Even in the weird world of novelty songs that became one-hit wonders in the early Seventies, there can have been few less likely hits than this.

A nine-minute Brazilian-flavoured jazz-funk instrumental, adapted from a 19th century classical ‘tone poem’ by Richard Strauss, based on a philosophical treatise by Nietzche, it’s an odd one even allowing for the fact that it had been featured on the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

That was back in 1968; this was a hit five years later, when Deodato reached a lofty no.7 in the chart with this Latin fiesta of funk. Eumir Deodato plays electric piano, with Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, John Tropea and Jay Berliner on guitar, and percussionists Ray Barretto and Airto Moreira.

The album, Prelude, sold five million copies and earned a Grammy for Eumir Deodato, who may have had no other hit singles but has enjoyed a stellar career as producer and arranger on more than 500 albums by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett to Kool & The Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire, Bjork and k.d. lang. And he’s still going strong at the age of 78.