Videos Of The Week 13: Gene's Almond Temptations

Well hello there and welcome to yet another presentation of videos - specially selected, washed, diced, cooked, lovingly served on a bed of mushrooms and shoved in all of your holes.

All of them.

This week... MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC!

Close my eyes and I'll know you'll be there

We start off with a rather toe-curling bit of live TV from 1989, when ITV show This Morning was still fairly new, still hosted by Richard and Judy and still broadcast from Liverpool's Albert Dock. The show is about to end for the day and Gene Pitney is going to play the show out with his latest single. As is not unusual, Gene will be outside on a boat within the dock and miming (just as well, as it does look quite windy). Richard and Judy say goodbye, the track starts up and... well...

Evidently, it seems that for some reason, Gene wasn't hearing the track, but to be fair to him, he handles it pretty well, holding back a laugh and picking it up as soon as he can hear it. There are many examples out there of similar incidents, which often end in the act not being very happy about the cock-up. All credit to Gene for being nothing like that. He was a true gent and a bloody good singer.

Is there a treat for me?

Keeping it musical, this next vid is basically an extended advert for Temptations cat treats (known in the UK as Dreamies, as Whiskas had already brought out a brand of treats using the Temptations name, over here), taking the form of an ingenious re-recording of Simple Minds' hit Don't You (Forget About Me). Enjoy the VHS 80's kitty goodness...

There are so many things I love about this video, I can hardly contain myself, but the bit at the end of the song, when they acknowledge the cat on drums striking his cymbal is pure gold, as is the brief bit of a previous recording at the very end. Talking of found footage... actually no... I'll save that for another time...

I've got to know if this is the real thing

Finally for this week, we return to the late, great Gene Pitney and one of his greatest songs - in this instance from 1989, when he teamed up with Marc Almond to re-record Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart. This version in particular sticks in my mind, as it was one of many tracks from that particular time that just stuck in my pre-school mind, especially this video. I know it's not to everyone's taste, but the vocal talents on display have to be admired.

And that's it for this week. Once again, it's a short one and I am sorry for that, but I hope you've enjoyed it.

Go away, now.