Simon Park Orchestra

The Simon Park Orchestra is a group which is most notable for producing the instrumental, "Eye Level", which spent four weeks at the number one position in the UK Singles Chart in September 1973.cite book
first= David
last= Roberts
year= 2006
title= British Hit Singles & Albums
edition= 19th
publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
location= London
pages= p. 417
id= ISBN 1-904994-10-5]

"Eye Level"

"Eye Level" was produced originally for the De Wolfe Music Library and selected by Thames Television to be the theme tune for their Netherlands based detective series, "Van der Valk". The work was based on a Dutch nursery rhymeFact|date=March 2008 which Jack Trombey wrote a top line for, and Simon Park arranged for his own orchestra and conducted. The track was fully entitled "Eye Level (Theme from the TV series 'Van Der Valk').

The song based on the music, with suitable lyrics added was called "And You Smiled", and was performed by Matt Monro.

The tune became popular with audiences and, in a move which was unusual at the time for both library works and television themes, Columbia Records issued it on a single (catalogue number DB 8946) with the theme to Granada Television's drama series "Crown Court", entitled "Distant Hills", on the b-side. The record entered the UK chart and spent 22 weeks in the Top 40, four of them at number one. Total sales were 1,005,500.

It was also used for TV adverts for Alton Towers, in its pre-Lunar Park mode of gardens, fronted by Frank Muir.

Later works

Following the success of "Eye Level", Columbia released two albums of the orchestra's work, "Something in the Air" and "Venus Fly Trap". Neither achieved the success of "Eye Level".

References

* [http://www.chartwatch.co.uk/TopTen/acts/act01878.htm Chartwatch] chart positions and record details
* [http://www.whr.org.uk/depttv.html Department TV] CD with details of "Eye Level" and subsequent works described in the liner notes.