Before most folks knew him as the cool, unflappable Ducky on NCIS (which was probably your mom’s favorite show for a brief run there), David McCallum was quietly crafting some surprisingly smooth grooves of his own. His 1967 album Music: A Bit More of Me shows the Scottish actor’s deep affection for lush orchestration and cinematic flair with sweeping strings and brass that sound tailor-made for a cocktail party in the early 70’s. But what’s most wild is how this unassuming record would echo decades later—Dr. Dre famously sampled McCallum’s “The Edge” for his smash hit “The Next Episode” off his iconic album 2001, introducing his suave, jazzy arrangements to a whole new generation of listeners. It’s one of those delightful twists of pop culture fate: the gentleman spy turned TV coroner also happened to have written one of the most iconic hip-hop hooks in history. Ya love to see it.
Standout Songs: “The Edge”, “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)”, “Michelle”, “Call Me”
