“batman”
Neal Hefti
Batman Theme and 19 Hefti Bat Songs
Razor and Tie
In my book, the Batman Beat was destined to live in a musical Valhalla with the Wipeout Beat and other basic Beats, personally influential rhythm patterns thumped out by seemingly anonymous drummers. Later would come Bonzo, Copeland, and Pedersen, but their delicate nature always seemed in danger of being overwhelmed by the oxen yet faceless Primal Beats.
Well, I can now thank Mr. Neal Hefti for that bomping, rolling Batman Beat. As part of what seems to be a series of mid to late ’60s TV music reissues, Razor and Tie put together not only the aforementioned theme, but a whole series of incidental music pieces from the original, live action Batman TV show. These are not fluff! No, they are every bit as groovy as the Theme! They just didn’t enjoy the same amount of repetition…
Mr. Hefti’s ingenious arrangements of rock instruments, jazz trappings, and oddball sounds are beyond hilarious, and seek to outdo even the outlandish song titles. The bubbling tones of “Sewer Lady,” the menacing polka of “Eivol Ekdol, the Albanian Genius,” the south-of-the-border shuffle of “Señorita Boo Bam” (with a bamboo marimba melody)… the man was nuts. To think I missed all of this the first time around! Do not suffer my fate… reacquaint yourself with your past. Put back that Esquivel record you were meaning to buy for completeness’ sake and bring some Hefti lovin’ to your home. Razor & Tie Music, P.O. Box 585, Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276
