Two 2001 Music Scores? Oneword’s Score Plays Them Both

I was listening to The Score, a programme about film music on Oneword Radio, a UK digital station.

On June 24 they played both scores for Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was unaware there were two scores but you may not be so ignorant. However if you are then it is a fact that Stanley Kubrick commissioned Alex North to write the score for his film 2001: A Space Odyssey, but decided against it in favour of the classics we know. North’s score is in two movements, reflecting the first and second chapters of the film.

Wikipedia states:

‘The 2001: A Space Odyssey score is an unused film score composed by Alex North for Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.’

‘North, unaware that Kubrick had decided not to use the score in his film was “devastated” at the 1968 New York City premiere screening of 2001 not to hear his work, and later offered this account of his experience:

“Well, what can I say? It was a great, frustrating experience, and despite the mixed reaction to the music, I think the Victorian approach with mid-European overtones was just not in keeping with the brilliant concept of Clarke and Kubrick.”‘
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BBC Radio 7 Celebrates Heinlein’s Centenary

Robert A. Heinlein is recognised by many as one of the great masters of Science Fiction. To mark the centenary of Heinlein’s birth, BBC Radio 7 presents three new commissions, two this week and one next.

The Green Hills of Earth

Written in 1947 The Green Hills of Earth features in “Forbidden Planet’s” top 100 best Sci-fi stories.

Rhysling, the blind singer of the spaceways, captures the beauty of space and the complexities of being a spaceman in his songs. Snatches of his music are interwoven with the story of how he lost his sight and became Earth’s unofficial chronicler of the universe. Read by Adam Sims.

Saturday at 6.30pm and 12.30am

Methuselah’s Children

Paul Birchard reads Heinlein’s sci-fi novel about a group of families who can live for several hundred years.

Set in the America of 2112, the Howard Families are the end products of a privately-funded, secret experiment in eugenics - selective breeding - started centuries earlier. For hundreds of years, members of the Families (whose average life expectation is now around 150) have kept the information about their extended lives hidden from the world as a whole, with false identities, artificial ageing and faked deaths. But when the novel begins, the truth is discovered and reactions range from envy through horror to hatred.

Abridged by Bert Coules and directed by Bruce Young.

Monday 9 th July to Monday 16 th July at 6.30pm and 12.30am

Please note that as some of these have been transmitted they will be available on the listen again section at BBC Radio 7 (Saturday / Monday), for a limited time.

Mariella Discusses Building Scifi Worlds From Scratch With Graham Sleight and Justina Roberts

World Building in Science Fiction

Earlier this year on Open Book, historical novelist Tracy Chevalier admitted that she was in awe of science fiction writers who have to create a new world from scratch. Mariella Frostrup is joined by one such writer, Justina Robson and one of the judges of this year’s Arthur C Clarke Awards Graham Sleight to discuss approaches to inventing a whole new universe.

Selling Out: Quantum Gravity Book Two – Justina Robson
Publisher: Gollancz (17 May 2007)

Keeping It Real – Justina Robson
Publisher: Gollancz

Natural History – Justina Robson
Publisher: Pan

Mappa Mundi - Justina Robson
Publisher: Tor

Living Next-Door to the God of Love
Publisher: Tor

Once again, Radio 4, through Open Book, give us some interesting listening in the form of a discussion/interview.

Mariella Frostrup on Open Book this week interviewed Justina Robson. It is still on the listen again page at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/openbook/openbook.shtml

Unfortunately, it appears that the BBC don’t archive their tranmissions forever, and that the ‘listen again’ page only holds items for around seven days. C’mon BBC! Sort yourself out!

The 80s Classic Space Scoundels Get Audio Show Treatment

Blake’s 7 was one of the finest slices of British scifi ever shown on TV, and now this most excellent show has been revamped - as an audio series! It’s a brand new Blake’s 7 for a new generation - SCI FI are streaming every chapter exclusively on scifi.co.uk/blakes7, but if you can’t wait just click here to listen now.

It’s completely free of charge, updated three times a week, and stars Derek Riddell (The Book Group), Colin Salmon (Alien vs Predator, Resident Evil, many James Bond movies) and Daniela Nardini (This Life).

So what are you waiting for? Join the adventure NOW!

Radio Ain’t Dead.. Yet.

Ira Lightman tells us: “Just wanted to draw your attention to The Verb, on Radio 3 a few days ago. It was a sci-fi special, and it had my short play The Coming of the Wopoli on it, as well as work and chat from Gwyneth Jones and Francis Spufford.

It’s on Listen Again for 5 days at The Verb On Radio 3.”

I have to be honest, radio is not something I am in touch with except when I’m driving, and I missed this. So catch it while you can!

Thanks Ira.

Brian Aldiss Does The Desert Island Discs Interview

Desert Island Discs is one of BBC Radio 4’s longest running programmes.

Today, Sunday January 28th, author Brian Aldiss was Kirsty Young’s victim and duly chose the eight records to take to the desert island whilst talking about his life.

It certainly sounds interesting, and from someone who missed most of it and just caught the last few minutes, it is worth a listen.

Unfortunately, you can’t download it from the BBC Radio 4 website, but it will be repeated on Feb 2 at 9 am.

So maybe it will be available after that.

Roy Gray has pointed me in the direction of the BBC Audio website. On it there is a reading of Brian Aldiss’ Man In His Time to mark his 80th birthday.

Note that the link above lists the current Arts & Drama Audio listings which are updated almost constantly, so this will only be available for a short time.

Incidentally, there’s also listings for Doctor Who - Blood of the Daleks with Paul McGann as the Doctor.

Get it while it’s hot.

Kim Stanley Robinson on Hour of the Wolf

From Andy Porter and Roy Gray.

On recording from CapClave, Kim Stanley Robinson performs two readings. The first is from his novel, Fifty Degrees Below, and the second from the forthcoming sequel, Sixty Days and Counting.

This to be broadcast Saturday, November 4, between 5 and 7 AM on WBAI, 99.5 FM as part of Jim Freund’s radio program, Hour of the Wolf. The show is also streamed at http://stream.wbai.org/ and available ‘on-demand’ afterward. Go to http://www.hourwolf.com/toc.html a day or so after the broadcast, and I’ll have the link up by then.

Speaking of which, last week’s show was never aired, since our transmitter was kaput. However, guests Sarah Langan and JT Petty were troupers. We began recording the interview, only to discover trough listener calls that we were actually streaming online.

To hear this phantom show, click on this link: http://archive.wbai.org/pls.php?mp3fil=8717
After the intro, skip past the first 40 minutes, and you’ll come into the program midway, just as I turned on the mics. Most surreal, but an interesting discussion about
the nature of the horror genre(s).

Sci-fi on demand from www.area51radiostation.com. Get it when you want it!

If you’re into hearing interviews from key actors from TV SciFi shows, then you’ll probably like this. It allows you to download archived interviews. Personally, I can’t wait for the Battlestar Galactica interviews.

Content : Stuart Claw interviews Anthony Montgomery/Steve Yarwood’s Sci-fi Zone. Duration : 9 mins 49 seconds

This first show includes Part 1 of an exclusive interview between Area 51 Radio Station’s Stuart Claw and Anthony Montgomery, who played Ensign Travis Mayweather in Star Trek Enterprise. He gives us an insight into the Enterprise series and the part he played in it. As you will hear, he is clearly more than just an actor. (Part 2 of Stuart’s interview with Anthony will be available soon for a limited period only).

Also on this download is one of our excellent Sci-fi Zones with Steve Yarwood. In this one, Steve takes a look at a classic episode of Star Trek and explains why he thinks William Shatner was unsurpassed as captain of the Enterprise. (Will you agree? Listen to this Sci-fi zone and e-mail us your views. They will go out live on air.)

Information in respect of the next Sci-fi on Demand will be included in our newsletter.

The Area 51 Radio Station newsletter is a must for all sci-fi fans and includes the latest happenings at Area 51 Radio Station. If you haven’t signed up yet, be sure to do so now. There are no risks and it’s free. Why not have a look at the mailing list page and see how easy it is ?

Coming soon to Sci-fi on Demand

Jamie Bamber from New BattleStar Galactica
Captain Janeway from Star Trek Voyager
The Best of the Geoff Carter Show
Highlights from the Stuart Claw Show
Steve Yarwood’s engaging Sci-fi Zone
Interviews with the crew of Star Trek New Voyages

Dr Ian Hocking has started a podcast of his book Deja Vu. It will come out every saturday and each instalment should last about twenty minutes. The first instalment is already up here.

Deja Vu is a classy debut science fiction thriller which I see assimilar to James Bond. Well worth a read, and now well worth a listen. If you like the podcast, buy the book.

Online Radio Station Geared Around Science Fiction Fans.

A new online streaming radio station for scifi fans has been set up. Entitled area 51 radio station (AF1RS) it will include all manner of content such as live outside broadcasts from large events. The next big events are the California SciFi Convention and The London Expo (broadcasting to 30,000 people). There will be SciFi roundups and music from the 70s through until the present day.

There will also be guest appearences, including John Billingsley who plays Dr. Phlox in Star Trek Enterprise. John will officially open the station at 12:00 Midday on Saturday October 22 2005 - and it will run for 24/7.

At the time or writing, the radio station is being tested from October 15th, with the golive October 22nd. Therefore, until it is actually live, there may not be a stream available. Keep coming back to check.

Click on the logo to tune into world’s first SciFi Radio Station now! It will start up a popular media streaming program such as iTunes, WinAmp or RealMedia (depending on which you have installed). You can download winamp from here.

If you have any difficulties, please let us know on the contact form.

You can see the current agenda, programmes, news and extra info on the official radio site here.