Mercury versus Mercury

 

Both from albums of electronicized versions of Holst's The Planets released the same year - 1976.

Wonder which came out first and who was the more pissed off?

Tomita's has the edge I think for its frolicking stereophony and shimmery reverb

Gleeson's sound palette is a bit flatter and duller  

Tomita's flickers are that much more scintillating and well, mercurial, darting hither and thither .... tickling your ears in an almost ASMR-y way

Strange because if Gleeson had done something as far-out as his contributions to Herbie Hancock's Sextant, than he would have won the battle.... perhaps having to be tied to the score held him back?

Used to love listening to Holst's Planets as a boy, "Mercury" was a favorite, but my ab fav was "Neptune".... so eerie and oneiric... I used to listen to it sprawled on my parents's bed  half-swooning into the mystic mist billowing out of the old-fashioned sideboard-style radiogram 

So let's compare electronorenditions, shall we? 

Again, Tomita the clear winner.... the machine Gleeson is using is a cruder and clumsier instrument than his rival's

But where I think the Tomita electronic rendering brings out dimensions to "Mercury" not available to Holst, when it comes to “Neptune, the Mystic” think the original orchestral template creates a diaphanous, elusive quality that electronica makes too clear and bright... 

Here's a whole playlist of orchestral interpretations of "Neptune"

Rock 'n ' Ravel

Beggars belief that this was considered a giant leap for rock guitarism. 

 When Bo Derek's character in 10 avers that Ravel's  Boléro was the most erotic piece of music ever, I don't think she had this Prince Buster rip off "Wreck A Pum Pum" in mind. Quite astonishingly raunchy and graphic for 1968.

Whereas Tomita's treatment is subdued and almost sedate 

Mostly though it's proggers and then metalloids who've taken it up

Crikey - well I guess Jim Lea had proggoid potential, having been in jazz youth orchestras and such 

A very early 'rock' version

There's a guide for anything and everything on YouTube!

Well, obviously this below is by infinite distance the best use of That Rhythm: 

Then again, the video claims that "School's Out" by Alice Cooper  is a Boléro 

It seems to pop up quite often as a momentary passage - like the middle-eight or the bridge bit - an intensification of rhythm... bammity-bammity

The idea that the Ravel piece is about sex is not an invention of Bo's character in 10 

postscript: 

Ed in comments points out that Buster's "Wreck A Pum Pum" is a rip-off of "Little Drummer Boy" rather than "Bolero". Which plain fact (the paruppa pum pum bit!) eluded me somehow! On the other hand, the two tunes / rhythms have a proximity such that people have combined them 

Indeed a webzine tracking all the versions of  "Carol of the Drum" aka "Little Drummer Boy" (there are many, many - and this list doesn't even include the Pentatonix take) says this:

"Written already in 1941, loosely based on a Czech fairytale. In one of Martin Luther's christmas carols, children play as little drummer boys near newborn Jesus. The tune is related to Spanish song Tamborilero and to French song Le Jongleur (Middle Ages), it also somewhat reminds Ravel's Bolero (1928)."

Here's a female answer song / counter-cover of the Prince Buster tune - the lyrics are just as raunchy - slackness before slackness

Never heard the Trapp Family Singers

I always wonder if Bing respected Bowie as a singer, or just did this because the bookers on his show thought it would be a "with it" move. I think they sound just wunnerful together. Bowie is clearly chuffed at ascension into the Showbiz Pantheonic Heights (much like he was mega-chuffed round about this time when he signed on to do Just A Gigolo, thinking that he'd be acting face to face with Marlene Dietrich)

If ears could puke...