G.B.H.: Original Music From The Channel Four Series (British TV Series) [SOUNDTRACK]

Elvis Costello, Richard Harvey

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 22, 1994)
• Original Release Date: February 22, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B0000009V2
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #226,265 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
While hardly a pivotal title in the Ryko reissue series, this merits attention as the first domestic release for the programmatic orchestral score Costello co-wrote in 1990-91 for the U.K. TV series which aired on PBS. More evidence of the man's restless muse, and an item completists will sooner or later purchase. --Jeff Bateman

From the Label
"What's this," fans asked, "An Elvis Costello album that we've never heard of?" Well, yes: Originally released in the UK in 1991 and scarce as an import, G.B.H. is an original instrumental soundtrack composed by Costello and Richard Harvey for the acclaimed television miniseries of the same name. The collection of 22 orchestrated passages represents Costello's first full-blown original soundtrack and won a BAFTA award (the UK's equivalent of an Emmy) for "Best Music for a TV Series" that year.

G.B.H. (which stands for "grievous bodily harm," a legal term for a particular offense in the UK) was a major television event during its six-week run on Channel 4. Starring Michael Palin (of Monty Python) and Robert Lindsay, the series dealt with political corruption at the local government level and was written by celebrated screenwriter Alan Bleasdale.

Collaborator Richard Harvey was the leader of the late-'70s British baroque/progressive rock band Gryphon. He also wields the baton on G.B.H., conducting a group of Britain's most esteemed orchestral players through 22 compelling tracks that recall the shifting dramatic textures of the series. Alternately whimsical, brutal, slinky, and chilling, G.B.H. represents a superb orchestral complement to what Select magazine called "one of the best TV drama series of the last ten years."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece, April 28, 2000

By	"empty68" (Boise, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews

This is as good as it gets, folks. It's easy to understand, as you listen to this complex stunner, why Elvis Costello is one of the most treasured songwriters of his generation. Elvis plays to his strengths on this masterful release: tight song structures and a feeling of impending emotional erruption. A mindblower!

2 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars GOD THIS IS HORRIBLE, June 9, 1999

By A Customer

THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS WARNING: NEVER LISTENT TO THESE SONGS OR IT WILL TAINT YOUR IMAGE OF COSTELLO FOREVER