Sight & Sound

[Trevor Hilton]

Hi. I was just curious if anyone knows anything about the archive status of this 1977 UK music show. Usually featured two or three acts in front of a live audience.

[Gary Critcher]

I always thought it was just one act featured per programme? Unless you're getting mixed up with the OGWT? (aside ; I went to a few Sight & Sound recordings ; Paice Ashton Lord, Loudon Wainwright, Gentle Giant to name but a few)

[Trevor Hilton]

Well, maybe two at most, from my memory.

Also, why was it called "Sight & Sound?" Was it simulcast on FM radio or something?

[Simon B Kelly]

There was an episode of SIGHT AND SOUND IN CONCERT on BBC4 last night!
It'll be repeated in the early hours of Monday morning between 1.25am and 2.25am or you can catch it on BBC iPlayer:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lkrm3

It looks like the series was donated to the BFI. They describe it as follows:

SIGHT AND SOUND IN CONCERT

Series of popular music concerts, simulcast with Radio 1.
GB. BBC, Tx BBC 2:
(Series 1) 1977/01/08 - 1977/04/02 (Sat)
(Series 2) 1977/10/01 - 1978/04/01 (Sat)
(Series 3) 1983/01/08 - 1984/03/31 (Sat)

[Stephen Doran]

Was Caravan,BJH ,Eddie And The Hot Rods ever on it?

[Simon B Kelly]

Unfortunately there is no sign of Caravan, Barclay James Harvest or Eddie and the Hot Rods (although they all appeared as part of the "In Concert" series on BBC Radio 1).

Below should be every episode that aired. The BFI mentions Series 3 started on 8th Jan 1983. I've been able to confirm this via a TV listing that mentions Sight & Sound aired 6.50-7.30pm that evening. There's no mention of this episode in the BBC database so I've no idea who was on that week. I'm going to assume it was a repeat from an earlier series as Pete Drummond opens the Mari Wilson concert shown the following week as follows: "Hello and welcome to a brand new series of Sight and Sound In Concert. A few grey hairs since the last one - it's been five years, but here we are back with a whole new series."

Bizarrely, the BBC database omits the Dr.Feelgood/Ian Dury episode (catalogued by the BFI as 10 Dec 77) which was repeated last year on BBC4. It's listed on their website here but doesn't come up when searching INFAX.


Series 1
S01E01. 8 Jan 77. Renaissance
S01E02. 15 Jan 77. The Jess Roden Band
S01E03. 22 Jan 77. Santana
S01E04. 29 Jan 77. Rory Gallagher
S01E05. 5 Feb 77. John Miles
S01E06. 12 Feb 77. The Cheiftains
S01E07. 19 Feb 77. Jethro Tull
S01E08. 26 Feb 77. Kiki Dee
S01E09. 5 Mar 77. Gallagher and Lyle
S01E10. 12 Mar 77. Procul Harum
S01E11. 19 Mar 77. Paice Ashton Lord
S01E12. 26 Mar 77. Graham Parker and The Rumour
S01E13. 2 Apr 77. Roy Wood's Wizzo Band

Series 2
S02E01. 1 Oct 77. Camel
S02E02. 8 Oct 77. Elkie Brooks
S02E03. 15 Oct 77. Racing Cars, John Martyn
S02E04. 22 Oct 77. Split Enz, Leo Kottke
S02E05. 29 Oct 77. AC/DC, John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett
S02E06. 5 Nov 77. Lone Star, The Pat Travers Band
S02E07. 12 Nov 77. Joan Armatrading
S02E08. 19 Nov 77. Supertramp
S02E09. 26 Nov 77. The Steve Gibbons Band
S02E10. 3 Dec 77. Nazareth
S02E11. 10 Dec 77. Dr Feelgood, Ian Dury
S02E12. 17 Dec 77. Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias, Splinter
S02E13. 14 Jan 78. Colosseum II, Richard Digance
S02E14. 21 Jan 78. Gentle Giant
S02E15. 28 Jan 78. Gordon Giltrap, Michael Chapman
S02E16. 4 Feb 78. Be-Bop Deluxe, Jenny Darren
S02E17. 11 Feb 78. Gilbert O'Sullivan, Chris De Burgh
S02E18. 18 Feb 78. The Strawbs
S02E19. 25 Feb 78. Loudon Wainwright III
S02E20. 4 Mar 78. The Tom Robinson Band, Sad Cafe
S02E21. 11 Mar 78. John Miles
S02E22. 18 Mar 78. Gallagher and Lyle
S02E23. 25 Mar 78. Steel Pulse, XTC
S02E24. 1 Apr 78. Frankie Miller, Sam Mitchell

Series 3
S03E01. 15 Jan 83. Mari Wilson & The Wilsations
S03E02. 22 Jan 83. Joe Jackson
S03E03. 29 Jan 83. UB40
S03E04. 5 Feb 83. Thin Lizzy
S03E05. 19 Feb 83. The Thompson Twins
S03E06. 26 Feb 83. Randy Newman
S03E07. 5 Mar 83. Level 42
S03E08. 12 Mar 83. A Flock of Seagulls
S03E09. 19 Mar 83. The Undertones
S03E10. 26 Mar 83. Weapon of Peace
S03E11. 14 Jan 84. The Truth
S03E12. 21 Jan 84. Gary Moore
S03E13. 28 Jan 84. The Europeans
S03E14. 4 Feb 84. Wang Chung
S03E15. 11 Feb 84. Boomtown Rats
S03E16. 18 Feb 84. Curtis Mayfield Band
S03E17. 25 Feb 84. Aswad
S03E18. 3 Mar 84. Nena
S03E19. 10 Mar 84. The Style Council
S03E20. 17 Mar 84. Marillion
S03E21. 24 Mar 84. Ian Dury & The Music Students
S03E22. 31 Mar 84. Blancmange

UPDATED to include hyperlinks to some of the performances that have been uploaded to YouTube.

[paulwelton]

I still have some of the 22/01/83 Joe Jackson Sight and Sound on Vt.It finishes with "Slow song"
This is followed on the same tape with a feature with him from "The other side of the tracks"introduced by Paul Gamberchinni transmitted by Channel 4 the same year.

[Stephen Doran]

Camel /Jethro Tull appeared thats good to see.

[Gary Critcher]

Gosh, I see there's another couple that I attended and didn't mention ; Supertramp (some college in East London, I think) and Thin Lizzy at the Regal in Hitchin in Hertfordshire. Aside ; who WERE The Europeans??? They seem to have completely passed me by!

[Simon B Kelly]

The Supertramp performance is from Queen Mary College. That brings to mind a similar series that ran from 1978-1981 on the BBC called ROCK GOES TO COLLEGE. It was also hosted by Pete Drummond, who did a lot of the SIGHT & SOUND programmes, but no stereo simulcast.

You can find out more about The Europeans and their various TV appearances here.

It was mentioned on another website that Blondie also appeared on SIGHT & SOUND. In fact, their performance was an OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST special, recorded live on New Years Eve, 1979, and also transmitted live on BBC Radio 1.

[Stephen Doran]

Used to watch Rock goes to college Cado Belle ,Bill Bruford are among 2 editions i saw

[Gary Critcher]

And what's the most famous Rock Goes To College programme? Probably the un-transmitted one ; The Stranglers at Guildford University, 1978.

[Rich Cornock]

''un-transmitted one ; The Stranglers at Guildford University, 1978.''

is it still in the archives, id love to see thatone
why was it not broadcast?

[James C]

Aug 28, 2011 16:05:05 GMT Rich Cornock said:

''un-transmitted one ; The Stranglers at Guildford University, 1978.''

is it still in the archives, id love to see thatone
why was it not broadcast?

I think this explains why it went untransmitted.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ENinn8l8A

[Gary Critcher]

Certainly NOT in the archives!