R2OK!

Clive55 · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1336

WE arrived in the UK in the summer of 1968 so not familiar with the light Programn. i remember Radio 1 & I think Radio 2. I recall not long after we came to the UK we went to a "live" recording of Country meets Folk which was then on radio 1, I believe!
In the early seventees I used to tune into Radio Luxemburg, which was very popular with young people at the time.

TB was certainly better than what goes on on Radio 1 these days at Breakfast. Tony would NEVER have winged about his pay on air for half an hour. He was always far more profesional than Moyles.

becky sharp · Joined: 01 Dec 2008 Posts: 6858

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

I entirely agree with Clive and Colin about some of the music bringing back youthful memories but I also agree with Helen that today's offering was fairly dire even by recent standards
Why does Mr Swern think that the whole audience is obsessed with listening to obscure imports and B sides when in reality most people want to hear the music they recall from their youth but not necessarily the tracks regularly played on Radio 2 daytime shows
Clive I think really by your comments you made this point in a way and I feel the show should be a dose of nostalgia not an attempt to musically educate listeners over 40 years after the event
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aviddiva · Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 2:22 pm Post subject: Sounds Of The 60s

Wynder K. Frogg's instrumental of Green Door brought back memories of Noel Edmonds using it as backing music on the breakfast show - but this must have been in the 70's.
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becky sharp · Joined: 01 Dec 2008 Posts: 6858

Clive55 · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1336

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

I agree Clive there should be a good mix but the point I was making was that today I felt the balance was a bit wrong
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Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19391 Location: Cheshire

The balance was totally wrong today and I'd go as far as saying it's possibly the worst edition of SOTS I've ever heard and I've been listening for a lot of years.

H

PS Clive I'm being nosey now but where did you arrive from in 68?
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RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

OK, so what sort of balance do you want?

Putting my pedantic bore's hat on I can tell you that 18 of the 33 tracks played (not including Foot Tapper) made the UK Top 40, and two more between 41 and 50. That proportion obviously doesn't include The Beatles' When I'm 64 either, so that only leaves twelve which could be classed as rarities, B-sides or album tracks.

Of those 18 hits (plus Beatles) I reckon at least twelve are highly likely to be heard at any time during the day on normal Radio 2 shows.

Now I don't know about you, but I don't really want SOTS to be more than half filled with tracks which are already played during the week - that's what's wrong with a lot of JW's Sounds of the Seventies.
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ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

That's exactly what I said Ron
We should be hearing tracks which we remember from our youth and which were regularly played on radio back in the 60s but not the same ones which get played week in week out on daytime radio
There's no problem with including the odd more obscure track particularly if it stems from a listeners request but Phil Swern should not be using the show for his own personal ego trip which sometimes seems to happen at present
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Schizoidman · Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Posts: 1140 Location: Rural West Sussex

Helen: I agree, today's SOTS was one of the worst I've ever heard! Too many obscurities, and the hits that were played were all pretty awful.

Yes, as Ruddles says, there should be a better balance. Fewer (and better) obscurities, and more hits. At the moment the show is just a pre 1963 ego trip for the producer.

Conversely JW's SOT70s should concentrate more on obscurities and album tracks. If I hear Brown Sugar, My Sweet Lord or Get It On one more time......

mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

Well obviously Bob Shennan isn't picking up on this. He's letting the show go down hill so he can pull it, or move it to another slot. The controller must have different plans for Saturday mornings.

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

aviddiva · Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 10:56 am Post subject: Sounds Of The 60s

Surely Phil Swern could have included tracks from the new batch of Apple reissues that fell into the back end of the 60's?
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We are loonies and we are proud!

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Clive55 · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1336

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19391 Location: Cheshire

That must have been a big change for you Clive. I remember my parents having friends who went to work and live in Beirut when I was a child (we got Christmas cards from them which aroused my curiosity!). I don't know what happened to them but I do remember when I worked for B Caledonian having lots of passengers being stuck due to troubles there in '74.

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005

Clive55 · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1336

Angela W · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 7229 Location: North Yorkshire

I haven't heard SOTS for months, but this week I did (no work) and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I seem to be out of step with most people on here these days! Sad

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SantaFefan · Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 6:14 pm Post subject:

not with me Angela.. I thought it was a great show! I'll listen again later via my internet radio as I missed the last section..
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Angela W · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 7229 Location: North Yorkshire

Tweed · Joined: 06 Sep 2009 Posts: 6

Was driving yesterday morning so I heard the show for the first time in a long while and really enjoyed it. As someone who was a child of the 80s and developed a liking to 60s music I didn't know that the Boxtops had more than The Letter. As with every show there were some tracks that did nothing for me but thats the nature of the beast when you covering a decade rather than a genre.

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Those of you into SOTS may have seen the SKY ARTS 1 two-hour docu on Donovan which I watched on Sunday morning?

I was never a great fan of Donovan's poetic lyrics and folky songs, I recall my sister bought Catch The Wind. But the docu was fascinating, I had no idea the impact he had made in USA and had no idea the influence/involvement he had with the Beatles, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page etc.
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Clive55 · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1336

gutsygub · Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 111

what an excellent show this morning, woke up to The Herd (P F my adolescent heart-throb), Barry Ryan (ok so do hear Eloise a lot but think this is the first time I heard it in full) and the excellent Laura Nyro and Blood Sweat & Tears. What a voice David C-T had.

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

I agree the show was near its best today with plenty of late 60S tracks and less of the usual pre Beatles dross
Loved the Laura Nyro track and enjoyed hearing Barry Ryan's first track which I haven't heard on radio since 1968
The only blot on an otherwise excellent show was Mr Swern including a track which was described as an airplay hit in Pensylvania and some other American state which didn't even make the Billboard chart in America at the time
What on earth was the point in including that as most people in America have probably never heard of it let alone this country
He doesn't seem to be able to avoid indulging his own obsessions but even so the show was the best I've heard for several months so I can live with it although I still find it annoying
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ColinB · Guest

It should be remembered that Mr. Swern has what could well be the largest private record collection in the world - and hence the reason why he wants to pull out some obscurities just to remind us of its size.

He recently entrusted the collection to Broadchart - see here: http://www.broadchart.com/physical.htm

pd_bmn · Joined: 18 Sep 2010 Posts: 26

It was my 3 in a row last week after a long time badgering them to play some songs by the duo Hammond/Hazlewood as they never got mentioned despite being close to Cook/Greenaway in terms of late 60s chart success as writers
But Brian sounded totally disinterested in it and Mr Swern had selected an inferior PJ Proby song and Little arrows which i was really hoping would not be played in this feature
I love the obscurities, one can hear all the big hits any other time on many other shows or on oldies station which have no imagination and just play the same old crap in rotation (hey i could rap about this lol)

SantaFefan · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 4:14 pm Post subject:

Broadcasting to the nation.. Laughing

Well done in getting your three in a row played.. I had to record it as I was tied up for the morning.. Confused

I agree about the obscurities, not all are good but it's nice to hear something different once in a while. That's why I enjoy listening to US Internet radio as they often play slightly different tracks plus some great stuff I've not heard before.
What was the PJ Proby song?
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Johnnie Walker read out my message on Pirate Radio! Very Happy

13/8/07
I have heard how radio should be.

aviddiva · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 5:07 pm Post subject: Sounds Of The 60s

I think the PJ Proby song was called something like Broken Bottle Street, and it was off the Three Week Hero album.
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We are loonies and we are proud!

- Campbell Bain in 'Takin' Over The Asylum'

SantaFefan · Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 5:45 pm Post subject:

I just checked Avid and it was "Broken Bottles"... it didn't sound familiar.
I looked on YouTube and I was right.. a new one on me! I must admit, not a very good one either.. a quick drift over to "Hold Me" cheered me up.. Razz

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Johnnie Walker read out my message on Pirate Radio! Very Happy

13/8/07
I have heard how radio should be.

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19391 Location: Cheshire

aviddiva · Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 11:33 am Post subject: Sounds of the 60s

Does Phil Swern only have the one track by Love - Alone Again Or? I keep wanting them to play Seven & Seven Is or My Little Red Book.
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We are loonies and we are proud!

- Campbell Bain in 'Takin' Over The Asylum'

aviddiva · Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 12:07 pm Post subject: Sounds of the 60s

Her Royal Majesty (James Darren) could relate to a certain boss I know!
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We are loonies and we are proud!

- Campbell Bain in 'Takin' Over The Asylum'

aviddiva · Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 12:56 pm Post subject: Sounds Of The 60s

Navy Blue (Diane Renee) sounds like the kind of song Tracey Ullman would cover in the 80's, as with Lesley Gore's 'You Don't Own Me'.

A pity about the mellotron solo being a wee bit out of key!
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We are loonies and we are proud!

- Campbell Bain in 'Takin' Over The Asylum'

aviddiva · Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 5:09 pm Post subject: Sounds Of The 60s

Ruddlescat, I heard the Tammies song that was allegedly a local hit in Pennsylvania and thought someone was having a laugh - it reminded me of the scene in High Anxiety where Mel Brooks's character is stuck in a car on a rainy night and he turns on the radio to hear a song that consists mainly of a lot of screaming!

Did Phil Swern know the people responsible for the song used in High Anxiety?
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We are loonies and we are proud!

- Campbell Bain in 'Takin' Over The Asylum'

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Avid that thought had not occured to me but now that you come to mention it I can see what you mean Smile

And Yes Helen is correct I think that all the tracks played for Three in a Row were written by Laura Nyro I know Wedding Bell Blues certainly was and I think the second one was as far as I remember
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iwarburton · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland

This show just goes on delighting!

Neat that the Ray Charles story of his drugs conviction should be followed by his hit Busted.

I don't how the Small Faces' Here Come the Nice ever escaped a BBC ban.

When Michael Winner was on Desert Island Discs about 4 years ago, Billy Fury's Once upon a Dream was one of his choices.

Ian.