Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Someone posted on the Ric corporate forum about this, but I also wanted to make sure it got covered here.

Last night (Mar. 23rd, 2007) VH1 Classics broadcast a 30 minute program called "BBC Crown Jewels" featuring YES in concert and interviews with each of the band members. I think it dates from 1971.

You see Chris Squire do a short little solo during the Bill Bruford interview, and there are bits of many of the "classic" songs.
Steve Howe also has a nice acoustic guitar segment on and off stage.

The sound isn't great, but the bass comes through well most of the time. I didn't realize Squire did so many upstrokes - nothing wrong with that though.

Keep an eye out for a rebroadcast if you missed it. I happened to check the Ric corporate forum 20 minutes before it started and got it on my set top box/DVR.

BBC Crown Jewels has had some fantastic shows - Neil Young, apologizing to the small, Theater-In The-Round audience for springing new songs on them, then playing "Heart Of Gold"; a young and very shy Elton John in the same studio around the same period of time playing Mona Lisa and Your Song. With his classic band line up.

I saw the Yes program as well, and it was fantastic, must have been right when Fragile was released, great live footage, interviews with them all (Wakeman, Bruford, Squire, Anderson, Howe), smokers all!

I've been searching for these on DVD's.

Most BBC Crown Jewels programs appear to have been taped 1970-1972. Better than The Old Grey Whistle Test IMO.

Hey, all the best guys use lots of upstrokes

I get up for the downstroke.

I get up, I get down...

I would be interested in a copy if anyone here happened to record it.

I could probably try for a real-time transfer from the DVR into the VCR. I actually haven't tried that yet, but it should work.

It looks like that show was broadcast 3 or 4 times. I guess I was lucky and caught it the last time.

The pending shows are on Tom Petty and Cat Stevens:
http://www.vh1.com/artists/rock_on_tv/sort.jhtml?type=series&motvId=rotv%3As122387&title=BBC+Crown+Jewels

I've seen the Petty broadcast, very good. Vox amps and lots'o guitar changes.

Haven't seen the Cat Stevens one.

BTW, Carly Simon said she wrote "Anticipation" while waiting for her lover, Cat Stevens to show up at her place, as he was late. Kinda ruins the song for me.

I always heard that song was written about James Taylor, but I could be wrong.

She was recently interviewed, VH1 IIRC, and yes, she said it was Cat Stevens.

David, let me know if you try it and it works. I don't know about DVR but as long as there is composite or S-Video video out (providing the VCR will accept S-Video which is better quality) and analog audio out and in things should be fine enough.

I should be able to give it a shot by this weekend, John. Looks like are two ways I can do it.

My rarely used Hi-Fi VCR has the RCA inputs, as well as the good old standard F connector antenna input. My Dish Network DVR is dual tuner, so I could simply move the "TV2" output to the VCR input and program the VCR to the "agile" modulator channel or use the RCA inputs.

I can play the DVR recordings from either TV independent of the tuner it was recorded on. Stuff recorded in HD on TV1 just gets cut off when played on TV2. Nothing will be cut off in this case though, as the BBC program is "old stuff" (like me).

RCA connectors (composite video) would record a whole lot better quality than the RF way.

True, but the sound and video quality aren't the greatest to start with. I'll try the RCA's first though.

This is still on my list John. I think Saturday I'll have a good chunk of time to make the connections and give it a shot.

Ok, thanks, David. Thanks for the update!