[simon_t123Member]

Embedded at home.recnet.com/soundcloud

So, the LX series from JAM has been posted to the JM Soundcloud area … does anyone know the story with this package ? I’m thinking that a great deal of those tracks, maybe all were composed by Alfasound in the UK ? I’m hearing CNFM, Fox FM and maybe some Radio Kent, Swansea Sound and other UK based Alfasound customers ? Either that or I’ve got things the wrong way around and Alfasound sung UK vocals over these JAM tracks for UK customers ?

Assuming these were cuts that Alfasound composed that might explain the not-so JAM music style and strange vocal arrangements ? There’s US vocals in there but they’re not in a style that rings Jam to me ! Some almost ‘haunting’ harmonies and melodies … Perhaps there’s US and UK singers collaborating on the package demo ? there’s almost a US ‘twang’ on the original Alfasound UK singing style (quite acidic & high pitched) …

There was suggestion in the narration that some stations might not be able to afford big luxury packages and that the LX Series could be the answer, could this of been then a budget package with non-JAM tracks ?

It’s one of those packages that’s caught my ear since it’s appeared and I can’t keep from listening to it lols …

[tyty21]

i believe that the vocals are from the KenR singers, that’s who i can hear. i’ve been wondering about the alpha cuts, wondering about who has the rights to the alphasound cuts for US clients, the fox FM cuts were on my list!

[simon_t123MemberAuthor]

Ah KenR, I’m not familiar with the KenR vocal sound … it certainly didn’t sound like a JAM vocal group … certainly a different style ! I think Alfasound sold some of their tracks to US stations possibly via JAM over the years, not a huge number mind, there’s something about UK jingles, beds or vocals of UK jingles or US packages originally commissioned by UK stations (even if they’re resung in the US for a US station) that US stations don’t like ! Hence most of the UK commissioned Dallas packages have been demo’d with US station names whether the US station ever took the package or not … TM’s ‘The Bee’ package springs to mind, and JAM’s ‘Metroline’ sung in the US for Y98 FM …

[GrahamCollins]

Interesting thread Simon. My ears tell me all of these are Alfa tracks – the drums give it away. The classic JAM drum sound is very distinctive, uses real drums, and a lot of Mike Collier – I think Alfa’s drums were synthesized and/or sampled and programmed – they may be triggered by a real drummer but the sound just doesn’t cut it for me.

Series 3 is the odd one out – programmed drums but a better sound.

Only one man can help us…..

[gameswizardMember]

does anyone know the story with this package ?

This was a reply from Michi Bradley (uploader) to my comment:

“Actually, the tape had a label with red print instead of JAM’s usual blue print and no JAM logo. The label stated that these jingles are available thorugh JAM Creative Productions. IIRC, this was a sweetheart deal between Jon and Ken R. to make jingles available with the North Coast vocal group (someone please correct me if I am wrong…). North Coast sounded great on PAMS cuts. I have had cuts done with the North Coast vocals, but on more contemporary jingles, the arrangement is just not there. Even the Alfa vocal group handled these tracks better (and I am not a big fan of Alfasound, sorry…)”

[michiMember]

Yes, North Coast does sound better on the PAMS cuts:
Embedded at home.recnet.com/soundcloud
Embedded at home.recnet.com/soundcloud
Embedded at home.recnet.com/soundcloud

[IainJohnston]

Back in the mists of time….

http://jinglemad.com/index.php?p=/discussion/6925/alfasound-resings-for-american-stations/p1

[IanF]

LX Series 4 is my fave. I quite liked Alfasound’s Fox FM package from 1989. The NC singers do a good job and their best sings on the whole series IMO.

[IainJohnston]

Considering that the LX project was “sponsored” in the sense of marketed & promoted under the umbrella of JAM branding, would e.g. a Fox FM “LX Series” cut be “available for re-sing” today, either for stations or even Personal Cuts, via JAM, as Alfa and KenR Inc no longer operate, and (possibly) some of the tracks involved may have been written by JAM staff or recorded in Dallas, regardless of where actual vocals may have been performed back at the time?

[glen]

I hope there was a deal or Jon is going to want to know where they got the tracks.

[DuncanNewmarchMember]

I’m familiar with the series 2 tracks, used by Classic Gold and Great North Radio back in the early 90’s (with the Alfa singers at their best). They were featured on one of the Alfa cassettes, “…produced by Alfasound”.

[Tracy CarmanMember]

I got my dub of the “LX” (Less Expensive) demos off of KenR’s DAT master during one of my Toledo trips. My fuzzy recollection is that these were to be a lower costing alternative to JAM’s offerings, sung over Alfa tracks.

The true difference between these and the usual KenR vocals is that Jon (who I hope will add to this thread with that which I’ve forgotten) wrote the guiding vocal charts.

I have no way to gauge how many, if any, of these packages actually were resung.

[IanF]

I think I’ve heard some of the LX packages resung here and there. A twist in this particular storyline would be other Alfa packages were resung that wern’t on the LX demo at all

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