TOTP 69 Transcription

[KevMulrennan]

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What the devil was the transcription service doing recording TOTP?

Answers on a postcard etc.

[Mark Kerridge]

Off the top of my head, this was a radio programme hosted by Brian Matthew that was compiled for export purposes (not the TV programme of the same name). It reused BBC Session Recordings originally featured in programmes like Saturday Club and Top Gear which were broadcast in the UK.

Whilst in most cases the original session recordings and programmes were wiped, fortunately the existence of these discs means that a lot of material which we would otherwise never of heard of again has been saved.

In the past, these discs were the sources of archive sessions rebroadcast on programmes like the Saturday Rock Show (hosted by Alan Freeman). Some of the tracks even feature Brian Matthew over the opening bars of the track.

[KevMulrennan]

Ah cheers Mark. So nothing to do with the telly.

That explains the reference to Brian.

There is a Top of The Pops programme on the World Service that is nothing to do with the telly.

[Peter Chadwick]

These discs used to be sold all over the place, until a few years ago when even 'Record Collector' stopped taking ads which referred specifically to them. I can only assume the Beeb were turning the heat up. A lot have been counterfeited, especially the 'In Concert' discs.
Nowadays the BBC produces these shows on cd.

[pete]

are they THAT collectable

the first one was when

[Peter Chadwick]

Guest-pete said:

are they THAT collectable

the first one was when

________________________
Yes, they certainly are collectable.Don't foget that these discs usually contain the only available existing session tracks by certain artists.This is how a handfull of tracks from the Beatles last BBC session survived (Ticket To Ride / Dizzy Miss Lizzy), and several tracks on The Beatles Live At The BBC are from transcription discs. I've seen certain one go for over £400, but as I say, the BBC have put pressure on magazines not to accept ads which have them for sale. As always with rarities like these, watch out for counterfeits, I've seen some which fooled me at first glance, and I've been collecting Beatles stuff for nearly 25 years, some of them are VERY good copies.Incidentally, the BBC keeps 10 copies of all their transcription discs, half of which are kept unplayed - MINT condition.

[Gary C]

the first BBC Transcription disc of TOTP '0' was 1964 and featured (among others) The Beatles, Cilla & Herman's Hermits. They made two pilot discs, '0' and '00' before launching into the series proper with disc number 1.

[Gary C]

'Incidentally, the BBC keeps 10 copies of all their transcription discs, half of which are kept unplayed - MINT condition.'
Rubbish! When I worked there (seven years!) and CERTAINLY before that, we used to keep one, mint unplayed copy for the Transcription Archive, one mint, unplayed copy went to the British Sound Archive and one, played, copy was kept as a Library Disc for people to borrow & listen to. The rest we used to sell.
(and at one point I was in charge of the Tape Library!)

[Jim Schwartau]

Guest-Gary said:

Rubbish! When I worked there (seven years!) and CERTAINLY before that, we used to keep one, mint unplayed copy for the Transcription Archive, one mint, unplayed copy went to the British Sound Archive and one, played, copy was kept as a Library Disc for people to borrow & listen to. The rest we used to sell.
(and at one point I was in charge of the Tape Library!)

And even so, there are significant holes in the archive, such as Judee Sill's "In Concert" - no copy exists at the BBC itself (although I believe the National Sound Archive holds a copy.)

Jim.

[Gary C]

are you sure about the Judee Sill In Concert??? I seem to remember a master tape at Transcriptions of a thirty minute concert (1972??). Certainly 'Jesus Was A Crossmaker' was on it. Or are you talking a TV concert as opposed to radio??

[Jim Schwartau]

Guest-Gary said:

are you sure about the Judee Sill In Concert??? I seem to remember a master tape at Transcriptions of a thirty minute concert (1972??).

The perils of typing in a hurry: what a terrible ambiguity. I meant to say there is no DISC copy of the concert at the BBC. The tape still exists, however.

Jim, who once called the LP up for a program to be told it was "lost".

[Gary C]

y'know Jim, this puzzles me. I know for a fact that we used to RELIGIOUSLY kept a library disc copyand also an unplayed Archive copy (even back then -- 1972), so why you were told that there was no 'disc' copy beats me. Iknow fora fact that was a library disc of the Judee Sill concert (backed with thirty minutes of Roxy Music if my memory is correct!!). Just WHO were you talking to??? Please feel free to e-mail me, i'm at [e-mail]

[Jim Schwartau]

Guest-Gary said:

I know for a fact that we used to RELIGIOUSLY kept a library disc copy and also an unplayed Archive copy (even back then -- 1972), so why you were told that there was no 'disc' copy beats me.

I was told this by a senior researcher based at Bush House, after I'd put in a request for a disc dub for a program on which I was working, only to be told that the disc was not on the shelf.

She did point out though that the disc could simply be mis-filed - apparently, the entire collection was transported to Windmill Road a few years ago and was still [eighteen months ago] largely unsorted. This was apparently also the cause of that "Massive 60s 'Archers' Haul Found!" hype of about a year ago - those in the know always knew the discs were there, but they were "found" when the discs were being unpacked.

Either way, our production got a dub of the tape eventually - I thought it odd at the time that the researchers should first search for the LP rather than the master tape. Next time I'm in touch, I should ask why. If there are two copies of each disc, perhaps I wasn't being told the full story.

Hope this helps,

Jim.