A couple of weekends ago on Imaginary Stations a programme called CLSC was broadcast via the transmitters of the great Shortwave Gold. “Music we like to think is classic, or classical in nature” was the theme of the show and featured all sorts of loosely defined classic(al) tunes. Have a listen to below how the theme was translated by the Imaginary Stations crew.
Also at a couple of seconds in, is a mix from One Deck Pete called Classical Gas.
Tracklistings are:
Yussef Dayes – Magnolia Symphony
Classical Mechanics – Porphyry
Scientist Ft Alicia Previn – Scientist Spacewalk
The Salsoul Orchestra – You’re just the right size
The Poplar Bluff High School Bands – GRC – Classical Gas
There are more episodes of CLSC to come including CLSC2 which was broadcast last weekend and appears on the Imaginary Stations Mixcloud here.
Firstly thanks a million to Mike from The Crossroads Appreciation Society (here) for his prompt reply and sterling work for finding the episode where the punk band were featured and for putting the clips up on youtube above. It’s a bit of a classic! From these clips we have found out that the band were called The Foremen (a play on four men perhaps, but the band is made up of three men and a women) and the line up was:
Danny Fielding – Lead Guitar and Vocals
Wally Roberts – Keyboard and Synth
Jeff or Geoff Blake – Drums and Percussion
Tracy – Bass Guitar and Personal Manager
They were at the Crossroads Motel reception on their way to the basement studio to record two singles. One of the songs was influenced by or used the lyrics from William Hughes Mearns‘ Antigonish or so Danny told Meg Mortimer later (Wikipedia mentioned that “David Bowie is believed to have partially inspired the lyrics for David Bowie‘s 1970 track “The Man Who Sold the World,” which describes an encounter “upon the stairs” between Bowie (who “wasn’t there”) and the titular figure”).
With songs like this and the use of a synth, could they be considered even Post-Punk or New Romantic with that image? Or are we being very genre-pedantic there?
Mike told us “There was a ‘story’ to the recording studio which was opened by Chris Hunter (David Hunter’s son). It was called Eldorado Records which had Kate Long (Kate Robins) as its major star. Really Lew Grade’s way – as he had several times prior – to
get a chart single seen on Crossroads to get into the charts.” Brilliant stuff.
He went on to say “Not sure it would be classed as a social issue, but for whatever reason, ATV wanted to show the punk group in a positive light. The alternative music show Revolver at that time had been produced in the studio next door (which is) possibly the reason they did it”.
We love the clip, which starts “With Meg being annoyed with them, playing their music loud in the reception. But later one wanders into her office, she assumes to cause trouble, but he instead has a nice conversation with her.”
It’s terrible to think that all of this time that we thought the band were the ones who started the fire. Apparently not but Mike added “A long time ago one of the actors who played a punk in the band did email us to mention he also played one of the ‘thugs’ that started the fire”. We knew that Danny Fielding and his mob were the good guys!
If you want to know anything about the long-running Soap Opera and we mean anything we recommend you to visit the fan club site here. There is so much info on there, including music related referenced, including a Coventry Connection (of course) here:
Wilfred Burns and The Connaught Light Orchestra – Cathedral Close From 1958 part of this track was used as the closing theme to the episode which saw Meg sitting in Coventry Cathedral following Sandy’s car accident. Released by Conroy Music, BM 115-B.
Cheers again Mike and thanks very much for your help again!
While we were putting together a shortwave mix we came across a cover of the Crossroads Theme Tune that we couldn’t stop smiling to by The Lost T-Shirts of Atlantis. It is some tune! (The cast above including Carney the Gardener, Benny and is that Buzz the hippy character with the long hair and beard at the back?)
Question of the evening is “What does hearing The Theme from Crossroads by Tony Hatch, mean to you?” Answers to one deck pete (at) gee male dot com.
The other month we got this great multi-coloured Bolivian Rainbow Chilli Pepper plant from Herne Hill Market that is now housed in the polytunnel and seems to love it in there so much as we are now getting more great purple flowers. Great stuff!
A big thanks to Steve Barker, Fenny and Jim from the excellent On The Wire for playing Morschen43’s Dark Dread / Toi … , L’Homme … at 1 hour in on the show earlier this morning. Cheers Steve for mentioning Weeds up to me knees also!
The track is off Spike’s new album available on Bandcamp here.
The track above was the tune played before it which is of the crazy dubby trumpet variety. Cheers again Steve!
To listen to the wonderful eclectic programme that is On The Wire check the blogspot here.
It’s also on Totally Radio on Sundays at 6pm here. It’s well worth a listen to say the least.
The set released a few days again on Bandcamp features 12 tracks featuring some heavy guitars, some whistling on Noir Y Voir(which would fit in on the Imaginary Stations WSTL show), a version of MV Ross Revenge For Ever (UK), which initially made us to get in touch with Spike through the pirate radio connection, and a great version of Madtone’s Dark Dread called Dark Dread / Toi … , L’Homme…
Give it a listen and name your price. Cheers Spike!
We’ve just finished a new mix for an up-and-coming Imaginary Stations related project and found this lovely bit of Electronica from Classical Mechanics called Porphyry off the “Sealand” LP on Bandcamp and you know we anything Guy Maunsell related! More on Sealand (AKA Fort Roughs or Rough Towers) here and here.
And one that got away. Thanks to DJ Frederick for spotting this cracking version of The Horse on the GRC site after we chose another classic from a collection on there. Drum solo!
And as Fred pointed out, The Horse by Cliff Nobles & Co was an important tune on Radio Veronica (we just read it was the signature tune for their popular travelling mobile disco, the Veronica Drive-In Show). There’s always a radio connection and it certainly connects us all! Have a good Sunday all.
Some people get fed up with bindweed and let it get them down. Kit G5KIT in Bristol on the other hand, let said weed influence a 15 minute mix.
We wonder if you place a speaker near said the offending bindweed and have this on a continual loop that the problem will go away. Very doubtful, but a cracking mix all the same. Cheers Kit.
Tracklistings:
Brian Cant – One Potato, Two Potato
Junior Byles – Cally Weed
King Tubby – Dub from the Roots
Lee Perry & the Upsetters – Bush Weed
Sly & Robbie – Dub Glory
The polytunnel is now up and we are in business! There’s nowt much in there now apart from some assorted chillies, a few different types of tomatoes and some freshly sown spinach but we’re sure that’ll change in a week or so.
It took us a good morning and a bit of “That isn’t the right piece, where’s 5B?”, the thing falling apart and it looking like a skeleton of a whale on the lawn, and parts moving when they weren’t supposed to but we got there in the end. After a good tighten up, the frame was put into place (above). Thanks to Alan C for lots of tips, especially this great one: “I put a layer of woodchip under mine but some use wood strips or gravel/stones. This gives a nice evenly flat base and slows the frame rusting – the woodchip quickly dries out and separates the poles from the soil.”
As soon as we put the cover on we dug a little trench and tucked the excess of the cover into the ground and put broken concrete slabs, bricks and whathaveyou to weigh it down and then backfilled with soil and more woodchip so it is hopefully stays put in the wind.
As we said there’s not much in there at the moment but we’ll update you. Cheers to Alan C again for his tips and advice. Big up all Polytunnel crew!
While we were putting together a shortwave mix we came across a cover of the Crossroads Theme Tune that we couldn’t stop smiling to by The Lost T-Shirts of Atlantis. It is some tune! (The cast above including Carney the Gardener, Benny and is that Buzz the hippy character with the long hair and beard at the back?)
The other month we got this great multi-coloured Bolivian Rainbow Chilli Pepper plant from Herne Hill Market that is now housed in the polytunnel and seems to love it in there so much as we are now getting more great purple flowers. Great stuff!
It’s also on Totally Radio on Sundays at 6pm 
