Classic Brit Spy Show Theme Transformed Into Mod Killer Kut
Ron Grainer — “Man in a Suitcase Theme”/Alexander Stone — “Man in a Suitcase”
Famed Australian TV/film music composer Ron Grainer’s greatest creation (OK, other than the Dr. Who and The Prisoner themes!) was the theme to the ‘67–68 British action/espionage TV series Man in a Suitcase. “Possibly the coolest theme tune ever!” (thefrecklepuny), “[t]he most powerful TV theme tune from the 60’s” (ColinPottersBar), “[f]antastic theme, as ever from the great Ron Grainer”. (kali3665)
Then, in 1970, Alexander Stone (now that’s a name made for a spy series) “transform[ed the theme] into a Fuzz Psych Groover VOCAL with girl group backing. . . . [v]ery cool” (teabiscuit), “A BRILLIANT MOD STYLE KILLER.A GREAT VOCAL VERSION OF THE RON GRAINER TUNE MAN IN A SUITCASE.SOME GREAT FUZZ OVERLOAD”. (Popsike.com)
WTF?
Ron Grainer — “Man in a Suitcase Theme”
Ruud:
Ron Grainer was one of the outstanding composers of music for British television. He was born in a small town called Atherton, Queensland, Australia on 11th August 1922, where his father owned the local milk bar. His mother played piano and Ron was on the keyboard from the age of two and considered a child genius, playing concerts for the local community by the age of six. He also showed the first sign of his versatility at the tender age of four when he began to learn the violin, practicing for two hours before and after school. In order to develop this talent further, he also studied the piano to such a level that, by his early teens he was a proficient performer on both instruments. . . . [H]e studied music under . . . at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, but this was interrupted by World War II. He was called up to serve in the army on the islands after Japan invaded and Australia sent forces to monitor planes flying over. It was there that a barrel crashed against his leg when he was travelling in a truck and they had to drive over open ground very fast. He managed to get one leg over the tailgate but the other leg was crushed. There were no doctors at the base and he was in terrible pain and unconscious for several days before he was given medical treatment, by then ostiomialitus had entered the bone marrow. They wanted to amputate but he couldn’t have survived the anaesthetic, so he did not lose his leg but was in and out of hospital for years and received an army disability pension.
Ron Grainer was something of a fixture in pop music in England during the 1960s, and as a composer at least two of his creations — the title theme from Doctor Who and the title theme for The Prisoner — remain known to millions of people around the world . . . . After studying at the Sydney Conservatory of Music, he decided to go to England to pursue a career in classical music, but once there he found himself sidetracked into popular music. His skills as a pianist placed him in great demand as an accompanist, to homegrown talent and also to visiting singers . . . . It was from his work as an accompanist and rehearsal pianist with the BBC that led to his first engagement as a composer, of music for plays presented by the radio and television service. That, in turn, led Grainer to his first assignment in scoring a regular television series, Maigret, based on the books by Georges Simenon, the title music from which — utilizing an array of then little-heard, archaic instruments, including the harpsichord and the clavichord — became a hit composition . . . . Grainer was suddenly in heavy demand as a television composer, and his later successes included Comedy Playhouse and Steptoe and Son, the latter one of the most important and influential British comedies of the 1960s . . . . He also moved into film scoring and into producing rock & roll music at approximately this same time. . . . [T]elevision and movie soundtracks — at which he was already proficient and writing profitably — held his attention from 1964 onward. Grainer’s first crack at musical immortality came in 1963 when he was assigned to write the music for a new science fiction/adventure series entitled Doctor Who. Grainer went to town on this title theme, indulging his taste for unusual instrumentation to the fullest — it was a mysterious yet exciting piece of music made up of what seemed like unearthly sounds, most notably the Ondes Martinot, a close cousin to the theremin . . . . Grainer continued writing film and television music for the next decade, and showed a unique ability to absorb and assimilate the characteristics of the changing popular music around him. His main title theme for the espionage/adventure series Man in a Suitcase was thoroughly in his own style, but it also displayed characteristics resembling the Beatles’ “Good Day Sunshine” and the Tremeloes’ “Suddenly You Love Me.” His big triumph, however, was the title theme to The Prisoner — ironically, his proposed music was initially rejected by creator/star Patrick McGoohan, until he speeded it up. Coupling romping horns, jangling electric guitar, and a relentless beat, it was a striking opening to the 17 episodes of the series . . . and Grainer himself reused the same thematic material in his score for the science fiction thriller The Omega Man (1971). Grainer’s health had been an issue since the early ’60s, when his eyesight had begun failing. In the early ’70s, he developed further vision problems and left his career behind for several years’ rest. He returned to composing at the end of the 1970s, most notably on the Roald Dahl-inspired series Tales of the Unexpected.
What was Man in a Suitcase about? Kevin Steinhauer explains:
McGill (known as “Mac”) is a former U.S. intelligence agent based in London. After being thrown out of the agency for something he did not do, he finds his infamous reputation has preceded him everywhere he goes. To make ends meet he takes odd and intriguing “private eye” jobs throughout Europe, all the while trying to clear his name.
How did it come about? David Gideon explains:
In the 60s ABC imported several British shows to fill holes in the US schedule, including ‘The Baron’, ‘Court Martial’, and the present title ‘Man in a Suitcase’. Each of these starred an American actor so the Brits knew that would make them commercially viable in the US; conversely, ABC by virtue of its investment would have some influence on the shows’ content. ‘Suitcase’ was in effect ITV’s replacement for ‘Secret Agent’ when McGoohan left to do ‘The Prisoner’. Richard Bradford was a US agent who came under a cloud and was forced to resign. Now he travels Europe taking cases as a sort of troubleshooting P.I. The series was cynical, somewhat violent, and Bradford’s character wasn’t all that likable. Hence, a single season before the suitcase closed for good. The Ron Grainer theme is a classic of the spy-jazz genre.
Alexander Stone — “Man in a Suitcase”
A stone cold killer “from the mysterious Gemini label, whose in-house producer Gordon Henderson penned lyrics for Ron Grainer’s famous instrumental TV theme”. . . . “[Q]uite why a vocal version was created as a B-side in 1970 is as mysterious as the identity of Mr. Stone…”. (John Reed, liner notes to the CD comp Keep Lookin’: 80 More Mod, Soul & Freakbeat Nuggets)
See my website at bracefortheobscure60srock.com.
Here is the condensed version of the theme:
Here is Grainer’s single:
Here are two trailers:
