Graham Day | Jon Barker | Darryl Hartley | Wolf Howard
THE SENIOR SERVICE
Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the debut long player from The Senior Service. A thrilling musical journey tinged with the filmic hues of bygone celluloid classics. Here you’ll find it all; excitement, action, romance, intrigue! Each song tells its own story – no words are necessary. As with all great instrumental music, it weaves its web of magic through the light and shade created from the brush of keys, plucking of strings and beating of skins, with the occasional splash of colour provided by brass, vibes and theremin (naturally) – this exquisite combination alone conjures up its narrative.
A year or so back, Johnny purchased his first Hammond Organ. Being in love with the depth of sound and, yes, emotion, that flows, oozes and blasts from this monumental beast from an early age, it was time that Mr. B succumbed. There was a game plan – to form a band and attack the classics, tracks made famous by such giants of the Hammond as Georgie Fame and Booker T. It was a good plan and it was a plan that began to take shape.
But then…
…The band – four like-minded old friends sharing a love for the thematic majesty created by the likes of John Barry and Barry Gray – reconsidered and it was quickly decided upon to pen wholly original material, to follow in the colossal footprints of those sultans of the soundtrack.
Colossal footprints undoubtedly, but the impassioned quartet of Johnny, Graham, Darryl and Wolf collectively lifted the hallowed mantle and strived to build their own set of purely instrumental tunes. What emerged was a collection of songs with an orchestral sensibility juxtaposed with an urgent garage rock crash bang wallop! It was completely unique but had a comforting familiarity that would take the listener back to the greatest scenes from some of their favourite movies.
The fruit of these endeavours is now in your hand, packaged under the title of The Girl in the Glass Case – a title inspired by an original Wolf Howard poem. From the first unexpected crash of Snake Charmer that attacks you like the crack of a rattlesnake’s tail, to the final hushed piano coda of Bees, via the European flavoured intrigue of Into the Tunnel and exhilarating Mexican romance of Five Beans in the Wheel, you are completely immersed in the world of The Senior Service.
So please indulge and enjoy. The Girl in the Glass Case awaits you.
Roberto Rocket February 2016
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