Leicester club outing to Windsor
Leicester Tape Recording Club outing to Windsor

Location recordings by East Midlands tape recording clubs (1959-1978)
(79:00)

Collected together for the first time on this CD are a selection of vintage amateur field recordings from two East Midlands tape clubs: The Derby Tape Recording Club and The Leicester Tape Recording Club. These are not pristine archival recordings, they bear many traces of their age and origin: tape hiss and distortion, harsh pause button edits, wow and flutter. Accepting these extraneous audio artefacts as inherent to the medium of tape, no attempts have been made to clean or restore them.

The little known phenomenon of tape recording clubs reached its peak in the 60s and 70s, as tape recording technology became more attainable to the hobbyist. Many of these recordings were made in the days when recording outdoors entailed lugging a heavy and cumbersome open-reel recorder out and about on location. This could prove impractical for the individual so being part of a club, with the associated benefits of pooled resources and shared knowledge, made things a little easier. The appearance of affordable portable battery recorders in the early 60’s granted tape enthusiasts unprecedented freedom as to what and where they could record, a freedom which most tape club members exploited to the full. Some of these recordings were made on organised outings as part of the tape club’s programme of activities, others were made independently by individual members. The variety and imagination displayed here is a testament to the pioneering spirit of a dedicated group of amateurs, our forebears in the pursuit of recorded sound.

Thanks to all former tape club members, in particular; Bill and Marjory Howard, Ernie Flecknoe, Brian Hayhoe, John & Lorna Buckler, John Moule, Bruce Goodwin, Dennis Blackmore and Patrick Everest.

:::  Edited and compiled by Mark Vernon  :::  www.meagreresource.com  :::

track list:

01) Introduction*

Leicester Co-op show stall 1962
Leicester Co-op show stall 1962

02) Motorcycle scramble,1969 (John Moule / Howard Dutson)*

Parabolic reflector
Parabolic reflector

03) East Midlands Airport (Bill Howard)**

London airport recording trip 1966
London airport recording trip 1966

04) Police officer giving live driving commentary, Leicester (John Moule)*
05) Derby Tape Recording Club advert (voice – Marjory Howard)**

Derby Tape Club advert
Derby Tape Club advert

06) Paignton Zoo – part 1 (Bill Howard)**
07) Fairground, Leicester* (John Buckler)*
08) Power station – guided tour (presenter – Howard Dutson)*
09) Leicester Market* (John Buckler)*
10) Oddicombe Beach (Bill Howard)**
11) Interview with owner of amphibious car (Bill Howard)**
12) Harold’s land (Bill Howard)**
13) LTRC News tape, Loughborough Carillon, 1963 (John Moule / Howard Dutson)*

Loughborough Carrilon
Loughborough Carrilon
powering recorders with car battery
powering recorders with car battery

14) Girls’ football match (Bill Howard)**
15) ‘The great outdoors’*
16) Trainspotting (John Buckler)*
17) Birdland, Bourton on the Water (Bill Howard)**
18) Musical chairs – DTC Christmas party (Brian Hayhoe)**
19) Fire station – alarm bell and pole slide*

visit to the fire station
visit to the fire station

20) Pirelli tyre factory (Bill Howard)**
21) Music box – Newarke House Museum, 1967*
22) Bicycle ride (John Buckler)*
23) Ten-pin bowling tournament – Leicester vs Birmingham Tape Club*
24) Opening waltz – DTC Christmas party (Bill Howard)**

Derby Tape Club social evening
Derby Tape Club social evening

25) ‘This is Derby’ (Brian Hayhoe)**
26) Paignton Zoo – part 2 (Bill & Marjory Howard)**
27) Nottingham Co-operative Tape Recording Club advert
28) Wurlitzer organ concert / Sea / Seagulls (Bill Howard)**
29) Caravan rally, Derbyshire (Bill Howard)**
30) ‘Till there was you’, unknown band, live recording*

Recording session - folk musicians
Recording session – folk musicians

31) ‘The six sounds were…’*
32) Cadeby light railway, 1969 (John Buckler)*
33) Derby train station (Bill Howard)**
34) Polyphon – Newarke House Museum, 1967*

Newarke Houses Museum 1967
Newarke Houses Museum 1967

35) ‘Zero Hour: Action Stations’ – army demonstration (presenter – John Moule)*
36) Interview with Peter Shepherd / Bell ringing (Bill & Marjory Howard)**
37) Mr. Henry’s Austin 7 (John Buckler)*
38) Music box – Newarke House Museum,1967 *
39) ‘Some of the world around us’ (Bill Howard)**
40) Pre-recorded message, John Amflet of the ‘British Federation of Tape Recording Clubs’ to LTC members on the evening of their inaugural meeting, 1959.*

* Leicester Tape Recording Club
** Derby Tape Recording Club

Setting up to record choir 1
Setting up to record choir 2
Parabolic reflector
Mobile recording unit