By RAY KELLY
His mother may have been a classically trained concert pianist, but Orson Welles did not turn a deaf ear to rock and roll or popular music.
During his lifetime, he contributed to recordings with performers ranging from the lush Ray Charles Singers to metal heads Manowar. Other acts were inspired by his films, either playing movie theme songs or making reference to his movies in original compositions or music videos.
(On a “related” note, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who is believed to be Welles’ son from a relationship with actress Geraldine Fitzgerald, directed many noteworthy concert films, music videos and documentaries for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Simon & Garfunkel).
Here is an overview of music acts with links – some admittedly quite thin – to Welles:
The Beatles: The Fab Four performed The Third Man Theme during their club years and did a rough run-through at one point during the January 1969 Let It Be sessions.
Queen: Welles’ radio career gets a mention in Radio Gaga: “Through wars of worlds / invaded by Mars /
You made ’em laugh / you made ’em cry.”
Alan Parsons Project: Tales of Mystery and Imagination was remixed in 1987 for release on CD, and included narration by Welles, which had been recorded in 1975, but arrived too late to be included on the original vinyl release.
Pink Floyd: A great cinematic what-if: Welles had consented to join the stellar cast of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s never-produced Dune in 1975 with Pink Floyd composing the score.
Manowar: Welles performed with the New York heavy metal band on two songs – Dark Avenger and Defender. The narration was recorded during the 1981-1982 sessions for their debut album Battle Hymns.
Ray Charles Singers: The vocal group backed Welles on his 1984 recording of I Know What It Is To Be Young (But You Don’t Know What It Is To Be Old).
The Grateful Dead: Backstage passes from the 1994 tour featured photos of Welles in Macbeth and The Stranger.
Jack White: Not only did White name his label Third Man Records, but he quoted lines from Citizen Kane in the 2001 White Stripes song The Union Forever.
Baron von Luxxury: Rosebud Was the Name of His Sled, another tip of the hat to Citizen Kane, is a track on the DJ-songwriter’s 2012 album The Last Seduction.
Billy Idol: The music video for Can’t Break Me Down pays homage to The Lady From Shanghia hall of mirrors sequence. The song is from Idol’s 2014 album Kings & Queens of the Underground!
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