[RobinBlamires]

Seconded.

[Jim Donahue]

Thirded!

[Spoons]

Fourthered. Er…!

While we’re taking David Arnold/ C21 and TM – I almost posted a new topic on this the other day.

I’m intrigued to plug a gap in my knowledge. We all know Alfasound almost did the deal with C21 but opted for JAM at the 11th hour. That cleared the way for David Arnold to become the official agent for C21.

Muff Murfin always had his association with TM – so what happened when C21 and TM later merged? David Arnold offered material from TMCI – but did Muff also have an option to keep selling TM?

[m_hodgeyMember]

That would make sense Mark, I picked up the black one from St Martins studios

Actually, what I wrote didn’t make sense at all! I was supposed to have said:

I’ve got both copies too – I believe the black one is an Alfasound re-press of the original blue JAM demo CD.

[DuncanNewmarchMember]

I guessed that’s what you meant

[JAM / PAMSMember]

We all know Alfasound almost did the deal with C21 but opted for JAM at the 11th hour

You have that history a bit backwards. David Arnold offered to do a deal with JAM, but then JAM opted for Alfasound. So then David made a deal with C21 instead.

I believe the black one is an Alfasound re-press of the original blue JAM demo CD.

That is correct. The official version has “Digital Mix” in blue. We supplied Alfasound with many copies (shipping those over was expensive!) but when they ran out they decided it was faster to press their own bootleg copies instead of waiting for JAM to send more over. For some reason (probably related to price) the cover became black.

[simon_t123Member]

David Arnold also had a series of collector dubs up for grabs didn’t he

There was the launch package for BBC Essex circa 1986 which I’d always fancied picking up, but I was a wee lad back then when the dub was available, does David still supply such things ?

It would be relevant to pick up a copy of that what with the station’s 30th birthday being imminent … also the 1991 DA/TM Century BBC Essex package was a defining one in my collecting hobby, I got to use the excellent sung cuts during work experience / self-op production projects from that package in their 1993 “re-hashed” form, where most of the cuts suddenly had electric guitar overdubs added in ! it gave the station a (slightly) harder sound & really refreshed those already excellent cuts … a CD of all that for collectors purposes would indeed be a holy grail for me !!!

[IanF]

Just to muddy the waters, didn’t David Arnold’s BBC Radio York package have vocals from JAM as well?

Regarding Jon’s comment of choosing Alfasound to be a JAM agent, is part of the reason due to Jon Knowing Steve England beforehand. Steve did have dealings with JAM in the late 70’s with Piccadilly I believe?

I’ve got to say, this is getting very interesting

[Spoons]

Meanwhile Trent FM had jingles produced across town at Century 21 about the same time via Alfasound!

Thanks for the clarification Jon – I think Neal’s point above is why I thought the association with C21 was more established.

[IainJohnston]

“I’ve got to say, this is getting very interesting”

I’d no idea the UK agent/representative situation had been so tangled!
This is the stuff that should be in the fabled “Jingle Collectors Book” we blethered about on JM a few years back.

Just while on the MMI-related side of the topic – was “MMI” just a renaming of “Standard Sound” or some kind of changed ownership structure by Muff?

Also:- in the late 1970s/early 1980s Radio Clyde in Glasgow had customs that seemed to be AFTER the EmiSON era but before the definately-MMI/TM era, yet possibly before the Bill Padley material, but seemed very Murfin-esque.
I know that’s an awkward description, but MMI-watchers can maybe give a bit of gap-filling history explanation?

[amigoMember]

Just dug up an AM recording of 963 Liberty. Didn’t know that they had re-sings of MPT’s MIx106.5 Sydney package. I’m guessing Muff was involved?

https://soundcloud.com/amigo981/1996-963-liberty-off-air-jingles

Amigo

[IainJohnston]

A lot of Muff-related packages also turned up on old SIMREK demos, “encapsulated” in German ( “das Jingle einz”…) .. and the Mix 106.5 is one of them.

[gameswizardMember]

A lot of Muff-related packages also turned up on old SIMREK demos, “encapsulated” in German ( “das Jingle einz”…) .. and the Mix 106.5 is one of them.

For anyone who want the link, here’s the page featuring the demo and other stuff:
http://www.simrek.nl/Reclame/Jingles/

EDIT: It looks like all the demo links are now dead.

[IainJohnston]

To my great embarrassment, I still have a lot of those SIMREK old demo downloads here – but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a European station resing of any of them at all!

[jonnoMemberAuthor]

here’s a few I downloaded yonks ago

[Spoons]

Even today that is a grey area. Muff still has the rights to a number of TM packages (the ones he had a part in writing obviously plus a few others). Dallas Power is one of his so technically he could still sell it but as far as I know it would be UK vocals and not the current TM Studios group.

I suppose this explains the package that aired on Sunshine Radio (until recently). Muff’s involvement clearly influenced the commissioning of the jingles. Anyone got those Sunshine cuts btw?

[Bigdave]

Just while on the MMI-related side of the topic – was “MMI” just a renaming of “Standard Sound” or some kind of changed ownership structure by Muff?

Also:- in the late 1970s/early 1980s Radio Clyde in Glasgow had customs that seemed to be AFTER the EmiSON era but before the definately-MMI/TM era, yet possibly before the Bill Padley material, but seemed very Murfin-esque.
I know that’s an awkward description, but MMI-watchers can maybe give a bit of gap-filling history explanation?

If my memory serves me right, Standard Sound was the trading name, as the registered address of the company is Old Smithy Studios,Kempsey, Worcester – Muff’s studio. Thinking about it, Muff may have chosen to rename based on the fact there’s also Standard Music, so that might have had some bearing on it.

Re: Clyde, Iain, you’re right about them having a Muff made package…

https://soundcloud.com/markpaxton/radio-clyde-standard-sound

Northsound also used Standard Sound in the 80’s too…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OctTbV1yAIU

[rakMember]

Northsound also used Standard Sound in the 80’s too…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OctTbV1yAIU

Love the Northsound package. Back in the Meridian TV days I got into conversation with a member of the Sound department – turned out he was into jingles, and gave me a CD of that package. Brings back memories of a couple of days in the 1980s, when Radio 1 (on 285) was off for transmitter works, and we got Northsound very clearly in Northumberland, about 25 miles inland. Spend a couple of days recording NS – I’ve still got the aircheck montage!

[IainJohnston]

Big Dave / David

Gents – I’ve got several large bundles of the NorthSound Radio Standard Sound then NorthSound MMI packages here if you want a dub.
The later ones are definately better vocally and the tracks (shhh…) are recognisably Dallas (e.g. c.f. Radio West).

There’s many reports (to this day) of NorthSound on 290 metres getting a long way down the East Coast with ground wave boost from the salty North Sea – just like the old pirate Radio Scotland on “242” used to get “all the way in” to Central Scotland even when moored away out near the May Island but using the water of the Forth Estuary.

Big Dave – that Clyde package I have on aircheck cassettes circa 1979/81-ish and its been on my Grail List for years!!!
I’m aware of Mark from a particular list, but I don’t have any contact info. Could you/anyone PM or email me privately if they have Mark’s public email address please?

There’s another Clyde possibly Standard custom that “fits” somewhere between the above custom and after the last EmiSON one, which I think is the 1977-ish re-hash (for lack of a more polite description…) of the 1973 launch package. There’s also the bizarre “Thistle Power” custom (the esteemed Mr Currie has all sorts of anecdotes about that one!) circa 1975 (which is “associated) with a Radio Tees bundle of that period.

(In the pre-internet-era, pre-MU-rules-relaxation there were all sorts of packages for stations over-the-radio-reception-horizon away from the major conurbations in the English heartlands & London / South-East that many even a UK member of this Forum will likely never have heard or knew existed! Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Devon, NI … and not all of those packages are “polished” in production values that Len would approve off, and the “on-air” usage techniques of many of those jingles would appall many a jingle “pro” or seasoned PD or PC too!)

[Author]

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