I kinda figured this one would be found quickly, and—thanks to José Teixera/José Muñoz—it was! I was also right that I'd heard this song—"Pacemaker"—before. It sounded like a '90s tune, though, so I didn't go back to those early MusicHouse albums. Anyway… Pacemaker was composed by production-music legend Alan Hawkshaw, so it turns out he does have an NFL Primetime track other than Neck and Neck.
Here's the revised link, or I guess you could just scroll down a little…
Showing posts with label Neck and Neck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Neck and Neck. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Monday, August 15, 2016
Top Decision Maker
Song - Top Decision Maker
Artist(s) - "Sammy Burdson" (Gerhard Narholz)
Released - 1988
Primetime Usage - 1989-90
Contained on - SON 299 (Ideas from the Creative Factory, Vol. 1), Sonoton SCD 15 (Ideas-Decision Makers/Sales Force)
Featured Highlight - Jets @ Dolphins, 1989By request, I'm identifying this moody gem from NFL Primetime's Sonoton era. "Top Decision Maker," by Gerhard Narholz under an oft-used pseudonym, is a perfect example of the style & instrumentation used by NFL Primetime from 1989-90. The heavy synth, though not football-like on the surface, works well with games with less-than-sunny skies… or less-than-sunny play on the field. I guess it's kinda like Neck & Neck in that regard, though Neck & Neck hits that tone a bit harder than Top Decision Maker.
In light of recent tragic events at ESPN, I thought it appropriate to post a highlight that featured John Saunders doing the commentary. Here's him presenting the Jets and their shootout victory over an uncharacteristically mediocre edition of Shula's Dolphins.
Friday, January 15, 2016
"Young" Triumphs & Mistakes
Song - Race to the Death
Artist(s) - George Young, Bryan "Chuck" New
Released - 2000
Primetime Usage - 2000
Contained on - Chappell AV 154 (Guitar Drama)
Featured Highlight - Steelers @ Jaguars, 2000
One of the most obscure songs from the later heyday of NFL Primetime, "Race to the Death" seemed to be an attempt to replace the melancholy struggle motif previously occupied by Neck and Neck. It's an OK song in small doses, though, and "small doses" were definitely what we got—it was just used a handful of times during only the 2000 NFL season. The artists behind Race to the Death were, ironically, not so obscure… well one of them at least. I don't know a whole lot about Bryan "Chuck" New, but he does have a massive number of credits listed on Discogs. George Young is a bit more famous, though. In addition to being the older brother of Malcolm & Angus Young of AC/DC (and an AC/DC producer), he was also the co-writer & co-producer of top-10 disco hit "Love is in the Air" by John Paul Young (no relation). Additionally, George Young was one of the inaugural inductees in the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 1988.
I apologize for the quality of the included highlight video, but this was the only Primetime clip I've been able to find with Race to the Death. This game was a fitting example of the decline of the Tom Coughlin Jaguars, but it's mostly memorable for one reason. Steelers rookie Plaxico Burress, after getting a long reception over the middle, decided to do a celebratory spike even though he hadn't actually been touched. It didn't ultimately affect the contest's outcome, but this play often shows up on "top sports blunders" lists.
One of the most obscure songs from the later heyday of NFL Primetime, "Race to the Death" seemed to be an attempt to replace the melancholy struggle motif previously occupied by Neck and Neck. It's an OK song in small doses, though, and "small doses" were definitely what we got—it was just used a handful of times during only the 2000 NFL season. The artists behind Race to the Death were, ironically, not so obscure… well one of them at least. I don't know a whole lot about Bryan "Chuck" New, but he does have a massive number of credits listed on Discogs. George Young is a bit more famous, though. In addition to being the older brother of Malcolm & Angus Young of AC/DC (and an AC/DC producer), he was also the co-writer & co-producer of top-10 disco hit "Love is in the Air" by John Paul Young (no relation). Additionally, George Young was one of the inaugural inductees in the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 1988.
I apologize for the quality of the included highlight video, but this was the only Primetime clip I've been able to find with Race to the Death. This game was a fitting example of the decline of the Tom Coughlin Jaguars, but it's mostly memorable for one reason. Steelers rookie Plaxico Burress, after getting a long reception over the middle, decided to do a celebratory spike even though he hadn't actually been touched. It didn't ultimately affect the contest's outcome, but this play often shows up on "top sports blunders" lists.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Close Games Between Bad Teams
Song - Neck and Neck
Artist(s) - Alan Hawkshaw
Released - 1989
Primetime Usage - 1990-96
Contained on - MusicHouse MHE13 (Live Action)
Featured Highlight - Saints @ Falcons, 1996
When two awful football teams get together, the result—however lacking in polish—can be quite entertaining. "Neck and Neck" is a song that symbolizes that ambivalence perfectly. It's up tempo and electronic, but it also gives off much more anguish and unhappiness than most NFL Primetime tracks. If your team was struggling, you wouldn't be surprised to hear Neck and Neck playing in the background. This seemed especially true if your team played on astroturf and/or in a dome such as historically mediocre franchises like the Lions, Saints, or Falcons. The song provided a kind of therapy for football sadness.
Neck and Neck was composed by production music legend Alan "The Hawk" Hawkshaw, who has been active in composition & pop music for more than 50 years. I won't go through all his awards, group memberships, & accomplishments here, mainly because it would take forever, but you can check them out on his website (linked above) or on his wikipedia page. Outside of production music, he might be best known for putting together the disco group Love De-Luxe that produced the #1 disco hit, "Here Comes that Sound Again," in 1979. Hawkshaw's daughter, Kirsty, is also a prolific electronic composer/artist and was the lead singer for Opus III in the '90s.
Neck and Neck is streamable on EMI's production music site, which is linked above. Unfortunately, it appears to be the only Primetime song that was composed by Alan Hawkshaw.
A fitting clip for this song (and the post title) is this "epic" 1996 matchup in the Georgia Dome between doomed June Jones's 1-9 Falcons and interim coach Rick Venturi's Saints. Enjoy!
When two awful football teams get together, the result—however lacking in polish—can be quite entertaining. "Neck and Neck" is a song that symbolizes that ambivalence perfectly. It's up tempo and electronic, but it also gives off much more anguish and unhappiness than most NFL Primetime tracks. If your team was struggling, you wouldn't be surprised to hear Neck and Neck playing in the background. This seemed especially true if your team played on astroturf and/or in a dome such as historically mediocre franchises like the Lions, Saints, or Falcons. The song provided a kind of therapy for football sadness.
Neck and Neck was composed by production music legend Alan "The Hawk" Hawkshaw, who has been active in composition & pop music for more than 50 years. I won't go through all his awards, group memberships, & accomplishments here, mainly because it would take forever, but you can check them out on his website (linked above) or on his wikipedia page. Outside of production music, he might be best known for putting together the disco group Love De-Luxe that produced the #1 disco hit, "Here Comes that Sound Again," in 1979. Hawkshaw's daughter, Kirsty, is also a prolific electronic composer/artist and was the lead singer for Opus III in the '90s.
Neck and Neck is streamable on EMI's production music site, which is linked above. Unfortunately, it appears to be the only Primetime song that was composed by Alan Hawkshaw.
A fitting clip for this song (and the post title) is this "epic" 1996 matchup in the Georgia Dome between doomed June Jones's 1-9 Falcons and interim coach Rick Venturi's Saints. Enjoy!
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