Popel Vooje
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The BBC Radiphonic Workshop
Jan 15, 2003, 12:58
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After having read the AMM thread a few lines down, I felt compelled to put in a word for this lot, too. I bought the first "BBC Radiophonic Music" compilation a few days ago, and it's thoroughly innovative, bloopy and - most endearingly of all - playful stuff. Many of the tracks are very short miniatures recorded for local radio in the 60s, and they have a similar "Clangers-on-a-toy-planet" (thank you, JC) feel to Dieter Moebius's contributions to Cluster's "Zuckerzeit". Meanwhile, the longer, more spaced out tracks - mainly written by Delia Derbyshire - eerily foreshadow early Tangerine Dream.
There is also, apparently, a second compo of stuff recorded in the 70s, but expert opinion (i.e. the Wire) reckons it's not as good. Anyone heard it?
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Lord Lucan
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Re: The BBC Radiphonic Workshop
Jan 15, 2003, 13:45
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I got the CD you're talking about and it is a fun bit of primitive electronica. The Delia Derbyshire tracks do stand out as the best to my ears. They work as music on their own rather than having the stamp if 'incidental' or 'theme tune' all over them. I particularly liked the track that tootles along then right at the end the last couple of notes suddenly you realise that those tow seconds worth were used for John Craven's Newsround. I got quite a weird feeling from that one! I don't know what the other CD you mentioned is like though.
Talking of primitive electronica have you heard the recently issued CD of early Human League tracks (it's called The Golden Hour of the Future)? It's all pre-Reproduction stuff, so has that doomy sci-fi air to it, but there's something endearingly demo-ish about it all. Cluster's creepier stuff came to mind. An Phil Oakey's spoken introduction to the first track is absolutely classic...
"This is a song for all you big-heads out there who think disco music is lower than the irrelevant musical gibberish and tired platitudes that you try to impress your parents with. We're The Human League, we're much cleverer than you and this is called 'Dance Like A Star'."
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Stevo
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Re: The BBC Radiphonic Workshop
Jan 15, 2003, 14:35
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I was realyy surprised to see a recent compilation called 'The Sheffield Sound' since I thought there was a great deal of diversity in most of those bands from the city that I've heard.
I wish somebody'd reissue the Clock DVA lp Thirst on cd and maybe White Souls i Black Suits or whatever its called.
Then The material by THe Box would be really welcome too.
Must get hold of those BBC Workshop thingies too though and been kicking myself for not picking up the OHM box set which I think was compiled by Perfect Sound Forever's Jason Gross. My publisher :)
Stevo
Np Country Joe and THe Fish De4ath Sound
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MonkeyBoy
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Re: The BBC Radiphonic Workshop
Jan 15, 2003, 20:57
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I'll always have a soft spot for the SciFi Alienation of the early electro Human League*. Just been getting back into the original recording of Being Boiled. Is the compilation seriously worth getting?
*Thats not to say that Dare wasn't a classic pop album.
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a23
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Re: The BBC Radiphonic Workshop
Jan 15, 2003, 21:07
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Thanks for the tip on the 'League, LL - I'll have to check that one out. Disappointed to see their whacky version of You've lost that lovin' feelin', as heard on the Peel sessions doesn't feature on the tracklist though.
Another sound I remember well from the time was Thomas Leer's first single - Private Plane/International - much bleaker than the Latino dance style he went off into after that. Worth seeking out (tho there's a remixed or updated version of International floating about that's crap)
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cancer boy
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Thomas Leer
Jan 15, 2003, 21:35
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The album he did on Industrial Records with Robert Rental (The Bridge) is pretty interesting as well, I think it's out on CD now.
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a23
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Re: Thomas Leer
Jan 16, 2003, 00:23
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yeah, I got hold of it when it came out - have a cassette copy kicking around somewhere.
Hadn't realised that they both came from Port Glasgow, which is about 4 miles from where I am now. Small world. Some of Rental's solo stuff was interesting too - again have vinyl in the vaults...
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Lord Lucan
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Re: The BBC Radiphonic Workshop
Jan 17, 2003, 12:09
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If you haven't got Travelogue or Reproduction, you should get them first. If you have and are well into them then I'd say go for it. As you can imagine, it's not all 100% great. I'd say I liked about 80% of it, and considering there's 20 tracks that's not bad. Strangely I usually like their weird cover versions (You've Lost That Loving Feeling, Rock'n'Roll etc), but the two covers on this compilation (Reach Out (I'll be there) and Once Upon a Time in the West) made my skin crawl they were so bad. However, there's plenty of really good stuff. And how can you resist a CD with track titles like Disco Disaster, The Circus of Dr Lao, Dada Dada Duchamp Vortex, Year of the Jet Packs, New Pink Floyd, Overkill Disaster Crash...........?
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Popel Vooje
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Re: The BBC Radiphonic Workshop
Jan 18, 2003, 12:37
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As I like the first four League LPs, that one's been on my "must buy" list for a while now, as have the two recent Cabaret Voltaire boxes, particularly the Rough Trade Years one. The Sheffield scene could turn out to be the next revivalist growth area, I reckon.
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MonkeyBoy
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Re: The BBC Radiphonic Workshop
Jan 18, 2003, 22:07
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I got it yesterday. Its Wicked. Even the poorer stuff is charming in its way. Also I have been wanting to hear Dance Like A Star for nearly two decades now. I remember Oakey saying about it on the radio, around the time of the follow up to Dare. He was saying how they wrote it as a piss take and loads of people kept on coming up them telling them it was their best song. It is a great and funny track. Oakeys spoken word bits were always a gas as well.
I used to have Travelogue & Reproduction in my younger days and I have fond memories of both. If funds allow I will track them down again.
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