Test Card Assortment

A fifth and final feast of musical allsorts from the BBC Test Cards of the 1970s and ’80s.
0:00:02 - Bella Samba · The Benito Gonzales Latin Sound
0:02:16 - Opus 88 · The Otto Keller Band
0:04:45 - Purple Orchid · The Glen Somers Band
0:07:28 - Lonely Love · The Pedro Gonez Orchestra
0:10:10 - First Lady · Chris Joeren And His Orchestra
0:12:33 - Holiday For ARP (Jig A La Mode) · Mat Camison, “Mister K.”
0:14:52 - Bachanalia · South West German Radio Orchestra
0:17:21 - Moscow Nights · South West German Radio Orchestra
0:20:51 - Il Monello · Bruno Nicolai And His Orchestra
0:21:57 - La Luce · Gianfranco Plenizio And His Orchestra
0:25:56 - New Paradise · The Ambos Seelos Show Band
0:28:30 - Strange Feeling · John Fox And His Orchestra
0:31:38 - Flying Over San Jose · Simon Gale And His Music
0:34:11 - I’ve Got You · The Franz Thon Big Band
0:37:12 - Bossa Party · Georges Delagaye Orchestra
0:40:12 - Winter Walking · Norman Candler And His Magic Strings
0:43:28 - It’s My Day · John Fox And His Orchestra
0:45:54 - Beat In Minor · Polish Radio & Television Orchestra Of Popular Music, Katowice
0:48:02 - Canario · Lado’s Latin Combination
0:51:25 - Mexican Flight · The Kenny Bird Orchestra
0:54:28 - Skyline Waltz · Dave Perkins And His Orchestra
0:57:15 - Candy Floss · King Zérand Orchestra
1:00:30 - Friendly Persuasion · Reg Tilsley And His Orchestra
1:03:33 - African Holiday · Orchestra Walter Rizzati
1:07:06 - En Ce Temps La · Freddy Balta And His Ensemble
1:09:21 - Sunflower · The Walter Murphy Band
1:12:41 - It’s Tea Time · The Raymond Hill Band
1:15:00 - Slipped Disco · Frank Chacksfield And His Orchestra
78 minutes
The music was used in the following BBC TV Trade Test tapes:
Overture: La Belle Helene (broadcast on BBC2 1972-1974) ~ track 1
Swing Cocktail (BBC2 1972-1973) ~ 2, 3
Lonely Love (BBC2 1974-1975) ~ 4
Alamo (BBC2 1974-1975) ~ 5
Rosetta (BBC1 1974-1975) ~ 6, 7, 8
Sunny Holiday (BBC1 1974-1976) ~ 18
Mini Bataille (BBC1 1975-1976) ~ 9, 10, 11
Flying Over San Jose (BBC2 1975-1976) ~ 12, 13
Tropicana (BBC1 1976-1977) ~ 14
El Camino (BBC2 1977-1979) ~ 15
Winter Walking (BBC1 1977-1978) ~ 16
Melancholic Rock (BBC1 1978-1979) ~ 17, 18
The Trolley Song (BBC1/BBC2 1978-1983) ~ 19, 20
Jeff’s Special (BBC1 1979-1981) ~ 21
In The Latest Fashion (BBC1 1979-1982) ~ 22
The Green Leaves Of Summer (BBC1 1980-1981) ~ 23
Kung Flute (BBC2 1980-1984) ~ 24
Carry Me Back (BBC1 1981-1984) ~ 25
Sunny Summer Holiday (BBC1 1982-1984) ~ 18
Sunflower (BBC1 1982-1985) ~ 26
Sunny Isle (BBC1 1983-1984) ~ 27
Sound Of The South (BBC1 1986-1989) ~ 28
[5/5]

[@adriancopping1253]

Fantastic, what memories i have of the workshops over the many years.👍🙏

[@paulsawtell3991]

Ah, I remember them all so well. I always chuckle when I hear the unmusical edit on the bass guitar intro on Sunflower: yes folks there's an extra quaver there, the one the man with the razor blade didn't spot!

[@GaryWhittingham]

100% better than the entirety of the BBC's output nowadays.

[@brucedanton3669]

Very nice indeed too-thank you very much and well done too!!

[@hazelevans872]

So good 👌 wish test card music was still around

[@dvidclapperton]

It was far better than all those boring programmes thst now dominate the schedules on BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 4. Bring back the days of one daytime programme on BBC2, only a few daytime programmes at lnchtime on BBC1, and Countdowm being the first programme of the day on channel 4 at 4.45pm. The Mid-day News and Pebble Mill at One. Who remembers those?

[@danwoodhouse9290]

it is still around - its her on youtube and you hearing it right now

[@adriancopping1253]

Try Chandos

[@brucedanton3669]

@@dvidclapperton or ITV or Channel 5 either I guess? Still there is indeed BBC Three or BBC Four who of course don't open/start until 7.00pm each day. The odd thing is, they just show a silent caption card all the time they are off air-but no music though. I wonder why not though?

[@brucedanton3669]

You are so right of course too!!

[@davidcox3974]

We Love BBC 2 Television on the Test Card

[@davidcox9483]

I Love BBC 2 Television Test Card

[@lyniseuk]

I always remember this test card. Do you have the opt out tapes that were frequently used in the BBC Wales area thanks.

[@dvidclapperton]

Moscow Nights - I recall hearing on intervsl signal on Radio Moscow World Service on AM radio. Not this version though. Beat In Minor also was on the Summer Sunny Holiday Tape (BBC1 1982 to 1984). Not that we knew the names of the trscks or any of the tape titles at the time. There doesn't need to be anybody singing for it to be good music.

[@ooeyb]

nnicceee!

[@brucedanton3669]

Very much so too indeed!!

[@ianmcclavin]

Just a slight correction on the tape dates, El Camino was 1977-79, and The Trolley Song was 1978-83 (with a 5-month break in 1982!!). Great compilation nevertheless!!

[@ricadus]

Many thanks - it's exhausting typing out all those dates!

[@colinhughes-ri7xo]

has anyone got the showboat medley bbc2 may 1972 to august 1973?

[@guildlightmusicguildlightm3171]

0:10:10〜❗❗❗

[@dvidclapperton]

Did all those tracks accompany the Philips PM-5544 on opt-out tapes on BBC2? Sunflower did anyway.

[@ricadus]

Probably not, but this is just a roughly chronological compilation rather than a facsimile reconstruction of a particular braodcast tape. The image is there purely as a decorative icon; the music is the thing. But it's such a beautiful image -almost Mondrian-like abstarct art - and is a useful graphic to set this sequence apart from my other two compilations spanning roughly the same period.

[@brucedanton3669]

@@ricadus All the test card images of old are really works of art somehow. Test Card F of course which is iconic, but Test Card G-the one here also known as the Phillips PM5544-the old IBA ETP1 Test Card which had rare showings on ITV but of course was mostly known as the IBA CH4 on Channel 4 or IBA S4C in Wales. Test Card F with either BBC1 overlay or of course the BBC2 COLOUR versions at the time. Also you could say that Pages from Ceefax was too. All so much missed I can tell you from today's telly for sure!!

[@brucedanton3669]

Of course also, in around May 1984 the Test Card F on BBC1 and BBC2 was updated to a digital version; and the old optical analogue one was ended, in October of that year as far as I know. Thank you anyway!!

[@simondavies6606]

I like to work to TCF music. Is this selection taken form the original tapes? I can't find La Luce - The Ad Hoc Group anywhere else. Thanks.

[@ricadus]

That was a name of convenience often used by compilers where the actual artist couldn’t be traced at the time. It’s actually composed by Nicola Piovani was also used for an obscure Italian film in the early 1970s. www.discogs.com/master/763715-Nicola-Piovani-Daniele-E-Maria-Colonna-Sonora-Originale-Del-Film

[@ricadus]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIjZimV5aLSfnJI

[@simondavies6606]

Thank you so much for the information and the link. It's greatly appreciated. I can now add the track to my vinyl collection. @@ricadus