Blog

It took Johnny Cash 12 years to record one of his live prison shows, but it wasn't easy. He was threatened against doing it, warned it would ruin his career, but Cash's instincts were dead on. He just went ahead and recorded at Folsom Prison in 1968 and never sounded so raw and alive. The live album was a huge hit, and followed by the even bigger "Johnny Cash at San Quentin" - his first #1 album on the pop charts.

In this hour we explore how Cash's concert at San Quentin came about, went down and the wake it left behind. Your listeners will hear Johnny Cash on the edge, plowing through well-known songs and premiering new ones that stated, "San Quentin, I hope you rot and burn in hell." Needless to say, he almost started a riot in a room full of very bad men. The program also features a few songs from the show not included on the original live album.

For an inside view, we'll hear about prison life from the prisoners and prison guards, taken from the documentary "Johnny Cash in San Quentin." The original producer, Bob Johnston, speaks about the excitement and fear, as does Jim Marshall, photographer of the famous "Johnny flipping the bird at San Quentin" photo. We'll also hear about Johnny Cash's views on the lock-up from bassist Marshall Grant, son John Carter Cash, singer/songwriter Larry Gatlin and music writer Anthony DeCurtis.

Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin Documentary.mp3

In 1987 freelance writer Bert Coules approached the BBC with the proposal to dramatise Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles. It was given the go-ahead as a two-part serial with Roger Rees and Crawford Logan as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

Roger Rees and Crawford Logan as Holmes and Watson
The show went down well with the public and the press and Coules suggested doing two more of the novels. The BBC agreed but insisted on recasting, and Clive Merrison and Michael Williams were offered the roles.

Clive Merrison and Michael Williams as Holmes and Watson
When A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four were also a success, Coules proposed a six-part series of the best short adventures. The BBC though had other ideas: they would produce the entire canon of fifty-six short stories and four novels, the first time it had ever been done in any medium with the same two actors in the leads.

With Bert Coules as the head writer of a small and changing team, and with the same two producer-directors responsible for the entire remaining run of shows, the aim throughout was to go back to the original stories and characters and place the relationship between Holmes and Watson at the centre of the drama.

The project was launched in January 1991 and ran for the next nine years, attracting large audiences and guest stars of the calibre of Dame Judi Dench, Brian Blessed, Sir Donald Sinden and many others.

Four further series of brand new mysteries followed, with Andrew Sachs taking over as Watson after the untimely death of Michael Williams. The new shows were based on some of Conan Doyle's tantalising throwaway references to other cases which he never wrote up in full, culminating in one of the most famous, the strange affair of the politician, the lighthouse and the trained cormorant.

1. Revenge (64.7Mb)
2. The Country of the Saints (64.5Mb)
3. Timbertoe (65.5Mb)
4. The Great Agra Treasure (65.2Mb)
5. The Powers of Evil (64.7Mb)
6. Death on the Moor (64.7Mb)
7. The Scowrers (65.2Mb)
8. The Tragedy of Birlstone (65.3Mb)
9. A Scandal in Bohemia (49.3Mb)
10. The Red-headed League (50.9Mb)
11. A Case of Identity (50.5Mb)
12. The Boscombe Valley Mystery (50.4Mb)
13. The Five Orange Pips (48.7Mb)
14. The Man with the Twisted Lip (50.6Mb)
15. The Blue Carbuncle (48.3Mb)
16. The Speckled Band (50.8Mb)
17. The Engineer's Thumb (49.6Mb)
18. The Noble Bachelor (50.6Mb)
19. The Beryl Coronet (50.6Mb)
20. The Copper Beeches (50.6Mb)
21. Silver Blaze (50.8Mb)
22. The Yellow Face (50Mb)
23. The Stockbroker's Clerk (49.8Mb)
24. The Gloria Scott (50.3Mb)
25. The Musgrave Ritual (50.1Mb)
26. The Reigate Squires (50.4Mb)
27. The Crooked Man (50.8Mb)
28. The Resident Patient (47.8Mb)
29. The Greek Interpreter (50Mb)
30. The Naval Treaty (50.7Mb)
31. The Final Problem (50.5Mb)
32. The Empty House (50.9Mb)
33. The Norwood Builder (50.6Mb)
34. The Dancing Men (49.6Mb)
35. The Solitary Cyclist (48.7Mb)
36. The Priory School (50.5Mb)
37. Black Peter (50.2Mb)
38. Charles Augustus Milverton (50.6Mb)
39. The Six Napoleons (49.2Mb)
40. The Three Students (49.4Mb)
41. The Golden Pince-nez (50.4Mb)
42. The Missing Three-quarter (50.5Mb)
43. The Abbey Grange (49.4Mb)
44. The Second Stain (50.5Mb)
45. Wisteria Lodge (50.6Mb)
46. The Cardboard Box (50.7Mb)
47. The Red Circle (50.6Mb)
48. The Bruce Partington Plans (50.4Mb)
49. The Dying Dectective (50.6Mb)
50. The Disapperance of Lady Frances Carfax (49Mb)
51. The Devil's Foot (50.8Mb)
52. His Last Bow (50.5Mb)
53. The Illustrious Client (48.7Mb)
54. The Blanched Soldier (49.2Mb)
55. The Mazarin Stone (49.4Mb)
56. The Three Gables (50.5Mb)
57. The Sussex Vampire (49.1Mb)
58. The Three Garridebs (50.8Mb)
59. The Problem of Thor Bridge (50.5Mb)
60. The Creeping Man (50.9Mb)
61. The Lion's Mane (50.9Mb)
62. The Veiled Lodger (50.8Mb)
63. Shoscombe Old Place (49.7Mb)
64. The Retired Colourman (50.6Mb)
65. The Madness of Colonel Warburton (40.3Mb)
66. The Star of the Adelphi (40.1Mb)
67. The Peculiar Persecution of Mr John Vincent Harden (39.9Mb)
68. The Singular Inheritance of Miss Gloria Wilson (40Mb)
69. The Saviour of Cripplegate Square (40.5Mb)
70. The Abergavenny Murder (39.5Mb)
71. The Shameful Betrayal of Miss Emily Smith (39.8Mb)
72. The Tragedy of Hanbury Street (39.9Mb)
73. The Determind Client (40Mb)
74. The Striking Success of Miss Franny Blossom (39.8Mb)

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Patti Smith hosts four hours of music and conversation about Bob Dylan. His friends, early influences and collaborators discuss their close relationships with Dylan and the stories behind his greatest songs and other memorable moments of his career. Journalists and biographers add critical insights and provide historical contexts. Exclusive comments from current singer-songwriters detail how Dylan's art influenced their own lives and careers. We also hear Bob Dylan, himself, in rarely heard interview clips. Each episode focuses on on a distinct period of his life, and they are sequenced in chronological order.


DYLAN - BLOWIN' IN THE WIND 1-4

DYLAN - LIKE A ROLLING STONE 2-4

DYLAN - SHELTER FROM THE STORM 3-4

DYLAN - OH MERCY 4-4

Waylon Jennings became a country star doing it Nashville's way. But he became a legend doing things his way. In the early 1970s, his and fellow Texan Willie Nelson's successful fight for creative control of their records launched country?s Outlaw movement. From a career that began in 1958 with a single produced by rock icon Buddy Holly until his death in 2002, Waylon created edgy, timeless, straight-talking music like "This Time," "Luckenbach, Texas (Back To The Basics Of Love)" and "Good Hearted Woman" (with Willie). WAYLON JENNINGS: NASHVILLE REBEL looks back on Waylon's whole career - from the first Holly-produced single (Jole Blon), a tune from his early ?60s days in Phoenix (Stop the World), his early RCA hits, all the Outlaw masterpieces, and "I Do Believe" as part of the Highhwaymen. Host Cowboy Jack Clement tells the story with help from Waylon's wife Jessi Colter, musicians and collaborators Kris Kristofferson, and Richie Albright, and writers Lenny Kaye and Anthony DeCurtis.

Waylon Jennings Nashville Rebel.mp3

A Radio Play by John Fletcher - one episode of approx 90 minutes.

Almost 2500 years ago, a confident young general persuaded Athens to launch an attack on Sicily. Alcibiades was a member of the Athenian baby boomer generation, whose elders had fought to give their children a society of justice, wealth and education. The baby boomers explored every sexual avenue, took drugs to excess, and became the greatest consumers of the most exotic products in human history. Then it all went wrong. In the words of the author:

"Athens. The most extraordinary, the most beautiful, the most terrifying civilization of all time. The template we all live out. Effortlessly its drama, its art, its science and philosophy bestrode the world. But despite its superb democracy, all-powerful economy and a "shock-and-awe" military the envy of the world -- out of a clear blue sky came sudden, terrifying and total collapse. The Athenians had their very own Iraq War... The Sicilian Expedition.

With: ----- Socrates....James Laurenson Alcibiades....Julian Rhind-Tutt Callias....Richard Nichols Theodote....Mia Soteriou Nicias....Jonathan Nibbs Taureas....Matthew Morgan Agathon....Richard Mitchley Spartan Soldier....Nathan Sussex Bagoas....Brendan Charleson Mantitheus....Jonathan Floyd Mother....Christine Pritchard Music by John Hardy Director Kate McAll.

The Sicilian Expedition by John Fletcher.mp3

Doc Savage is a physician, scientist, adventurer, detective, inventor, explorer, researcher, and, as revealed in The Polar Treasure, a musician. A team of scientists assembled by his father deliberately trained his mind and body to near-superhuman abilities almost from birth, giving him great strength and endurance, a photographic memory, a mastery of the martial arts, and vast knowledge of the sciences. Doc is also a master of disguise and an excellent imitator of voices.

In 1985, National Public Radio aired The Adventures of Doc Savage, as 13 half-hour episodes, based on the pulps and adapted by Will Murray and Roger Rittner. Daniel Chodos starred as Doc.

1. Kidnapped (5.5Mb)
2. The Hanging Man (5.4Mb)
3. The Disappointing Parcel (5.4Mb)
4. The Island of Death (5.2Mb)
5. Terror Underground (4.9Mb)
6. The Mysterious Weeds (5Mb)
7. The Crawling Terror (5.5Mb)
8. The Black Stick (5.8Mb)
9. Three Black Sticks (6.3Mb)
10. Flight Into Fear (6.2Mb)
11. Pagoda of the Hands (5.8Mb)
12. The Accursed City (5.6Mb)
13. The Deadly Treasure (5.6Mb)

Walter Ellis Mosley (born January 12, 1952) is an American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective Easy Rawlins, a black private investigator living in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California; they are perhaps his most popular works.

Devil in a Blue Dress

Black Betty

Gone Fishin'

Lance Kilkenny's gun is believed to be the fastest in the West, but once the gunfight is over, he disappears. Most folks don't even know what he looks like. Some time back, Mort Davis saved Kilkenny's life after he was shot up. Now Davis needs Kilkenny's help.

After you listen to this book, the next one in series is "A Man Called Trent"

The Rider of Lost Creek-Part 01

The Rider of Lost Creek-Part 02

The Rider of Lost Creek-Part 03

The Rider of Lost Creek-Part 04

XPS by Len Deighton

The title of Len Deighton’s riveting thriller XPD stands for Expedient Demise.

An alleged secret meeting between Churchill and Hitler in 1940 is at the centre of the tangled plot; Whitehall, the Kremlin and the CIA - plus a ruthless secret group - we are all somewhat anxious of that historical conference. Will the so-called Hitler Minutes prove Churchill a traitor?

Deighton described his book as "faction", a blend of fact and fiction "so skilful you can't see the join".

Dramatised in 8-parts by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Peter King
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1985

CAST
Boyd Stuart ...... Trevor Nichols
Sydney Ryden ...... David Garth
Charles Stein ...... Bruce Boa
Max Breslow ...... Bernard Hepton
Willi Kleiber ...... Clifford Rose
Hitler Minutes ...... Colin Starkey
Prime Minister/Section Head ...... Bernard Brown
Jennifer ...... Jenny Funnell
Kitty ...... Melinda Walker
MacIver ...... Don Fellows
Billy Stein ...... Ian Tyler

01 A Small Killing in Hollywood.mp3

02 The House in Geneva.mp3

03 An Egg Farm in Norfolk.mp3

04 The Hitler Minutes.mp3

05 Operation Siegfried.mp3

06 A Safe House for Moscow.mp3

07 The Geneva Raid.mp3

08 Expedient Demise.mp3

A BBC Radio "Classic Serial" adaptation by Lucy Catherine, as part of their "Gothic Imagination" season, of Mary Shelley's classic novel.

Victor Frankenstein ... Jamie Parker
The Monster ... Shaun Dooley
Elizabeth ... Susie Riddell
Walton ... Alun Raglan
Henry Clerval ... Sam Alexander
Mother ... Christine Absalom
Professor Waldman ... Patrick Brennan
Justine/Agatha ... Emma Hook
Sailor/Felix ... Joe Sims
Father ... Robert Blythe
Lieutenant ... Don Gilet

Directed by Marc Beeby

Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 28 October and 4 November 2012

Frankenstein 1-2

Frankenstein 2-2

Carl Amari, an American film and television producer, actor, director and syndicated radio host, creator of "When Radio Was" has spent his 40+ year career dedicated to preserving and licensing original radio shows. His syndicated nostalgia radio show, Hollywood 360, airs on hundreds of radio stations in the U.S. and in 168 countries via American Forces Radio. Amari is producer/director of The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas and the curator of the Classic Radio Club, where fans of original radio shows can collect them directly from the master source material.

Love in a Cold Climate is a novel by Nancy Mitford, first published in 1949. The title is a direct quotation from George Orwell's novel "Keep The Aspidistra Flying" (1936).

Dramatised by Claire Luckham in 1999 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the novel's publication.

An invitation to a grand party at Hampton, home of the fabulously wealthy Montdores and their beautiful daughter Polly, brings Fanny straight into the world of the aristocracy, and in and out of love when the temperature drops...

One episode of approximately 90 minutes.

With:
-----
Amanda Root (Fanny)
Barbara Jefford (Lady Montdore)
Teresa Gallagher (Polly)
Tessa Worsley (Aunt Sadie)
William Hope (Cedric)
Jenny Howe (Veronica Chaddesley-Corbett)
Ifan Meredith (Uncle Matthew)
Sara-Jane Holm (Jassy)
Patience Tomlinson (Aunt Emily)
John Strickland (Uncle Davie)
Tilly Gaunt (Victoria)
Stephen Crichlow (Boy Dougdale)
Tom Beard (Alfred)

Directed by Marion Nancarrow.

Love in a Cold Climate.mp3

The unexpected arrival of a new apprentice jockey at his father's racing stables heralds the beginning of a series of dark happenings for Neil Griffon.
First, his father suffers a grisly accident, then Neil is brutally assaulted and abducted. The price for his freedom will mean the betrayal and deception of those who trust Griffon most. But, he has no choice: a no-compromise crime czar has made an ultimatum - that his own eighteen-year-old son be hired by Griffon's stables to ride the superstar horse, Archangel, in the Derby.

And, the young man must be trained to win. Or else...

One episode of approx 90 minutes.
With:
Frances Matthews
Caroline Blakison
Mark Colleano.

Dick Francis - Bonecrack.mp3

In Jamaica Inn, at the heart of the bleak Bodmin Moor, young Mary Yellen soon discovers mysterious goings-on in the dead of night. But worse is yet to come as Mary finds herself helplessly ensnared in the deadly activities taking place around her.

Evocative, atmospheric and chilling, this adaptation of Jamaica Inn has all the hallmarks of a great adventure classic. A full-cast radio dramatisation of the novel by Daphne du Maurier. Dame Daphne du Maurier DBE (13 May 1907 - 19 April 1989) was a famous British novelist best known for her short story "The Birds" and her classic novel Rebecca, published in 1938. Both were adapted into films by Alfred Hitchcock and Rebecca was an Oscar-winning film.

Daphne du Maurier is often mistakenly categorised as a "romantic novelist", but she was in fact a major force in post-war horror and science fiction. The BBC is celebrating the centenary of her birth with an airing of all of her material in it's archives. Four episodes of approx one hour each in high quality MP3.

Episode 1: ---------- Cornwall, 1810. A coach slowly navigates the mire. Inside, Mary trembles at the fate that is taking her to Jamaica Inn.

Episode 2: ---------- Mary is now at her aunt and uncle's inn. Its brooding power gradually ensnares her in the dark schemes enacted behind its walls.

Episode 3: ---------- Forced to watch as another ship is lured to its doom by her uncle's gang, Mary is more determined than ever to exact revenge.

Episode 4: ---------- In the final part of Daphne du Maurier's novel, there's spying to be done on the conspirators and their dark schemes.

Jamaica Inn - 1 of 4.mp3

Jamaica Inn - 2 of 4.mp3

Jamaica Inn - 3 of 4.mp3

Jamaica Inn - 4 of 4.mp3

Country Music is a documentary miniseries created and directed by Ken Burns and written by Dayton Duncan that premiered on PBS on September 15, 2019.

The TV series presented country music from its earliest stars, such as the Carter Family, and Jimmie Rodgers, followed by influential singers of the likes of Hank Williams, through to notable acts of the second half of the 20th century such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, finishing in the 1990s.

Ken Burns Country music 1 & 2.mp4

Ken Burns Country music 3 & 4.mp4

Ken Burns Country music 5 & 6.mp4

On the night of 15 September, Starvel House burnt to the ground and its three inmates perished in the flames. An inquest brought in a verdict of accidental death, but Inspector French thinks differently!

by Freeman Wills Crofts, adapted by Alan Downer

Director: David Johnston
Inspector French: Edward De Souza
Detective Constable Tanner: Jonathan Tafler
Pierce Whymper: Gary Cady
Chief Inspector Mitchell: Reginald Marsh
Sgt Kent: Alan Downer
Dr Philpot: Michael Deacon
Ruth Averill: Zelah Clarke
Mrs Oxley: Joan Matheson
Mrs Palmer-Gore: Diana Olsson
Mr Dashwood: John Baddeley
Jeweller: William Simons
Manager at Thomas Cook's: Alan Dudley
Landlord: Michael Tudor Barnes

First Broadcast December 1987 on BBC Radio 4

The Starvel Tragedy - Inspector French.mp3

In 1964, about a decade after The Shadow's final radio broadcast, this pair of all-new adventures were recorded with members of the original cast, including Bret Morrison as The Shadow and Grace Matthews as Margo Lane. While never broadcast, the new dramas ended up being released by Leo the Lion Records (a division of MGM Records) as an LP titled The Official Adventures of The Shadow. It was the first time the phantom avenger ever appeared on record. Produced and directed by Herb Gale, written by John Fleming, and featuring supporting turns from Santos Ortega, Mandel Kramer, Ken Roberts, Bob Dryden, Lawson Zerbe.

Napoleonic seafaring adventure starring Michael Troughton and Nigel Anthony.

1. The Question of Preferment

1/6 Captain Jack Aubrey awaits the verdict in his court martial for the loss of his ship.

2. The Question of Seamanship

2/6 Jack tests the Sophie, and Stephen's romantic notions of naval life are tarnished.

3. The Question of Loyalty

3/6 The discipline of HMS Sophie's crew is tested and found to be wanting.

4. The Question of Attraction

4/6 Money is shown to be the root of all evil, and Captain Jack divides the men from the goats

5. The Question of Principle

5/6 A difficult decision as the life of a member of the crew is weighed against prize money.

6. The Question of Dishonour

6/6 The loss of the Sophie is finally revealed. Will Aubrey survive his court martial?

ADULT CONTENT

The KCRW Production "Mean Streets USA" is a collection of short crime fiction stories, a highly-produced series, recorded and produced at KCRW. It features detective stories by contemporary and classic mystery writers like Walter Mosley, Sue Grafton and Michael Connelly, read by Stacy Keach, Sharon Lawrence, Meschach Taylor, Tony Plana and others.

These were recorded off the internet, but the quality is decent.