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Chris Morris - Blue Jam

Started by Neil, June 15, 2012, 08:00:34 PM

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Neil



I didn't actually want to reupload Blue Jam just yet, as I'm working on an even higher-quality release of the shows, with the help of Steve bass2rez.  But, given it's CM's 50th today, I thought I'd fire up as much as I can, and then upgrade things again when possible.  (Note that these shows were also encoded by Steve bass2rez, and are already of a high quality.)

Chris Morris - Blue Jam - Series 1
Chris Morris - Blue Jam - Series 2
Chris Morris - Blue Jam - Series 3

TedMaul101

Love a bit of Blue Jam. I got these a few years ago on here and despite being nearly 1.4gb I have never taken them off my mp3 player. Perfect radio.

selectivememory

Awesome - thanks a lot for these!

rudi

Mediafire hates me. And Avast thinks they're malicious. Gah, I retire, frustrated.

I've been re-listening to these for the umpteenth time at work today, as Blue Jam is one of my favourite things that Chris Morris has ever produced.

The first time I ever heard the show was mid-way through the original airing of Series 1.  I was a massive fan of the R1 Music Shows, and when my mate asked me if I'd heard "that new Chris Morris thing on Radio 1" I just assumed he meant a new series of Music Shows had begun unexpectedly.

Upon eventually finding out he was referring to this thing called Blue Jam, I set my stereo timer up to record it to listen to the following morning.

I'd never heard anything like it before and it really blew me away.  I thought it was incredible.  Loved the music, the performances and just the whole general atmosphere of the show.  (Morris had previously got me into some great music on his previous shows, but Blue Jam got me into ambient/electronic music in a massive way).

One thing about Blue Jam that I don't think gets enough appreciation is the fantastic production that's gone into a lot of the "Radio 1 DJ" stings that Morris (and Adrian Sutton) produced.  Listening to the shows on headphones (which is the best way to experience the show) you realise just how much time and effort must have gone into making those bits in particular.  The little samples of existing songs that get meshed into the mix like Good Vibrations, I Want To Know What Love Is, The Scooby Doo Theme, Chopsticks, The Great Gig In The Sky, The Riddle,  plus Morris doing pretty spot-on impressions of Tricky and 'E' from Eels.  Just brilliant. 

And the production and layers of sound on the intros and outros of each programme are breathtaking really.

Blue Jam has a reputation of being very "ooh daaaaaark", and obviously there are a number of genuinely unsettling and macabre sketches in there, but I think it's easy to get distracted by that and forget how many sketches in each series are just gloriously and knowingly silly.

I mean, one of my favourite sketches is the 45-year old man getting asked for ID when trying to buy wine as the bloke behind the counter thinks he's only 17.  Nothing dark at all about a lot of the Blue Jam material, it's just out-and-out funny.

I'd love to know who wrote certain sketches.  I seem to recall from an article I read years ago that it seemed that Peter Baynham was responsible for a lot of the "darker" sketches, but I know that the likes of David Quantick, Jane Bussmann, Graham "Blocker" Linehan and Arthur Matthews wrote for the show.

I think it's a shame that we haven't really seen that much of David Cann since Blue Jam and the TV version. He was brilliant in this and has great comedy chops.

And it still amazes me that this show went out on Radio 1.

Anyway, I could go on and on about how ace I think this show is but I'll shut up now. 

selectivememory

Yeah, I'm actually listening to all this stuff in full for the first time, having been familiar with the television adaptation and heard snippets on Youtube, and it is just magnificent. The monologues in particular are just exceptional performance pieces, I never realised a sentence like "there was a keeper tending to his gibbons..." could be so surprising and hilarious in and of itself, just excellent and inventive use of language in those bits. I love the one where he describes being a self-criticising art installation that draws ludicrous nonsensical opinions from Will Self.

Only just finished the first series, so as an Eels fan I'm looking forward to Morris's E impersonation with relish, I'm guessing that comes in the later two series.

But good post Beep Cleep Chimney! And thanks again to Neil for taking the time to upload these, really appreciated.

mcbpete

Oh boy - I can't wait for the 'higher quality' release! I still have the 3xCDs that some kind person here under the name The Geej (I think that's how it's spelt) sent me and they got me through many a summer of menial jobs when working for my dad. The upload here goes much appreciated all the same !

(and I've never seen that ace poster for Blue Jam before)

That poster's absolutely brilliant; never seen that one before.
Where'd you find that one, if I may ask?

Quote from: Bored of Canada on July 18, 2012, 06:39:22 AM
That poster's absolutely brilliant; never seen that one before.
Where'd you find that one, if I may ask?

If memory serves, someone on Twitter sent that photo to Neil, explaining that the poster image was to be used for newspaper/magazine adverts to promote one of the series, but the ad campaign was abandoned. 


germpipe

The poster's got a kinda retro 1990s hand made feel about it. If it had been a computer they "photo shopped" that with then whoever done it must've been good. Makes me wonder who had the blue jam CD cover ideas, was it a designer?

mcbpete

I'm guessing it's by the same person who did the cover art for James' Please to Meet You (google says that was the design company Blue Source) as that too was a hybrid of people to create another person:


Thomas

Thanks for the uploads, Neil. I've now got a stack of about 16 CDs filled with delicious Blue Jam.

Mr. Ssmsslth

You should put those download links in the Blue Jam section of the main site.

Neil

All the downloads have been purposely removed from the main site.

Quote from: Beep Cleep Chimney on June 18, 2012, 08:20:23 PMI think it's a shame that we haven't really seen that much of David Cann since Blue Jam and the TV version. He was brilliant in this and has great comedy chops.

He turned up on EastEnders playing a doctor about ten years ago. I just laughed every time he appeared to the bemusement of my then-girlfriend, imagining all the things he'd get up to when not on screen, getting Ian Beale to jump up and down with his cock out or calling Dot Cotton a wanky-window.

chocky909


Thomas

#16
Can anybody tell me the name of the music used towards the end of the Rothko sketch, during the christening?

Reminds me a bit of the guitar from '52 Girls' by the The B-52's but looser and more laid-back, like a child's drawing.

Oh an' also the tinkling piano tune from the CD version of the 'Suicide Journalist' sketch. Haven't been able to locate that during my internet travels.

#17
Quote from: Thomas on December 05, 2012, 05:13:17 PM
Can anybody tell me the name of the music used towards the end of the Rothko sketch, during the christening?

Reminds me a bit of the guitar from '52 Girls' by the The B-52's but looser and more laid-back, like a child's drawing.

It's Tears Of The Gods by Apollo 440 from the "Electro Glide In Blue" album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge2Vv46_Gmw


He used a couple of other tracks from that album in Blue Jam as well.

This one...   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXq6MIN8S7Q

and this one... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHwqtpTcRNk




Thomas

That's great, thank you. Nabbed it now off Amazon for a cheeky £1.27.

Quote'Bargain.' (D. Dickinson, 2002)

No worries.  It's a great album, by the way.

I still live in hope that maybe one day, someone will finally put me out of my misery by revealing what the ambient track is that's playing underneath the Blue Jam "LWT Complainer" segment.   (It sounds like it's just the beginning of a track, but Morris has just looped it a few times).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvWkreoMBn4

I don't hold out much hope of clearing this one up.  I've been trying to find out since 1997 and have still got nowhere.

Ho hum.

Thomas

Did some extensive Googling last night to try and find out,[nb]I'm a very efficient information getter.[/nb] but I sadly could not identify the tune either. I tried my best, Bleep Bleep Chimney. Maybe we should tweet Charlie Brooker and get him to find out.

zomgmouse

I recently started listening to all the episodes (finishing up S2 now) and am always quietly glad when that one particular "Simon Mayo" repeat sting has the laugh from The Bonzos' "Slush".

gabrielconroy

How covert are these links supposed to be Neil? Do you only want them on this page, or could I link someone else to them directly?

Thanks, by the way! Really enjoying listening to these. Drives home how little radio is used as a medium of expression itself, rather than just babbling inanely over whatever happens to have been placed in the charts that week.

Kind people, these links are appreciated but just quickly: is there a reason that series 1 episode 4 is unavailable? Is it the one that got yanked due to some Diana business or is it an accidental omission?

Neil

Quote from: Polly Wossnames on January 21, 2013, 01:33:47 PM
Kind people, these links are appreciated but just quickly: is there a reason that series 1 episode 4 is unavailable? Is it the one that got yanked due to some Diana business or is it an accidental omission?

It's there http://www.mediafire.com/?asnche3hrkbv9l4

Thanks Neil. It must have been Mediafire being weird when I visited. xx

kitsofan34

On a similar note, episode 5 seems to be missing. Can't wait to get started on these, heard a lot of good things.

Kane Jones

Here's one for you Blue Jam aficionados: On the official CD, it lists Sally Phillips and Phil Cornwell as members of the cast. Does anyone know which characters they played?  I feel as though I can spot the other cast member's voices a mile off, but I can't seem to hear those fuckers on there at all.

I've probably asked this question before, and one of you lovely people have no doubt already given me a detailed answer, so I apologise in advance for the crapness of my head. It is made of rubbish.

Mr. Ssmsslth

I've read in a thread on here which I'm now unable to find that Cornwell plays the Dutch porn actor.

Thomas

I've got a question regarding the CD, too.

What's this piano track that comes partway into the Suicide Journalist monologue? It's not the same music as was in the original broadcast, so I can't find it on any track-listings.

I'll also here voice my love for the Chris Morris monologues. They might be my favourites bits of Blue Jam.