Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Hooked On Classics 1,2, 3 [1981-1984] +New World Ensemble - Hooked On Classics 4 [1987] + Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra - Hooked on Instrumental Classics [1994] + The Best of Hooked on Classics [1984] (6 x CD's)

 

HOOKED ON CLASSICS

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Hooked On Classics 1,2, 3 [1981-1984] +New World Ensemble - Hooked On Classics 4 [1987] + Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra - Hooked on Instrumental Classics [1994] + The Best of Hooked on Classics [1984] (6 x CD's)

Hooked on Classics, produced by Jeff Jarratt and Don Reedman, is a multi-million selling album recorded by Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, published in 1981 by K-tel and distributed by RCA Records. Whether or not the Hooked On Classics series is an effective introduction to classical music is moot. It would be fascinating to survey some of the reviewers who have posted below to see if they've actually gone on to sample other classical works, gone to orchestral concerts or started listening to classical radio. Or was their exposure limited to this series or to just one disc in the series. I'm not being judgmental here, just curious. If it turned out that Hooked on Classics was really little more than a novelty on the order, say, of "A Fifth of Beethoven" would that matter at all, or are the works of interest in and of themselves.

Louis Clark, the conductor and arranger for the Hooked On series, has roots in "symphonic rock," as it turns out. He used to do arrangements for ELO back in the day. The Hooked On series, recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, seems to be another attempt to meld classical and popular music, this time with minus the rock band but with a steady LinnDrum accompaniment (which is sometimes effective, and sometimes kind of irritating, to tell the truth). When it does work, it does so in a light classical, pops concert kind of way. The medleys are imaginatively thought out and cleverly arranged. Nonetheless, it's all a fun listen, and maybe for some listeners it really could be an effective Classical Music 101 course. Purists may not care for it, but they probably don't go to Pops concerts either. Louis Clark is, I'm guessing, "hooked on" all sort of music. And that's not a bad thing at all. (Amazon)

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Pt.1   Pt.2 

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Track lists

CD1

01 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Classics Parts 1 & 2 5:05

02 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Romance 6:42

03 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Classics Part 3 6:01

04 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Bach 5:59

05 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Tchaikovsky 5:28

06 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On A Song 5:11

07 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Mozart 4:08

08 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Mendelssohn 4:24

09 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Can Can 4:57

CD2

01 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Can't Stop The Classics 5:47

02 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On America 4:08

03 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Romance (Part 2) 6:42

04 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Can't Stop The Classics (Part 6:31

05 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra A Night At The Opera 6:06

06 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Tales Of The Vienna Waltz 4:05

07 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Baroque 4:23

08 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra If You Knew Sousa 3:34

09 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra If You Knew Sousa (And Friends 3:04

CD3

01 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Also Sprach Zarathustra 1:14

02 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Journey Through The Classics 3:52

03 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Haydn 2:55

04 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Romance (Opus 3) 4:20

05 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Viva Vivaldi 4:03

06 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Dance Of The Furies 3:31

07 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Scotland The Brave 3:54

08 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Journey Through The Classics ( 3:58

09 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Journey Through America 3:27

10 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Marching 3:13

11 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Symphony Of The Seas 2:49

12 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Rogers & Hammerstein 3:40

CD4

01 New World Ensemble Hooked On Baroque 2 3:29

02 New World Ensemble Hooked On Adagio 7:36

03 New World Ensemble Hooked On Gigue 6:19

04 New World Ensemble Hooked On Fugue 5:33

05 New World Ensemble Hooked On Handel 6:20

06 New World Ensemble Hooked On Vivaldi 5:39

07 New World Ensemble Hooked On Scarlatti 5:20

08 New World Ensemble Hooked On Baroque 2 (Reprise) 6:52

CD5

01 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra Time Is Tight 4:09

02 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra Chariots Of Fire 3:31

03 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra Duane Eddy Medley, Shazam, Because They're Young, Peter Gunn 5:24

04 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra The Good, The Bad And The Ugly 3:32

05 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra Song For Guy 4:43

06 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra Telstar 3:37

07 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra Cavatina (From 'the Deer Hunter') 4:07

08 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra Nut Rocker 2:34

09 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus 4:43

10 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra Albatross 3:14

11 Louis Clark & The BBC Concert Orchestra Songbird 3:36

CD6

01 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Classics, Parts 1 & 2 5:06

02 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Can't Stop The Classics 5:48

03 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra A Night At The Opera 6:06

04 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On America 4:08

05 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Symphonies Of The Seas 2:49

06 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On A Can Can 4:56

07 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Also Sprach Zarathustra 1:12

08 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Journey Through The Classics 3:51

09 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Tchaikovsky 5:29

10 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Romance Opus 3 4:18

11 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Tales Of The Vienna Waltz 4:07

12 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra If You Knew Sousa 3:34

13 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra If You Knew Sousa (And Friends) 3:05

14 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Scotland The Brave (Hookery Jiggery Jock) 3:53

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