Joel Grey: White Room (1969)

Actor Joel Grey won a best supporting actor Academy Award in '72 for his role as the MC in the Liza Minnelli vehicle Cabaret, following his hugely successful portrayal of the character in the Broadway musical which had won him a Tony award.

After that however his successes and appearances were fewer and of lesser consequence (he appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a season) and often came down to guest spots on television.

Less well known was his album Black Sheep Boy in the late Sixties on which he included this orchestrated interpretation of Cream's surreal White Room: kind of Windmills of Your Mind-cum-jazz bar . . . without the guitar solo.

Not bad actually.

Or really bad, depending on how you choose to hear it.

For more oddities, one-offs or songs with an interesting backstory see From the Vaults.