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Rest in peace Dear Michael. If it were not for you the Italian film music in the UK would not have taken off.Your passion shone through and was infectious.Thank you for opening the world of the spaghetti western to a raw wet behind the ears 15 year old. Rest now Michael sit and listen to the music. https://jonman492000.wordpress.com/2023/08/15/me-and-michael-jones/w
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Sorry to hear this. Loved Mike. I was about 13- 14 when I sent off for my first Ennio LP to Soundtrack n General in Brockley (he started out at Soundtrack at the arts). In those days it wasn't uncommon to send money/coins in the mail, but untypically the envelope went missing. I wrote to him and Mike rang my house, but Mike still honoured the order n sent the record. Not many businesses would do that.
It was postal orders all the time after that!. I had roughly an Ennio LP most weeks off him for a couple of years. - combo of car washing money and pocket money.
Mike was a nice, reliable man. Like Lionel Woodman at Hillside, Mike was very definitely a pioneer in those days, probably the first importer of Italian soundtracks to the UK. Helped me get a lot of Ennio western LPs then I started ordering non western Ennio stuff. Posted Monday, received Ennio LPs Wednesday morning, so rushed home lunchtimes from school wednesdays to listen to them. lol
I don't know what age Mike would have been? Mid 70s maybe? I got to interview Mike for an Ennio project in 2006 and it was lift to chat with him after all those years. That news has made me sad. Appreciate knowing though.
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Yes he was a genuine reliable person.when he was at the arts theatre we often just sat talking then when he went to Dean Street we would go out for chips at lunchtime. One time I remember we went to a Japanese steak house Mike had a few lps with him he ordered and aa we sat and ate the owner of the place came and sat with us and translated the writing on the albums which were queimada sabata get carter and catlow. Mike was so passionate he was also known as Mike (I have run out of 2ps)by author Laurence Staig who wrote the book Opera of Violence. I would get a couple of lps a week from him by post sometimes he just sent an lp without payment because he knew I would like it. Mike inspired me to find out more about the composers and the music.Later he produced lps himself mostly tv themes. And I used to go to his house in London to see him and his wife carol. Just last year I sent him so many downloads of western scores he loved Morricone Ferrio, de masi all the greats.He sadly had a stroke, and then a series of ties and further strokes. Which eventually took their toll. I am totally devastated he was a friend a well of info and I suppose my mentor. Rest well Mr Jones. Miss you.
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Was Michael the gentleman behind those early American TV albums done with Derek Wadsworth adopting the 'Daniel Caine' pseudonym? For instance, the A-TEAM and HILL ST BLUES albums?
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Yes he was with Daniel cane the conductor. Things like the a team etc
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Hi all I am writing a tribute to Micheal for Movie Music International can I include some of your thoughts
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Yes he was more than owner he introduced many to imports from Europe and america
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For some reason it's wrong link I will post correct one
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Hi all I am writing a tribute to Micheal for Movie Music International can I include some of your thoughts
Can't speak for others here but feel free if you want to use any of mine, John.
I look forward to reading "Mike Jones, the Spaghetti western soundtrack pioneer, Rip".
Post the link here when you finish it.
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Yes he was with Daniel cane the conductor. Things like the a team etc
Thought so, they collaborated on several recordings. People think that Silva Screen produced the A-Team and Hill St. Blues albums but I believe Michael was behind the original recordings/releases and - for what has ever been available for those shows - they're pretty good, if rather short. Sorry to hear the news.
RIP.
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The link in the first post just leads to a photo of a concert(?), but from reading between the lines in the posts, I glean that this was an owner of a record store somewhere that several of you knew?
Thor we are talking very early 70s here -maybe even late 60s, - Mike started his business importing Italian LP soundtracks (on the back of massive spaghetti western popularity in uk and brewing interest in Ennio Morricone music), when there was nothing else - I suspect the key came from having contacts with Mr Bongiovanni in Bologna, who had his own record store n was happy to send LPs by mail. And who spoke English!
It just grew from there and like a pied piper, Mike "recruited" a huge wave of collectors, who subscribed to his newsletter. Some collectors, like Lionel, went on to become big dealers themselves.
I know Sir Christopher Frayling was one of his early customers. As was Laurence Staig, as John mentioned .
As we know, the road from becoming a collector to becoming a dealer to becoming a record/soundtrack producer has proven a natural one.
And Mike Jones truly was one of the first. Anyone around from the 70s pretty much bought from him at some point.
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John (or anyone who knows), could you put some kind of timeline on that (Arts Theatre Club to 58 Dean Street to That's Entertainment)? I never met Michael, but I'd be interested to know if we "could have" met on my visits to London.
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His main one was Soundtrack & General in Brockley - id be guessing but I'd say I bought from him circa 74 to 78, something like that. The shop was a bit off the beaten track for the usual central London shopping crew and best visited by car. He did most of his business mail order I think.
Soundtrack at the Arts I guess was early 70s. (Lionel woodman has kept an old catalogue of Mike's from there dated 1972).
John probably knows the complete dates more accurately.
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Hi Michael started at soundtrack about 1970. I first met him in 71 I was 15 he was 21. He was at soundtrack till around 74 then went to 58 Dean Street. With Derek and later James fitzpatrick. He then had a short time at thats entertainment he left there for soundtrack and general which was in Brockley Road which was over the south side of river working with Jeff kilgour. In 193 he was at the gpo as well where he met Carol who he married it would have been thier 50th anniversary in August. He went on to be a record producer.
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Thanks for correcting the link simon.
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