Geoff Love

Geoff Love (4 September 1917 – 8 July 1991) was a prolific British arranger and composer of easy listening and pop versions of film themes. He became famous in the late 1950s, playing under the pseudonym of Manuel and his Music of the Mountains.

Early years

Love was born in Todmorden, Yorkshire, the only son and younger of two surviving children (an elder sister Cornelia) of African American Thomas Edward (Kidd) Love and his English wife, Frances Helen Maycock (1892–1975), an actress and singer.

The Loves travelled around Britain as entertainers, but, following the death of his father, the family returned to their grandmother's house in Todmorden. Whilst at school, Love learned the trombone. After leaving school at 15, Love worked as a mechanic at a car mechanic's and played trombone at dance halls in the evening. Having turned professional at 17, Love joined Freddie Platt's band.

Later, in 1936, he joined Jan Ralfini's band playing in London and learned to play jazz. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Love was called up and joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps. Whilst in the armed forces, Love spent time learning orchestration by questioning musicians how best to write for their individual instruments.

Love

Love is a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes that ranges from interpersonal affection ("I love my mother") to pleasure ("I loved that meal"). It can refer to an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment. It can also be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection—"the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another". It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self or animals.

Non-Western traditions have also distinguished variants or symbioses of these states. This diversity of uses and meanings combined with the complexity of the feelings involved makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states.

Love in its various forms acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships and, owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.

Love may be understood as a function to keep human beings together against menaces and to facilitate the continuation of the species.

Geoffrey

Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc. may refer to:

People

Fictional characters

Norman Newell

Norman Newell OBE (25 January 1919 – 1 December 2004) was an Golden Globe award winning English record producer, mainly active in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as co-writer of many notable songs. As an A&R manager for EMI he worked with musicians such as Shirley Bassey, Claude François, Vera Lynn, Russ Conway, Bette Midler, Judy Garland, Petula Clark, Jake Thackray, Malcolm Roberts, Bobby Crush and Peter and Gordon. Newell was particularly known for his recorded productions of West End musicals.

Honour

During his career, won a Grammy, an Emmy and three Ivor Novello Awards for his contribution to the entertainment industry, as well as six British Music Industry Awards.

Life and career

Newell was born in Plaistow, Essex (now Greater London). His career as a songwriter for a London based music publishing company, commenced straight after World War II.

He was the head of EMI's Columbia label for many of the label's most successful years. He was also a highly sought after lyricist, sometimes writing under the pen-name, David West, responsible for co-writing songs that included "My Thanks To You" (music by Noel Gay) and "Portrait of My Love" (music by Cyril Ornadel), a hit for Matt Monro. In addition, he provided the English lyrics for "More", (the theme from the film Mondo Cane). Newell also wrote the English lyrics of Shirley Bassey's 1961 number one hit "Reach for the Stars", (composed by Nini Oliviero and Riz Ortolani); "This Is My Life" ("La vita", written by Antonio Amurri and Bruno Canfora); "The Importance of Your Love" ("Important C'est La Rose", by Gilbert Bécaud); "Monday Morning Again" ("Le lundi au soleil", by Claude François) and "Never, Never, Never" ("Grande, Grande Grande"). He also wrote with the composer, Philip Green, the United Kingdom's 1962 Eurovision Song Contest entry, "Say Wonderful Things", recorded by Ronnie Carroll. The song was later recorded in the United States by Patti Page.

Is Paris Burning?

Is Paris Burning? (French: Paris brûle-t-il ?) is a 1966 film directed by René Clément, starring an ensemble cast, about the liberation of Paris in August 1944 by the French Resistance and the Free French Forces during World War II. The script was based on the book of the same title by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre.

Plot

Shortly after the failed 1944 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler (Billy Frick), he appoints General Dietrich von Choltitz (Gert Fröbe) as military governor of occupied Paris. Hitler believes von Choltitz will obey his order to not let the Allies capture Paris without the Germans destroying it completely, similar to the planned destruction of Warsaw.

The French Resistance learn that the Allies are not planning to take Paris, but are heading straight to Germany instead. The two factions within the Resistance react to this news differently. The Gaullists want to wait and see, while the Communists want to take action. The Communists force the issue by calling for a general uprising by the citizens of Paris and by occupying important government buildings. The Gaullists go along with this plan of action once it is set in motion.