The first Barry Adamson solo single was a cover of The Man With The Golden Arm, composed by Elmer Bernstein for the 1955 film of the same name, starring Frank Sinatra.
As a statement of intent for Moss Side Story, the debut album also released in 1988, it was perfect. The quick time tempo of the original is slowed right down to a brooding, rumbling, menacing tune, so that when the dramatic stabs come in, it hits.
The Man With The Golden Arm is placed at the end of Moss Side Story's flowing narrative of (mostly) imaginary soundtracks and theme tunes, but I recorded the song from my copy of the 12" single as the opening track of several mixtapes over the years. It works every way.
I've rarely if ever seen the video, and whilst it was no surprise to see the film noir story unfold with Barry in the titular role, the remaining cast and crew were. Barry's paramour is played by 18-year old Minnie Driver, in what must have been one of her first professional acting roles, whilst the striptease artist is none other than Marcia Schofield, better known (to me at least) as keyboard player with The Fall.
The video is directed by Angela Conway, a fellow Mute recording artist as A.C. Marias, and who went on to direct videos for The Smashing Pumpkins, Bryan Ferry, Nitzer Ebb, Maria McKee and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, to name a few.
I think I saw The Man With The Golden Arm not long after. Maybe it was included in the Alex Cox-curated Moviedrome series on BBC2 but I also watched it on the big screen at the Watershed in Bristol and, in the early 1990s, bought the film as a budget-price VHS cassette.
Both the VHS tape and player are long gone and I haven't seen the film in years but, along with The Manchurian Candidate, ranks as one of Frank Sinatra's finest moments on celluloid.
Here's the trailer, with a snippet of Elmer Bernstein's original score.
So....I watched the video, for the first time ever, as I scrolled down the post. I'm thinking to myself that the actor in Barry's studio/bedroom is familiar looking, but I can't quite name her.
ReplyDeleteThen I see the stripper, and I'm now thinking she looks like the Marcia from The Fall, but surely not??? That video would have been made while she was in the band....her appearance must surely have been mentioned in the music papers at the time, but not that I can remember!
And then, having been buried deep in my brain, I was sure she had played on 'Moss Side Story'. Went to the CD racks in Villain Towers to check....and yup, she was on 'The Swinging Detective'. She must have been good pals with Barry back then, but I'm guessing most Manc-based musicians would have been.
But Minnie Driver? I had to go 'of course!!!!!!' when I read the rest of the piece.