An elderly Forumista writes ......

[LMcD]

Having discovered that I was going to be listening, not to Martin Handley, but to Ms Alker's impression of an excitable puppy introducing 'Crackerjack' or 'Blue Peter', I headed to my CD collection and chose, entirely at random, a 75-minute ASV compilation called 'The Melody Lingers On - 25 Songs of Irving Berlin'. In addition to offering Ms Alker a (kind of) sincere 'thank you' for pushing me in that direction, I found myself wondering whether my generation - I'm in my mid-70s - will be the last to listen to the music of this era, especially as the BBC no longer seems to regard us as worthy of consideration. The standard of musicianship of the bands in these recordings is breathtaking. (The tracks on this collection were recorded between 1924 and 1946).

[cloughie]

Having discovered that I was going to be listening, not to Martin Handley, but to Ms Alker's impression of an excitable puppy introducing 'Crackerjack' or 'Blue Peter', I headed to my CD collection and chose, entirely at random, a 75-minute ASV compilation called 'The Melody Lingers On - 25 Songs of Irving Berlin'. In addition to offering Ms Alker a (kind of) sincere 'thank you' for pushing me in that direction, I found myself wondering whether my generation - I'm in my mid-70s - will be the last to listen to the music of this era, especially as the BBC no longer seems to regard us as worthy of consideration. The standard of musicianship of the bands in these recordings is breathtaking. (The tracks on this collection were recorded between 1924 and 1946).

I think the only way it may happen is that someone will decide to reinvent themselves and tunrn back the clock. The tight fisted music industry would have to finance a fairly large group of good musicians, but Robbie Williams has gone some way down this track and Chris Kamara made his Christmas album or Alfie Boe could do it. Rod Stewart (nice arrangements but his voice wasn’t best for it) did his American Songbook albums a few years ago and Bryan Ferry did his ‘As time goes by’, again tasteful arrangements but personally not keen on BF’s voice. There are some singers whose normal output is chart-led pop music but when tuning their voices to ‘proper songs’ come off very well - Sheena Easton and Lady Gaga come to mind also the Eagles’ Glen Frey. But you are right LMcD these songs don’t get played. I’ll be listening to Linda Ronstadt’s Nelson Riddle arrangements shortly!
Just one other thought - perhaps Billy Joel could be coaxed back into the studio for an album of standards with a big band!

[Richard Tarleton]

Having discovered that I was going to be listening, not to Martin Handley, but to Ms Alker's impression of an excitable puppy introducing 'Crackerjack' or 'Blue Peter', I headed to my CD collection and chose, entirely at random, a 75-minute ASV compilation called 'The Melody Lingers On - 25 Songs of Irving Berlin'. In addition to offering Ms Alker a (kind of) sincere 'thank you' for pushing me in that direction, I found myself wondering whether my generation - I'm in my mid-70s - will be the last to listen to the music of this era, especially as the BBC no longer seems to regard us as worthy of consideration. The standard of musicianship of the bands in these recordings is breathtaking. (The tracks on this collection were recorded between 1924 and 1946).

I dunno LMcD....I'm only 4 years younger than you, don't identify as elderly, and associate music of that era firmly with my late mother's generation - she was born in 1920. I was force fed it when very young, and whilst I recognise its technical accomplishment haven't grown to appreciate it with age - I wouldn't feel neglected if R3 didn't play it, I thought it was more R2 fare?

[LMcD]

I dunno LMcD....I'm only 4 years younger than you, don't identify as elderly, and associate music of that era firmly with my late mother's generation - she was born in 1920. I was force fed it when very young, and whilst I recognise its technical accomplishment haven't grown to appreciate it with age - I wouldn't feel neglected if R3 didn't play it, I thought it was more R2 fare?

I don't think Radio 2 is interested in people of my age. I discovered the music of this era for myself, as I did classical music (there was very little music of any kind in our house when I was a child). I used the term elderly to describe myself because my body is seizing up much faster than my brain,and on some days I feel like a youngster looking for new experiences but on others I feel like a grumpy centenarian. Irving Berlin is flanked in my CD collection by the Beatles and David Bowie.

[ardcarp]

..maybe there's an argument for a 'Light Programme'. Where you draw the boundaries might be difficult...and it's not likely to happen anyway.

On a wider issue, there's little point in targeting age-groups, because the trend of our time is to 'access' music (and anything else for that matter) via sources other than terrestrial live broadcasting.

[LezLee]

I was born in 1940 and have never enjoyed that sort of music. It was pretty much all there was when I was a child - nothing resembling 'pop'and my mum (b.1905) loved it and all dance music. Luckily she also liked classical which I got a taste for. There was a a lot more light classical on the radio then (the Light Programme) and plenty of classical spread around 'Friday Night Is Music Night' type programmes. My sister, 6 years younger, quite likes the old, semi-jazz (Jamie Cullum) stuff.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I dunno LMcD....I'm only 4 years younger than you, don't identify as elderly, and associate music of that era firmly with my late mother's generation - she was born in 1920. I was force fed it when very young, and whilst I recognise its technical accomplishment haven't grown to appreciate it with age - I wouldn't feel neglected if R3 didn't play it, I thought it was more R2 fare?

I am unbelievably young , but this is similar to how I feel, too: it's my parents' (both born in 1920) generation's Music, and whilst I enjoy hearing a couple of pieces now and then as a nostalgic "thing", I don't revere it as I do other Musics. It used to be R2 fare, but as now R2's idea of nostalgia is popular Music from the 1980s, it doesn't feature there very much - so it's been passed on to R3, which has become the station for Music that no one else wants to broadcast.

I thought that people like Harry Connick jnr, Jamie Callum had made successful careers out of recording & performing cover versions of this Music?

[Andy Freude]

Is this like a plea for Victorian parlour songs or music hall, which lingered on with The Good Old Days (1953-1983)? No audience to speak of, no play?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Having discovered that I was going to be listening, not to Martin Handley, but to Ms Alker's impression of an excitable puppy introducing 'Crackerjack' or 'Blue Peter'...

I always think of her as an excitable Dalek, in need of oiling, with her robotic disjointed speech.

[DracoM]

[ardcarp]

Is this like a plea for Victorian parlour songs

Well, unbelievably, things such as Come into the Garden Maud, and (if there's a bass/baritone involved too) Excelsior go down very well as encore pieces, where a bit of 'hamming up' is allowed. And if a choir is involved, Barnby's Sweet and Low can leave an audience (even one to whom such repertoire is completely new) feeling a bit emosh.

Not that I'd want to spend an hour a week listening to the genre.

[LMcD]

Is this like a plea for Victorian parlour songs or music hall, which lingered on with The Good Old Days (1953-1983)? No audience to speak of, no play?

Welcome though modern recordings/interpretations of the music of this era - say the late 1920s to the mid-1950s - featuring the Great American Song Book, US and British dance bands and big-band jazz/swing, would be, I was actually referring to original recordings. I just think it would be a pity if people who aren't familiar with the popular music of this period were denied the chance to discover how it was performed at the time. (I do have CDs of songs from an earlier era recorded by Benjamin Luxon and Thomas Allen).

[muzzer]

Clare Teal’s show on Radio 2 is great for this music, if not especially the original recordings. I came to the era only when I started learning sax and was surprised how much I liked it. Duke Ellington and his orchestra in particular have become a source of joy. Elvis has a lot to answer for ;)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I just think it would be a pity if people who aren't familiar with the popular music of this period were denied the chance to discover how it was performed at the time.

Leaving aside asking why you believe this to be a "pity", this isn't happening. These recordings are easily available online - the chance is theirs at any time of day, every day of every year.

[Stanfordian]

Clare Teal’s show on Radio 2 is great for this music, if not especially the original recordings. I came to the era only when I started learning sax and was surprised how much I liked it. Duke Ellington and his orchestra in particular have become a source of joy. Elvis has a lot to answer for ;)

Some great music is played on Clare Teal's programme but I find her presenting style off-putting; all that phoney chumminess, wanting to be yer mate!