Shadows 1975 to 1978 Thames TV

 

Shadows was a Thames TV supernatural/mystery series that ran for 3 series from 1975 to 1978. All the stories were supernatural/Ghost/Fantasy/Mystery based. Shadows featured a superb array of actors including John Nettleton, Jenny Agutter, Jacqueline Pearce, Gareth Thomas, Brian Glover, June Brown, Russell Hunter (as Mr Stabs this character was also in Ace of Wands) George A Cooper (Caretaker Grange Hill) Brian Wilde (Mr Barraclough, Porridge) Norman Rossington, Gwyneth Strong and Joan Greenwood.
Writers for the series included Fay Weldon, J.B.Priestley, Susan Cooper, Joan Aiken.
What is also rather wonderful about Shadows was the exceptionally good intros to the series. A total of 3 different intros were used. My Personal favorite was the intro to the 2nd series with the animated bird flying, high contrast tower blocks and the creepy girl standing still whilst her shadow skips on a pale blue landscape. Always thought the intro to the 3rd series had a Box of Delights feel to it.
Some of the stories are perhaps a bit obvious/cliched and samey (After School & Waiting Room) some are fun (Dutch Schlitz's Shoes, The Man Who Hated Children) The Inheritance is a personal Favorite and definitely has a Folk Horror edge to it. A very fine and often over looked series.  If you do get the chance all intros are here on YouTube

The Horn Dance from The Inheritance

Test Transmission Archive Reel 57. Northern Soul, Funk & Soul Mix

 

Its been a very long while since my last Test Transmission Mix and I have been putting this one together for quite some time. So for your listening pleasure I have put together a Northern Soul, Funk and Soul Mix. This mix is simply a collection of Northern Soul, Funk and Soul tunes that I personally like and are guaranteed to get my feet and hopefully yours tapping . There is a lot here
The Checkerboard Squares - Double Cookin'
Shirley Ellis - Soul Time
Sly and the Family Stone - Runnin' Away
Vel-Vets - I Gotta Find Me Somebody
Dorothy Ashby - Afro-Harping
Dereck & Ray - Interplay
Darrow - Flecture - What Good Am I Without You?
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
Prime Mates - Hot Tamales
Nolan Porter - Keep on Keeping On
Yvonne Baker - You Didn't Say A Word
Dust Brothers - Sliced Tomatoes
Living Color - Plastic People
Luther Ingram Orchestra - Exus Trek
Evie Sands - I Can't Let Go
The `Soulful Strings - Listen Here
R Dean Taylor - There's A Ghost In My House
Ike and Tina Turner - Nutbush City Limits
Sandi Sheldon - You're Gonna Make Me Love You
Pat Lewis - Warning
Shirlene King - Super Stuff
Cyril Neville - Right Place, Wrong Time
Funkadelic - One Nation Under a Groove
Isaac Hayes - Shaft
Gil Scott-Heron - Lady Day And John Coltrane
Gloria Jones - Tainted Love
Rita and the Tiaras - Gone with the Wind Is My Love
Marlena Shaw - Woman Of The Ghetto
Linda Jones - I Just Can't Live My Life (Without You Babe)
Diana Ross and The Supremes - Reflections
Eddie Kendricks - Keep On Truckin'
Larry and Tommy - Here Come The Judge
Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman
The Flirtations - Nothing but a Heartache
Edwin Starr - War
The Precisions - If This Is Love (I'd Rather Be Lonely)
Sly and the Family Stone - I Want To Take You Higher
Velvelettes - He Was Really Sayin' Somethin
Lee Dorsey - Four Corners [Part 2]
Commodores - Machine Gun

 So until next time (and there will be a next time I bid you all farewell for now.

BLAST-OFF

Into Space with Waddington’s BLAST-OFF!  Described as “The Game of Modern Space Exploration and Technology for 1 to 4 Players. It also states in the introduction “It is not necessary to understand the rules for all three stages at the start” A friend of mine gave me Blast - Off for Christmas some years back and I have been trying to fathom out how to play it ever since then. Blast Off comes with some rather superb dials to measure Fuel, Orbit and planets visited. The playing pieces are various coloured Space Capsules and Satellite docking stations. You first have to get your Satellite docking stations into orbit then have to get the Capsule docked into your Satellite. Next step is to land on the moon and then head off around the solar system ending up at Pluto. First to make it there is the winner. Along the way you could run out of fuel and have to return to earth or even the moon to re-fuel.
Blast - Off was released at a time of the Apollo 11 moon landing and the late 60s were a peak time for Space related toys and games (Major Matt Mason, Project Sword, Triangs SpaceX, Zeriods and even Action Man who had a Mercury Capsule) I was lucky enough to have Zeroids (here is my last one) and The Action Man Astronaut and Capsule, both long gone. Clarks shoes even got in on the space thing by creating their Wayfinder Moonshot Shoes (The Sole was a silver liner surface, that did not stay silver for long) also supplied for your space age fun with the shoes was a cardboard space/moon background that came with transfers and space capsule which with the aid of a magnet you could move around on your space background. At the time I thought it was all fantastic……I still do.

A very young me looking slightly confused at my Action Man Mercury Space Capsule.
(Think the shoes had seen better days) BTW I still have that slightly confused look, normally when I am trying to write some music.

Shadows was a Thames TV supernatural/mystery series that ran for 3 series from 1975 to 1978. All the stories were supernatural/Ghost/Fantasy/Mystery based. Shadows featured a superb array of actors including John Nettleton, Jenny Agutter, Jacqueline Pearce, Gareth Thomas, Brian Glover, June Brown, Russell Hunter (as Mr Stabs this character was also in Ace of Wands) George A Cooper (Caretaker Grange Hill) Brian Wilde (Mr Barraclough, Porridge) Norman Rossington, Gwyneth Strong and Joan Greenwood.
Writers for the series included Fay Weldon, J.B.Priestley, Susan Cooper, Joan Aiken.
What is also rather wonderful about Shadows was the exceptionally good intros to the series. A total of 3 different intros were used across all three series. My Personal favorite was the intro to the 2nd series with the animated bird flying, high contrast tower blocks and the creepy girl standing still whilst her shadow skips on a pale blue landscape.
Some of the stories are perhaps a bit obvious/cliched and samey (After School & Waiting Room) some are fun (Dutch Schlitz's Shoes, The Man Who Hated Children) The Inheritance is a personal Favorite and definitely has a Folk Horror edge to it. A very fine and often over looked series.  If you do get the chance check out all three intros here.

The Horn Dance from The Inheritance

 

Model World and Update

Model World was a programme first aired on BBC2 in 1975, and presented by Bob Symes. Personally I was very fond of this program, and have very good memories associated with it. I will now explain why. Over a number of weeks Bob Symes Smith would introduce us to different aspects of The Modellers World. One week it would be Model Trains the next Model Aircraft and Gliders or Radio controlled boats, and so on. I remember at the time being very impressed with the intro titles, thinking they were quite futuristic. Model World was a very gentle and quiet program. Just a lot of odd looking blokes in tweed jackets, shirts and ties making and talking models. There was a BBC publication to accompany the series.  The Model World book came with plans showing you how to make a Model Yacht, Glider and a radio Controlled frigate. I loved the show so much my Father went out and got me the Model World book. I then ventured down to the shed to build a 30in Frigate. A month or so later the Frigate was finished, but on my Frigates 1st and only sailing, it got attacked by a swan, and the superstructure sustained quite a bit of damage. With every intention of repairing the Frigate I went home and placed it into my bedroom cupboard.
A couple of years later my Sister and I welcomed Punk into our home, and for a while I embraced Punk with a vengeance. As far as I was concerned it was year zero in my bedroom. So books toys and Airfix models got put into the cupboard and out of sight. With that the now badly neglected Model World Frigate got pushed back into the cupboard even more. Sometime later realising that my year zero attitude was a tad foolish, all my old books and models slowly reappeared. But for some reason the Frigate stayed in the cupboard and The Model World Book was no where to be seen. To this day I do not know what happened to it.
When my Father died my Sister and I were clearing out his house. I was in my old bedroom clearing out the cupboard when I came across my Model World Frigate. I am afraid to say it was in a worse state than ever. Years of being pushed back further and further into the cupboard had damaged my Frigate beyond repair. So I reluctantly placed it into a bin bag and dropped it into a skip.
I discovered a pile of photos of myself from the 1970s. As I was flicking through them I found a photo of a sulky looking me holding my Model World Frigate.

 

Model World Update

Some years back I uploaded a post onto Found Objects about the 1970s BBC series Model World and the accompanying Book, which I lost many many years ago. After searching numerous car boot sales and old book shops I finally have found a copy of the BBC Model World book, with all the model plans intact. Which goes to show if you keep on rummaging and searching, that lost old object can become a found object.  Right now I am a very happy chap.

End of Year Test Transmission Archive Reel 54

Its been quite a while since the last Test Transmission Archive Reel, and this is the last one for year. However for your end of year listening enjoyment we have John Dankworth, Petula Clark, Cosey Fanni Tutti, The Mistys, Hollywood Brats, Fairport Convention, Albion Christmas Band, Scorn, Bobby Krlic, Hawkwind, The British Stereo Collective and all sorts of other musical oddities and wonders. So until the next time, Have a Happy and a Merry. All the best and Happy New Year to you all.

Zokko

 

For quite a while now my brain has been telling me that when I was very very young there was a program on Saturday lunch times called Zokko.
I have the occasional memory flashes of watching this program but could never be 100% sure or if I had just imagined the whole thing. After much searching (typed Zokko into Google) I have found a few bits and images relating to it. Zokko did exist and was a kids tv series that ran from 1968 to 1970. Strangely the first series used to be repeated on Wednesday afternoons, but the 2nd series never was. It was devised by children's TV producer Molly Cox and Paul Ciani. It featured animations, music hall jokes, narrated comic strips fast zany humour, variety acts and a sic-fi serial called Skayn. This was all linked up by a Pinball machine who served as the programs presenter.
By the 2nd series The pinball machine was gone and replaced by bubbling tubes of liquid, but the voice remained the same. The Zokko Pinball machine was designed by Mike Ellis (Father of Blue Peter Present Janet Ellis) the voice of the Pinball was created by the Radiophonic Workshop’s Brian Hodgson. It would seem that only two episodes from  the 2nd series are all that remains of Zokko (BFI Archive) For a lot more in depth info on Zokko go to The Curious British Telly site.

New series All for fun! Fun for all! Tar-rah! Zokko! is back - your own, your very own electronic comic! The old favourites return with some new ones as well... There's Skayn, the space-hero, in an exciting serial; plenty of jokes; a weekly Walt Disney choice; and a brand-new music machine, the like of which has never been seen before. Featured this week on the flying trapeze The Sisters Inaros; Skayn and the Moon People: with the voices of Sheelagh McGrath, Gordon Clude, Anthony Jackson, and pictures by Leslie Caswell. Zokko! music by Brian Fahey. Animation by Ted Lewis. Devised and produced by Paul Ciani and Molly Cox. (BBC recording)

Test Transmission Archive Reel 53

 

Hi All. Its been quite some time since my last Test Transmission mix and a lot has gone on since then. My new EP Disjointed Oddities Vol 2 has been released and I have a new album on Castles in Space due for release in 2024. Have put together a Mix for Kate B over at Dark Train and have a live session for Zadagan Keep on Tak Tent Radio. So here we are with a new mix and what do I have for you all this time round? For your audio delight we have
Godley and Creme - Jack Harris (Butcher)
Crass - Sentiment
Warrington Runcorn - Rocksavage
Alex Harvey Band - Faith Healer
Andy Partridge - 10 Power (Rogue)
The Twelve Hour Foundation - Mole Cricket
Keith Mansfield - Teenage Villain
Bonzo Dog Doo Da Band - The Intro and The Outro
Flying Lizards - Summertime Blues
REVBJELDE -  REGRESS
Alien Sex Fiend - Ignore the Machine
Howlround - Paper Phantom
Lo Five - The Performance of Adulthood
Sandra Kerr & John Faulkner - The Old Woman Tossed Up In A Basket
The Shangri-las - Out In The Streets
Klara Lewis - Sell Art
John Baker - Man Alive UFO
Belbury Poly - Pixie-Led
Perrey and Kingsley - Winchester Cathedrel
Mount Vernon Arts Lab - Flames
Oloron - Shadow Pass and Air Move
Having less and less time to put these mixes together so really not sure when the next mix will be, so until then (who knows if and when) tata.

Through the Rainbow Books 68/80

 Through The Rainbow books, one from  1968 and the other from 1980 both the same, well sort of. Only 12 years separates these books. And yet the images from 1968 might as well be from the 1950s. Sadly I do remember having a 1950s style teacher who did look very much like the woman in these pictures from 1968. The reason I say sadly is because I remember her with fear.........not a day went passed without a large wooden chalk board erasure or heavy book being hurled at a member of the class by her. Another particular fav was if it was raining she would make you stand outside without a coat because "if you are lucky it will wash your naughtiness away" another specialty of hers was to creep up behind you and punch (and I mean punch not slap) you on the back of your head if you were talking. I lived not far from this teacher, and everyday would see her on the way to School, where she would always smile and say good morning, and all the parents thought she was a lovely and wonderful person, but us kids in our tatty snorkel parka's knew better. On the plus side a few years later there was a rather nice chap/teacher who wore a dark green crushed velvet jacket which had leather pads on the elbows. He also had big hair a centre parting and round Lennon glasses. He would start the day by asking everyone how they were? and on a Friday morning the question would always be "who watched Top of the Pops last night?" So not all bad as it turned out. But I digress...........Through the Rainbow, a lovely series of books from a time when things where maybe not so Rainbow (apart from the TV series of course)

 1968

  1980

 

1968

 

1980

 

1968

1980

 

1968

1980