[Bigdave]

They're from the 1977 EMISON package.

EMISON made amongst these, cuts for BRMB,Swansea Sound and others during the 70's until Alfasound and Sue Manning Music took over their mantle.

More City jingles from the era can be found on Brian Jones Radio City Tribute Site ..

http://www.citygold.me.uk/index.html

[Admin]

All that I can tell you is that the first Radio City jingles from Standard Sound were in 1982 so it's definitely not them.

[ratnobMember]

They have a very distinctive EMISON sound, methinks – drum intros just like the Beacon Sunshine Sound that some of us love so much. The vocals are much more discordant though.

[radio_blokeMemberAuthor]

is this emison as well ?

http://jinglemad.com/e107_files/public/1209506981_11954_FT61322_orwell.mp3 filename:orwell.mp3

[ratnobMember]

This was labelled in my collection as by Yamco

G

[radio_blokeMemberAuthor]

Thanks to Dave and Geoff for helping me find a place for those to live. can we continue this project (grin)
I think its emison for the beacon pak, and yamco for the metro pak

http://jinglemad.com/e107_files/public/1209536212_11954_FT61322_beacon__you.mp3 filename:beacon__you.mp3

http://jinglemad.com/e107_files/public/1209536212_11954_FT61322_metro.mp3 filename:metro.mp3

[crp]

Hi Radio Bloke

Can I ask if you know the years for the Beacon and Metro packages?

Thanks

[IainJohnstonMember]

Mr Barras is the “leading authority” on Metro! so I'm sure he can give you all the gen…

First time though I've ever heard the “John Miles – Music” news intro that people rave about!

The Beacon lot is the UK YAMCO MU-approved “re-production” of TM's You – but I must say that
the instrumentation is a damn sight more faithfull to the Dallas TM backing tracks than the dire
efforts to re-create PAMS tracks for Orwell!

Something that intruiges me Rick – your sound quality on all these seems much better than dubs
that I've heard in the past of these items – have you got all this stuff on proper “studio quality” tape?

[AndyWaltersMember]

I think the general consensus is that the Beacon YOU package is from 1978. That was the year they went 24 hours. That package has versions of Comin' At Ya 19 hours and 24 hours a day.

[radio_blokeMemberAuthor]

I think Andy is about right on the Beacon You package, I would also put the Metro package in the 4th quarter of the seventies. I remember liberating them in 1981.

With regard to IJ's comment about the quality of the dubs…. a strange tale follows.

In 1981 my Revox B77 was hooked up to my buddys Revox A700 (jingle tradding old style) not sure what the quality of the source tape was but mine was AMPEX 456. After the session I made a cassette copy for the car on a TDK SA.

26 years later…. time to digitise, guess which tape stood the test of time, given they were stored together?

yep…. the high quality expensive “backed” tape on the reel was rubbish. Not having TC's cooking facilities and expertise I was not a happy jingle collector……grrrr
Two days later I came across the cassette copy for the car, and that was the source of the Beacon and Metro mp3's recently posted.

I would have had money on the fact that the reel would be the better quality..hum ho

[IainJohnstonMember]

Sadly there is a long saga about the long-term storage problems associated with Ampex tapes from that era!

There's signs already that todays CD blanks are also susceptible to chemical deterioration of various kinds as well as U-V (what did we expect for 11p per blank disk then!!!?)

What happened to your Revox Rick? I've still got 2 knackered Ferrograph Series 7s (and yes, they have the mechanical equivalent of Ampex oxide shedding – the infamous “jelly” pinch wheels!)

[radio_blokeMemberAuthor]

I sent it to ebay last christmas… was my pride and joy but with the reels sounding so bad there seemed little point in keeping it. On the plus side, the sale did fund a new hard disk

[radio_blokeMemberAuthor]

I'm almost certain this one is a muff job (standard sounds)
Can one of you gents confirm? or even add some more standard sound stuff

http://jinglemad.com/e107_files/public/1209599743_11954_FT61322_downtown_demo.mp3 filename:downtown_demo.mp3

[topcat]

Radio_bloke wrote:
yep…. the high quality expensive “backed” tape on the reel was rubbish. Not having TC's cooking facilities and expertise I was not a happy jingle collector……grrrr

In actuality, I do have a VERY expensive convection oven in-house. But ya know something, we bake all of the reels in a food dehydrator. I bought two of 'em off of eBay. My west coast cohort prefers to use the microwave oven, but I'm partial to the dehydrators.

-Tracy

[Barras]

Radio_bloke wrote:
Thanks to Dave and Geoff for helping me find a place for those to live. can we continue this project (grin)
I think its emison for the beacon pak, and yamco for the metro pak

http://jinglemad.com/e107_files/public/1209536212_11954_FT61322_beacon__you.mp3 filename:beacon__you.mp3

http://jinglemad.com/e107_files/public/1209536212_11954_FT61322_metro.mp3 filename:metro.mp3

It`s vice versa for the jingle companies, as Wixy said, “Yamco” (TM music tracks) for Beacon and the Metro package by EMIson was aired in the latter part of 1976, local musician John Miles from Jarrow, Tyne & Wear had a big hit with his song “Music” in 1976. The EMison package featured not only the “Music” news theme variation but jingle variations of other top 20 songs from 10CC and ABBA.

This is EMIson`s variation of 10cc – I`m Not in Love…

http://jinglemad.com/e107_files/public/1209613113_3680_FT61322_emison_metro_10cc.mp3 filename:emison_metro_10cc.mp3

ABBA`s – Dancing Queen
http://jinglemad.com/e107_files/public/1209613138_3680_FT61322_emison_metro_abba.mp3 filename:emison_metro_abba.mp3

John Miles – Music
http://jinglemad.com/e107_files/public/1209613165_3680_FT61322_emison_metro_newsjohnmiles.mp3 filename:emison_metro_newsjohnmiles.mp3

BTW – thanks for the vote of confidence Wixy !

[ratnobMember]

That Metro Abba cut – how camp and quaint. Also a reminder of the days when jingle writers didn't always think they needed to actually mention the name of the station! Since there were so few stations to choose from it wasn't seen as important.

[IainJohnstonMember]

“BTW – thanks for the vote of confidence Wixy ! “

You know how I operate David – I always acknowledge Credit where its genuinely due. :^)

Rick – probably is Muff (although we do have an MMI expert resident on the Forum).
Some tracks at least are definately TM (c.f. Radio West, WTRY etc).

I wouldn't bin ANY of your tapes yet though – they CAN be repaired to some extent (I've
got a similar situation here), and have you maybe perhaps contacted Chalks regarding
the possibility of tape-to-digital recovery?

[Barras]

ratnob wrote:
That Metro Abba cut – how camp and quaint. Also a reminder of the days when jingle writers didn't always think they needed to actually mention the name of the station! Since there were so few stations to choose from it wasn't seen as important.

Interesting observation Geoff about “non-ID” jingles and Metro Radio was a good example – when that package was aired (1976-1978) there was only one commercial station on-air in my neck of the woods, i.e. Metro Radio.

There are several other jingles in that package with no mention of Metro Radio, something which would be unheard of these days.

David Barras

[LenGroat]

The new auduence figures ~ Radio Today reports:

'Listening to the BBC now accounts for nearly 57 per cent, compared to commercial radio listening which has dropped to 41 percent'

The relevance to this topic is that at a time when Commercial Radio stations are using 'cast in concrete' rules of only a station name/ one strapline, the listening is at its lowest for decades.

In their paranoia that the listeners may not remember the name (of the station they choose to listen to!!) the powers that be at the stations dictate that jingles OVER stress the name, and stop any individual/group creativity. In other words the idents have no 'entertaining' soft sell or fun phrases.

It is all so SAFE and so DULL that the audience loses interest over a period of time and the figures shrink to 41% reach.

Of course many stations have a similar 'straight jacket' approach to the music and choice of presenters, so it's not just the lousy jingles that have helped them lose audience.

This weekend David Lloyd* who I took on at Trent in 1979 aged 19 does his first show for BBC Radio Nottingham. He has presented (and managed) in the East Midlands area on Trent/GEM/Leicester Sound/Lincs FM/Saga, and more recently Smooth, for many of the past 29 years. His jump from Sunday at Smooth East Midlands to Sunday at Radio Nottingham was decided before these audience figures, but the move does suggest that good presenters are more likely to be 'at home' in a BBC environment where they are nurtured rather than controlled.

GEM AM would have been TWENTY years old this October. When I left in 1994 we had 23%/ 24% reach in Derby / Nottingham. I'm sure JingleMadders know how the station was painfully pulled to pieces over many years and of course no longer exists. I created every jingle package for GEM and believe they were an essential part of the stations large (and faithful) audience. In any 25 cut package we would have at least 10 different straplines and namechecks for every presenter. If JAM / PAMS had DOUBLED their prices we would still have bought the product as it was a KEY part of our success.

I think it's time people with IMAGINATION ON THE AIR took over the Commercial Radio groups before they lose even more listeners.

What a sad skeleton the industry is now compared to the 1980s.

* Weekdays David Lloyd is Programme Director of Virgin Radio

[radio_blokeMemberAuthor]

I think as jingle fans our opinion can sometimes be “loaded” However as a follow on from Lens poat…..
My good lady is not into jingles but did grow up in Nottingham (len groat country) when I played her some cuts from when she was a girl in the seventies……she was singing the lyrics like it was yesterday (some 30 years ago)!!! but after an hour of wall to wall trent jingles, even she was worn out. ha ha ha.

What more proof do these programmers need?…memories are made of music…not sweepers!

[upsweepMember]

LenGroat wrote:
The new auduence figures ~ Radio Today reports:

GEM AM would have been TWENTY years old this October. When I left in 1994 we had 23%/ 24% reach in Derby / Nottingham. I'm sure JingleMadders know how the station was painfully pulled to pieces over many years and of course no longer exists. I created every jingle package for GEM and believe they were an essential part of the stations large (and faithful) audience. In any 25 cut package we would have at least 10 different straplines and namechecks for every presenter. If JAM / PAMS had DOUBLED their prices we would still have bought the product as it was a KEY part of our success.

So Len – you are the one responsible for those Gem cuts, I have said it here before, i have never ever listened to the station, did not even know of its existance – but hearing those jingles, makes me think what a wonderful station it must have been – i have two full 88 & 90 packages, and aquired a few cuts from other packages & various other Gem AM station montages here.

So jingles can make a difference – It kind of backs up your statement on the state of current UK Radio, the current jingles do not really excite the passion to want to listen to the stations & yes these radio conglomarates, now who own many stations but saturate them all with the same package, so hardly an unique regional sounds any more.The DJ's also rarely have what you would call personalities to stand out between the playlist.

I live in Kent – so my local IRL is Invicta, but if i was in Trent FM land would i notice the difference – I think the answer is No.

Current packages have transitions & ramps, but all the cuts generally have the same tone or beat or staplines to them – come on lets have more varying pieces or music

remember:
84-R1 Ask For A Song, & We will play it for you
84-R1 England, Ireland, Scotland Wales

very different sounding jingles & lyrics from the same Jam 84 Package.
Yes i know current Radio2 groove Addicts is a bit long in the tooth being 11 to 5 years old, but they are all very different sounding ids to cater for the station's output – so still work 2day

[LenGroat]

hearing those jingles, makes me think what a wonderful station it must have been

Well the figures showed what the audience thought of it, and nearly every one of my presenters was a 'star' in the locality…. so Yes I would say it WAS a great station.

The downside was that I had little control over the sound of the advertising, and one particular DOUBLE GLAZING ad had a shouting yob over appalling jingle tracks, so when the PAMS/JAM jingles 'hit in' after that of course they sounded EVEN BETTER!

We bought some old PAMS cuts (Series 28) for one double glazing client who sponsored the weather, and had a custom JAM sung jingle made for a local carpet seller based (loosely of course!) on 'Why do fools fall in love..'

In 2005 as part of the Radio Trent 30th Anniversay DVD David Lloyd calculated I had spent £250,000 on jingles between 1980 and 1994 (Trent/ Leicester Sound/ Trent Derby/ GEM)

Halycon (Golden ) Days……

Sorry for all the Pure Nostalgia, I'll shut up for a while and make room for others…..

[GlennaMember]

Part of the Downtown demo is an old TM COUNTRY HIGH demo remix.
Which is interesting because Country High was a remix of TM'S COUNTRY MUSIC RADIO.
Both came out in the late 70's.

[theniceguy]

If you like to compare Downtown with the demo.. here's your change

from 1978 TM Country High demo

http://download.yousendit.com/99270C4E09FFB7D6

'Bob, when you hear something good, you know it'

dub from reel

[radio_blokeMemberAuthor]

Thanks for that…nice to hear how it should have been.

think i need David b's help for this next mystery?

http://jinglemad.com/e107_files/public/1209974238_11954_FT61322_metro_mystery.mp3 filename:metro_mystery.mp3

[Author]

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