'Theme One' - George Martin -- Clean Copy With Extended Intro 

The 'pips' were known as 'bing tone' and were played throughout the night while the station was off the air to save the transmitters from throwing a failure alarm. The Greenwich Time Signal pips were only available on the hour, quarter after, half past and quarter to.

I to remember the "pips" before the radio suddenly burst out this fabulous tune. Used to wake me up if I was kipping in the car, and left the radio turned on overnight. I think the intermittent pips were to check that all transmitters across the UK were sending out a good signal prior to transmission of Radio 1.

This was recorded in 1967. Synths were mostly laboratory curiosities at the time. It was, in fact, a pipe organ, plus an orchestra.

Indeed - the enormous Hill, Norman and Beard pipe organ at the Central Hall, Westminster.

I suspect it was this: www.discogs.com/George-Martin-And-His-Orchestra-British-Maid/release/5734013

Hi Marcus.... I've just noticed your posting. I don't know if it helps but I've still got my LP with "Theme One" on it. It may be the same one that you had...... It's called "BY GEORGE!". The LP is on the "Sunset" label and its catalogue number is "SLS 50182" (Released: 1968). All tracks are by George Martin and his Orchestra, starting with "Theme One" as Track 1 (complete with footsteps!). The album cover colour is predominately orange. Other tracks are "A Whiter Shade Of Pale", "Alfie", I Am The Walrus", "To Sir With Love" and 7 others. An excellent LP all round. I hope this helps..... Keith...... :)

Yes that's the one, great LP.

@@MarcusTomatos Thanks for the reply Marcus. I had a feeling it was that LP. Glad to be of assistance... :)

In fact the Friday Rock Show theme was 'Take it from the Top' by the Dixie Dregs. Several versions, including the one Tommy used for the show, are here on RU-vid !

U on waccy baccy?😄😄😄😄

The drum style sounds very similar to parts of “Strawberry Fields Forever “…..

Dave are you referring to this version which is the original version (usually used minus steps and door closing etc) or the later more orchestral re-recording by George Martin from the seventies ? and is the specific effect you here right at the very beginning or so many seconds in ?

@@dippey On the electronic version from 9 seconds in..

Hi Dave I have done a few checks on it and it appears to be a combination of three tones one at just under 500Hz another at 700Hz and another slightly lower in volume at 1KHz so not a true representation of a Greenwich Time Signal pip which has a single frequency of 1Khz. So a bit of a mystery why it is there, perhaps George if he was thinking GTS pip and it was very low in volume being right at the end, that this sounded better. Guess we'll never know.

@@dippey Wow I'm impressed by your diligence David.. thanks for taking the time to look into it. Now I listen again its harder to make out, strangely when I first listened it really seemed quite distinct! Odd. (Edit: Ive realised why now, its much more distinct in the 'electronic version' that's up on here).