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Rock Around The Clock aka Saturday Live

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Somebody refresh my memory.

What was it for?

Danke Shien.

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As I remember it was a 24 hour music marathon on BBC2 - Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were certainly involved - with a mix of recorded and live performances (Thompson Twins and the Eagles spring to mind - scary!) and of course New Order at the BBC.

There was also a "Phone-In Request a Video and you may have your call answered by a Popstar" thing going on for the duration in the studio. All culminated in the full length version of Thriller making its TV debut.

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This marathon television and radio extravaganza occurred in 1984. It pulled together music from around the world and featured a set from New Order from the BBC's own studios. Back in those days Radio 1 wasn't broadcast on FM only on Medium Wave (275 and 285 metres). So the broadcast used an old-fashioned 'simulcast' to let those viewers with FM radio to hear the show in stereo on their radios on Radio 2 (FM). New Order reputedly arrived late and in a bad mood, having got stuck in traffic on a hot day. They played a storming set though consisting of 'Sooner Than You Think', 'Age of Consent', 'Blue Monday', 'In A Lonely Place', 'Temptation'. After 'In A Lonely Place' and as an introduction to 'Temptation', Bernard Sumner says "An atmospheric song to get out of an unatmospheric place". Sadly the visuals fade out towards the end has the TV part of the show had to go to another item. Fortunately though the simulcast continued on Radio 2 and bizarrely continue whilst an old Blancmange video is shown on screen!

This help...ALWAYS check mate!:thumb: :evil4:

NB-my youngest bro is married to NEIL ARTHUR's ex girlfriend.Neil was the lead singer in BLANCMANGE and lived in a posh part of DARWEN...my home town.Thought you would be interested.....

USE http://www.cerysmaticfactory.info/blogger.html ....a MINTY MINT site.:rolleyes:

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I don't think it was 24hrs, Sat afternoon until the early hours of Sunday morning I think.

The whole extravaganza was called Rock Around The Clock, and the Saturday Live bit gets thrown in because that was the name of Richard Skinner's Radio 1 show that provided New Order's performance, which was simulcast on both programmes. In fact, this was in the days when Radio 1 was still an AM station, and they had to 'borrow' Radio 2's stereo frequency for the broadcast.

I remember LWTUA was one of the videos you could phone up and vote for, but I don't think it ever got enough votes to be shown.

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Hello OLD BLUE:D

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Thanks for the replies peeps, but was there a reason behind the music marathon? Was it for charidee etc....

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Old Blue wrote: Richard Skinner's Radio 1 show that provided New Order's performance, which was simulcast on both programmes. In fact, this was in the days when Radio 1 was still an AM station, and they had to 'borrow' Radio 2's stereo frequency for the broadcast.

It wasn't quite 'simulcast' (is that a word?!), the Radio One version lagged by a good 10mins or so. Barney swore live on the telly, and then it was broadcast on the radio a good few mins later still with the swearing still in place, when I'd have thought the Beeb had more than enough time to bleep it out!

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Yes but no but yes.... If further de-mystification of the band was needed then their simultaneous live appearance on Radio One's Saturday Live slot and BBC2's epic Rock Around The Clock bash spoke volumes for a band who steadfastly refuse to fall in with what the industry deems appropriate behaviour. Like tuning up? "It was awful, a total f*** up," says Barney. "We'd played in Cornwall the night before and during the day we got stuck in traffic for two hours which meant we had to drive at 120 miles an hour for the last three hours and then we got there only 25 minutes before the programme went out. Not only that, but a piece of equipment had broken down which meant we couldn't play the songs we wanted, and everybody was in a pretty bad state after the horrendous journey." And your fluffed intro at the start of 'Age Of Consent', did that make you want to give up? "Not give up, I just wanted to get it over with. And I wanted to do it the best we possibly could and that was the best we could have done under the circumstances. "The whole thing was daft because we don't record in a studio like that and we never wear headphones. We had four synthesisers, an Emulator, guitar, bass, electronic drums, drum machine, acoustic drums and vocals and trying to put that lot through a pair of headphones with two inch speakers is completely and utterly stupid. "Okay, so a lot of bands are trained to be professionals and they'd have done a thing like that and still played it note perfect despite all the hassles, but we're a product of whatever atmosphere we have around us. If there's no atmosphere then our music will sound shitty because the feel will be all wrong, we'll be round pegs in a square hole."

NO IDEA...but a GOOD READ,no? :clap:

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el jarvo wrote "the radio lagged by 10 minutes"

nah m8 ,,maybe in downtown luton,, but the radio was only seconds behind,, went to press stop on me cassette and realised they had started up temptation again,, only got another 30 seconds of it mind...,was it barney or gillian that said faster steve, faster!:evil4:

we had a party in our hotel last night

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79 order wrote:

el jarvo wrote "the radio lagged by 10 minutes"

nah m8 ,,maybe in downtown luton,, but the radio was only seconds behind,, went to press stop on me cassette and realised they had started up temptation again,, only got another 30 seconds of it mind...,was it barney or gillian that said faster steve, faster!:evil4:

we had a party in our hotel last night

BARNEY:nod:

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79 order wrote:

el jarvo wrote "the radio lagged by 10 minutes"

nah m8 ,,maybe in downtown luton,, but the radio was only seconds behind,, went to press stop on me cassette and realised they had started up temptation again,, only got another 30 seconds of it mind...,was it barney or gillian that said faster steve, faster!:evil4:

we had a party in our hotel last night

Was it only second behind? Still a lag though, and still swearing on the latter performance. I remember watching it then retiring to my bedroom to get ready for a Saturday night on the razzle and it was still playing on the radio!

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I'm sure there wasn't a lag - I had both the 'music centre' and the TV on in the lounge at the same time...

They over-ran and the TV cut off a couple of minutes before the radio, so it's entirely possible that you moved to another room and still heard it.

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Rocket THE LEGEND Mick wrote: Hello OLD BLUE:D

Fancy sneaking in with a cheeky cut and paste whilst I dutifully typed mine out! How very DARE you... :D

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Old Blue wrote: I'm sure there wasn't a lag - I had both the 'music centre' and the TV on in the lounge at the same time...

They over-ran and the TV cut off a couple of minutes before the radio, so it's entirely possible that you moved to another room and still heard it.

Which could be WHY this happened........ "Sadly the visuals fade out towards the end has the TV part of the show had to go to another item. Fortunately though the simulcast continued on Radio 2 and bizarrely continue whilst an old Blancmange video is shown on screen!"

Typed with my own cut and pasters OLD BLUE!:thumb: :thumb: :lol:

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Look SHUG-how to use a COMPUTER....:lol:

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Fook me, well done Baldy!

How many people went out and bought the gay shorts and footwear? Was speaking to a lad about it at work.....he did.

:lol:

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ShugZV wrote: Fook me, well done Baldy!

How many people went out and bought the gay shorts and footwear? Was speaking to a lad about it at work.....he did.

:lol:

He took the look from me...was wearing them 2 years BEFORE in DARWEN.I nearly got KILLED!:laugh:I was also a tennis ace.. FRED SHERRy:rolleyes:

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I would hazard a guess it had nothing to do with what you were wearing, probably more like how you were dancing :nod:

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ShugZV wrote: I would hazard a guess it had nothing to do with what you were wearing, probably more like how you were dancing :nod:

NICE TO SEE YOU to see you NICE...GOOD GAME!:lol:

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Rocket THE LEGEND Mick wrote:

ShugZV wrote: I would hazard a guess it had nothing to do with what you were wearing, probably more like how you were dancing :nod:

NICE TO SEE YOU to see you NICE...GOOD GAME!:lol:

Too SIXTY for yer shirt :smoking:

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Old Blue wrote: I don't think it was 24hrs, Sat afternoon until the early hours of Sunday morning I think.

The whole extravaganza was called Rock Around The Clock, and the Saturday Live bit gets thrown in because that was the name of Richard Skinner's Radio 1 show that provided New Order's performance, which was simulcast on both programmes. In fact, this was in the days when Radio 1 was still an AM station, and they had to 'borrow' Radio 2's stereo frequency for the broadcast.

I remember LWTUA was one of the videos you could phone up and vote for, but I don't think it ever got enough votes to be shown.

LWTUA was the last video to be shown at about 6 a.m. and was introduced by Sarah Greene as "the song that really made Joy Division's name" or something like that. I sat up through a fair amount of dross to record it!

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How many people went out and bought the gay shorts and footwear? Was speaking to a lad about it at work.....he did.

Hadn't noticed the footwear, never got past the shorts! Guess I'll have to take another look.

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