The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (LP Version)
Douglas Adams
1982
Okay, what makes this so special?
'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' was originally produced as a radio drama which eventually spanned 12 episodes. It was so popular that the producers wanted to sell recordings of it, but the BBC found something to object about it: a 6 record set was out of the question -- the licensing fees alone would cost too much. Well, Douglas Adams went back to the typewriter and re-wrote the series so that they could re-record it across 3 records.
Vinyl. 12" LPs. CDs weren't invented at that time...
It's a different recording, so, naturally, there are some differences: Some of the cast changed, the sound quality was better, and some of the story was changed.
Eventually the 12 original episodes made it to cassette and CD. But this version has been forgotten, lost in time on a format that has been largely forgotten -- except to an old collector.
Funny thing about life, isn't it? There's something fundamentally wrong with it.
Take the story of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It was originally produced as a radio drama which eventually spanned 12 episodes. It was so popular that the producers wanted to sell recordings of it, but the BBC found something to object about it: a 6 record set was out of the question -- the licensing fees alone would cost too much. Well, Douglas Adams went back to the typewriter and re-wrote the series so that they could re-record it across 3 records.
It's a different recording, so, naturally, there are some differences: Some of the cast changed, the sound quality was better, and some of the story was changed.
As time went by, the BBC found the money to release the radio show as 6 cassettes, and eventually as 6 CDs. But the 3 record set never got re-released on CD. Pity. Look through the archives on http://www.douglasadams.com: many people have asked about them, but no one has shown any interest in re-releasing them. (Now that we have the original, why would we want the records?) C'mon guys, the secret is to bang the rocks together.
Time to get the diodes down the leg replaced and change that. A set of records was taken that had been lightly played, ripped them to MP3 with Goldwave Edit, removed any noise like rumble, clicks, and pops, and broken them down to separate tracks. Speed of the turntable was even regulated to verify that all audio is at its correct pitch.
The album covers were scanned for you. Not as easy as that sounds... Have you ever tried to scan in a 12" x 12" record jacket on a small flatbed scanner?
There are no gaps on the original records, so the silence between tracks was eliminated by merging them together into one big file, one for each record side.
So break out the old phonograph, put in a fresh, new needle, and sit back and listen to an alternate version of the story you've enjoyed over and over.
LP Sides 1-3
Replies
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (LP Version)
LP Sides 4-6
HHLP4.mp3
HHLP5.mp3
HHLP6.mp3