''More Hit TV Themes'' is the fifteenth studio album by American composer and arranger

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Records ...

, and his last for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

Origin and development

Released in April 1963, ''More Hit TV Themes'' is a successor to '' Route 66 Theme and Other Great TV Hits'', released the year before. Both albums were outgrowths of the success of Nelson Riddle's instrumental "Route 66 Theme," which spent 12 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 playlist in the summer of 1962, peaking at No. 30. When the theme was recorded, it seemed a natural to

to create an album of other TV themes around it. Riddle had album producer Tom Morgan select the tunes. The release of ''Route 66 Theme and Other Great TV Hits'' earned two Grammy nominations at the

5th Annual Grammy Awards The 5th Annual Grammy Awards were held on May 15, 1963, at Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians for the year 1962. Tony Bennett and Igor Stravinsky each won 3 awards. Award winners *Record of the ...

, for the

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Theme The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition (including its previous names) has been awarded since 1960. The award is presented to the composer of an original piece of music (not an adaptation), first released during the eligibility year. I ...

and the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement. The Recording Academy
The Recording Academy: Nelson Riddle
accessdate: February 10, 2021 The popularity of the ''Route 66'' album, and the single that spawned it, prompted the second album of TV themes. Producer Morgan selected an additional dozen tunes from the top-ranked TV shows in 1963, including " The Beverly Hillbillies" (#1), " The Dick Van Dyke Show" (#3), " The Lucy Show" (#6), and " McHale's Navy" (#22). Riddle's work as composer/conductor for the adventure drama television series " Route 66" led to his work as composer/conductor on the police crime drama television series " Naked City." The ''Route 66'' album includes his arrangement of the TV show theme, composed by

Billy May Edward William May Jr. (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2004) was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for ''The Green Hornet'' (1966), ''The Mod Squad'' (1968), ''Batman'' (with '' Batgirl'' them ...

. Riddle composed a new theme for the program, which was used for the final season. ''More Hit TV Themes'' includes Riddle’s "New Naked City Theme."

Reception

In its April 17, 1963, issue, '' Cash Box magazine'' acknowledged the heritage of ''More Hit TV Themes'', commenting, "Nelson Riddle's previous package of TV themes quickly zoomed up the charts and this follow-up stanza has every indication of going a similar success route." The '' Billboard magazine'' review from April 27, 1963, commented that "Riddle gives his usual imaginative and exciting treatment—both in arrangement and performance", and characterizes the album as an "apt follow-up to his last waxing of TV themes, hichwill without doubt outlive many of the TV shows Riddle has saluted so well". Reflecting the lasting appeal of Riddle's contemporary treatment of television themes of the '60s, in 2002 EMI Gold/Capitol issued a CD in its "Two on One" series containing the tracks from both ''Route 66 Theme and Other Great TV Hits'' and ''More Hit TV Themes'', 40 years after their original release.

Origin and development

Reception

Track listing

Side 1

Side 2

References