Well this was a bit of a left hand turn at the traffic lights for me…
The Mike Flowers Pops had a top 10 hit with Wonderwall done in the style of James Last/Easy listening albums of the 70s. In london several easy listening clubs sprang up where young and cool hep cats hung out. That’s true by the way.
So I called up Jackie Fisher and Steve Woof at EMI and said… “How do you fancy an album of Brit Pop songs done in the style of easy listening orchestras?” Oasis, Bjork, Supergrass, PULP?
They said “TAKE ME MONEY”… So that started my relationship with EMI, 4 albums in total.
I was working at my really quite large studio at Moor Hall in Hertfordshire, the UK’s answer to Hollywood where Harry Potter and Star Wars were made.
I pride myself on always hitting my deadline date… so when I needed backing singers I roped in my wife Helen, my accountant, and my cleaner. EMI said it was great, though they moaned at me for putting in one of my songs “Morning comes”. They let it stay as they thought it was pretty good.
EMI chose the name “Geoff Parnell” as it used easy listening gds… GEOFF Love and Jack PARNELL.
EMI threw some money into promoting this album, I was whisked off to a stylist who came up with the wig, beard, lovely waistcoat, and gorgeous blue satin coat. Later I was paid to travel first class rail to Leeds for a photo shoot and I have my official black and white EMI artist’s official promotional photo cards to give away to fans.
EMI paid for huge adverts in Loaded magazine, and NME new musical express. Plus I was interviewed by Jonathan Ross on his radio show. It was a lifelong spot of brilliant memory when I went into Virgin Records, HMV and Tower records to find a CD notification insert with the name Geoff Parnell on it, in the Easy Listening section.
The album did well and a second one was commissioned and paid for which was not released due to a change of talent management at EMI.
Geoff Parnell’s Cheesy Easy Listening playlist:
Alright (Supergrass)
Wonderwall (Oasis)
Disco 2000 (PULP)
High and Dry (Radiohead)
A Girl Like You (Edwyn Collins)
Changing Man (Paul Weller)
Morning Comes (Steve Deakin-Davies)
Country House (Blur)
Spaceman (Babylon Zoo)
Whatever (Oasis)
Venus As A Boy (Bjork)
Two Princes (Spin Doctors)
Original sleeve notes
Geoff was born in a small town in the heart of England, growing up in a house full of music from Opera to Mantovani.
Geoff’s first instrument was a wind powered organ from Woolworths and he spent many happy hours playing “Strangers in the night” and “Country gardens”.
At an early age he showed his talent for conducting, his grandmother gave him a number 10 knitting needle, his father showed him how to work the record player and he was off… slipping on his satin collared dressing gown and looking at himself in a darkened window, he was transported to the Royal Albert Hall, and was conducting the combined Joe Loss, Mantovani and the Boston Pops orchestra in A VAST REPERTOIRE OF MUSIC.
Immune to rock’n’roll he immersed himself in Burt Bacharach, Matt Monroe, Andy Williams and Perry Como music, watching avidly anything that had Liberace in it… the coolest man on the planet.
Showing of his conducting skills and arranging skills at school, Geoff quickly became the leader of a small band of fringe musicians, turning their backs on guitar and erring more to piano, woodblocks and chimes to set new standards in the performance of old standards.
As Geoff moved through his early manhood he was drawn to the sheer opulence of the Playboy lifestyle, the velvet clothes, the white shirt;bow tie and diamonds and of course the girls.
However, being short and spotty with a fatal greasy haircut syndrome did not help his chances much. So paralysed with angst he took up the guitar and played Satan’s music. Of course that did not lst and after joining an amateur operatic and drama group he soothed his need for throbbing violins and slippery saxes by buying a keyboard again and his easy listening roots took hold once again.
After drifting aimlessly in musical direction for years, the revelation came in an Essex shopping centre one day in May. The Love story theme was playing and people were smiling and humming the tune and looking meaningfully into their partners eye, this would be Geoff’s role in life, to make music that would stir people in gentle ways so they felt good about themselves.
Progressive easy listening was born. Progressive easy listening is being unashamed and proud of taking popular songs and rearranging them so more people will like them, pulling strands of beauty from them that the composer didn’t even know were there.
Geoff spent every penny he had putting together a state of the art studio to make his vision a reality and he finished his first album in record time, re-shaping the works of Radiohead, Oasis, Edwyn Collins, Bjork, Pulp and Blur.
Something was needed to go with such rich music, and of course, that was “The Look” and lifestyle of the easy listening gods. dress shirts, silk jackets, diamonds and cigars.
Geoff Parnell the wunderkind of progressive easy listening, the peoples’ antidote to dancing hit the scene!