The BBC Radiophonic Workshop Thread

[SiHart]

We've got our tickets already!

Si xx

[SiHart]

There are free tickets available for the Q&A session available now from this page, for anyone who's considering going: http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/whats-o...kshop-q-a-3171

Si xx

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

My tickets arrived in the post this morning so Ant and I will be at both the Q&A session and the actual Radiophonic Workshop event.
Si, I'll PM you my mobile number should you want to meet up before hand.

[SiHart]

Hooray!

Si xx

[Pip Madeley]

Will someone try and steal one of the ARP Oddessy synths for me?

[Antony Cox]

If I can get it, you can swap me a DVD cover for it...

[Pip Madeley]

Okay, as soon as I've recovered from the large hint that hit me in the face.

[Antony Cox]

Okay, as soon as I've recovered from the large hint that hit me in the face.

I've no idea what you mean...?

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

Okay, as soon as I've recovered from the large hint that hit me in the face.

Ant doesn't do subtle!!!

[Rob McCow]

But I believe he does do stubble. On a Sunday morning after a party.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to a night of Radiophonic mayhem! I hope they play ... nothing that sounds like anything I've ever heard before.

[SiHart]

There's some info about the concert here: http://www.rwsprojects.co.uk/rwsopener.html

I'm really looking forward to this, especially as they are playing Doctor Who and Hitch-Hikers music and various Kids TV stuff. Should be fantastic!

Si xx

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

Oooohh, I'm getting very excited about this now!!!

[SiHart]

Me too Andrew!

Si xx

[SiHart]

The concert was something more than a bit special. I mean, where else are you going to hear the theme from Words and Pictures marvellously recreated on stage for you?

There were so many highlights- The Greenwich Chorus which was breathtakingly lovely, Ziwzih Ziwzih OO OO OO, the tributes to both John Baker and Delia Derbyshire with their music remixed into surround sound and played loudly... the recreation to the pictures of the Southend Pier sequence from Hitch-Hikers, Peter Howell giving a good stab at the very first Astronauts, the Radiophonic Rock encore...

But, of course, the Doctor Who stuff too was wonderful. Saved until the end of the show, we had the original theme played loud and proud which sent tingles up my spine, followed by a well chosen montage of sound effects and music from 1963-1989... before an unexpected recreation of one piece of music by each of the musicians there that evening... we got several minutes of the end of Logopolis recreated leading up to the regeneration, Nyssa's theme from Roger Limb and a suite of music from The Five Doctors (it was great when we heard the horn of Rassilon sound in The Roundhouse). Not content with that, later on we had a recreation of the Peter Howell theme with Peter playing the main melody lines live! Wow! Followed up by a full on rocky-radiophonic new version of the theme, which was superb. Puts Murray Gold to shame!

You know, as I said last night, this time last year I could almost believe we'd get to see a Murray Gold music from Doctor Who concert, but if you'd told me I'd get to see the Radiphonic Workshop in concert I'd never, ever have believed you!

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

The main concert was brilliant right from the opening. It started with a real explosive track as Dick Mills demonstrated the power of the EMS VCS3 to make amazing sounds. Throughout, they combined great visuals with Radiophonic tunes beefed up and amplified for a concert scale. Tracks that were familiar from various old Radiophonic CD releases were hugely expanded for this event. They were mostly synth led, but backed up by proper drums, french horn, sax, trumpet and bass. It gave the tunes an extra edge and bolstered them.

There was one moment early on where a starscape appeared on the screens - then seemed to burst out across the whole concert hall! Everyone was in awe, looking around going 'wow!' Then we realised how they'd achieved the effect. There was a mirrorball up at the top of the room. There's something remarkably reassuring about realising that you've just been stunned into amazement by as simple a trick as a mirrorball.

We had Robot prayers and marching armies; Words and pictures; tributes to Delia Derbyshire and John Baker. The tone of the event wasn't weird and bleepy as you might expect, but tuneful and enthralling. Peter Howell demonstrated the power of the Vocoder with a little help from Mark Ayres, before they launched into Greenwich Clocks.

Another delight was seeing familiar footage with only the music, no sound effects or vocals. So we got shots from Hitch-hikers Guide To The Galaxy, Doctor Who and Sea Trek (NOT Star Trek) with marvellous backing. The Hitch-hikers sequence, of Ford and Arthur arriving in infinite improbability, was gobsmacking. The Logopolis and Five Doctors music was great too, even Nyssa's theme from Keeper of Traken wasn't unwelcome! Mark Ayres' music from Curse of Fenric also sounded fabulous, though it's still not a favourite.

OK - Doctor Who. You get the feel that it's a semi-loved burden for the Radiophonic Workshop, they did some great work for it and it's what they're probably best known for, but it's certainly not their only achievement. That said, the theme music got cracked out in three different varieties. The first being the Delia Derbyshire original in stunning surround sound, bassy, enthralling and sinister. Then the triumphant Peter Howell re-creation from the 80's, sadly not played to it's best at this concert but still very good. Then, at the last, they played a new version that they'd put together. It was probably the best thing they played all night, out of huge competition! Simply astounding, it captured the unsettling synth feel of the original and the power of the more recent interpretations. Basically, it knocked even the new seires version of the theme into a cocked hat.

They finished up with Radiophonic Rock as an encore. These five musicians are perfect anti-rock stars, they are essentially engineers and technicians but with a real sense of artistry. They put on an astounding show and I'm delighted that we were lucky enough to see it. In a way, we got to share in their achievements and the friendship that the team have for each other, which was simply delightful. Paddy Kingsland had the last word - "I've been waiting for months to do this... Thankyou and good night!!"



Dick Mills EMS VCS3 - object of desire!



The Chemical Brothers' dads - in concert!

http://robmccow.livejournal.com/80074.html - More about this on my blog!

[SiHart]

If anyone wants a flavou of the evening, here's one of the finest moments from the evening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmHsFcUKK3M (the sound was so much better in the auditorium though!)

and part of the Doctor Who montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bRYpKsFuAI



Si xx

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

I can only really echo what Si and Steve have said. It was a fantastic evening. I'm also glad that it was dark as nobody could see that I was pretty much in tears listening to the last music cues from Logopolis played live (all the musicians played during each others cues - but with the composer of the piece taking the lead). The semi-tone downward scale at the start of the final cues was excellent as both Paddy Kingsland and Roger Limb played parts of it.
I was also a bit watery-eyed when I heard the original version of the theme music (ok, it wasn't quite the original; it was one of Mark Ayres' cleaned up 'corrected' versions), but then hearing most TV versions of the theme tune, played in very loudly, in a large venue, filled with many other people always does that to me!!!
All the main musicians had their turn at the microphone and they all pretty amusing - I actually think Dick Mills could do stand up!!!!

The musicians were hanging about between the Q&A session and the main event and I very nearly went over to speak to Roger, with the mission of introducing him to Si and Steve (Ant and I both know him as a jazz musician), but I'm afraid I lost my nerve and though it might come across as being a bit to showy - you know like "I know Roger Limb everyone; I'm just going to go over there and say how ya doing Rog mate?". Besides he was already talking to lots of people and I didn't want to interrupt.
Having said that it was a little strange when Roger got his double bass out and was playing along on a couple of tracks - I also noticed that the bottom of the two keyboards that he was using was the one he plays on his jazz gigs!!!

Hearing 'Words and Pictures' was weird - Ant and I don't think we've heard that since we were kids!!!

I'm very, very glad that Si pointed this event out to us - it was a truly unique, brilliant evening!!! - Hurrah!!!!

[SiHart]

The musicians were hanging about between the Q&A session and the main event and I very nearly went over to speak to Roger, with the mission of introducing him to Si and Steve (Ant and I both know him as a jazz musician), but I'm afraid I lost my nerve and though it might come across as being a bit to showy - you know like "I know Roger Limb everyone; I'm just going to go over there and say how ya doing Rog mate?".

Oh you should have done Andrew! I wouldn't have thought it was showy at all and I'd like to have said hello to him.

Si xx

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

Oh you should have done Andrew! I wouldn't have thought it was showy at all and I'd like to have said hello to him.

Si xx

Now, I feel really bad!!!!

[SiHart]

Awww! Sorry!

Oh and here is my full on review of the night: http://theamazingworldofsihart.blogspot.com/

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

Sounds you all had a really good time, glad to hear it was such a great evening.

[Rob McCow]

"No Keeper, but I had a very good copy"

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

"No Keeper, but I had a very good copy"

I had totally forgotten about that!!!!

[Antony Cox]

"No Keeper, but I had a very good copy"

It was one of those sudden inspirations - plus I had just been watching it...

I thoroughly enjoyed Sunday Night!

Apart from the Who stuff and Words and Pictures, I hadn't head any of what they played before, so my RW repertoire has now increased dramatically!

The emotion which Dick Mills showed at the end really demonstrated what a close bunch of guys they were/are, and I think we were quite priviledged to have them perform for us.

[Pip Madeley]

BBC Radiophonic Workshop at The Roundhouse, review - Telegraph

Dr Who montage @ the Roundhouse

Logopolis sounded immense Shame it wasn't that dramatic sounding in the episode!

80s theme & new version

Basically, it knocked even the new seires version of the theme into a cocked hat.

Personally I'd take the current TV theme over that version, good as it was.