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17 March 2007

Radio_Replica: Radio as conceptual art - World War II Radio Broadcast, Part One - 1939 to 1941.
Starting at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern to 12:10pm/3:10pm→[More:]

Background & Concept – There’s a PC game called Silent Hunter 3 in which you sail a u-boat around the Atlantic in WW2. One player made a mod to add radio broadcasts to the sub’s radio which were short 6-8 minute mp3’s of news, music and static. I think they’d done 1939, 40, and 41, and the effect in the game was really interesting.

So why not, I thought, do a full two hours of it? I have about 2.8 gig of radio excerpts from WW2, and I’ve grabbed a bunch of songs from that time (and some modern ones that sound like they're from that era) and found and edited a heap of static (a thanks to the people at freesound for the files). Finally, some 10 hours later and I’ve managed to cut 1938 - 1942 down to 2 hours.

The concept I had was that the time period is set during WW2 and you’re listening to the shortwave and this is what you might’ve heard – especially if you were able to tune in across the years.

There are so many news files that I had to put a boundary on it to keep the show within the two hour time limit, so Part One starts shortly after 1938 beginning with Britain entering the war, and Part Two will end just after the death of Hitler, as there are a few reports that I felt could not be left out. (Yes, Hitler dies. Sorry for the spoiler.) I’ve found that two hours is about enough, as more and it starts to get to be a bit much, and less just isn’t enough time.

Anyway, this will be part one of two. Enjoy.

post by: Zack_Replica at: 11:35 | 10 comments

Tracks so far...

1. acclivity - Beacons10M (0:35)
2. 1939-09-01 BBC Alvar Liddell - Reports On Evacuation Of Children (0:40)
3. 1939-09-01 BBC S J de Lotbiniére - Reports Further On Evacuation (0:45)
4. 9372 833 45 sweep04 (0:01)
5. hello flowers - gentle white noise (0:03)
6. 9373 833 45 sweep05 (0:02)
7. 1939-09-03 CBS - AP Bulletin On Peace Efforts (0:41)
8. 1939-09-03 BBC King George VI - Addresses The Nation (Excerpts 1) (1:54)
9. 9365 833 45 burst 01 (0:01)
10. 1939-11-11 BBC Princess Elizabeth - Fortitude Of Women (0:47)
11. 9366 833 45 burst 02 (0:02)
12. 1940-02-16 RSH Lord Haw Haw - The Altmark Incident (0:37)
13. 833-45 - data 10 (0:03)
14. 1940-02-27 RSH Lord Haw Haw - British Minister Of Misinformation (0:31)
15. 833-45 - data 10 (0:03)
16. 9371 833 45 sweep03 (0:01)
17. 1940-05-11 CBS Elmer Davis - Reports On First Day Of Blitzkrieg (9:15)
18. randominsults - creative commons - machine static (0:01)
19. 833-45 - data 6 short (0:11)
20. Arthur Fields - It's a Long Way to Berlin, But We'll Get There (World War I Song) (1918) (3:04)
21. CW RN1TN contest (0:06)
22. 1940-05-28 BBC Winston Churchill - On Capitulation Of Belgium (2:41)
23. 9368 833 45 burst 04 (0:05)
24. 1940-05-26 RRG - British Troops In Full Retreat (0:59)
25. 493 skiptracer RadioStatik1 short (0:06)
26. Unknown/Kreigsmarine Marches - U-Boote am Feind (2:52)
27. Real Tuesday Weld, The - Heaven Can't Wait (3:08)
28. 9367 833 45 burst 03 (0:02)
29. 1940-06-04 BBC Winston Churchill - We Shall Never Surrender (12:13)
30. 1940-06-05 BBC JB Priestly - On Dunkirk (2:27)
31. 7625 LS crazystatic (0:04)
32. 1940-06-14 RRG - Nazi Radio Announces Fall Of Paris (0:20)
33. 9373 833 45 sweep05 (0:02)
34. 1940-06-14 CBS - Rebroadcasts Nazi Announcement (0:43)
35. CW RN1TN contest (0:06)
36. hello flowers - ng 12 (0:02)
37. 1940-06-14 - Last Marseillaise Broadcast As Paris Falls (1:18)
38. 1940-06-21 CAN Eric Sevareid - On The Fall Of Paris (0:15)
39. creative commons - beeploop 02 (0:12)
40. 1940-06-21 CAN William C Kirker - On French Armistace At Compiegne (1:44)

posted by Zack_Replica 17 March | 12:48

Tracklisting update

41. Marlene Dietrich - Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt (3:01)
42. 1940-07-14 BBC Charles Gardner - On Convoy Attack & Dogfight (3:34)
43. creative commons - jace static (0:10)
44. 1940-07-14 BBC Charles Gardner - Reports More On Dogfight (1:02)
45. 9372 833 45 sweep04 (0:01)
46. Cab Calloway - The Jumpin' Jive (2:50)
47. 9371 833 45 sweep03 short2 (0:03)
48. 833-45 - data 5 short3 (0:06)
49. 1940-06-13 PTT Paul Reynaud - à Tours - La France Ne Peut Pas Mourir (0:21)
50. 9372 833 45 sweep04 short3 (0:07)
51. 1940-09-15 BBC Alvar Liddell - Reports 175 German Aircraft Destroyed (0:36)
52. 1940-09-15 BBC Robin Duff - Covers Convoy Attack Off Dover (1:04)
53. 9365 833 45 burst 01 short (0:02)
54. 833-45 - data 6 short (0:11)
55. 1940-10-15 BBC - Blitz Emergency Services (1:36)
56. 1940-xx-xx BBC - Girl Tells Of Bomb Shelters (0:25)
57. 1940-10-13 BBC Princess Elizabeth & Margaret - Speak To Evacuated Children (0:42)
58. Albert Farrington - It's A Long Way To Tipperary (4:13)
59. 1940-11-18 EIAR Benito Mussolini - L'Attecco alla Grecia (0:52)
60. 9368 833 45 burst 04 short2 (0:07)
61. 1940-12-20 BBC Robin Duff - Sees London Burning (2:07)
62. 1940-xx-xx RRG Adolf Hitler - If Our Will Is Strong Enough (0:23)
63. 833-45 - beeploop 02 (0:12)
64. 14521 michaelbeijer buffer static short1 (0:06)
65. 1941-01-10 BBC Alan Howland - On German Air Attacks (0:27)
66. 1941-03-xx RSH Lord Haw Haw - La Tribuna Denies German Aims In Balkans (0:37)
67. 1941-05-24 RRG - German Announcment Sinking of HMS Hood (0:24)
68. 833-45 - data 14 short (0:12)
69. 1941-05-31 BBC First Sea Lord A V Alexander - On Sinking Of Bismark (0:43)
70. 1941-06-01 BBC - Clothes Rationing Announcement (0:42)
71. The Andrews Sisters - Beat Me, Daddy, Eight to the Bar (2:55)
72. 1941-06-22 PCPT Russian Radio - reports on German Invasion (0:20)
73. 833-45 - data 16 short (0:18)
74. 1941-07-03 - PCPT Josef Stalin Addresses Nation (0:32)
75. 1941-07-03 PCPT Josef Stalin - On Peroration (0:27)
76. Mary Martin - My Girl Back Home (3:01)
77. 1941-07-23 Wendell Wilkie - Calls For End Of US Isolationism (3:37)
78. 9373 833 45 sweep05 short (0:03)
79. 14521 michaelbeijer buffer static short3 (0:07)
80. 9371 833 45 sweep03 (0:01)
81. 1941-xx-xx Charles Lindbergh - On US Non-Intervention (0:26)

posted by Zack_Replica 17 March | 13:26

Final update.

82. 9371 833 45 sweep03 short1 (0:03)
83. Arthur Fields with Peerless Quartet - We're All Going Calling On the Kaiser (World War I Song) (1918) (2:59)
84. 1941-09-05 - BBC Frank Phillips (0:23)
85. Sammy Kaye - The Waltz You Saved for Me (3:15)
86. 1941-09-08 BBC Alvar Lidell - Air Raid On Berlin (0:30)
87. 9373 833 45 sweep05 (0:02)
88. 1941-10-03 RRG Adolf Hitler - Speech On Finland (0:25)
89. 9372 833 45 sweep04 short2 (0:04)
90. 1941-11-06 NBC Bulletin - On Capture of Blockade Runner Odenwald In Atlantic (0:24)
91. 1941-11-11 BBC Robert Dougall - With A Convoy In Atlantic (1:27)
92. 9368 833 45 burst 04 short1 (0:05)
93. 1941-11-29 BBC Winston Churchill - Address To Harrow School (4:15)
94. Rina Ketty - J'attendrai (Tornerail) (2:59)
95. 9367 833 45 burst 03 short (0:04)
96. 1941-12-07 1432 NBCB - Bulletin On Pearl Harbor Attack (0:41)
97. 9372 833 45 sweep04 short2 (0:04)
98. 1941-12-07 1437 CBS Bob Trout - On British Reaction (1:09)
99. 1941-12-07 1452 NBC - Burma Bombed (0:42)
100. 833-45 - data 5 short2 (0:05)
101. 1941-12-07 BBC Alvar Liddell - Japanese Attacks In The Pacific (0:57)
102. 1941-12-07 CBS - Attempts To Call Honolulu (1:04)
103. 9372 833 45 sweep04 (0:01)
104. 9371 833 45 sweep03 short1 (0:03)
105. 1941-12-07 NHK Gen Hideki Tojo - Declares War On The Allies (0:14)
106. 14521 michaelbeijer buffer static short2 (0:06)
107. 1941-12-08 0009 NBCB Bert Silan - Reports Manila Bombing (0:32)
108. 833-45 - data 15 short (0:10)
109. 1941-12-08 BBC Wilfred Pickles - On Far East Attacks (0:44)
110. Danny Kaye & Andrews Sisters - Big Brass Band From Brazil (2:54)
111. 9372 833 45 sweep04 short1 (0:02)
112. 1941-12-08 - Introduction, Then FDR's 'Day Of Infamy' Speech (7:36)
113. 1941-12-11 EIAR Benito Mussolini - Discorso (0:33)
114. 1941-12-23 - Fall Of Wake Island (0:29)
115. 833-45 - data 5 short1 (0:07)
116. 9372 833 45 sweep04 short1 (0:02)
117. 1941-12-24 BBC Winston Churchill - The White House Christmas Tree (3:56)
118. 9371 833 45 sweep03 short2 (0:03)
119. Vera Lynn - Auf Wiedersehn, Sweetheart (2:40)
120. 9372 833 45 sweep04 short3 (0:07)

That's it!
To whoever was listening - comments? critique?
Part two - 1942 to 1945 - will (probably) be broadcast next week... if I pull it together in time. :)

posted by Zack_Replica 17 March | 14:07

Hi. It was me for a while before i had to leave to convalesce with kitty cats.
i'd just gotten up and wasn't quite all together in my all together as i had to bumble task to task before being out the door.
i've got a relatively unplumbed fondness for music from early in the 20th century so in my cursory listening i was ok with what little i heard.
If by chance you a have a copy of a song i think is called "I Don't Want To Walk Without You" with a female singer, i'd be much obliged.
i'm still a bit fuzzy in the head so sorry i couldn't be a better audience. A lot of the newscast and speech samples could have been edited down nicely in a mix.

An aside:
Isn't the last show of The Show today?

posted by ethylene 17 March | 14:54

I agree, some of the speeches could've been shorter, but I'm fairly sure it's illegal to edit tracks in that way for broadcast. Churchill's Never Surrender speech could be cut to about 4 min. instead of the 12, as could others. The static, I really wanted to include it in the middle or end of the tracks, but the static was made by someone, therefore it has to be it's own track. I plan to address all that once I make a single mp3 out of it.
I haven't heard that song, I don't think... I'll have a look for it.
The last of the show? No, I still have to go through 4 years of audio and figure out what I want to include and add the music, so that'll take a while. Next weekend, I'm hoping. Thanks for listening, eth!

posted by Zack_Replica 17 March | 15:41

Ze Frank's show.
Sorry, i've lost too much blood and possibly too much information to think clearly.
i think i'm distracting myself from the possible loss of all my music and...
i'm sure there is something i should be doing.

posted by ethylene 17 March | 16:04

Right - The Show... yah. last one! it's steeped in sentimentality. At least yesterday's show had Jack Black in it!

posted by Zack_Replica 17 March | 16:25

Zack_Replica, this looks like it was a great show, and I'm really sorry I missed it (comcast.net problems this afternoon). I hope you'll think of a rebroadcast in the near future, in addition to making the download. I know of a lot of people who'd be interested in this.

I'll be looking for Part II, as well.

posted by paulsc 17 March | 21:38

Another vote for a re-broadcast here, but I'm not sure what time would be good for all the different time zones.

posted by GeckoDundee 18 March | 06:33

Maybe I could do a Saturday night show? Maybe start at 9pm or something. That'd be......3pm Sunday Melbourne/Sydney time (GMT+10). I'll see about next weekend. If I have part two ready, I'll figure out a time to broadcast that and if not, I'll rebroadcast part one.

posted by Zack_Replica 18 March | 12:24

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