The Alchemists of Sound (Part 6)

[Woozygulag]

To anyone who has commented on this series of videos about the "annoying man in the background" listen to the final words as you hear the credits. Desmond Briscoe is identifed as the head of operations at the workshop, I think that the man always looking over their shoulder is meant to represent the man who was their boss. In this final part his face shows determination and frustration, I don't know why he didn't appear in this film, he died in 2006. I see the final speech as an epitaph to him.

[SoSayethTheMan]

Love the old Luddites ..."the machine is driving creativity' ...well...dunno bout that. But I do admire their steadfastness.

[KINGxUxTUBE]

the bearded man is supposed to represent the feelings of the BBC, always watching over the workshop and never very happy about it.

[dcanmore]

The narrator, legendary Oliver Postgate - RIP

[clumpft]

I live for experimental music, but I'm tired of watching some zero performance from a laptop geek, who with all the hundreds of sound-producing capability makes music that doesn't sound good. I mean a compressed file sound vrs the warm analog sound of tape?? - No comparison. It's also very boring to watch.

[LfunkeyA]

i swear if i was there i would have punched that background  fag by the end

[23Henrich]

Awesome video! Thanks so much for sharing the history and significance of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop!

[auro1001]

It's sad there aren't many people who use magnetic tape anymore. I do and I have loads of fun making little tunes of natural noises.

[LfunkeyA]

@auro1001

it's not just sad, it's relatively expensive

[beelzibubbles]

According to some sound engineer's website, the guy in the background represents the "ever watchful eye" of the BBC and the clocks represent 1958 (7:58 or 19:58), the year the workshop opened.

[paulshillitomusic]

Just because anyone can have more musical power in a laptop that the whole of the first 25 years of the workshop does not guarantee that they are going to do anything useful or original with it

[brumak]

BOOOO!!! 5:11 hahaha

[Oscar301]

crikey the narrator was Oliver Postgate - RIP

[shatminer]

Ahaa! Just realised the freaky guy in the background throughout this documentary also appeared in a lot of Victor Lewis-Smith programmes. Victor Lewis-Smith owns Associated Rediffusion, who produced this documentary, I think it's a weird mate of his or something.

[shatminer]

its a fucking disgrace what happened with those old tapes

[CashForGash]

In response to the last clip (#5): "nothing remarkable"...what?...even by today's standards, the sounds they created at the workshop were unique. All the equipment this day and age STILL doesn't have that touch, because they had to work so hard to get what they did.

I WOULD'VE added this comment to that clip, but no space/comments left.

[cottageorgan]

John Craven's Newsround...ahhh those were the days.A.

[bluntonaut]

does anybody know the track from 6:56 ?

[jasperscholma1]

thank you for uploading, i love it

[nicemandan]

That Newsround bit was also sampled by Orbital in Spare Parts Express

[SurlyInsomniac]

Great documentary, but the gimmick of the guy lurking in the background of every shot gets old fast. It goes from creepy to funny to irritating within the space of the first 5 minutes.

Delia Derbyshire may be an unsung hero(ine) to the general public, but to fans of experimental music she'll always be a giant.

[CashForGash]

@SurlyInsomniac

I'd say even in the minds of electronic musicians she's a very important character/person, she's like the SIouxsie Sioux of electronic and experimental music.

[GelenosOak]

brilliant im totally thankful for the documentary....... obsessed with all things radiophonic and maidavale!

god bless us brits we have done wonders for the spectrum of electronic composition... pats on the back all round!

thanks Maldoror42 much appreciated!

[lexxdub004]

great documentary, thank you.

[777Kwyjibo]

The only thing that would make this documentary more satisfying is to have the man in the background dragged off by men in masks at the end.

[darkblitzrz8]

@777Kwyjibo who is that

[FantastyckplastycK]

awesome!

[peronpierwszy]

well pitty that you didn't post the very end of the film. there was three views on radiophonic works on one screen:

one on top digital waveform of sound, second I don't remember and the third one was view of cutted original tape with visible points of mix cuts, so you could see exacttly how whole track was mixed [short loops, longer prerecorded parts..] it was FUN! please post if you can :D thanks

[gdfjf1]

Its still there

[PWMaarten]

Great film.

Thanks for posting!

[jonnyscratch]

Great stuff, thanks for posting all these up. I'd read an interview with Adrian Utley recently and he said some its about the White Noise project Delia worked on, so it was great to hear him in this. Explains the last Portishead record too ...

[bangkokaaron]

John Craven!!

[taroninda]

Thanks for uploading. Really intresting documentary

[themindminder]

I beleive the golden age of electronic music ended when Stock, Aitkin and Waterman replaced the treble clef with a $ sign (or pound sign..or euro sign)

[TARDISDOWNUNDER]

Thanks for putting this up. I used to have this on DVD but lost it. Can it be bought these days? Also who's the weird looking fella with the long side hair and beard who's always sitting in the background?

[MincentValloy]

the guy in the background is tyler durden

[TARDISDOWNUNDER]

Who's Tyler Durden???

[dmich12]

the guy from fight club

[silverdale247]

GREAT punchline with John Craven's Newsround!!! :-)

[synthesizerman]

Wow. The tapes were tossed. What interesting stuff. I never heard the story of EMS synthesizers being constructed for the radiophonic workshop. Analog is part of the lexicon of sound these days.

[LullabyPie]

Thanks for putting this up. Lovely stuff despite the awful bastardised Dave Stewart theme at the start. Is that Dave Stewart the uber-bland popstar? Can't imagine many people who are further from Radiophonic Workshop inventiveness.

[AnthonyUK]

Dave Stewart worked in the Eurythmics with Annie Lennox then she fired him!

[Hexachloraphine]

That bloke at the beginning has got it spot on when he talks about the machinery driving the creator.

[tomlang555]

Absolutely.

[paulbrockenhagen]

Thank God the music was saved

[SteveBeck]

Thanks for posting this up!

[AnthonyUK]

It was a shame that the RWS closed but when people were doing it cheaply with stuff bought from the shops you sort of understand.

[paulbrockenhagen]

Yeah, but I'm a stickler for that real analog sound from real analog machines. Computers may be cheap and easy to use, but I get energy from obscure and obsolete equipment.

[984francis]

@paulbrockenhagen Me too!