Sunday, October 05, 2008

Parky fills the hours

Did you happen to catch Michael Parkinson on Jonathan Ross at the start of the weekend? Somehow claiming that he'd given up his ITV chat show because he was tired of it - despite having been moaning on elsewhere that Michael Grade had canned it because it was too expensive? Still banging on about the BBC shifting him for Match Of The Day? Fawning over Ross and his interviewing technique, hoping nobody would remind him of his constant griping about the current state of the chat show?

If you've still not had enough of Parky shoved down your craw, you'll be delighted to hear that he's sticking out a series of albums. Because he's a proper journalist, you see, and not a celebrity, so he's following in the footsteps of the Charles Wheeler Presents The Hardline series from Def Jam a couple of years back.

There is, of course, a press release written in tones that make the Gospels sound uncommitted:

With a multi-award winning career as a broadcaster, Parkinson is renowned as one of the music industry's most influential figures. His series of album releases commences with the November 3rd release of 'My Life in Music', a compilation of the music that has provided the soundtrack to his life, remembers the extraordinary people he's met and celebrates the styles of music and performers he is most passionate about.

Is he really renowned as "one of the music industry's most influential figures"? Isn't that just a bit of old tosh dreamed up a couple of years back to try and boost the idea that appearing in the middle of the night on an ITV chat show while the world watched the football on the other side was some sort of a way to boost a career other than Parkinson's?
'My Life in Music' will be released on Reprise Records, the label founded by the man Parkinson calls his "greatest entertainer", the legendary Frank Sinatra, as well as home to one of his favourite contemporary artists Michael Bublé. The album's 40 tracks, hand picked by Parkinson, feature the crème de la crème of jazz and classical songs from some of the most respected artists including Bublé, Nat King Cole, Paul Simon, Elton John and of course Frank Sinatra. The Sinatra tracks are a particular coup as they are not usually licensed for compilations.

Interesting that "one of the music industry's most influential figures" has chosen to stick up a load of acts that, erm, got going quite nicely without his help. And, of course, Michael Buble who probably did get a boost from appearing on Parky shortly before disappearing again.

Still, good work on getting Sinatra onboard - after all, they only very occasionally allow his tracks to appear on compilations. They have to be of the quality of Classic Crooners Selection, for example.

And this is the first in a series. Michael, you're spoiling us.


No comments:

Post a Comment

As a general rule, posts will only be deleted if they reek of spam.