Record of the Week

Pinball
Brian Protheroe

Now, I warned you it might be an oldie so don't go all sulky on me.

We've been watching, and enjoying, the BBC tv 'thriller' Hunted on Thursday evenings and last week, who should pop up as an under minister at the Ministry if Defence? None other than Brian Protheroe. Most readers will know him as an actor... Gentlemen and Players, To Have & To Hold in the 80s through to last weeks appearance in 'Hunted'.

But my first meeting with this fellah was when I heard his 1974 Chrysalis Records single 'Pinball'. I went out and bought it pretty quickly and it remains, to this day, on of my all-time favourite songs. May not get into my Desert Island discs eight but its up there. Always sounds as fresh and original as it ever did. As a new acoustic guitarists with songwriting ambitions this was showing me the way: Simple arrangement musically starting with that acoustic guitar playing what would be known as the 'hook' if it were a heavy metal track. This hook is present throughout the whole song... as the arrangement builds with a layer of percussion, then bass then more percussion to drive it along, finally taking a back seat to a sax solo. The lyrics suit the music and its mood perfectly and have that Play for Today black humour quality of garnering a smile amongst quite sorrowful dialogue and story-line. They also paint a perfect picture for me of that waiting for pay-day, single, bed-sit room looking out of the window onto a dark, half-deserted, rain dampened street and every-time I hear the song it's conjured up again. Quite wonderful.

Wonder if it was ever Record of the Week back in the day?