What's In Your CD Player/iPod/MP3/Computer/Hi Fi, Right Now?

Lena & Harry Smith · Post by **Lena & Harry Smith** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 2:24 pm

We do remember the Kirby Stone Four and they were played regularly on the radio possibly around the late Fifties. Not sure if we have any of their recordings,
They appear on one of the series of Judy Garland's DVD,s and had mixed reviews on this as they do!!!!
We shall have to check thm out.

paul jh · Post by **paul jh** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 5:57 pm

I'm glad to hear the Kirby Stone Four were played in England. I love that old vocal group sound. It's so cheerful, with great harmonies. They often appeared on Ed Sullivan's Sunday night TV show. I believe they had several albums in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They haven't recorded in years. I'm not sure if Kirby Stone and the others are still living.

Marian - Since you love Baubles Bangles and Beads, you must hear the Kirby Stone Four version. It's one of the great arrangements in recording history. If I can figure out how to do it, I'll make a CD copy for you and bring it to Fans Reunited in November. If I can't made a CD copy, I'll have to make an old fashioned cassette. Do you still have cassette players in the U.K.?

mariana44 · Post by **mariana44** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:12 pm

Hi Paul--this is strange, as I was sure I'd answered you, but I cannot see my reply so I am going to reply again.

Thanks for your kind offer Paul--I woul be pleased to accept.

Cassette players and tapes are dying out very quickly over here, but I still have my double cd deck on my stereo---plus half a dozen old assorted Walkman's. !!!!

So a cassette will be fine, if that is all you can manage.

Thanks again--Marian

paul jh · Post by **paul jh** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:33 pm

Hello everyone -- I'm confused. Marian and Robert stated earlier that popular music wasn't played on the radio, so they listened to Radio Luxembourg (under the covers). I'm guessing this was in the 1960s. But then Lena and Harry said that the Kirby Stone Four (which I consider to be popular music) was played on the radio in the 1950s. Was this commercial radio or the BBC? When Radio 1 started in the mid-1960s did it play popular music of the day (e.g., Beatles, Herman's Hermits) or was it light programme (which eventually became Radio 2 in the 1970s I believe)?

Sorry for all these questions, but I find this very interesting, as the BBC is distinctly British and unique in the world. Your commercial radio is also different from American commercial stations.

mariana44 · Post by **mariana44** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 4:41 pm

H Paul--in my case "listening under the covers" to Radio Luxembourg was late 50's early 60's.

And I think when we say that popular music was not played on the radio--I think we could say that it was not often played on the Radio, rather than never.

As far as I can remember it was the Pirate Radio Programmes--especiallr Radio Caroline, that really bought more popular music into peoples homes.

I would say that when Harry and Lena were listening to the Kirby Stone 4, it would probably have been on BBC.

There was no Radio 1 in the 60's--it was either the "Home Service" or the "Light Programme" [probably the most popular]---or the 3rd Programme---there may have been a 4th one too.

Radio's 1 and 2 started together .

I expect Harry and Lena will be able to remember more, as may Robert, or some of the others on this site.

Marian

paul jh · Post by **paul jh** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 5:21 pm

Thanks for the response, Marian. A couple more questions. "Home Service" sounds intriguing. Could it be news, weather, sport, and shipping reports? Was the 3rd programme classical music? I associate the BBC closely with classical music, so I would guess they started a classical station fairly quickly, but I know that the light programme played classical music, as does Radio 2 today with Friday Night Is Music Night (I love this), Melodies For You, Your Hundred Top Tunes, etc. I hope they never retire these programmes.

I'm sure there are books written on the BBC radio programmes. I guess I should get one! I have read some information on wikipedia, but I never know if it's completely accurate.

ROBERT M. · Post by **ROBERT M.** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 5:54 pm

Hi Paul and Mariana44. Paul my recollection's are very similar to Mariana44's. I listened to Radio Luxembourg from the mid sixties, in my parent's kitchen most of the time, as I remember I was sat in a chair against the kitchen table. Radio 1 started in 1967, but I don't think it stayed on the air on a night time. On a night time is when I listened to Radio Luxembourg in the kitchen. I was listening to that station right through to the 70', and it was while listening to Radio Luxembourg that I found out about the death of Elvis Presley (1977). It was about midnight time over here, and I remember shouting to everyone upstair's in bed, that Elvis had died.

Radio 1 played all the chart hit's of the day Paul, no easy listening material. The first ever record played on Radio one was "Flower's In The Rain" by The Move. I cannot remember if Radio 2 started at the same time.

The BBC have had a monopoly of radio station's in the UK going back many decades. I believe the "light programme" was exactly as it say's, playing light music, easy listening type of music, which people alway's listened to until the Pirate station's and Radio 1 became popular.

We need Lena and Harry's input here, as they are much older than us young ones

so they will be able to remember much more than we can.

Lena & Harry Smith · Post by **Lena & Harry Smith** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 8:16 pm

Paul, Marian, and Robert. Marian is correct there were the three stations on BBC Radio, The Home Service The Light Programme and the Third programme. But Radio Luxembourg played pop music near continuously.
The light programme was primarily the most popular station and had music programmes scheduled between other programmes for the day and evening. The off- shore stations played the latest pop records continuously and Radio Luxembourg was the nearest thing to these stations.
Also the BBC would only play pop music from the major record labels. Radio Luxembourg played anything and record companies that hadn't been officially approved were sending their music to this station and getting air time on them.
So if you preferred the Big Band sound and Crooners for instance. it was there on the Light programme and you made it a date.
And of course there were request programmes from the Forces network. it was all a matter of choice, and then came Rock and Roll and the Swinging Sixties. and, yes we like that too, we have all that music and the groups from that era.
Ask us any question Robert , we've been on Name That Tune

mariana44 · Post by **mariana44** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:26 pm

Well, Paul, as I guessed, Robert, and Lena and Harry have come up with the answers.

I do not think I ever listened to the "Home" programme--it was mostly talking, I believe. On the "Light" programme were programmes on Saturday morning, like "Childrens Favourites".

But Sunday lunchtime was best, with "Family Favourites" a forces request show that Lena and Harry mentioned--followed by "Wakey, Wakey" i.e "The Billy Cotton Band Show" and after that came "Life with the Lyons" a comedy show--I listened to those 3 every Sunday, through most of my childhood and beyond.

Nowadays the choice of programmes to listen to is just immense, because there are now all the local Radio Stations, which were not around at one time. Some of them are very good, as you will have read on this forum. In Kent we have 2 local stations--"Invicta" and "Radio Kent", but I have to say I do not often listen to them.

And in the last few years we have digital radio--either through a Satellite Dish--or a DAB radio. My very favourite "Prime-Time" just folded a short while ago, and I am still looking for a replacement.

All in all, over the last 50 years, British Radio has gone through many changes, with lots of rivals for the BBC.

Marian

paul jh · Post by **paul jh** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:57 pm

Thank you all very much for your answers to my questions on British radio. It's all very interesting to me. In contrast, the only changes in American radio have been the music programnes moving from the AM dial to FM in the 1970s. AM radio is now talk call-in, sports, news, and a few Spanish language stations. FM radio has a few public service stations which used to play classical or jazz music, but are almost exclusively talk and news now. The commercial music stations are very formatted, have limited playlists and have long segments of advertisements (sometimes 12 minutes straight). I used to love to listen to the radio, but rarely do anymore.

Recently there have been two satellite networks: Sirius and XFM. Radio 1 is even a channel on Sirius. If they had Radio 2 as well, then I might subscribe. I've had satellite radio in rental cars for a few days, and I wasn't impressed. I heard too many repeated songs (e.g., the Classic Disco/Dance channel playing the dreadful YMCA, or the big band channel playing the even worse Minnie the Moocher).

I don't think there's digital radio in the United States, but perhaps there is. I don't understand how it works. I know that Ken Bruce is always giving away digitial radios to the winners of Popmaster, but I've never seen one.

We have nothing like the BBC in the United States. I enjoy all the BBC specialist programmes and wide playlists. I noticed that Radio 2 recently had a 4 part special on Herb Alpert. No radio station in the United States would ever have (or even consider having) such a special (even though he was a big music star in the U.S.). Thank goodness I can listen to the BBC over the internet. It has exposed to so much excellent new and older music.

(Marian -- Your new photo is nice, and cheerful too!)

ROBERT M. · Post by **ROBERT M.** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:30 am

Hello Paul, Mariana44, Lena and Harry and all. There is a documentary series on Radio Two at the moment on the French "sparrow" Edith Piaf. Radio 2 have these documentary type programmes very regularly Paul. You have had a few lengthy post's from us today Paul.

mariana44 · Post by **mariana44** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 10:42 am

Hi--do any of you remember---a good while back--when Radio 2 did a series of Musicals, especially broadcast for radio-on a Saturday night--One of them was "Carousel"--one was "Guys and Dolls" and one was "Salad Days"-there may have been more, but I do not remember them--I do not think they were ever repeated, and only one was released on cd to buy [to my knowledge] and that was "Salad Days". I did get them on tape, but because the whole show, words and music, was broadcast, they took up 2 whole tapes , both sides. I believe in either "Guys and Dolls" or "Carousel"--Mandy Patinkin took the leading role, also Claire Moore was in one of them---It is so long since I heard them---but "Salad Days" was a 40th Anniversary recording starred Janie Dee and Simon Green---[never heard of them], but also includes Roy Hudd, Leslie Phillips, Tony Slattery, Timothy West, Prunella Scales, and Willie Rushton.

And Paul, thank you for the compliment re my new pic---I was in the middle of a great holiday in Scotland, at that time.

Marian

Marian

mariana44 · Post by **mariana44** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 10:46 am

HI Lena and Harry-----were you really and truly in "Name that tune" ??

I loved that programme so much, and really wish they could bring it back. I keep checking on "Challenge" or "TV gold" to see if they repeat any episodes----some series , they seem to repeat over and over, but not spotted "Name that Tune" yet. Geoge was always astounded at how quickly I could guess the tunes--although I was not always too good on the final one.

Marian

ROBERT M. · Post by **ROBERT M.** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:20 pm

Hello Mariana44 and all. I remember Name That Tune very well, but I don't remember the "musicals" being on Radio 2, maybe they were on before I started listening to Radio 2 on a regular basis.
Mariana44, I really am missing your long lost "other hand".

Lena & Harry Smith · Post by **Lena & Harry Smith** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 6:57 pm

Paul, Edith Piaf's story was on television not that long ago, but she did have an extaordinary voice and an interesting life too.
Marian, we do recall the musicals on the radio, but didn't tape them unfortunately.
We have the Carousel and Guys and Dolls albums and "Salad Days" was one of the longest running musicals in London in the Fifties, one song that we particularly like from that score is "We Said We Wouldn't Look Back"
As for Name That Tune Marian, no it wasn't on the TV series unfortunately. In fact this was at celebration afternoon at a social club.
In fact Don Estelle the singer from " It Ain Half Hot Mum" was guest singer.
I (Lena ) was the winner out of Eight contestants. ooooohh!!!! The prize was a cut glass bowl and Twenty pounds worth of vouchers to spend at the club. Wow!!!!. well it was a few years ago.
That's a very nice picture of you Marian too, golden sands , blue skies,
Och aye the noo.