James Last has died...

[pastoralguy]

Announced today on BBC News.

I haven't listened to much James Last these last thirty years but my father was a big fan and brought albums home in various languages from his travels abroad. I learnt a lot of music from these albums without realising who the original source. The playing was never less than superb and he obviously had top notch musicians working for him.


RIP, Hansi.

[Serial_Apologist]

Over periods, he kept the wolf from the door for a number of well-known British jazz artists - saxophonist Stan Sulzmann, to name just one.

[doversoul1]

When the world of teenagers was brimming full of The Beatles and the likes, I’d talk about them with friends but listened to what I thought then, far more interesting music when I was on my own. James Last’s band was one of many bands and orchestras that gave me solitary but much pleasure.

R.I.P.

P.S. this is the first time I have actually seen the band play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdiaIiqEe5E

[Conchis]

Never cared much for his interpretations but he seemed like a nice man and, as has been noted above, gave work to a lot of great musicians, as well as being no slouch as a musician himself.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Sad. It was only last Saturday that a nice man in a charity shop, knowing I like 'classical', inquired delicately if I still played 'tapes'. I said Yes and was offered a small case of JL cassettes. I said something like "Not on your Nellie", we agreed that for both of us he fell right between not two but all available musical stools, and now I feel so-o-o-o guilty

[Not meant to speak ill of the dead or to cause offence to any JL-loving forumites...]

[pastoralguy]

Sad. It was only last Saturday that a nice man in a charity shop, knowing I like 'classical', inquired delicately if I still played 'tapes'. I said Yes and was offered a small case of JL cassettes. I said something like "Not on your Nellie", we agreed that for both of us he fell right between not two but all available musical stools, and now I feel so-o-o-o guilty

[Not meant to speak ill of the dead or to cause offence to any JL-loving forumites...]

I felt much the same when I was going through my late father's record collection. (Of course I wouldn't listen to that sort of thing nowadays!)

And then I started to remember that listening to 'that sort of thing' made me want to find out more...

[LeMartinPecheur]

I felt much the same when I was going through my late father's record collection. (Of course I wouldn't listen to that sort of thing nowadays!)

And then I started to remember that listening to 'that sort of thing' made me want to find out more...

I confess (strictly confidentially) that I started inter alia with Radio 2 light classical favourites presented and/or conducted by Eric Robinson... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Ro...28conductor%29

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Sad. It was only last Saturday that a nice man in a charity shop, knowing I like 'classical', inquired delicately if I still played 'tapes'. I said Yes and was offered a small case of JL cassettes. I said something like "Not on your Nellie", we agreed that for both of us he fell right between not two but all available musical stools, and now I feel so-o-o-o guilty

[Not meant to speak ill of the dead or to cause offence to any JL-loving forumites...]

Yes - he was very much "Dad's Music" (or even, perhaps, "Dads' Music") - but a lovely bloke who gave pleasure to millions of Dads all over the world. Some clever arrangements, and wonderfully engineered recordings, too.

[Flay]

Yes - he was very much "Dad's Music" (or even, perhaps, "Dads' Music") - but a lovely bloke who gave pleasure to millions of Dads all over the world. Some clever arrangements, and wonderfully engineered recordings, too.

Agreed. But not my dad who was strictly classical.

Did he ever arrange Bruckner for his band I wonder?

[doversoul1]

Yes - he was very much "Dad's Music"

No wonder I thought it sounded more grown up than She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah

Seriously, although it may sounds a bit silly, I think James Last’s and other big bands along with some of the string orchestras kept me linked with classical music in some indirect way in the days when music meant pop music to everyone around me.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

No wonder I thought it sounded more grown up than She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah

Although Herr Last's "era" coincided more with "Do you want to touch me? Where? There!" - and, bizarrely enough, my father quite liked Gary Glitter! He also went very quiet whenever Suzy Quatro appeared on Top of the Pops - a rare moment of mutual empathy between glazed-eyed father and son!


Although, now I do the sums; he was actually younger then than I am now! - surely this breaks some rule of physics!??!!

[Serial_Apologist]

No wonder I thought it sounded more grown up than She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah

Seriously, although it may sounds a bit silly, I think James Last’s and other big bands along with some of the string orchestras kept me linked with classical music in some indirect way in the days when music meant pop music to everyone around me.

Missing out can be a problem with being in the wrong place at the right time, dovers.

[Roehre]

Oh.

[cloughie]

Agreed. But not my dad who was strictly classical.

:

As was mine. Also I suspect JL LPs were played on expensive B&O systems at a time when my league was the Garrard SP25 and Teleton amp coupled to a pair of home constructed speakers. RIP JL to your non-stop up top!