Doctor Who 50th anniversary

[hieronymous]

Way back when I started recording on my laptop with ProTools (2002), the first thing I tried to record was the theme to Doctor Who. I used my '76 Autumnglo 4001, recorded three tracks of the riff - one with Moogerfooger phaser, one with Moogerfooger lowpass filter, and one with just distortion - and the melody with fuzz through the lowpass. Dug it up yesterday for the Dr. Who 50th:

https://soundcloud.com/hieronymous-seven/tardis

Bonus points if you can identify where the sound effects at the beginning & scattered throughout are from!

[4stringer77]

Sounds great! The music was always better than what the show delivered.
I always think of Tom Baker as Dr. Who but apparently the show has been on since 1963!
I didn't think they had synthesizers capable of those tones in 63' or the substances necessary to inspire them.

[chromium]

Nice sounds, Harry!

No idea on the "bonus" question.  Sounds familiar, but can't place it...

I didn't think they had synthesizers capable of those tones in 63' or the substances necessary to inspire them.

The early electronic stuff was likely from custom instruments, based on test equipment.  There's a cool article here about the history of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr08/articles/radiophonic.htm




I had seen this clip a while back as well... this is from the era that I remember best.  Looks like mostly Yamaha CS-80 and ARP Odyssey making the sounds there:

[hieronymous]

Awesome links guys! I wasn't actually aware of all those different versions.

Delia Derbyshire is the main person of interest to me - I'm rusty on the history but I believe the early versions of the theme weren't done on "synthesizers" as we think of them - it was more primal electronic music more like a mad scientist's laboratory like in the picture chromium posted - also musique concrète, using "non-musical" sources, bent into musical shape.

I think I was fortunate to discover Dr. Who at an early age - even though I had seen Star Wars by then, when I was watching Dr. Who I could totally buy into the stories, even the effects. I remember watching the "The Ark in Space" and the worm-creature that crawls along the corridor was creepy and gross! Watching it many years later on DVD it is painfully obvious that it is someone wrapped up in green bubble-wrap! I guess that was an advantage of just having a small black-and-white TV!

Even though the original episodes may not hold up now, they do provide background for the current episodes - finally finished watching the 50th anniversary episode and I thought it was great!

[4stringer77]

It would be easy to add the bass break from Pink Floyd's "One Of These Days" into this.
BTW, never watch the movie "The Canterbury Tales" directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, if you want to maintain a wholesome image of Tom Baker as Dr. Who.

[Highlander]

 

Surprising amount of material being dredged up here; apart from the 50th episode the next best thing was a docu-drama about the first doctor...

[hieronymous]

Surprising amount of material being dredged up here; apart from the 50th episode the next best thing was a docu-drama about the first doctor...

I have that recorded, haven't watched yet but plan to!

[Bionic-Joe]

Nice work, Harry!

[OldManC]

I love it!

[Highlander]

Enjoy...