On James Cargill’s (of Broadcast and Children Of Alice) Soundcloud page there are a few Broacast related rarities, mix tapes, demo versions of songs etc.
One of my favourite items is the Bruton Music Flexi – Steens Dilemma.
This is (I assume) a promotional item made for/by the Bruton Music library music company.
It is a classic slice of period culture, depicting a rep from Bruton using his company’s catalogue and index book to find and supply music his client needs in a rush, politely geezer-ishly castigating him by saying he wouldn’t be caught in this last-minute dilemma if he just had Bruton’s library catalogue always to hand:
“Back in the office I grabbed the music selection code book. With it’s help I would have Steed’s material in no time. The code catalogue had been well thought out. Not only did it run in an alphabetical order, depicting each class of music but each letter had a colour which matched the corresponding record sleeves of that particular section. By this simple book I could find any style and mood of music in the library within seconds. I looked down the colour coded index on the side of the book… the job would be done in no time… Good pacey, that’s what he’ll want…”
It’s a time capsule of a previous era. Or maybe that should be an imaginative time machine, such is the way that it captures and conjures up a a particular time and way of doing things.
(File Under: Cathode Ray & Cinematic Explorations, Radiowave Resonations & Audiological Investigations)
AVT Guide listing: Bruton Music Flexi – Steens Dilemma (via James Cargill)
