BBC.co.uk
Babybird – Writing for the Big Screen
Babybird is lining up more film soundtrack work after his contribution to ‘The Avengers’. The man also known as Stephen Jones is working on a new album with up to 80 songs demo’d already.
Babybird – Writing for the Big Screen (BBC.co.uk)
BABYBIRD IN F-WORD ON NATIONAL TV SHOCK!
NME
BABYBIRD IN F-WORD ON NATIONAL TV SHOCK!
BABYBIRD is to break a broadcasting taboo this Saturday when he performs his new single, ‘The F Word’, on BBC One’s National Lottery Live – Red Alert programme on Saturday (March 18), nme.com can reveal.
Never before has the ‘F word’ been used pre-watershed on the channel with the corporation’s consent. However the BBC has denied that the decision to book the band was a bid to stoke controversy and boost what some claim to be, the show’s flagging ratings. A spokeswoman for Red Alert told nme.com, “That’s not the case at all. The single does not contain the word ‘fuck’ anywhere. When people found out (that it was called ‘The F Word’) then they had to check, but it was cleared by BBC Policy and Planning and can go out on the BBC at any time. The record is being played on Radio Two and that would not have happened had there been any swearing.
“If you follow the show, you’ll see it gets really top guests. If we had been looking for controversy then I would have been calling you trying to start it.” She refused to discuss viewing figures for the Lulu co-hosted show and refused as well to say how long the current run would last, commenting only that Red Alert had been broadcasting weekly since February 19 and that everyone involved with it was more than happy.
‘The F Word’, BabyBird (aka Stephen Jones’) first release for two years, was released last Monday (March 13) through Echo. An album ‘Bugged’ will follow on the same label on May 29.
Red Alert will air at 7.20pm on Saturday.
Bootleg, baby
It’s summertime, the Roskilde Festival starts next week, Denmark is on to the football quarter finals, and after that I’ll have loads of time to do some work on this site. The next thing likely to get a major update and rewriting on this site is the bootleg/live section.
I know this is a part of enjoying the Babybird trip that either makes fans drool in excitement while others just couldn’t care less. Personally, I sometimes find the whole process of documenting and finding rare and long lost recorded gigs a little more interesting that actually listening to them, except, maybe, for any gig between 1998-2000.
Right now my own collection is pretty much a mess, and I haven’t listened to any boots for ages. For the renewed section, I’m planning something in the line of extensive reviews, user comments, recording details (did you record anything? Tell about it), cover scans etc. – and perhaps a few new gigs and collections will come out of it. In my opinion, too many of the existing ones (Black Session, Barfly) have been transferred to CD from high generation tapes or dubious real audio files and lossy mp3s and other appalling sources.
With a more detailed bootleg section on this site (which serves as a clearinghouse and reference page for some), I’m sure the general standard and quality of the Babybird live recordings will improve.
There’s so many bootlegs around that still need to be more accurately documented and enjoyed, and over the last year a few rare ones have come to my attention without surfacing anywhere near me.
Here’s a few titles that some of you might be in possession of but which have still not been accounted for here. I’m very interested in knowing more about all these:
19-07-1996: Phoenix Festival
15 min.
This is a short extract aired on BBC 1 sometime back in 1996.
Köln – Popkom`97 – 17-08-1997
Köln/Neumarkt – Ringfest von EinsLive zur Popkom`97) 49 Min
Not too sure about this one. Could be a FM broadcast from the Popkom one-day festival.
LA2/London Astoria – 11-11-1996
An unedited/full version of the LA2/London Astoria gig with no gabs between songs. The copy I have was chopped to pieces.
Leeds City Varities – 25-9-1998
79.41 min. Tracklist: 1. july, 2. the life, 3. too handsome to be homeless, 4. back together, 5. bad old man, 6. you will always love me, 7. if you’ll be mine, 8. 45 and fat, 9. swinging from tree to tree, 10. sunshine, 11. first man on the sun, 12. all men are evil, 13. take me back, 14. dead bird sings, 15. i was never here, 16. cornershop, 17. you’re gorgeous
Someone once mailed me claiming to have recorded this one and promised a quick trade. After some correspondence (where the tracklist above was revealed) I never heard from the guy again. Pretty strange. Apparently, this is an audience recording with ‘very good sound’. If it actually exists.
Colchester Arts Centre – 18-1-1996
audience recording
Stockton Arc – 25-7-2000
audience recording.
Italy ?-?-????
Ages ago someone mentioned a bootleg of an italian gig in the forum??
Barfly Session 3-8-2000
Hi quality version. I only have the Real Audio version which has been circulated for a while Someone, somewhere must have transferred his or her VHS copy to digital. If not, do it!
Full/unedited versions of all Radcliffe/bbc sessions (not 12.12.95). I have all of these on Moey’s Radio Sessions CDs. Would like the full shows though.
13-03-2000: London/BBC Maida Vale Studios/Evening Session
21 Min. This is the last ever evening session for BBC. I’m surprised it hasn’t turned up anywhere. Been trying to get hold of this for years, but with no luck. Only seen it on one trading list ever.
Any videos or DVDs
I have recently been mailed VHS and DVD copies of live performances, TV-appearances, and various live sessions. I’m still in the process of sorting out what to do with all these. Some of it is truly wonderful. Anything on VHS should be made digital soon and I know at least two people are doing this with very low generation copies. I don’t have either the skills or the equipment to make digital transfers yet.
Various live songs
I’m trying to put together a compilation of live appearences which are not part of full concerts. At this time some of these recordings include great sounding versions of Out of Sight (from TFI, live in studio from Abbey Road and VH1), Fireflies (Abbey Road), The F-word (various locations) and older songs from the first two echo albums. Something might come out of it one day. Support is needed though.
Any radio interviews
Interview: ‘BBC Worldwide’ interview (October 1996). 6 Minutes
Interview: ‘Rock Over London’ interview (November 1996). 9 Minutes
I have still be listen to a full cd of radio interviews. Has anyone ever made one?
Anything else not found here on this site
Remember, I know some traders prefer the secrecy of holding on to their master tapes and don’t want it out into the trading pool. You can easily contact me and tell about recordings that you do not want to pass on, but still want the fan base to hear about. I won’t trade it if you do not want me to but just want to list as many recordings as possible.
Hope to see some comments on this, or do feel free to mail me.
Stephen was talking to Sean Hughes on BBC 6 Music
As announced on the official site, this morning Stephen was talking to Sean Hughes on BBC 6 Music about his career so far and some of his future plans.
During the 30 minute interview he talked about the uneasy success of nine top-40 singles, about slowly losing control of his career during the Echo years (apparently a five album deal was made – so expect a Greatest Hits one day), financial security from royalties, European success, about the band finally falling apart, why on earth he didn’t decline playing live on the National Lottery, about wanting to make film music (“something might be coming up”, and how he has now gone back to where he started by recording alone with a one-off record deal. Best of all, it looks like a busy schedule for him this spring.
Noteworthy news was that Almost Cured of Sadness, expected to be a slow burner (!), will not be out before March 3rd. The album will not be backed by a single until (perhaps) a month after release, but “there will be Fuzz” in the sense that he will tour Europe with a three piece band in April! Also, it was revealed that a new novel entitled Henry and Ida Swap Teeth is in the works and will be published also some time around April.
For those with a fast Internet connection, you can soon hear the show on BBC’s Radio on Demand service. Here.
