK
- 1990 Images (Castle KNCD 16010) UK
- 1991 Classical Classics (Castle) UK includes eight new bonus classical music tracks
- 1992 The Best Of (Castle MATCD225) UK
- 1995 Cast Your Fate To The Wind (Castle NEMCD 617) UK - reissue of Sounds Orchestral's debut album
- 1997 Sounds Rare (Castle NEMCD 992) UK - Sounds Orchestral 7" Vinyl B-SidesA-side and B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
- 2000 Sounds Chartbound (Castle CMAR662) UK