G.B.H.: Original Music From The Channel Four Series (British TV Series)
"What's this," fans asked, "An Elvis Costello album that we've never heard of?" Well, yes: Originally released in the UK in 1991 and scarce as an import, G.B.H. is an original instrumental soundtrack composed by Costello and Richard Harvey for the acclaimed television miniseries of the same name. The collection of 22 orchestrated passages represents Costello's first full-blown original soundtrack and won a BAFTA award (the UK's equivalent of an Emmy) for "Best Music for a TV Series" that year.G.B.H. (which stands for "grievous bodily harm," a legal term for a particular offense in the UK) was a major television event during its six-week run on Channel 4. Starring Michael Palin (of Monty Python) and Robert Lindsay, the series dealt with political corruption at the local government level and was written by celebrated screenwriter Alan Bleasdale.Collaborator Richard Harvey was the leader of the late-'70s British baroque/progressive rock band Gryphon. He also wields the baton on G.B.H., conducting a group of Britain's most esteemed orchestral players through 22 compelling tracks that recall the shifting dramatic textures of the series. Alternately whimsical, brutal, slinky, and chilling, G.B.H. represents a superb orchestral complement to what Select magazine called "one of the best TV drama series of the last ten years."