Hancock Singles and EPs

Little Pieces Of Hancock Volume 1 NEP24146

The first EP was released in 1960 and featured extracts from the Pieces of Hancock LP with which it shared its artwork. This first volume, with dark orange writing on the front sleeve, featured The Secret Life of Anthony Hancock on side 1. Running for 7 minutes, this was The Test Pilot sequence from The Diary. Side 2 also ran for 7 minutes and featured an extract from The Threatening Letters. This sequence starts with Hancock visiting the police station with his threatening letters. A nice touch on this release was an edited version of some of the dialogue specially recorded for the Pieces of Hancock LP. This dialogue was at the end of side 1 and at both the beginning and end of side 2. The initial versions of this release featured a plum coloured label as illustrated. Later versions featured a pink/red label which is identical to style to that illustrated under Little Pieces of Hancock Vol 2.

Little Pieces of Hancock Volume 2 NEP24161

The second EP release from Pieces of Hancock, also released in 1960, featured two 8-minute extracts from The East Cheam Drama Festival. On Side 1 is Jack's Return Home and on side 2 Look Back In Hunger, both extracts edited further from the versions on the LP. The wording on this cover was in light blue. Early releases featured a plum coloured label with later releases the pink / red label illustrated.

 

 

 

The Publicity Photograph NEP24170

The final EP release from Pieces of Hancock was also released in 1960 and featured two excerpts from The Publicity Photograph. Side 1 ran for 5 ¬Ω minutes and Side 2 for nearly 7 minutes. The sequence begins on side 1 with Hancock visiting the photographer. This sequence continues onto side 2 and is followed by the arrival of the photograph at Hancock's home. This release also features some more of the dialogue specially recorded for the Pieces of Hancock LP and is used to introduce the sequence on side 1 and to round off the extract at the end of side 2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights From The Blood Donor NEP24175

This release from 1961 featured extracts from the Pye LP: 'Hancock', with both sides of this EP being extracts from The Blood Donor. The colour front cover featured identical artwork to the LP cover. Side 1 ran for nearly 8 minutes and featured the segment beginnning with Hancock's arrival at the Blood Donor Clinic. Side 2 ran for 8 ¬Ω minutes and featured Hancock with the Doctor: 'It's very nearly an armful!', followed immediately by the end sequence involving a bread knife and a blood transfusion! Early releases featured a largely white label; subsequent releases featured the traditional pink label.

 

Highlights From The Blood Donor PEP020

This Australian release is identical to the previous UK version of the release other than the front cover is entirely in black and white!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theme From the Rebel / Ou La La HMV 45 number POP 852

This single by Frank Cordell and His Orchestra from 1961 featured the Theme Tune from The Rebel film as its 'A' side. Ou La La, also from The Rebel, was the 'B' side. The single was released in a wonderfully period sleeve advising that the record 'must be played at 45' and 'The use of “EMITEX" cleaning material (available from Record Dealers) will preserve this record and keep it free from dust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Face To Face / The Sky At Night Decca 45F 11439

Released in 1962, the single featured the theme tunes from the television shows Face To Face and The Sky At Night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top TV Themes WO3 (1963)

This 6 track EP from 1963 was given away by Woman's Own magazine as a taster of the Golden Guinea label Top TV Theme LP. The sleeve note advised that: 'This record is a personal invitation to you to visit your local record shop where the original L.P. from which these selections were taken, is on sale at only 19/11 each'. This EP features half of the tracks from the album and, although it does not include 'Hancock's Theme', it does include an advert on the reverse for the album which specifically mentions 'Hancock's Tune

 

 

Hancock's Tune / Spying Tonight Pye 7N15500

Released in 1963, this single featured the theme music from the ATV Series Hancock, which included a specially recorded voiceover by Tony. The 'B' side was the theme tune from Spying Tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Test Pilot / The Threatening Letters Pye 7N15575

Released in 1964 in a blaze of almost no publicity, this rare single was the last to actually feature Tony. Both the A and the B sides feature the same sequences as on Little Pieces Of Hancock Volume 1, but the sequences on this single are significantly shorter, with the A side being just over 3 ¬Ω minutes compared to 7 minutes on the previous release and the B side just over 4 minutes compared to 7 minutes on the Little Pieces of release. It was the edited version of The Test Pilot featured on this single that was regularly heard on 'Stewpots Choice', the children's radio request programme from the early 1970's. An advance promotion copy is also illustrated.

Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines (Or How I Flew From London To Paris in 25 Hours & 11 Minutes) / Arizona Stateside EMI SS422

Released in 1965, this single featured the theme music from the film 'Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines' on the A-side and the love theme from the film called Arizona on the B-side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ces MerveilleuxFous Volants Dans Leurs No 730 007 (Mono) (1965)

In France singles were always released in an EP format. So, when it came to release the single from Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, the EP format was adopted and features extracts from the film score of Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. The release, which featured the same artwork as the LP release, contains the following tracks: 1) Ces Merveilleux Fous Volants Dans Droles De Machines, 2) Ah, So…Mein Herr, 3) La Danse Des Aviateurs Intrepides and 4) Le Pilote Francais.

 

 

Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines TX -11,416

The Australian EP featured Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines and The Great Air Race on side 1 and The Flying Frenchman and The Incredible Time of 25 Hours and 11 Minutes on side 2. The only version seen by the author was in a plain white sleeve but I doubt that this was the original. If anyone is able to send an image of the original cover for this release, it will be added to this article.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines

In addition to the releases already covered above, there are 4 other singles as follows:

  • UK EP, with Those Magnificent men In Their Flying Machines on one side only
  • Promotional Single
  • Single TK 1059 with a white/red label
  • Single - UK Demo copy

Man With A Gun / Mr Homburg Hat Transatlantic Records BIG538

This single released by Harvey Andrews in 1976 featured a song on the B side 'Mr Homburg Hat', which is dedicated to 'The Lad Himself'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those Magnificent men In Their Flying Machines: Pinky and Perky No 6

Released in 1968, this single featured an alternative version of Those Magnificent men In Their Flying Machines sung by the children's puppets Pinky and Perky. The 'B' side of the single was the puppet's version of Yellow Submarine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony Hancock / Don't Come Round For Me Tonight Bill Riviera Records RIV89003

Released in 1989, the A side of this single by Richard Digance features a song dedicated to Tony Hancock.

Something Happened On The Way To Heaven / I Wish It Would Rain Down 7" single AS1251, 12" single VST1251, Cassette ASC1251, CD ASCD1251

This release from 1990 by Phil Collins does not feature Tony or a tribute to Tony in the music. Rather, Phil Collins, a self-confessed Hancock fan, chose to use a black and white photo of Tony as the centrepiece of the front cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sunday Way of Life / And We Dance On

Released in 1990 by the group Small Town Parade, an indie pop band from Hackney, this release contains an extract from 'A Sunday Afternoon At Home'.