BBC Parliament

Which is "Arthur" by Rick Wakeman, available on his album "The Myths And Legends of King Arthur and The Knights Of The Round Table". The full track is over 8 minutes long.

One assumes he's returned to the studio to provide a watered down synthesized version of the theme tune for Election 97 and 2005. For some reason some weak [one immediately assumes last minute in-house] stringy music was used for Vote 2001 - perhaps because of Rick's breakup with Nena Carter.

Funny how they ditched the 2001 version and went back to the familiar though slightly different theme. There must have been complaints.

Maybe, although I think a more plausible reason - they either couldn't get Rick's services / permission in time (remember the election was originally scheduled for May but actually happened in July following the foot and mouth crisis) or they wanted to save money and do it themselves. It was crap and unmemorable though, at least a generation of proggers know who Rick is.

Maybe they got jittery in 2001 after Rick Wakeman 'came out' publicly as a Conservative supporter. I've got a feeling he appeared at one of their conferences at the time. Perhaps someone over-sensitive thought it inappropriate for an Election programme.

Great theme though, and nice to hear it back earlier this year, even though it wasn't the original version.

Well yes and no. Given that the original was written, performed and recorded in the 1970s like anything it needs updating now and then. Plus the theme from 1992 was directly lifted from the album and badly edited together so that anyone who knows the piece will be able to spot the clunky join. Other programmes which use actual chart / album songs like "Gimme Gimme Gimme", "Coupling" and "Early Doors" have commissioned specific theme tunes from either cover artistes or in Early Doors case the original artist.

But the new versions just aren't a patch on the bombastic original, didn't know it was spliced together but whatever they did to it makes it work.

No they aren't - you're quite right.

The join occurs just as the sequence ends - for the final big swell into the Election 92 logo. Listen for when the choir suddenly join in from nowhere.

I don't know why I don't like the booming Election 87, or any of its tweaks. It seems so ridiculous and overblown

Actually much preferred the 2001 music which seemed quite stirring and made you pay attention

Pleased to see that BBC Parliament is now streaming the House of Lords and select committees online:
www.media247.co.uk/skydigital/newsarchive/2005/10/bbc_parliament_2.php

www.bbc.co.uk/parliament