Simon Park Orchestra

The Simon Park Orchestra is a group best remembered for performing "Eye Level", the theme tune for the television series Van der Valk composed by Jan Stoeckart, which spent four weeks at the number one position in the UK Singles Chart in September 1973.[1] The song also peaked at number 13 in Australia.[2]

Simon Park was born on March 13th 1946 in Market Harborough, England, the son of architect Ronald Stewart Park (1921–1985). He learned to play the organ as a child and went on to study at Worcester College, Oxford, where he gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in music.[3] Park began composing and conducting orchestral music for the De Wolfe music library from the early 1970s, and over the years has produced some 1,400 tracks for them. He also composed under the name Simon Haseley.[4]

Following the success of "Eye Level", (which was arranged and conducted by Park but not one of his own compositions) Columbia released two mainstream Simon Park Orchestra albums: Something in the Air and Venus Fly Trap. However, no other tracks achieved the success of "Eye Level". In 1988, Surrey House Music released two more albums, Simon Park & His Orchestra, Volume 1 and Simon Park & His Orchestra, Volume 2, which contain instrumental versions of pop hits.[5]

  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 417. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 229. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  3. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 333. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  4. ^ De Wolfe Music. Behind the Music: Simon Park, YouTube interview, 18 April 2021
  5. ^ "Simon Park & His Orchestra, Vol. 1 by Simon Park on Apple Music". 24 September 1988.