Alan Parker
Alan Parker is an English guitarist and composer, born Alan Frederick Parker in Matlock, Derbyshire, in 1944. Trained under Julian Bream at the Royal Academy of Music, he worked as a session guitarist from the late 1960s, recorded albums for the KPM and De Wolfe music libraries and later wrote widely for film and television. Parker was a member of Blue Mink, The Congregation and CCS, and led his own studio bands Hungry Wolf and Ugly Custard. His guitar is heard on Donovan's Hurdy Gurdy Man, the Walker Brothers' No Regrets and David Bowie's Rebel Rebel.
One Summer: Original Score to the 1983 TV Series
Temporary Super Offer! Previously unreleased schizo post-punk/Moogy folk score for the 1983 British scouseploitation TV drama One Summer from the vault of guitarist and composer Alan Parker, best-kept secret session man for Kate Bush, Serge Gainsbourg, and David Bowie. Composed to cue for the five-part series (that TV commissioners were too scared to revisit), Parker's bursts of self-propelled small-screen scoring came in one-to-two-minute spells, allowing Finders Keepers to comfortably fit the …
Black Pearl
*Deluxe limited edition* "Originally released in 1973, Black Pearl's overall sound is the epitome of cool, orchestral funk / dramatic styles of the 1970s (e.g. “Next Stop LA”, “Collect”, “Oh! Militia”, “Choctaw”, “Black Pearl”, and “Blue Shadow”). Also featured are several more romantic, laid-back, emotive pieces such as “Miraculous Dream”, “Tryst”, “Sunny Monday”, “Melody and Lace”, “Monochrome”, “No Return”. Not to mention a couple of surprise solo honky-tonk piano jaunts – “The Vamp” and “Nig…
Afro Rock
Be With Records have raided the KPM archives to reissue another favorite from the KPM 1000 series, Alan Parker and John Cameron's Afro Rock, originally released in 1973. Hard Afro pop featuring large percussive rhythm section and front line. One of the best-loved of all the KPM LPs. Afro Rock was recorded at Morgan Studios by John Cameron and Alan Parker in London in 1973 as a collection of stripped-down African rhythms, virtuoso jazz instrumentation, fuzzed-up wah wah guitars, and spaced-out li…
Kpm Series Collection
All the eleven new Kpm groundbreaking LPs in bundle! Be With Records have worked with the hallowed KPM to re-issue ten of our favourites from across the KPM 1000 Series and the Themes International Music catalogue, currently under KPM stewardship. Whether it’s killer soul-funk, sweet jazz-samba, skuzzed-up guitars or accidental Balearic beauty, these records include some of the most innovative work from some of the most talented composers and musicians of the 20th century. These records were nev…
The Sound of Soul
When Alan Parker recorded the killer library soul-funk LP The Voice of Soul with session vocalist Madeline Bell in 1976, some bright spark at Themes decided to also release all of the backing tracks as a separate, and equally innocuously title LP called The Sound of Soul. Thank goodness for bright sparks. Released as a collection of “unobtrusive musical backings in various rhythmic styles”, the LP’s original description dryly explains “these tracks have been issued without melody and are therefo…
The Voice of Soul
Veteran library musician Alan Parker recorded with session vocalist Madeline Bell for his Themes International Music label and the result was 1976’s The Voice of Soul. The sensational uptempo dancer That’s What Friends Are For is probably the most well known track on the record, and is a big hit on the rare groove scene, but it is by no means an anomaly. The Voice of Soul is essentially a perfect, sophisticated soul album with heaps of swagger and sass from beginning to end. Its once generic-sou…