Music byChris Neal

Soundtrack Recorded at The Living RoomEngineer - Ian Davidson

Albert StudiosEngineer - David Hemming

Musical Consultant Martin Fabinyi

Original Scorecomposed by Chris Nealperformed by The Tutti Fruttis

"Pineapple Princess"performed by Wally DavisWritten by Bob Sherman/Dick Sherman(©1960 Music World Corp. California Aust and NZ J. Albert & Son)

"Coco Pine Banana Ukelele"performed by The Tutti Fruttiswritten by Stephen MacLean and Chris Neal

"The Las Vegas Shuffle"performed by The Tutti Fruttiswritten by Chris Neal

"Heartbreak Hotel"performed by Wally Daviswritten by Mae Boren Axton/Tommy Durden/Elvis Presley(©1956 Tree Publishing Co Inc NY Aust & NZ J. Albert & Son)

"Viva Las Vegas"performed by Roy Hawkinswritten by Pomus/Shuman(Belinda Music)

"Can't Help Falling in Love"performed by Roy Hawkinswritten by Peretti/Creatore/Weiss(Belinda Music)

"Cappucino Boom Boom"performed by Wendy Matthews

written by Stephen MacLean and Chris Neal

"Santo Natal"performed by Steve the Heave

"Tokyo Boy"performed by Erina Clarkwritten by Sharon Calcraft

"Johnny Japan"performed by Erina Clarkwritten by Stephen MacLean and Chris Neal

"I Can't Turn You Loose"performed by Renee Geyerarranged by Jeff Oakeswritten by Otis Redding(Essex Music)

"The Big Twist (Around the World)"performed by The Tutti Fruttiswritten by Chris Neal

On screen at least, the cast perform a series of numbers, with Philip Quast given a ukelele in a Hawaiian number, and later as an Elvis imitator, with fake band backing, matched by Roy Hawkins as a ‘real’ Elvis imitator in ‘real’ Vegas.

During the Italian papal routine, Kelly Dingwall as Eddie gets to tinkle on a synth keyboard, and Jane Markey as parking inspector “Miserable” Midge turns up at the climax to belt out the penultimate soul number, a song by Otis Redding. During this number, Quast’s, Dingwall’s and Gosia Dobrowlska’s characters act as a mute chorus, dancing on stage in unison to the music.

(Below: some of the onscreen musical elements in the film)

The last song, The Big Twist, which runs over the tail credits, has these lyrics:

(There’s an extended musical introduction before the lyrics begin)

Oh Wally, uh-oh WallyYou’re gonna make a habit of thisWe play the scam, we take the old manNow, that I don’t wanna missI wanna do the big twistWith you, little sisterYou’ve stayed on my listSince I first kissed yerWe might to go VegasHonolulu or Roo oo oo meWe might fly around the worldOr maybe we’ll just stay home

(interlude with guitar lead)

Sister Ophelia, something that’sreally amazing just happened to meYou see, when I touch youIt’s really too much toBelieve that I hope you’ll seeI wanna do the big twistWith you, little sisterIt’s been on my listSince I first kissed yerWe might go to VegasHonolulu or Roo oo oo meWe might fly around the worldOr maybe we’ll just stay home

(music interlude with piano lead)

I wanna do the big twistWith you, little sisterIt’s been on my listSince I first kissed yerWe might go to VegasHonolulu or Roo oo oo meWe might fly around the worldOr maybe we’ll just stay home …We could go to VegasHonolulu or Roo oo oo meWe might fly around the worldOr maybe we’ll just stay home …

(There’s a touch of didgeridoo along with guitar in the final notes)

Composer Chris Neal:

Chris Neal had been very active in feature film composing at the time that this film actually went into production (as opposed to its frequently listed release date of 1988).

In 1985 and 1986 he worked with director George Ogilvie on the 1985 'issues' film Short Changed, and then on the 1986 The Place At The Coast. Around this time he also worked on David Baker’s ill-fated Niel Lynne and the almost equally ill-fated Bullseye, with both films facing the same limited and erratic distribution as did Around The World in 80 Ways. (The work Neal did for the engaging 1983 Buddies also had a limited audience).

This didn’t necessarily reflect on the composer’s work - the music in Around The World in 80 Ways is light and lively - but it does suggest the difficulties some films faced scoring space on theatrucak screens in the 10BA years.

Despite these issues, Neal continued as a prolific composer for film and television, and was no doubt happy that memories of his first feature film, the ill-fated Crosstalk, had been swept aside, though it was an early example of Australian feature film electronica. (The Place at the Coast also shows some then modern stylings in the underscore, though it was another ill-fated film domestically, which also got caught up in the Pepper distribution scandal, whereby a number of NSW Film Corporation films ended up with their international rights lost to a Panama-based company).

Neal also did the score for The City's Edge, the NSWFC funded 1983 straight to tape noir outing which had been co-written by Robert Merritt and the film's director Ken Quinnell (and yet another caught up in the Pepper scandal).

At time of writing, Neal had a brief wiki here.

He also had his own website here.

The site contained this biography:

Early years studying classical piano and music theory were followed by an intensive period of progressive jazz study and practise, inspired by the recordings of such great artists as Bill Evans, Bobby Timmons, Oscar Peterson et al.

By the time of the new excitement delivered by the likes of Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly, it became obvious that eclecticism was the only way forward.

The 1960's were alive with music. There were gigs around Sydney with my

jazz piano trio (usually Tony (Toot) Simon on drums and John Butterworth on Bass)as well as the absolute joy of playing keys and guitars for many gigs with such well established rock bands as The Showmen and The Powerhouse, while the love of songwriting and composing grew.....

In 1968, the opportunity arose to assist legendary composer Peter Sculthorpe create the score for the Anglo/Australian movie The Age Of Consent, starring first-timer Helen Mirren. What a journey. What a gift.

A bizarre, life-changing accident led to a few months in Vietnam entertaining US troops. The time spent "hanging out" in Saigon set up the next extraordinary chapter of this strangely fortunate life....

Then followed the creation of the hippie, flower-power rock musical, Manchild, which toured Australian capital cities during 1971/72, creating several box-office records along the way.

A focal point of the early '70s was the creation of the solo prog rock album Winds Of Isis. This epic instrumental outing developed a small, but committed following and remains in demand to this day.

Another high point of the '70s was the development of an electronic score for Fritz Lang's silent classic, Metropolis. Live concerts featuring the soundtrack played live on the first commercially available microprocessor-based digital sequencer (The Roland MC-8)were presented around Sydney, while a film company sourced a high quality print to synchronise the music to. When the project was well into development, the word got out that Hollywood was working on a similar idea and the release did not go ahead . However, most of the music still exists in demo form.

The commercial scene in Sydney was thriving in the '70s. Movies, TV, TVCs and records - it was all happening. Ads for clients such as : Sunbeam, Goldenia Tea, Levis, Gilbey's Gin, 2UE, 2GB and Home Journal filled in the weekly slots not used up by record production work for The Marshall Brothers Band, Bob Hudson, Maureen Elkner, The Radiators, to name a few....and there was even an extraordinary situation in which I found myself engineering for the great, sublime Stephane Grapelli.....

By the time the '80s arrived, a career in film scoring was well underway, with many features, TV series, documentaries and kids dramas making up the slate. This remains the main focus today.....

In 1980, The Living Room suite of recording studios was setup at Chatswood on Sydney's North Shore. This became home to the creation of many scores and soundtracks for featurs films and television dramas for the next twenty years.

In 2001, we moved to Avalon on the Northern Beaches and set up

Springboard Studios, which is still home...

(Below: Chris Neal)

The site also provided this TV and filmography up to 2010: 

(* Co-composed with Braedy Neal)

2010   CASTAWAY            series  Northway Prod2008  BETWEEN IRAQ      AND A HARD PLACE    doco    PrecisionPics2006  THE SLEEPOVER CLUB 2  series   Southern Star*2005  MDA – Eps 5–8       series  ABC2004   FOREIGN EXCHANGE    series   Sth Star/Magma*      NOAH & SASKIA       series  ACTF/BBC*2003  THE CROP            feature  Miracle Pics*2001  THE CRASH ZONE 2     series  ACTF/Disney2000   FARSCAPE 2            series  Jim Henson Co*1999  FARSCAPE             series  Nine TV/Henson*      TIME AND TIDE       telemv  ABC Prod1998  THE CRASH ZONE       series  ACTF/Disney*      MUMBO JUMBO         telemv  Artist Services      13 GANTRY ROW       telemv  Rob Bruning Prod1997  PACIFIC DRIVE 2       series  Village Roadshow*1996  PACIFIC DRIVE       series  Village Roadshow*1995  CORRELLI             series  ABC      JOHNSON & FRIENDS 6  series  Film Australia*1994  HEARTLAND           series  Northway Prod*      THE DAMNATION      OF HARVEY MCHUGH    series  ABC      GP 6                 series  ABC/Matt Carroll*      LIFT OFF 3             series  ACTF Prod*      JOHNSON & FRIENDS 5  series  Film Australia*1993  LAW OF THE LAND     series  Roadshow Coote Carroll      JACK BE NIMBLE       feature  Zee Films (NZ)      GP 5                 series  ABC/Matt Carroll      LIFT OFF 2             series  ACTF Prod      JOHNSON & FRIENDS 4  series  Film Australia      FURTHER ADVENTURES      OF BLACK BEAUTY 4    series  Pro Films (NZ)1992  THE NOSTRADAMUS KID feature  Simpson leMesurier      LIFT OFF 1             series  ACTF Prod       FURTHER ADVENTURES      OF BLACK BEAUTY 3    series  Pro Films (NZ)      BUTTERFLY ISLAND    series  Mediacast      GP 4                 series  ABC/Matt Carroll      JOHSON & FRIENDS 3    series  Film Australia1991  TURTLE BEACH        feature  Village Roadshow

      GP 3                 series  ABC/Matt Carroll      JOHNSON & FRIENDS 2  series  Film Australia      FURTHER ADVENTURES      OF BLACK BEAUTY 2    series  Pro Films (NZ)1990  JOHNSON & FRIENDS    series  Film Australia      FURTHER ADVENTURES      OF BLACK BEAUTY     series  Pro Films (NZ)      THE PAPER MAN       series  Roadshow Coote Carroll      TROUBLE IN PARADISE feature  Regency Pictures1989  SHADOW OF THE COBRA series  View Films      CELIA                feature  Seon Films      THE BIG WISH        telemv  ACTF Prod1988  EMERALD CITY        feature  Limelight Prod      GRIEVOUS BODILY HARM feature  Smiley Films      MARY McKILLOP       telemv  Film Australia      SOLDIER SETTLER     telemv  Film Australia      PETER & POMPEY       telemv  ACTF Prod      PRINCESS KATE       telemv  ACTF Prod      BARRACUDA           telemv  Amalgamated Portman1987  GROUND ZERO         feature  GZ Productions      THE SHIRALEE         series  SA Film Corp1986  BULLSEYE             feature  PBL Prod      THE PLACE AT THE COAST  feature  Daedalus Films      ARMY WIVES          series  Village Roadshow1985  NIEL LYNNE          feature  David Baker Films      SHORT CHANGED       feature  Ross Matthews Prod      AROUND THE WORLD      IN 80 WAYS          feature  Palm Beach Pictures      5 TIMES DIZZY       series  Samson Films      THE LONG WAY HOME    telemv  ABC      DOUBLE SCULLS     telemv  Smiley Films      ARCHER              telemv  Village Roadshow      NATURAL CAUSES       telemv  ABC1984  BUDDIES              feature  JD Prod      REBEL                feature  P Emmanuel Prod      BODYLINE            series  Kennedy Miller      PALACE OF DREAMS    series  ABC      CRIME OF THE DECADE telemv  ABC      TOP KID             telemv  ACTF Prod      TARFLOWERS          telemv  ACTF Prod      QUEST BEYOND TIME    telemv  ACTF Prod1983  THE CITY'S EDGE     feature  CB Films1981  CROSSTALK           feature  Walltowall Films