27/2/15 - Leonard Nimoy - March 26th 1931 – February 27th - 2015 / The Bangles - Going Down To Liverpool - 1984

Video Of The Day

Song Of The Day

Life & Death

With the passing today of Leonard Nimoy, I marvel at how deeply his most famous character, Mr Spock has penetrated our lives. He was like The Beatles, everyone knew him, everyone loved him and you don’t have to be a Trekkie with rubber ears to be saddened by his death.

If you click on the links below you will see that he played many different roles in his career as an actor but it was the role of Mr Spock that became a part of him and became difficult to shake off. But with his distinctive voice he also made a fine narrator and presenter. Other interests were writing poetry and photography and later he took on the role of film director and his efforts included one of the best received Star Trek films, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986.

Both Mr Spock and Leonard Nimoy released albums, the first two focused on his character but he gradually left the alien persona behind and latterly his albums were either Folk or Country sounding.:

Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock’s Music from Outer Space (Dot Records), (1967)
Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy (Dot Records), (1968)
The Way I Feel (Dot Records, Stereo DLP 25883), (1968)
The Touch of Leonard Nimoy (Dot Records, Stero DLP 25910), (1969)
The New World of Leonard Nimoy (Dot Records, Stereo DLP 25966), (1970)

Here is a short overview of these records plus a sample of the spoken word – Observations With Leonard Nimoy.

http://www.musictimes.com/articles/29985/20150227/5-albums-leonard-nimoy-remembering-forgotten-side-mr-spocks-illustrious.htm

Leonard Nimoy’s appearance in The Bangles’ Going Down To Liverpool video came about as Susannah Hoffs went school with his son Adam. He plays the deadpan chauffeur and at one point actually turns the radio off.

The song from the grossly underrated Bangles debut album, All Over The Place (1984) was written by Ex Soft Boy and Katrina And The Waves guitarist Kimberly Rew and sung by drummer Debbi Peterson. This is The Bangles pre-image shake up and mega-hit status, before the record company realised that No.1 hits were coming. In 1986 with the release of their second album Different Light, The Bangles reached No.2 in the US with Prince’s song Manic Monday, Top 30 with Jules Shear’s, If She Knew What She Wants and No.1 with Pop writer Liam Sternberg’s Walk Like An Egyptian – the band became hugely successful all over the world.

Rest in peace Leonard Nimoy, condolences to friends and family and thank you for stimulating our imaginations when we were kids and helping us dream the impossible.