For a third time we enter the melodic ursine world for a fresh selection of songs.
“Grizzly Bear” is a track from Angus & Julia Stone the third studio album by Australian singer-songwriter duo Angus and Julia Stone, released in August 2014 in Australia through EMI Music Australia, and on the same day in the United States through American Recordings. Its release was preceded by the singles “Heat Beats Slow”, which peaked at No. 37 in Australia, “Death Defying Acts” in June, “A Heartbreak” and “Grizzly Bear” in July. The videos for all four songs as well as a video for “Get Home” were directed by Jessie Hill.
“Hunting Bears” is an instrumental track taken from Radiohead’s 2001 album ‘Amnesiac’. Simply Thom on guitar playing a track. It’s quite spaced out in that there are real lingering gaps between the notes. But it’s cool… Kinda eerie, but cool. The track was played live during the 2001 tour. It’s very interesting, but serves more as an interlude than an actually brilliant track. Having said that, it’s like Pulk in that some people thing it’s amazing, others don’t like it at all. I personally think it’s quite decent, but nothing to write home about. Quite short, too.
“The Bear and the Maiden Fair” is a folk song in A Song of Ice and Fire novels, and it is sung in its television series adaptation Game of Thrones. The lyrics are provided by George R.R. Martin in the original novel; Ramin Djawadi composed the tune’s music in 2012, at the request of the series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and the recording, by The Hold Steady, was arranged by Tad Kubler. The recording was released on a seven-inch record in April 2013.
“Bi-Polar Bear” is a track from ‘Shangri-La Dee Da’ the fifth studio album by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. It was produced by Brenda O’Brien and released in June 2001 by Atlantic Records. It was their last album to be produced by O’Brien and their last one before they first disbanded in late 2003. In 2011, the song “Black Again” was added to STP’s setlist, and was performed for the majority of the tour. “Bi-Polar Bear” was also performed occasionally, after the band reunited in 2008.
I couldn’t in all conscience leave the topic of ‘Bears’ without reference to two of the great bears of our time. Firstly Rupert the Bear a children’s comic strip character and franchise created by artist Mary Tourtel and first appearing in the Daily Express newspaper in November 1920. In 1935, the stories were taken over by Alfred Bestall, who proved to be successful in the field of children’s literature and worked on Rupert stories and artwork into his nineties. More recently, various other artists and writers have continued the series. About 50 million copies have been sold worldwide. Many of these stories later being printed in books, and every year since 1936 a Rupert annual has also been released. Rupert Bear is a part of children’s culture in the UK. and appears in several television series based on the character. The theme song to the first TV series written by Len Beadle and Ron Roker, sung by Jackie Lee, reached number 14 in the UK charts in 1971.
And finally, “Paddington Bear” another fictional character in children’s literature. He first appeared in October 1958 in the children’s book A Bear Called Paddington and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond, and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum and other artists. The friendly spectacled bear from “darkest Peru” – with his old hat, battered suitcase, duffel coat and love of marmalade – has become a classic character in children’s literature. Paddington is always polite – addressing people as “Mr”, “Mrs” and “Miss” but rarely by first names – and kindhearted, though he inflicts hard stares on those who incur his disapproval. He has an endless capacity for innocently getting into trouble, but he is known to “try so hard to get things right”. He was discovered in Paddington Station by the (human) Brown family who adopted him and gives his full name as “Paddington Brown,” as his original name in bear language was too hard for them to pronounce. Paddington Bear has been adapted for television, films and commercials since its first appearance on the BBC in 1966.
