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I was thinking it would be good to start a thread where I would post links to interesting and informative stuff on the web related to the history, science and art of music in various forms.

I am always listening to and watching documentaries, radio shows etc as I love to get a perspective on different aspects of music as a whole. Today I was listening to a radio show on the BBC website about Joe Meek being a pioneer of electronic music back in the early 60's. I really enjoyed it, learned a lot and thought others may also.

So this gave me the idea of starting this thread which, if there is interest, I will update with other things I find over time. Hope someone finds it fun and informative

So the first post today is a link to a radio documentary on the BBC called Telstar - The Sound of the Future.

"Like its subject matter, the Telstar satellites, Joe Meek's track was pioneering and otherworldly. We now take global communication and entertainment for granted, but in the early 1960s it was cutting-edge of technology. "

The show is 57 mins in length as is currently online for another 29 days. If anyone has difficulty accessing the BBC site or after the 29 days let me know by PM and I will help out if you are interested in listening.
Here it is:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ndm4t

 

I meant to add above that the music played in the show includes:

The Tornados - Telstar
Don Spencer - Fireball
BBC Radiophonic Workshop - Dr Who original theme
Orbital - Doctor?
Ron Freeman & The Blue Men - Orbit Around the Moon
Lord Invader & His Calypso Boys - Teddy Boy calypso
Humphrey Littleton - Bad Penny Blues
Ron Freeman & The Blue Men - Magnetic Field
John Leyton - Johnny Remember Me
The Honeycombs - Have I The Right
Kraftwerk - Spacelab
Gary Numan - Engineers

 

what a thread! congrats
I was about to add some historical info to my last thread when I ve seen this

may I suggest some name if you like those things?

Bill Putnam, Universal Audio and all the story of the Teletronix, of the incorporation by Urei, Urei JBL etc untill the son purchased the company again.
Glyin Johns (Beatles, Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Steve Miller band, and many others)

If I may, I'd also suggest to read about the innovative techniques and the technology used

The most interesting story about the development of audio comes from Deustchland, for me, starting from the Siemens factory, and Telefunken, the first amplifiers, the first compressor U3 projected to tame Hitler's screams at the microphone, at the 1936 Olympic games. I hope I ve been correct, old times readings. The german institution created to control audio quality (!!!!!) a berliner friend of mine has told me it was really severe.

Also the history of MCI mixer and recorders, Alan Parson (Cowbell Master), Pink Floyd, the incorporation by Sony Audio...

and at least but not at last the Abbey Road studios and EMI and before Decca Telefunken.

Beth, now you can find all the links and add them! what a luck! lol
if I'd have time I'll do it

one of my fav topics, thumbs up!

PS I ve seen some real Joemeek pre and eq from the 70s , still british production in action
but I don t remember the sound ahahahah there were too many toys and I was a newbie, MCI JH Series mixer, Telefunken V72, Siemens Eqs,,,
at the times all I wanted was one of the first Mac G3 so... I was really far from understanding that equipment, but that s where I ve started from, this berliner guy introduced me to vintage audio.
I love it.

 

Last edited: Aug 4, 2016

Thanks Adamdog !

That's what I hoped for!

There must be many talented and knowledgable musicians on this forum who have gems of knowledge and wisdom to share for the benefit of us all as a community.

A fine example is this:

as are all your other info and suggestions !!!

We could really get some good and interesting stuff going in this thread

Let me know if you listen to the Jo Meek Telstar show and what you think.
It would be great to get peoples reviews, responses, opinions etc of the different posts

 

Thank you ever so much for this Beth. I'm 18 1/2 mins in to it, and it's wonderful. I just paused it to tell you how much I'm enjoying it and I'm going back to it now.

 

@Sylenth.Will.Fall
I wont give anything away as you're only part way through but there is some interesting stuff in there about Joe Meek that I hadn't heard of and quite surprised me. Anyway enjoy the rest of the show !

 

It was groundbreaking at the time

 

@Zenarcist
good post but I wonder if that is a different mix/version ???

this is the one I have heard......I will have to have close listen/comparison to both and find out what, if anything, is going on here .

 

The first remixer in music history?

 

I think Joe Meek was way ahead of his time in many ways. I believe Telstar has backwards tape loops (toilets flushing i think) and way before 1967 and Sgt Pepper.

He recorded Telstar in his 'home studio' too....his flat in London with all the instrumentalists in different rooms, bathroom for revereb etc

 

Part 2 in the series:

Storyville: Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer



This Sundance-award-winning Storyville documentary tells the compelling story of how a group of young, feminist punk rockers, known as Pussy Riot, captured the world’s attention by protesting against Putin’s Russia.
Through first-hand interviews with band members, their families and the defence team, and exclusive footage of the trial, Storyville highlights the forces that transformed these women from playful political activists to modern-day icons.

In early 2012, members of the collective donned their colourful trademark balaclavas and participated in a 40-second 'punk prayer protest' on the altar of Moscow’s Cathedral. Once arrested, Nadia, Masha and Katia were accused of religious hatred in a trial that triggered protests and arrests in Russia and caused uproar around the world.

Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer reveals the personal motives and courage of the women behind the balaclavas, and exposes the state of Russian justice through the court’s final verdict.
​

1hr 27 mins. First shown in 2013

I found this a wonderful,atmospheric and interesting documentary. I couldn't stop watching it. And maybe something of an antidote to all the mass produced commercialism of a lot of music these days ?

"Art is not a mirror to the reflect the world but a hammer to break it"..... Bertolt Brecht​

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01hs5t8/storyville-20132014-7-pussy-riot-a-punk-prayer

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Interesting Beth!
Definitely keep this going.

 

Cool bones Bethy, you are out front and setting the pace. I'm quite sure there will be many a mate and matron running this course along with you. Thanks for helping to keep us fit and in tip top form. We'll all be the better for it. We can't know where we're going if we don't know where we've been.

 

Awesome thread.

Meek really was the founding forefather of home recording. Especially regarding technology.

There's a great drama/documentary/film that the BBC has shown a lot on the guy. Apparently it has a few mistruths in it regarding the homesexual relationships but I thought it did a real good job of making you feel empathy for someone who was on the face of it a complete nutter(UnPC I know, one wonders if it wasn't just his sexuality that was troubling him) There's a scene where he holds a shotgun at Mitch Mitchell's head through a recording session!

Mitch Mitchell must've been a dude. I heard a first hand account at Georgie Fame gig about how when Georgie was signed the label demanded he sack his band which included Mitch. Apparently Mitch was absolutely distraught and in tears. Only later that day to be told about a then unknown guitarist name Jimi Hendrix wanted his drums kills.

The rest, as they say is history.

 

Staying with the pioneers of audio tech from UK.

The relatively unknown inventor of stereo recording.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Blumlein

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blumlein_Pair

Interesting reading.

 

Actually Blumlein is preeeety darn famous and a known entity in professional recording circles. Also he was just a plain genius when it came to anything sound related, and I mean anything. Without him the world of sound might be considerably more Lo-Fi. He was very rock n' roll, dying at a very young age while engaged doing the thing he loved best, tweaking sound.

 

@DoubleSharp

thank you!

Also do you know what that BBC documentary film about Meek was called? I'd like to see it.

 

Saw it a while a way back. His was an obsession with recording sound. Thank goodness.
I downloaded it from here .. https://m.box.com/shared_item/https://app.box.com/s/mhejicnrzzho6pldetf9
to watch at my leisure. It is an .FLV file and plays back on my android device, but your milage may vary.

As an aside, if one drives in a country that is on the metric system, could one say, "Your kilometage may vary?", or am I just being silly to mention it?

 

@superliquidsunshine
you're a star ! multitudinousness thankyous for the link !

No you're not being silly but oh don't get me started on driving in different countries !!!

I've only just got used to driving on the 'wrong' side of the road here in the UK!

And man do I miss being able to turn right on a red light !!!!

I still sometimes walk up to my car and go to get in the wrong side

 

Music history starts with percussion, after the human voice. Never been a big fan of his band or playing, but I like this book and have read it twice. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/166936.Drumming_at_the_Edge_of_Magic ----It might be in your local library...