In this current age of the Wild West of social media where folks can give out all sorts of rumours about the famous (whether they are true or not) through platforms like Facebook and YouTube, the following show of yesteryear may not mean much. However, back in the 1970s, it was apparently something quite intriguing.
What I'm writing about is the popular show "Terebi Sanmen Kiji Weekender"（テレビ三面記事 ウィークエンダー...TV's Page 3 Articles Weekender） which had a nearly 10-year run on NTV between 1975 and 1984. And as the title suggests, this Saturday night program was all about spotlighting issues such as some lurid crime stories that didn't make it to the front page but got on some of the back pages.
The opening theme for "Weekender" was by The Love Unlimited Orchestra led by Barry White, "Rhapsody in White". I'd never expected that they would be up on KKP again after I featured them through a ROY article back on Halloween 2020 because of their famous "Love's Theme" from 1973. "Rhapsody in White" was released as a single in 1974 and like "Love's Theme" from the previous year, it's another epic disco anthem that doesn't bring back memories of the glitter ball and the sweaty dance emporia of the late 1970s. As one commenter so gloriously put it under the "Love's Theme" YouTube video (one of them anyways), TLUO has put forth something that deserves a classy late afternoon repast on board a cruise ship. Not sure how the producers ever came up with the idea to put this particular tune as a theme song for a sensationalistic news show but as it turned out, it probably helped lure viewers in.
For some reason I get Van McCoy's mostly instrumental The Hustle confused with Barry White's orchestra.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, this made me think of this mashup of The Hustle with Perfume dancing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frCnHr1CmDg
Yeah, I'm an old disco hound. Glad to see the combination of the old and the news with Perfume and "The Hustle". Wouldn't mind seeing some new songs that have a bit of that sound again.
DeleteI don't think I even heard "Rhapsody in White" before, but I did hear "Love's theme" a bit growing up in the 80's. Not, on the radio but maybe at the back ground music for some show or in the supermarket? I don't really know but it's stuck in my mind some how.
ReplyDeleteMorning, Brian. I'm not surprised that "Love's Theme" has become stuck in your head. It's quite the elegant song that is also quite catchy and has been as one of the early disco anthems.
Delete