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Mastering for beginners
It is not just as simple as recording a batch of genius songs in various places around the world and expecting the public to appreciate your creative wonderfulness. One of the things you have to do is make them sound cohesive, make them sound like an ‘album’ that flows from song to song with…
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Pink Floyd – London 66-67 – a new screening
Our release of the Peter Whitehead footage of Pink Floyd is going to be screened next week at the Royal Albert Hall. There is also Peter Whitehead’s film ‘Tonite Let’s All Make Love In London’ as well as Yoko Ono’s ‘Bottoms’ film all receiving screenings. Here is a link for tickets The work of Peter…
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A master class in mastering music
So far this week we have had the pleasure of a mastering class from Barry Grint who learnt his craft at studios like Trident and Abbey Road. This man now sits in his padded room all day listening to music and making sure it sounds as good as is possible when transferred to vinyl or CD for our listening…
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Punk pioneers on the BBC
We had a minor role in finding people for this programme – nice to see it making the airways Sue MacGregor reunites five musicians who embraced the anarchy of punk music and created a unique style of their own. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08m98q2
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Walking the Beatles Tour of London
Well it was a lovely day yesterday and I had a couple of hours to kill which co-incided perfectly time-wise with the excellent Richard Porter’s Beatles Magical Mystery tour walking around London’s Soho and beyond. My fellow walkers were an interesting bunch, mainly from foreign parts, America, Canada and France and with a huge age…
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Glitch over
Well we had a little update to do on this magnificent site and then it all fell over for a few days, ah the joys of technology, but as you see we are back again and that is a relief. So maybe today is the day for you to hop on the Swinging 60s bus…
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The magic bus
If you live near Richmond, Surrey or are lucky enough to be visiting soon, it is worth checking this extraordinary musical trip as the holiday season starts again and the bus starts running more trips. You can ride from Richmond to the Hard Rock cafe on an original Sixties Route Master bus complete with musical…
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Rod Davis learns to play with his school chum John Lennon
From Quarry Bank School to the Quarrymen was a small step for Rod Davis in the Fifties as he had acquired a banjo which he had yet to learn to play. Still in the skiffle days this did not matter and some of the band went on to be ever so successful. Recorded over a…
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Blue plaque campaign
BBC local Radio are running a campaign of awarding blue plaques to celebrate local music legends and we could do with your support to get one for Cyril Davies on the Round House pub in Soho, London. Let’s face it without Cyril we have none of the British R&B boom and all that followed. Cyril Davies…
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Interviews at the Beeb
Been enjoying life at the BBC again where I actually got my first proper job many, many decades ago now. This time it has been just over the road from where I used to work opposite Broadcasting House, my how everything around there has changed. What was my office is now a hotel again and Broadcasting House has…
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On the inside looking out
This week saw the publication of this new volume of stories from the RockHistory archives – ‘Inside Looking Out’ is named so accurately after The Animals hit of 1966. It is now available worldwide in book and kindle form for those of you who have not been tempted yet – so now you really have…
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Have you got any footage of 50s / 60s groups playing?
One of those daft questions we have asked before, and the answer sometimes is amazing in what turns up. We are looking for any old footage you might have shot on Super 8 or the like of your group or maybe a friend’s group either playing live or goofing about with equipment or vans. There tends…