March 29, 2014

For tonight's Music Club, we have Martin's Theme One, written as, you guessed it, a theme for BBC Radio 1. This flanged, orchestral pop number served as the main theme and background music for the station up until the mid '70s, but it still holds up pretty well today. Having been one of the first users of the technique of flanging audio on "Tomorrow Never Knows" (developed by John Lennon and engineer Ken Townsend), it's pretty cool to see the effect applied in an orchestral arrangement this early in its existence. For those of you who are unfamiliar with flanging, it's (in its truest form) what happens when you delay a tape reel running between two machines by putting your finger on the edge of the tape itself. That's putting it in pretty simple terms, but that's essentially how you did it in the beginning.

Heard any cool effects while listening to music lately?

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