We have written at length before (here here and here) of our hatred of Andy Williams' Christmas song It's the most wonderful time of the year and how it almost sent us mad in 2008, when we were on an extended trip to North America.
Still, his death yesterday does reduce the list of surviving classic crooners somewhat (with probably only Tony Bennett left now) as Williams had a remarkably long-lived career (even appearing on Strictly Come Dancing a few years ago).
We have rather more Andy Williams in our music collection than we had imagined (even discounting Andy Williams' Christmas Album which Agent DVD bought us as a (successful) wind up). Can't take my eyes off you (1968), Almost there (1965) and Can't get used to losing you (1963) even feature on our cocktail/lounge playlist to accompany drinking Martinis in expensive Canadian hotels with S from Vancouver.
In a rather more frenetic mood we also enjoy Music to Watch Girls By (1967); a classic piece of sixties grooviness with a great brass sound in the Herb Alpert tradition. This had originally been released as an instrumental by The Bob Crewe Generation who heard it as a demo jingle for Pepsi (Pepsi did eventually use it to back their commercials entitled "Come Alive! You're in the Pepsi Generation!"). The Williams version copied the Crewe orchestration almost exactly although the vocal version goes at a slightly faster pace which gives it more punch than Crewe's original, rather more laid back, pace. Crewe, co-incidentally, wrote Can't take my eyes off you. He also wrote the soundtrack to the equally groovy Barbarella and writing with Bob Gaudio penned many of Frankie Valley and the Four Season's big hits. But we'll forgive him that.
So, Triple P's thoughts towards Andy Williams are not as negative as his posts on It's the most wonderful time of the year might suggest. Still can't stand that one, though!
Maybe we'll have a Martini in his honour tonight...
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