Notable
21 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsStuart Maconie and Elizabeth Alker meet up to tell each other extra-ordinary tales from 400 years of musical history.
From a murderous 16th Century madrigal composer to Batley Variety Club - Yorkshire's very own Caesar's Palace... and from the espionage-tinted roots of the theremin to the wild weekend that was the Bickershaw pop festival... Notable has the lot. Produced by Geoff Bird, artwork by Rory Clifford.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
Notable: Timber Festival
July 06, 2021 15:15 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBStuart and Elizabeth are on their travels again for the last episode before the summer hols, this time heading to the glorious Timber Festival in the National Forest. Elizabeth begins her history of music festivals not with Monterey or the Isle of White but the Panhellenic Games in Ancient Greece - while Stuart's horizons are set even further afield. He regales the audience with the story of the most durable object ever created, The Voyager Golden Record, and the music found upon it - sent...
Notable: Wendy Carlos& Norman 'Nobby' Pilcher
June 28, 2021 09:57 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBIn the penultimate episode of the series, Elizabeth and Stuart tackle the stories of two very different figures from the illustrious annals of music history. Elizabeth describes how Wendy Carlos shook the classical world to its well-heeled foundations with her extra-ordinary re-workings of Bach in particular, using cutting-edge electronic equipment that she herself was helping to develop. On the other side of the Atlantic, as Stuart will reveal, Nobby Pilcher was fast becoming the most notori...
Notable: My Boy Lollipop & Basil Kirchin
June 21, 2021 15:24 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBAnother week, another Notable! This time out Stuart and Elizabeth tell two more stories from the annals of musical history, first up the incredible tale of Millie Small and her hugely influential hit 'My Boy Lollipop', which gave Britain its first taste of Jamaican Ska and gave Island Records its first major success. After that we hear about one of the true mavericks of British music, whose too-often neglected career spanned several decades and numerous genres - Basil Kirchin. Hosted on Aca...
Notable: My Boy Lollipop & Basil Kirchin
June 21, 2021 15:24 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBAnother week, another Notable! This time out Stuart and Elizabeth tell two more stories from the annals of musical history, first up the incredible tale of Millie Small and her hugely influential hit 'My Boy Lollipop', which gave Britain its first taste of Jamaican Ska and gave Island Records its first major success. After that we hear about one of the true mavericks of British music, whose too-often neglected career spanned several decades and numerous genres - Basil Kirchin. See acast...
Notable: Albert Ayler & Cecil Sharp
June 14, 2021 15:28 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBThis week Elizabeth and Stuart tell the stories of two highly influential figures from very different sections of music history. First up is the brilliant saxophonist Albert Ayler, a free jazz pioneer whose influence on John Coltrane alone merits him a much wider audience than ever achieved in his lifetime. Then, after a blessedly brief diversion into the backstory of legendary Lancashire songsmiths the Dandelion Adventure, we hear about Cecil Sharp, whose work collecting thousands of traditi...
Notable: The Wicker Man/Johan Johannsson
June 07, 2021 04:00 - 41 minutes - 38 MBElizabeth and Stuart embark on a by-now near legendary one-show tour with their visit to the Hinterlands Film Festival in Skipton, which celebrates films set in non-urban locations. Before a screening of 'The Wicker Man' at the town's Plaza Cinema, Stuart tells the audience about movie's soundtrack, which he suggests launched its own musical sub-genre. Elizabeth chooses the work of Jóhan Jóannsson, most famous for his astonishing film soundtracks including 'Arrival' and 'The Theory of Everyt...
Notable: The Wicker Man/Johan Johannsson
June 07, 2021 04:00 - 41 minutes - 38 MBElizabeth and Stuart embark on a by-now near legendary one-show tour with their visit to the Hinterlands Film Festival in Skipton, which celebrates films set in non-urban locations. Before a screening of 'The Wicker Man' at the town's Plaza Cinema, Stuart tells the audience about movie's soundtrack, which he suggests launched its own musical sub-genre. Elizabeth chooses the work of Jóhan Jóannsson, most famous for his astonishing film soundtracks including 'Arrival' and 'The Theory of Everyth...
Edgard Varèse - David Bowie & 1984
May 25, 2021 09:49 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MBStuart prompts a startling confession from Elizabeth through his recounting of the story of David Bowie's obsession with 1984. Before that she delves into the remarkable tale of composer Edgard Varèse and the huge influence he had on musicians including Charlie Parker and Frank Zappa. All that and a Notable Exception every bit as tangled as a C90 cassette that's been spat out of the tape player. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Notable: O Superman/Ken Colyer
May 17, 2021 11:16 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBThis week Stuart and Elizabeth are set to beguile you with stories about arguably the oddest pop record to ever make the charts - Laurie Anderson's 'O Superman' - and one of the most influential though little-known figures in British music, Ken Colyer. In between times they're arguing about just how hard it is to get to Tennessee and where exactly 'Sprech' and 'Gesang' go their separate ways. Only on Notable, surely. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Notable: Wigan Casino/Daphne Oram
May 10, 2021 08:23 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBTwo more tales from the annals of musical history, featuring the nightclub in the ballroom of northern mill town that was voted Billboard's 'Best Disco In The World', and the pioneering genius who did so much to establish electronic music in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Notable: Scarbrough Fair/ Stalin
May 02, 2021 03:02 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MBIt's highly unlikely that you'll find another podcast bringing together the fraught folk wrangling over the bucolic Scarbrough Fair with the influence of despotic dictator Josef Stalin on music - but as you'll hear in this new episode, for Elizabeth and Stuart such bold juxtapositions are mere trifles! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Notable: Lord of the Rings/Josephine Baker
April 26, 2021 09:12 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBHaving spent lockdown three tirelessly researching some of the best stories from four hundred years of musical history, Elizabeth and Stuart return with Series Two of Notable to share them with you. In this first episode, Elizabeth tells the tale of one of the remarkable cultural figures of the last hundred years - Josephine Baker - who broke down barriers in a wide range of different fields throughout her wildly varied life. Stuart, meanwhile, shares the story of The Beatles' thwarted effort...
Notable: I predict a riot - with Stravinsky and Bob Dylan.
February 08, 2021 05:00 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBStuart and Elizabeth are determined to end season one of Notable with a riot - or two in fact. First up is the tale of the notorious opening night of Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring', followed by the story of the angry reception Bob Dylan received from the folk music militia for having the audacity to go electric. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rochdale, Rock City/Quartet for the End of Time
February 01, 2021 09:12 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBQuite the contrast this week. Elizabeth waxes lyrical about the giddy years when her home town of Rochdale punched above its musical weight, partly thanks to the attentions of John Peel. Stuart, meanwhile, tells the extra-ordinary story of the premiere of one of the great classical pieces of the twentieth century - 'Quatuor Pour le fin du Temps' - which took place in the prisoner of war camp where its composer, Messiaen, was being held captive by the Nazis. Throw in a heated debate about the ...
Turbojugend/Gesualdo
January 25, 2021 05:00 - 21 minutes - 20 MBThis week Elizabeth tells the fabulous tale of the global Turbojugend subculture, centring around the death-punk band Turbonegro and built upon progressive ideals and a bold denim aesthetic. Prizes are available to anyone who can guess the warrior names Stuart and Elizabeth anoint themselves with - and of course we've another Notable exception to enjoy. Stuart rounds things off with the story of visionary Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo, whose haunting music will forever be associated wit...
Elvis in Scotland/Freud's Musical Influence
January 18, 2021 05:00 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBStuart recounts the tale of Elvis Presley's only (or was it?) visit to these Isles, when he landed at Prestwick airport on his way home from serving in the army in Germany. Elizabeth, meanwhile, makes the bold argument that pretty much all music that came after him was influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud - and yes, that does include Jedward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Elvis in Scotland/Freud's Musical Influence
January 18, 2021 05:00 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBStuart recounts the tale of Elvis Presley's only (or was it?) visit to these Isles, when he landed at Prestwick airport on his way home from serving in the army in Germany. Elizabeth, meanwhile, makes the bold argument that pretty much all music that came after him was influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud - and yes, that does include Jedward. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Batley Varieties Club/Pierre Henry's Liverpool Mass
January 11, 2021 05:05 - 32 minutes - 29.6 MBElizabeth and Stuart return with two more tales plundered from music's well-stocked historical attic. First up is Stuart with the incredible story of the variety club in a northern wool town that played host to some of the world's biggest entertainers, then Elizabeth charts the creation of the world's first electronic mass to mark the opening of Liverpool's Catholic Cathedral. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is Paul Dead?/The Greatest Year in Jazz
January 04, 2021 09:46 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBElizabeth and Stuart return with two more tales from the hinterlands of musical history. Stuart makes the case for 1959 as the highpoint in jazz thanks to a slew of innovative albums from some of the genre's greatest exponents, while Elizabeth wonders how a rumour that Paul McCartney died in the early years of The Beatles ever gained traction. The episode also features the one and only recording of our plucky pair playing music together, appropriately enough introducing the exciting* new 'No...
Notable: Christmas Special
December 21, 2020 07:48 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MB"Elizabeth, it's Christmas!" "I know, Stuart, it's brilliant!" "Yes but we've only had one episode out, we've no business putting out a Christmas Special all about Phil Spector's Christmas album and the history of the Christmas Carol Service." "You're right Stuart, that would be daft. Shall we do it anyway?" "Go on then, Elizabeth. Merry Christmas!" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Notable: Bickershaw and the birth of the Theremin
December 10, 2020 05:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBElizabeth Alker and Stuart Maconie invite you to prick up your ears and listen to the first in their new podcast series, 'Notable'. In each episode, they'll take turns to tell one another extra-ordinary tales from music history, spanning genres and centuries with wit, charm and effortless ease. Sort of. In this their maiden voyage, Elizabeth regales Stuart with the story of the birth of the Theremin, the unlikely offshoot of the Soviet espionage machine, while he describes for her the wonders...