Verity Sharp's Sound Lines - Radio 4

[ardcarp]

From the website:

"Verity Sharp connects musical stories along latitudinal lines around the globe."

Why? There is no earthly logic (or indeed music) connecting places which arbitrarily lie on a line drawn around the globe. I had hoped this series was at least going to let us hear some musical genres along the way. Instead it seems to be a confused mish-mash of the spoken word and extraneous noises which overwhelms any snippets of the real thing. I'm generally a big fan of Verity Sharp, but for whatever reason, this series has, IMV, no focus of interest. I persevered with the second programme, Equator, yesterday...but Oh Dear, no improvement.

Has anyone else listened? Am I being unduly harsh?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bk1bsx

[Lat-Literal]

From the website:

"Verity Sharp connects musical stories along latitudinal lines around the globe."

Why? There is no earthly logic (or indeed music) connecting places which arbitrarily lie on a line drawn around the globe. I had hoped this series was at least going to let us hear some musical genres along the way. Instead it seems to be a confused mish-mash of the spoken word and extraneous noises which overwhelms any snippets of the real thing. I'm generally a big fan of Verity Sharp, but for whatever reason, this series has, IMV, no focus of interest. I persevered with the second programme, Equator, yesterday...but Oh Dear, no improvement.

Has anyone else listened? Am I being unduly harsh?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bk1bsx

Erm…..thanks for highlighting it as I was not aware. I'm quite keen on the ley line idea so I'm not at all averse to the concept. Actually, I'd like to hear Britain approached in this way. But...….but......Radio 4? Is this where the R3 World Music budget has travelled? I'm not sure that I can support the radio "location". I may have more to say on hearing it on I-Player.

[DracoM]

From the website:

"Verity Sharp connects musical stories along latitudinal lines around the globe."

Why? There is no earthly logic (or indeed music) connecting places which arbitrarily lie on a line drawn around the globe. I had hoped this series was at least going to let us hear some musical genres along the way. Instead it seems to be a confused mish-mash of the spoken word and extraneous noises which overwhelms any snippets of the real thing. I'm generally a big fan of Verity Sharp, but for whatever reason, this series has, IMV, no focus of interest. I persevered with the second programme, Equator, yesterday...but Oh Dear, no improvement.

Has anyone else listened? Am I being unduly harsh?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bk1bsx

VS is one of my true go-to presenters, but as you say, she's been dealt a totally lousy hand on this one. 'Fraid I turned off while laughing at it.
Could this be R3 looking to use a prog that can be played on World Service - many birds one stone? Mash up that became almost impossible to follow. Car journey wallpaper?

[Globaltruth]

VS is one of my true go-to presenters, but as you say, she's been dealt a totally lousy hand on this one. 'Fraid I turned off while laughing at it.
Could this be R3 looking to use a prog that can be played on World Service - many birds one stone? Mash up that became almost impossible to follow. Car journey wallpaper?

The programme is produced by Reduced Listening - the company who (now) produce Late Junction. They have what is known as a prestigious client list:
Artangel, Avaunt Magazine, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service, Drawing Room Confessions, Port Magazine, Serpentine Galleries, Tate

Reduced Listening have previously given us listeners turkeys like
Breakfast with the Disrupters

The balance has shifted from the incumbents to the challengers, from the old economy to the new. For some start-ups, the belief in disruption has taken on a near-religious edge. Forget rules, obligations and regulations - all that disrupts is good, all that stands in the way deserves to fail.

but, equally, a true radio gem,
The Honky Tonk Nun
Kate Molleson and her excellent programme on the Ethiopian pianist Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou.

http://www.reducedlistening.co.uk/the-honky-tonk-nun

I would have loved to hear them pitch the idea for the Verity Sharp programme - better than an episode of W1A.
I listened to about half. Agree with Draco.
Danger bells rang when someone sonorously intoned those mystic words:

Cows, The River

Overall sounded like one of those episodes of LJ where a presenter has an idea for a show that, er, doesn't really work, but plugs gamely on. Except it is a series. Oh well, VS will survive...

[DracoM]

I hope so, oh, I truly do.
And, yes, got W1A all over it.

[eighthobstruction]

....R4 has gone mad on music and art recently....many programmes ref artists and musicians creative juices- how they do it, as individuals, as ensembles, as communities....their lives , collaborations....must admit bit fed up with a lot of vague emotive tosh -WITH the odd gem, odd interesting fact/connection....BUT mostly the radio gets shouted at, esp at 0900hrs offerings before me pills kick in and stop me shouting @*&%!))....
the trouble with'how they do it prog's....is that you never get more than 30 secs of a song....this Song Lines prog the same....