♫ At the beginning of September John Wilson was in Studio 2 at Abbey Road working on the soundtrack of a major new film biography about Bobby Darin. John tells us that around 35 Darin hits were carefully reconstructed, with Kevin Spacey doing a very creditable job with the vocals. No doubt we will all be able to judge, when the soundtrack CD is eventually released – probably some time next year.

♫ Sunday evenings in Britain always come to a pleasant conclusion with The David Jacobs Collection, starting on BBC Radio-2 at 11.00pm. On 21 September David paid our magazine a very kind compliment, saying that it comes second only to the fine publications by the Bing Crosby Society. In the same show, David played Bob’s recording of When I Fall In Love and If You Are But A Dream featuring Carol Kidd.

♫ The Zomba Group was recently bought by the Bertelsmann Music Group and as a result Zomba Production Music is in the throes of consolidating its libraries with the BMG libraries. This will mean that Chappell, Bruton, Atmosphere, BMG and several others will now form a major presence together in production music circles. 
♫ Have you visited the RFS website just recently? It was given a new look towards the end of September, and we hope that you’ll now find it easier to move quickly from one page to another. It is a good idea to make a visit at least once a month to look at the RFS Information page, which carries late news items. Our website address can be found on the inside front cover of each issue ofJournal Into Melody, but if you don’t have your copy handy simply visit a well-known search engine and type in ‘Robert Farnon Society’. It couldn’t be more simple!

♫ Debbie Wiseman will be conducting the London premiere of her new work "Wilde Stories" at London’s Barbican Centre on Saturday 6 December (box office 020 7638 8891). This unique concert (which actually had its first performance in Birmingham on 27 October) will preview the Channel 4 Christmas transmission of these animated films of Oscar Wilde fairy stories, with Debbie conducting the National Symphony Orchestra for the soundtrack live to the projected films.

♫ We were saddened to learn of the death of Robin Boyle on 25 July, at South Rauceby, Lincolnshire, at the age of 76. He was born at Folkestone, Kent, on 27 March 1927, and was a much-loved voice on BBC Radio for many years. Although he had a short period on secondment in the Light Entertainment department as producer, Robin’s lasting love was music, and he was at his best presenting such shows as Night-Ride, Morning Music and Music While You Work, and he was liked and trusted by the professionals, like Cliff Adams of the Adams Singers, or the arranger, composer and conductor Stanley Black. Friday Night is Music Night came his way in the general run of programmes to be presented, in the 1950s. It was never meant to have just one announcer; indeed, most Light Programme/ Radio 2 staff announcers had a stab at it at one time or another: Philip Slessor (the original presenter), Jimmy Kingsbury, the majestic Frank Phillips, Eugene Fraser, John Marsh, James Alexander Gordon (when he wasn't reading the football results). But after a while, sometime in the 1970s, Boyle seemed to fall naturally into the job and carried on through the 1980s until he retired in 1987 at the statutory BBC age of 60. That, however, seemed to make little or no difference and he found that the producers would summon him as usual through the 1990s, although now as a freelance, and for a rather better fee. Robin Boyle was a good friend of the Robert Farnon Society, and members had the great pleasure of meeting him at one of our London recitals.

♫ We have recently learned that a Japanese record dealer is offering to sell BMG Italian Production Music CDs on his website for £80 each. These same CDs are available to members of the Robert Farnon Society for just £9 each. For more information turn to Keeping Track in this issue.

♫ We are sorry to report the death of Edward Cole. Some members may recall meeting him at our London recitals, including the special celebrations in 1997 for Robert Farnon’s 80^th birthday. Edward was for some years a news reader and continuity announcer with the BBC. He died on 6 June aged 63.

Our friends in The Light Music Society now have their own website, so do pay them a visit:www.lightmusicsociety.com You can also reach them through the ‘Links’ page on our own website.