Ashes to Ashes

[BeautifulBurnout]

Follow-on series to Life on Mars, only this time set in the 80s with the main protagonist as a modern-day female psychological profiler who is in a coma/back in time.

It took me a while to get over the hurdle of "This won't ever be as good because it's silly to have the same characters except for a different lead, and in a different time-period".

But after a few episodes, I am equally as hooked. It is well written, good contemporaneous dialogue of the period, with a lot of good jokes to lighten up the police procedural stuff.

Loving this. Worth a watch. And an excellent soundtrack too, for an old bird like me. Last week's had Vienna - Ultravox and Ghosts - Japan in the same episode. Woohoo!

[pafufta816]

"life on mars" and sinatra's "my way" both originate from the same tune.

[BeautifulBurnout]

Originally Posted by pafufta816

"life on mars" and sinatra's "my way" both originate from the same tune.

Cheers for that - I knew about the french connection to "My Way" but had no idea of Bowie's involvement with the original french song. Just been checking it out on wikipedia. Thanks

[Deckard]

I've not seen any of Ashes to Ashes or Life on Mars even though I've heard nothing but good stuff about it. Expect I'll get hold of the entire series at some point and watch them back to back over a couple of days!

[joethelion]

Originally Posted by BeautifulBurnout

Cheers for that - I knew about the french connection to "My Way" but had no idea of Bowie's involvement with the original french song. Just been checking it out on wikipedia. Thanks

well - he wasn't involved in the original French song - called "Comme D'Habitude" by CLaude Francois, Gilles Thibault & Jacques Revaux. He was working on an English translation, called "Even a Fool Learns to Love"

the demo was basically just david singing english over the french track...

Paul Anka was also working on a translation... which was "My Way", obviously was then picked up and "Even a Fool Learns to Love" was not.

"Life on Mars?" is basically a salvaging of that material, and david trying to use the same chord progression as "My Way"

[BeautifulBurnout]

Originally Posted by Deckard

I've not seen any of Ashes to Ashes or Life on Mars even though I've heard nothing but good stuff about it. Expect I'll get hold of the entire series at some point and watch them back to back over a couple of days!

Cool! They did a Life On Mars week on one of the cable channels not so long ago, and I virtually did that, even though I had seen all of the second series and some of the first.

Imagine a rozzer like Brian Paddick (although not gay) being plonked down in The Sweeney and you are about there.

As a law geek, my fave bit is when, from time to time, Sam has to caution someone on arrest and says "You have the right to remain silent. However, if you do not mention when questioned something that you later rely on in court..." and gets interrupted by his colleagues saying "It doesn't GO like that!!!"

Ahhh, misty memories of those wonderful days of the right to silence!

[Spooky Shoes]

I'm enjoying it.

Life On Mars S1 & 2 are available via Virgin Media On Demand service, Ashes To Ashes is available via Catch Up which is pretty much the same thing.

[stimpee]

New series of Ashes to Ashes coming soon...

Soundtrack is already out.. they dont mess about!

http://www.pcworld-entertainment.co....038129.product

Disc 1

1. The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go
2. Haircut 100 - Love Plus One
3. Adam & The Ants - Stand And Deliver
4. Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing
5. Hall & Oates - I Can't Go For That
6. Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger
7. Thompson Twins - Lies
8. Japan - I Second That Emotion
9. Specials - The Rat Race
10. Fun Boy Three - Lunatics Have Taken Over?
11. Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
12. Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure
13. Kraftwerk - The Model
14. Human League - Mirror Man
15. OMD - Messages
16. Duran Duran - Planet Earth
17. Blondie ? Atomic
18. Echo & The Bunnymen - Back Of Love
19. New Order - Temptation
20. ABC - Look Of Love
21. Donna Summer - I Feel Love
22. Korgis - Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime
23. The Jam - Funeral Pyre
24. Anti Nowhere League - Streets of London
25. Bauhaus - Harry
26. Pigbag - Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag

26 tracks on 1 cd though!

[spacejunk]

Can't wait for the 2nd season to start!

[//\/\/]

'life on mars' was great because it was a clever way to remake the sweeney, and john simm was brilliant in it. 'ashes' is just cliched, ott nonsense - gene hunt isn't very eighties, and keeley hawes irritates the fuck out of me even before she speaks her unbelievably poor lines. oh, and there's so much soundtrack that it sounds more like an eighties disco for goldfish, rather than adding anything to the show. not a fan.