Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

56. Aldous Huxley - Visionary Experience

Broadcast on 30th November 2010

The author of Brave New World, The Perennial Philosophy, The Doors of Perception, The Devils of Loudon and more delivers a superb lecture to an audience at Los Alamos laboratories, effortlessly drawing on art, science and mysticism to express his ideas with tremendous eloquence.

Speaking Personally... Aldous Huxley
Lansdowne, 1975

Here's a short extract from this wonderfully recorded album released on Lansdowne as a taster of Huxley's voice and engaging charm as a speaker.

Aldous Huxley, Visionary Experience
A series of talks on The Human Situation, Recorded Live from The Lecture Hall
Volume Two.
Laura Archera Huxley/ Gifford Associates, undated but suggested as 1969.
Aldous Huxley Aldous Huxley
This is the entire lecture. Check out the back of the sleeve for his notes for this lecture.

Monday, November 22, 2010

55. Ludwig Koch

Broadcast on 23 November 2010

Ludwig Koch was the first person to record the voice of an animal, recording an Indian Sharma bird in 1889 on an Edison Cylinder. His interest in sound recording led him to make some of the most amazing field recordings over many decades, and we present excerpts of two records in which he is interviewed and some of his recordings are played and remarked upon.

A Salute To Ludwig Koch and a selection of some of his finest recordings
BBC Wildlife Series No. 1
BBC Records,
koch_salute
Adapted from a BBC programme "The Best of Ludwig Koch" originally broadcast on 11th November 1968 in "The World Of Sound" series in honour of his 87th birthday.


Ludwig Koch - recollections and recordings The pioneer of nature recordings looks back over his life. With a further selection of his unique recordings.
BBC Wildlife Series No. 6
BBC Records,
koch_recollections koch_recollections_back
A longer version of a BBC programme produced by John Burton and originally broadcast on 14th November 1969 in the Radio 4 series "listen" to mark Ludwig Koch's 88th birthday.

54. JB Priestley and Gerard Hoffnung

Broadcast on 16th November 2010

The warm Bradford tones of Priestley reading from Delights, finished off with the effusively rumbunctious mirthfulness of the inimitable Gerard Hoffnung.

An Informal Hour with J.B.Priestley
DELIGHT
Spoken Arts, undated
JB Priestley
Introduction
Fountains
Orchestral Conductors
Smell of Tahiti
Smoking in a Hot Bath
Not Going
Blossom
Wood

No School Report
Long Trousers
Pleasure and Gratitude of Children
The Mineral Water in Bedrooms of Foreign Hotels
Orchestras Tuning Up
The Delight That Never Was
But This is Where We Came In


Hoffnung
BBC Records, 1973
hoffnung_importance hoffnung_middle
Two excerpts:
The Film Fan recorded in 1955 and broadcast originally on "Talking About Films".
My Life recorded in 1953 and originally broadcast on "Woman's Hour" thus earning it, in my humble opinion, clearly the best ever Woman's Hour broadcast honours.

Friday, November 12, 2010

53. Sherlock Holmes and the Redheaded League

Broadcast on 9th November 2010.

Here is an entire Sherlock Holmes story along with a selection of Aesop's Fables read by Boris Karloff.

Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone
The Redheaded League
Caedmon, 1963
Sherlock Holmes 2

Aesop's Fables - read by Boris Karloff
Wing, 1967

Sunday, October 31, 2010

52. Science Fiction - Science Fact

Broadcast on 2nd November 2010

A story from the pen of Ursula Le Guin read by the author, the dulcet and infinitely reassuring tones of Peter Jones as the Book in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and a comprehensive account of the theory or relativity by Dr Edward Teller - easy reading for your ears!

Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I have loved the work of Douglas Adams since I watched the very first episode of the BBC TV production of Hitchhikers Guide as a small boy. Peter Jones' voice is one those very special voices that send a tingle up the spine when I hear them. I wish I could play more of this.

The Size And Nature Of The Universe. Relativity Dr. Edward Teller
Spoken Arts/General Dynamics Corporation, New York, c1957

This time we hear all about Relativity. If you're not interested in Relativity then marvel in the germanic accent that Dr Teller rolls around his tongue. Informative and entertaining! Notably this record was also directed by the fabled Arthur Luce Klein who was responsible for most of the Spoken Arts recordings, many of which we have played on the show.

Gwilan's Harp and Intracon read by the author Ursula K. Le Guin
Caedmon, 1977

Here's an author I'm not that familiar with, but since finding this record in a junk shop in Portland round the corner from Matty and Kimberley's place, I will be looking out for some of her novels. The sleeve notes to this record are priceless and written with true wit and style. I will try to scan them or get a good quality photo and will post them here at some point soon.

51. Comedy and Comedians

Broadcast on 26th October 2010

Ooops, left it a bit late to update this page and can't remember the strapline or running order, so below is subject to change or correction.

Several comedians and comic actors at work.

Steptoe And Son
Pye Golden Guinea, 1962

Wilfred Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold in this excerpt from The Diploma entitled The Gentle Art Of Totting. Vintage double act from the BBC series, music by Ron Grainer of Doctor Who theme-tune fame.

Scott Dobson's Larn Yersel' Geordie with George Russel and Mike Neville.
MWM Records, undated.

Should have been a double header with Teach Thissen Tyke but I only just found this at the car boot sale last week. Hello to Bennett Hogg and all at the Toon Uni.

Watch Out For The Bits! The explosive exploits of Blaster Bates volume four.
Big Ben, 1971

Blaster tells the tale of the Butterless Butty and dispenses other pearls of northern wisdom. Sorry about the swearing but it's all good fun.

Barry Humphries by permission of Dame Edna Everage PROUDLY PRESENTS Housewife Superstar!

Actually, we don't hear from Dame Edna herself but the fellow who introduces her show with a warm act of his own as his capacity as the Australian Cultural Attache to the Court of St James, Les Patterson.