This was when the BBC started to entertain kitsch TV, to the detriment of its superb reputation. Things got worse over the last 40 odd years and look at the state of it now. Why would Humphrey Burton et al even give a total beginner half a second of ear time?
This one is from the VHS we taped when it was aired. We got the others by getting in touch with the broadcasters who had them in the archives. For a fee they provided DVDs!
How wonderful! Denis Dowling, Harold Blackburn, John Brecknock, and Eric Shilling continued their masterful singing at the English National Opera where I was privileged to work a few years later, including under the baton of Sir Charles McKerras. Thanks again for these marvellous uploads!
Wonderful to see it again! played he part of Kromov, who appeaars at about 33:00, though mysteriously not on the cast list! Thanks SO much for posting! Alexander Magri.
@@gonzolagonda Amazing! I have tried for years to find this show, and quite by chance I thought I'd try on YT - and there it was! Eric was a great colleague and we had great fun together rehearsing and performing. Please keep in touch, George, as I'm sure we will have lots to chat about!
This is the high standard of performance which all productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas should aspire to. Thank-you for uploading this recording. I remember watching it when it was first broadcast. On the strength of that, I bought an LP of it. Always one of my favourites.
Chris Searle did well , particularly in a role where the rhythm of the music is quite tricky to remember , add to that being on the pitch, projecting above the orchestra and the stage action. Operatic roles do require multi tasking. I thought the various people asked to comment at the end were quite negative. No - one could expect him to have a splendid , operatic voice unless he had followed years of training, but for an attempt at a role he deserved praise without endless caveats. It was a good idea for the TV company to give viewers an inside understanding of what opera entails and no doubt good publicity for the company. Such publicity / interest would be good now in the current company crisis.
Well, the opera world is even tougher than that, including for well-trained singers with great voices! In fact , I thought they were quite kind to him, knowing they were on a TV programme.... In the real opera world, he would not have got past the audition. For every ten auditions a trained but unknown singer might get a couple of jobs. He did well, all things considered, but being asked to replace the great Eric Shilling was a very tall order! The film even made me nervous, and I've been in the business 40 years (mercifully retired now!).
1. From 1986. 2. Also on a 7 inch (I have both). 3. They didn't storm off the label in a huff - they spent 18 months of litigation trying to get released from their contract due to record label interference that ruined their songs from what the band intended them to sound like. Nothing wrong with doing that.. There's some radio sessions for the BBC that shows the rough tracks that so far have gone unreleased.
It’s amazing how many times I wanted to see this again and could never find it but now I have,it takes me back to a better time when life was so much simpler compared to NOW 🙄
This was my life before grade school. I use to play around (and be confused) by the device. My Mom had us play around with it when I was 5-6 in the early 90s.
On my Super Speak & Math it’s pretty much the same but for some reason on mine it says “word problems” instead of “math problems” I don’t know why that’s different maybe it’s a regional thing but other than that it’s pretty much the same
Yes. The follow up single Power Station had a bit too much Fairlight magic as Be Dekard (Vocals) recalls: When we were working with Steve Lipson they literally had to drag me from the studio. I was so incensed that someone could spend 700 pounds of our money on complete bullshit." 18 months of legal action and they were freed from ZTT, momentum had gone.
I can't remember if that thing ran on six AA's or for AAs to power the super speak in math because I actually would like to get my hands on one and if I were to get a job tutoring someone in math or who is learning basic math I would love to have that as kind of like a little helper
How much are you selling that speak super speak in math for because I used to have one of those shoes my brothers and I really liked it and that brings me back a lot of memories because I used to play with them a lot and I even used it as a talking calculator because it had a Calculator function and I put braille labels all over the buttons and was able to get every question right
I remember I braille labeled all the buttons so my younger brother even though it was originally his ended up passing it over onto me because I did all the braille labels for the buttons but I do have memories of that thing and the super speak and spell I think the same man did the voice for both of them because they sound very similar
stupid boy stupid audience like clay gods .they were the future and you did not see them.i did they were ao magnificent so special and important,. heart soul flesh blood.the most special beautifull xx
Not gonna lie - a teacher back in grade school recommended this to my Mom to help my Math skills - it actually made them WORSE, because I felt like it was my first experience in gaslighting, since I almost never got any of the questions right and the darn thing made the WORST sound whenever I got things wrong. It gave me nightmares. As a matter of fact, seeing this thing again after so many years triggered me for a moment LOL
I didn't know there was a "Super Speak & Math." I only played with the original machine that my cousin had in 1982, and I saw a "Super Speak & Spell" at a toy store in 1990.
I remember this from an Adam and Joe show special when channel 4 hit 20 years old. Always stuck with me and listen to them regularly some 20 years later. I messaged the singer on something like Instagram or Twitter - can’t remember which one - had a chat about it and I said thanks and good work. Seemed like a nice guy.
Malau - I was the lead guitarist in his post-Rangers band “Das Melodia” in Los Angeles during the early 90’s. Pretty funny story behind that involving the original broadcast of this performance and my reaction to it while living in Brighton... Anyway, I had the amazing privilege of paying on his material (live and in the studio) for just over two years. What a great songwriter and singer. Most of all he was so nice to everyone. Just a really caring person. Eventually, management were too busy with other bands, and he moved back to England. In fact I almost got into a car accident driving him to the airport. I did see him in 1999 when he was managing the Barfly nightclubs. He’s done very well for himself and as far as I know he hasn’t done music since leaving LA. But sorry, he’s not driving busses.🤣
