[RobinBlamires]

You may have already stumbled across this on Soundcloud, but I thought this would be a good place to share my selection of off-air compilations (all from my own collection!) containing not just jingles, but spoken bits, trails, commericials and anything else that equates great radio. Apart from the songs in full of course.

Episode 4 is now online, with quite a lot of JAM via Lincs FM and a few other bits as well.

Embedded at home.recnet.com/soundcloud

And for those using mobiles;

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/what-radio-used-to-sound-like-part-4

The rest of the episodes can be found in the playlist below, and it’s impressive to hear some of the later ALFA packages surviving into 2000.

Though the arrival of what was then Vibe Music and Audio Imaging was having quite an impact on the UK radio industry and many of the older companies did struggle to keep up, not helped by the increase of sweepers, which to be fair some of which could be equally creative.

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/sets/what-radio-used-to-sound-like

Do let me know your thoughts and any suggestions for future episodes. And I’ve also written a blog to accompany each episode, which is lengthy I will admit, but hopefully witty in places.

https://whatradiousedtosoundlike.wordpress.com/

[DuncanNewmarchMember]

Being on a montage called “what radio used to sound like” confirms that things have very much moved on. The old sound effects machine is covered in dust

[RobinBlamires]

Episode 5 now online, with more vintage JAM jingles from Lincolnshire, and a few 1FM jingles making a resurgence in West Norfolk.

Not forgetting a few irritatingly catchy commercials, including that of Coldseal Windows..

[PKMember]

Somewhere I still have a Coldseal Windows promotional video of TV Commercials and Jingles ala Wurzels styley!!!

[RobinBlamires]

There’s a link to it on my blog!
https://whatradiousedtosoundlike.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/part-5-april-august-2001/

Though to save time scrolling,

[RobinBlamires]

A little different this week, with off-air recordings from across the channel.

[IainJohnston]

EXCELLENT off-air montage Robin!

We first “discovered” French radio in 1998 on a first try at a “continental holiday”, in Brittany.
Astounded by the styles, the music, the variety, and especially the jingles (later found to often be by Paris
company Freeway). So different from the UK stations.

Indeed my then 8-year-old daughter fell in love with the “My Baby Nostalie” cut Robin has at 1:29 approx,
(it was then their TOH) and couldn’t stop singing it. To our surprise 3 weeks ago, venturing back to the
Loire Valley, we found Nostalgie were STILL playing it all these years later, and she was gob-smacked
that it was still in use.

Indeed many French stations are currently still using “heritage” cuts from over the years, alongside their
“current” ones. That includes e.g. the NRJ English language ones on Robin’s compilation, and so on.

As I’ve said on JM ad nauseum, the 1998-era Cherie FM Freeway custom is STILL on my outstanding
Top 10 “Holy Grails” list of “wanted in the clear”.

Today, French radio is more “Pop-Rock” than ever before – and often non-French artistes have one-verse
inserted in French into versions of their UK/USA hits so that the stations can play them but still meet their
legal requirement for whatever-percent of their music played to be in French.

Stations using “recognisable” packages were Vibration (regional), Forum (ditto) all Freeway; France Bleu
had another lot of “Freeway-esque” cuts, although they’ve too gone almost “pop-rock” out of mainstream
“local radio” hours; NRJ using 15 years worth of everything (except the JAM cuts, but I did hear JMW on
sonovox!), Nostalgie using everything they’ve ever had made, RTL2 likewise Freeway from over the years.
I heard ONE station with reelworld, somewhere near the Belgian border, but I can’t even remember the
name…

I know one of our number says he never uses jingles BETWEEN “records” any more – try telling that to
the French – its STILL a jingle (with the station name sung twiddly-umpty times per cut) at EVERY
“transition” – and they way they do it actually WORKS!

[RobinBlamires]

They also used an instrumental version of the “Morning Train” inspired cut into the news at Nostalgie.

I wish I still had the tape with that, as it had a rather brash news bed, making good use of an instrumental version
of the melody logo.

[IainJohnston]

I’ve still got years’worth of cassettes recorded on those French holidays, from 1998 to about 2005 when
I “went digital” and the little radio player/recorder gubbins turned out to be useless unless right next
door to a TX! And so did the replacement one … ;^(

[RobinBlamires]

The final helping of radio retrospectives, (for a short while at least) can be heard here;
https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/what-radio-used-to-sound-like-part-6-september-2001-march-2002/

Including some interesting audio reflecting on the older days at Invicta FM towards the end…

[RobinBlamires]

A second series of offerings from my audio archive goes online later this week, and to wet your appetite,
a little tease;

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/wrutsl-series-2-tease

This time it’s twice as long with two new montages a week, but I’ll post them in one post every week.

The blog’s also back as well, and just a warning in advance that it will contain thoughts and observations that may not resonate with all on Jinglemad, but if you fancy getting deep down in audio past, it can be read here;

https://whatradiousedtosoundlike.wordpress.com/2015/11/16/restart-the-reminiscing/

Any feedback and ideas for future episodes are very much welcome!

[AndyWMember]

I did one of these a few years ago from tapes recorded around 1996-97. https://soundcloud.com/andywcr/up-down-the-dial-90s-style

[RobinBlamires]

As promised, this week’s WRUTSL double bill, with both episodes remembering radio of 2003.

Part 1 showcases amongst other things how good Bespoke Music’s jingles sounded on Real Radio, but probably not so good on sister station Jazz FM.

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/what-radio-used-to-sound-like-episode-1-january-june-2003

Part 2 has a fair bit of Wise Buddah’s boss, and Noel Edmonds making a rather desperate return to radio, standing in for Johnnie Walker.

[RobinBlamires]

This weeks offerings from my audio archive;

Episode 3 with bits from the first Chris Moyles Show (at breakfast) on Radio 1

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/wrutsl-s2-e3

and Episode 4 with the first Hit 40 UK as co-hosted by the one formerly known as Simon Hirst.

[RobinBlamires]

I know you’re listening! (And thanks)

This weeks radio ramblings and episode 5 remembering the great John Peel

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/wrutsl-s2e5

and episode 6 with the rather exciting if, at times chaotic UK Radio Aid, with “Butch And Sincere”
trying to control a confused future Radio 2 presenter.

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/what-radio-used-to-sound-like-episode-6-january-april-2005

[RobinBlamires]

Two more helpings from midway through last decade,

Episode 7 takes in back to Summer ’05 and the launch of Smooth FM in London

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/wrutsl-s2e7

and Episode 8 has quite a lot on the jingle front, with vintage JAM and PAMS jingles at the much maligned “Big L”
whilst Invicta FM goes a more productive route with festive makeovers of it’s “Steamroller” package.

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/wrutsl-s2e8

And a bit of colourful language too…

[mbMember]

Really interesting stuff Robin thanks for putting together

[RobinBlamires]

Not my best ones this week, I’ll admit.

But there are some gems amongst the soil including in Episode 9;
https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/wrutsl-s2e9

The story behind Chris Moyles’ resing of “that” cut from Turbo Z, and some clever resings from an earlier
Capital package by Vibe.

And in Episode 10, a masterclass from Charles Nove in how to handle an awkward O/B link
https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/wrutsl-s2e10

Last two episodes up after Xmas with quite a lot of radio treats predating the era of this series.

[RobinBlamires]

They’re finally here.

The last two episodes of WRUSTL, and the first one, quite a personal one from a period where I went bonkers,
the side-effects of which appeared on this very site.

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/wrutsl-s2e11

Part of the high was caused by listening to the then new KCFM with the TM jingles (which when it comes to warmth
I clearly learned nothing from them with my recent iJingles). Though by the period of Radio 1’s 40th birthday as featured in the end
I felt so down it was hard to get excited about the nostalgic wallowing.

The final one covers 2008-2009 with the slick sounding Pirate Johnnie Walker on BBC Radio 2, and the not-so-slick sounding Big L, as originally posted here by ratnob.

https://soundcloud.com/robinblamires/wrustl-s2e12

Oh, and I understand the audio of the vintage 210 jingles being resurrected on 2-Ten FM didn’t cause many laughs here either.

Have a really good 2016, and maybe something bigger will emerge from my end, audio-wise.

[Author]

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