Is it an age thing?
On the other hand even things I detest, I can often work out why they are popular with the public at large and/or what will be.
So taking a massive overview of much of what pop guru's like Simon Cowell(Pop Idol/X Factor)offer as music is not "my bag!"(What's that mean? Where did that come from?)An expression I don't think I have ever used before.
So he appeared on BBC Radio 4's long running Desert Island Discs today. What would he pick as his eight records?
Is his choice governed by what he heard as became an adult or judged on the musical abilities of the artist? The craft of the song writer and production team?
Here is what he chose...
1. Bobby Darin - Mack The Knife
2. Herb Alpert - This Guy's In Love With You
3. Charles Aznavour - She
4. The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody
5. Wayne Newton - Danke Schon
6. Daniel Beddingfield - If You're Not The One
7. Frank Sinatra - Summer Wind
8. Sammy Davis Jr - Mr Bojangles
Out of the eight, if it was narrowed down to one it came down to Bobby Darin.
Of course like any art it has to adapt and grow. New artists have to be found and encouraged but this shows that there is a place for those who have gone before and yet how many places are there available to hear the above?
Many of the so called gold radio stations will stick to certain decades and chart music, few if any will raid the vast achives of material that is worth a listen by artists unless it was in "The Charts" and often the only way is to try and find it wherever you are able. How do you discover genres of music if you are not even aware that they exist?
And yet if a record company raids their back catalogues it is amazing how many of the artists neglected or considered uncool today will find their CD's back in the charts of today. At present we have Donovan.
Its years since I heard anything that he was doing. I certainly have no idea what music he has been bringing out since the 1960's, as far as I knew he was no longer recording or performing. Maybe, he hasn't been but on the back of the re-release of this older stuff, suddenly he'll be in demand again.
He has an auto biography out too.
And who is going to interview him? Today, it was Steve Allen on LBC with the programme That Reminds Me.
Now, Donovan for anyone around at the time was the embodiment of hippy culture. The songs, the fashion, his attitude to the establishment of the day. Mixing with people like Dylan and Baez.
So what did he pick as music that means something to him?
Burl Ives - I Know An Old Lady
Billie Holliday - Strange Fruit
Woody Guthrie - This Land Is My Land
Nina Simone - And I'm Feeling Good
The Beatles - Love Me Do
Keane - Is It Any Wonder
Bob Marley And The Wailers - One Love
Donovan - Sunshine Superman
But both lists show one thing, that though they are able to embrace new material alongside the old many outlets today just want to force the new onto us. I think that we all know why.
The internet downloading sites I would like to think are adding to the choice of music available or could, because what could be seen as a small audience is still quite large when they are all coming to the same site. And I would like to see such sites add more easy listening music which is not heard on radio or available in the shops unless some specialist record lable decides to issue material. And often that information is not always readily available.
Those in the business do, from the choices above show that they prefer older material that they feel comfortable with. If I was interviewing them I would ask why? Are these memories or something about the way music is structured?
The Donovan Image and more are available at the BBC website. I did have a link here but they appear to be changing things around over there so you may have to do some searching.
Donovan's Official Website
Could you narrow your favourite pieces of music down to such a small list? I'm not sure that I could. And listening to BBC7 both Augustus and myself have thrown up the idea that on an archive station and with the longevity of the series some great people from all walks of life have been included as guests so why not air some of the interviews(even if the music cannot be played for contractural reasons)or other reasons such as restrictions from the estate of Roy Plomley who thought up the format or for some other reason, all these programmes do not get repeated. Not even is it available on the listen again service of the BBC unless heard as a live stream as the programme goes out on Radio 4.
Also, though music is not played for too long, when the idea was put forward it was met by quite a few dissenting voices on the BBC7 messageboard because some music would be heard on BBC7.
So if Radio 4 won't play 'em where else does such a popular programme get a repeat? Even BBC6 Music will play music documentaries from other BBC networks and BBC7 plays speech so just where if Desert Island Discs could be heard again would you place it?
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 8:03 am
11 Comments:
Gildy, I'm glad you have raised the topic of Desert Island Discs re-runs on BBC7 again. Have you heard the Kenny Everett show they are re-running? The music is all there too. Queen, ELO, Marc Bolan, the lot. I was rwally surprised. It very obviously can be done if deemed necessary. There is going to be a lot of dross over fifty years of Desert Island Discs but there will also be a lot of gems. I wonder what is stopping them?
Yes, rwally surpwised! :-) Curses, my secret is out. I am Elmer Fudd!
Probably the best cartoons come out of Japan these days, the proper anime stuff even if some of it is disturbingly violent and equally the material of a sexual nature in cartoon form(not that I have seen much to speak of)but yes, you are talking when you mention the Warner Bros cartoons of the 40's and 50's.
Equally some fine cartoons that are as inventive can be found amongst the MGM cartoon library especially any produced/directed by Tex Avery.
Unfortunately some are hard to obtain and some are not shown on television for a variety of reasons that boil down to political correctness.
I once found a site on the net when I used to surf on the net at the library and it listed all the edits that have been carried out on the Warner Bros cartoons.
I tried to find it again when I got my own computer and found some very strange sites so I have avoided searching again.
How bad is political correctness affecting cartoons...for a time the Speedy Gozalas(The fastest mouse in Ole Mexico)cartoons were not being shown on the Cartoon Network in America.
Elmer Fudd ;-)
OK I know they are old and few of the old shows exist but I want BBC7 to give whatever they can of our past history in recorded form if it exists.
Even if its a music hall artist long forgotten. I want to learn, appreciate what's happened and perhaps see how we have reached where we are today just as we do through books, visiting buildings, exploring or whatever.
That's what an archive is for. And to be fair in a situation like Desert Island Discs its not just straight forward playing of music.
Equally, Workers Playtime and such programmes may have music included but its a document of British society at that time. And its live performances.
I heard a song the other week on Desmond Carrington's programme on Radio 2 and for its time(even if its been cleaned up with modern technology)the style of singing may be old fashioned today but its still quite a witty and clever song especially all the added sound effects and it was produced in 1936!
Anyone get a chance to hear it, do try its called Peaceful Street by Ernest Butcher.
Gildy ~ can't believe I've found such a dedicated radio blog. It tracks Talk Radio through to LBC as well as fav BBC stns. Heaven.
Am riveted by the blog about DAB.Spent a crimminal amount of money on my set and feel the low base sound irritating. Wish now I'd returned it. Am in Oxford and this misses out the Midland region LBC will be covering, but after reading you, will move it around and try for stronger signals around the flat.
Know nothing about transmitter locations, but was puzzled to lose half the stations picked up in North Devon on my DAB set each time I'm back in Oxford!
On Friday Steve A. read out a second e-mail from Jane, pointing out that several more messages on the 5live board mentioned LBC. And that it was fantastic that The Great Gildersleeve was going to list the LBC national locations on his blog. Just now, Sunday, he's slipped in apropos of nothing in particular, that he keeps getting mentioned on the 5live messageboards.
Think those mentions on a BBC board give him mucho credibility with the Chrysalis management.
all best ~ Llucia
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Llucia,
Glad you did not find such a lot of detail about DAB radio off putting or boring. If I can think of anything radio based I am happy to mention it.
I'll always try and put something in about radio and I am unsure what kind of pc and connection you have but as a radio lover, some of the links down the side of the blog are quite good for looking for radio stuff.
I still have to hear Steve for Sunday.
Its remarkable that he has been on radio for around 27 years and is such a fixture on London radio and probably is little known outside of the capital but I know of his reputation.
Now, what will the UK at large make of him.
I may have to mention Nick Abbot sometime...I've been known to promote his show on LBC(The BBC must love me)
I'll put some links up to help you find out about what you are hearing or not hearing in Oxford.
I still think some of official information put out in the business is not as detailed as it could be.
I try to post quite regularly but sometimes it can be hard to spot something worth a mention.
You can post anonymously but if you click where it says other you can put in your name and it will be shown like the rest who post here.
Good to have you along and by all means put any thoughts you have on radio or anything else on here and I'll try and answer or have a discussion with you.
You may even set my mind off on something else to mention.
Gildy(Anthony)
I'm been looking into your DAB reception and I reckon that whilst you should hear around 26 stations in Devon, In Oxford you are supposed to hear around 18 stations. So if you get that amount you doing well.
Moving the radio about your flat may improve the signal or perhaps depending on where transmitters are you may hear something from a neighbouring area.
As for losing stations its suggested that the Devon area has 24 stations at present so you have lost 6 stations including 3 local stations(Chill, Plymouth Sound and BBC Radio Devon)
Being in a flat and depending on the contract signed and whether you think you'll be there sometime, you could think of installing an external dipole aerial(I don't think that they are very big)but you'll then need a receiver that has a connection for an aerial and lose the capablitity of being able to move the radio around the different rooms.
You have an advantage aready in that if you are in a flat you have already gained extra height and that is the one thing that improves DAB signals, although if your building is steel framed or made from reinforced concrete and reception of FM or mobile phones is a problem DAB signals can be affected.
I found that I can move the DAB radio into a slightly different position in the room(not much but it does allow for me to play it directly into the computer onto the hard drive...)
A disadvantage? Well, I do wish that stations could put out an approx level that matches each other or alter the compression.
An example? A local station allows me to put the signal straight into the pc for time shifting. Tonight, another station has such a strong sound the smallest of alterations on the Windows volume properties for recording or whatever meant it was too loud or I lost the sound altogether.
So to get around the problem I had to play the signal through a recorder and record it on there and as I can alter the input and output via that machine, at the same time it can go onto the Hard Drive at the correct sound level because the changes have been done elsewhere which means that now I have erased the recording as far as the machine goes but it means I had to make a recording that was un-necessary. Does that make sense? Anyone have an idea how to get around having to do that?
Also, because I moved the radio some stations are not being received but the stations I was interested in for now worked but having left it doing the business without being in the room, I walked in and stood in the wrong area and managed to cause a signal drop out but now know to stay out or move very quickly...if I do that...all is ok but that extra phono cable is a must.
We're learning all the time...together.
Gildy, can I ask what you mean when you say 'time shifting', is it a method of recording from your radio?
In the past when I have had to record from a digital radio, I used a phono-to-phono cable, one end in the line-out/headphone (radio) and the other end into the line-in of the pc's sound card.
This works fine, however as you have found out the volume levels at which different stations broadcast, varies greatly and therefore tinkering with the recording volume becomes necessary (can get tedious).
I live in the Greater Manchester region and a quick scan on the radio shows there are 37 stations, if all these are fully working is another matter as there are stations which when you select do not broadcast anything of note or nothing at all, maybe the staff have gone on strike and couldn't be bothered to leave a holding message ;)
Interesting that you mention moving your radio around and it affecting the signal strength, I've had the same experience, in my case, seems to be that the signal is better/much improved the higher you are in a building, so upstairs the signal is excellent however it deteriorates when moved downstairs (quite strange). That's one for technical radio experts :)
Well JA,
It takes just a small tweak on the windows volume area that its impossible to get the level suitable with phono direct into the pc.
Its either no signal or too strong.
So now its record via the head phone socket using a splitter connector then connected up to a phono cable again...But either of these ideas do work if...they go through the mini-disc machine line in(line out into the pc)because you can alter the levels using the recorders input control.
And now after what you've said the radio may play into the pc at a correct level if using the headphone socket. I'll give it a try.
Time shift...I have a programmable timer which I set up with the times of programmes. Plug the recorder into the timer and turn a switch on the recorder to the left.
Then the recorder comes on at the set time and turns off at the time programmed.
So I can hear BBC7's out put at a different time and its just like what a video recorder does.
If/when digital radio really takes off, its a bit of a problem needing to place the radio at certain locations around the house to get a signal and if downstairs doesn't work a nuisance having to always go upstairs to listen.
And if DAB does not work in the equivalent of a personal or portable radio that could be a disadvantage.
I guess we'll all have to set up a wireless situation in our houses so the sound can be picked up via other devices or get a hifi seperate(or radio)that is connected to an outside aerial to ensure a decent signal on all stations and it may pull in transmitters from surrounding locations.
Sounds as though you are getting the stations that I receive in this area and as many.
I cannot decide as yet if fewer stations are available in some areas because they don't believe there is a large enough audience or its a lack of frequencies etc... and these may increase in time.
From tomorrow you will have LBC FM on DAB so that's one more ;-)
I remember your previous post about better quality DAB radio's and some of the extra features...something to look into for the future for definite.
Thanks for that info, Gildy. Time shifting sounds great, only thing letting it down being the volume levels which we've been discussing.
I shall definately give LBC a listen and give you my thoughts on your latest dedicated LBC blog article. Keep up the good work!
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