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| Showcase 2014 |
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Act One Showcase 2014 starts with a medley of some of the great Scottish artists of the 1980s, starting with Aztec Camera's 1988 hit Somewhere In My Heart, which was Roddy Frame's biggest hit in the UK, reaching number 3. We continue with In A Big Country by Big Country, which reached the lofty heights of number 17 in 1983. Eurythmics follow, with their only number one, There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart). The theme from the penultimate Roger Moore James Bond movie, For Your Eyes Only was a number 8 hit for Sheena Easton in 1981 and is followed by the breakthrough hit for Texas, I Don't Want A Lover, which reached number 8 in the UK in 1989. One of the biggest bands of the era is next, Wet Wet Wet and Angel Eyes (Home & Away), which was a number 5 hit in 1987. The section concludes with the mighty Real Gone Kid, which was also a number 8 hit in the UK, this time in 1988.
We move on with our now traditional Film and Show Tunes section, kicking off with two tunes from the classic Leslie Bricusse and Frank Wildhorn musical Jekyll and Hyde. Premiering in 1990, this has gone on to be one of the most successful musicals of all time. The first number, In His Eyes, is a duet between the two ladies in the good Doctor's life, while the second, the soaring This Is The Moment, describes his feelings immediately before his first transformation into Hyde. Next is a mini Disney section, beginning with one of the biggest songs of the last few years, Let It Go from the 2013 movie Frozen. Written by husband and wife team Kirsten Anderson-Lopez and David Lopez, the song was composed especially for Broadway legend Idina Menzel and won the Academy Award for best song at this year's Oscars. The second number is Feed The Birds, written by Richard M and Robert B Sherman for the 1964 movie Mary Poppins. The song was a particular favourite of Walt Disney himself, who felt its charitable sentiments summed up not only the movie, but everything Disney Studios was about. The final tune is You've Got A Friend In Me, written by Randy Newman for the 1995 movie Toy Story. The song was nominated for an Academy Award in 1996 but lost out, ironically, to a song from another Disney movie, Pocahontas!
The section continues with a medley of tunes that were originally featured in the movie later adapted into a West End musical - The Commitments. We feature Mustang Sally, first recorded by the writer Mack Rice in 1965 but made more famous by Wilson Pickett in 1966. The second song is Try A Little Tenderness, originally recorded in 1932 by the Ray Noble Orchestra; again, a 1966 cover version, this time by Otis Redding, made the song more famous. The section closes with Should Have Been Loved, taken from the 2007 Stephen Greenhorn musical Sunshine On Leith. Featuring the hits of The Proclaimers, the show was written for Dundee Rep, whose original production won the 2007 TMA award for best musical.
Act One concludes with some rock classics, starting with What's Up?, a number 2 hit for 4 Non Blondes. The next track is Jim Steinman's Dead Ringer For Love, a number 5 UK hit for Meat Loaf and Cher. This is followed by Alone, written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. The song was famously covered by Heart in 1987, reaching number 3 in the UK. Next is an all-time classic, The Who's Pinball Wizard. Originally composed by Pete Townshend for the 1969 concept album 'Tommy', the song was released as a single and reached number 4 in the UK. The song was memorably performed by Elton John in the 1975 movie and his version also hit the top ten, reaching number 7 in 1976. The first half concludes with a song that was never a hit in either the UK or US - but is one of the most famous rock songs in history - Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven. Voted at number 3 on VH1's greatest rock songs poll in 2002, the song was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in 1971 for the album 'Led Zeppelin IV'. The band reunited in 2007 at the O2 in London, performing a fifteen minute version, featuring a seven and a half minute guitar solo - we perform a slightly shorter version!
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Act Two
Act Two begins with the current West End and Broadway hit musical Matilda. Based on Roald Dahl's classic children's book and featuring songs by Tim Minchin, the show has been an enormous success, winning a record seven Olivier awards - including best musical - in 2012 and this year it won five Tony awards. The second section features a selection of the biggest hits of last year, starting off with Just Give Me A Reason, which was written and performed by US singer Pink and the lead singer of US rock band Fun, Nate Ruess. The song reached number 1 in a dozen countries around the world, but peaked at number 2 in the UK. This is followed by a medley of Happy and Get Lucky, both written by Pharrell Williams. Get Lucky, performed by Daft Punk, was the second bestselling record of 2013. The medley is followed by Pompeii, originally recorded by London band Bastille. The song reached number 2 in the UK last year. The section concludes with a song that has charted twice recently, Keane's Somewhere Only We Know. Originally released by the band in 2003, the song hit number 3 in the UK but is probably better known from last year's cover version by Lily Allen, which was used as the 2013 John Lewis Christmas advert, taking the song to the top of the charts in November.
From one extreme to the other, our next section showcases some of the classic songs of the 1950s and early 1960s, beginning with The Great Pretender. Originally written by Buck Ram and recorded by The Platters in 1955, our version tonight owes more than a little to the 1987 cover version by Freddie Mercury. This is followed by It Doesn't Matter Any More. Originally written by Paul Anka, the song was recorded by Buddy Holly in 1958 and was the first ever posthumous number 1 in the UK, hitting the top spot in 1959. All I Have To Do Is Dream was written by husband and wife team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, most famously topping the charts with the Everly Brothers in 1958. Del Shannon's Runaway was originally recorded in 1959, although the version we know and love was from 1961 and topped the charts in the US and UK. The section closes with another classic - Roy Orbison's Crying. Co-written with Joe Melson, the song was originally released in 1961. Our version tonight is based on an 1987 recording by Orbison with country legend k.d. lang, which reached number 13 in the UK.
Our finale kicks off with The Show Must Go On, performed tonight in a version that includes sections from both the original Queen version and the Craig Armstrong arrangement from the 2001 movie 'Moulin Rouge'. The song was written predominantly by Queen guitarist Brian May and explicitly refers to Freddie Mercury's then ongoing fight with AIDS. May was concerned while recording the track that Mercury, already seriously ill, wouldn't be able to sing such a demanding song. Mercury famously downed a large vodka and recorded his spine-tingling vocal in one take! Next up is Dougie MacLean's Caledonia, originally recorded by the author in 1979 and memorably performed as part of the closing ceremony for the recent Glasgow Commonwealth Games. We then continue with Seasons Of Love, taken from Jonathaon Larson's musical 'Rent'. The song tells how many minutes there are in a year and asks if that is the best way to measure a human life, concluding that it is more effective to 'measure in love'. Our final number is Labi Siffre's So Strong. A number 4 UK hit in 1987, the song was originally written in 1984 after Siffre watched a TV programme about apartheid in South Africa. The song has remained enduringly popular and is an example of the political and sociological thread running through much of Siffre's lyrics and poetry - its themes of freedom and compassion are as relevant today in 21st century Scotland as they have ever been.
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