Smooth Operations News

Smooth Operations Wins Silver at New York Festivals 18/6/2013 Smooth Operations is delighted to have won a Silver Medal at the New York Festivals for its first ever RTÉ Lyric FM production - “Out with Paganism...and all that Jazz”.

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The People’s Songs: Cigarettes and Alcohol - Lad Culture 17/6/2013 Stuart looks at the lad and ladette culture which began in the early 1990s.

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The People’s Songs: Y Viva Espana - The Advent of Package Holidays 10/6/2013 How the arrival of affordable foreign holidays introduced the British public to new tastes

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The People’s Songs - The Birth of Heavy Metal 3/6/2013 How the industrial noise of the West Midlands helped give birth to a whole new genre.

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The People’s Songs: Can’t Get You Out Of My Head - manufactured pop and svengalis 29/5/2013 How a diminutive Aussie soap star went from actress to diva and reinvented bubblegum pop.

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The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan - A Folk Tribute 24/5/2013 In honour of Bob Dylan’s 70th Birthday, the cream of the British folk scene re-interpreted the songs from his iconic second album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

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The People’s Songs: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Social Networking and iPod Culture 23/5/2013 The burgeoning internet allows the Arctic Monkeys to turn the music business on its head.

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Smooth Operations Produce the Sony Radio Academy Awards Show 2013 14/5/2013 Smooth Operations are delighted to have produced the 31st Sony Radio Academy Awards

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The People’s Songs: Are ’Friends’ Electric? - A Dystopian Vision 10/5/2013 Numan’s bleak dystopian vision struck a chord with the nation’s disenfranchised youth.

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The People’s Songs: Telstar - The Sound of the future 9/5/2013 Joe Meek’s music brought romance to the space race, albeit in a DIY, home-made fashion.

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Brand new website for Delphonic Music 1/5/2013 We’re proud to present the brand new website for Delphonic Music....

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The People’s Songs: Bonkers - The Sound of 21st Century Britain 30/4/2013 Dizzee is the sound of 21st century Britain, mirroring the culture clash of modern life.

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Smooth Operations to Produce the 2013 Sony Radio Academy Awards Show 29/4/2013 Smooth Operations is delighted to be producing the prestigious Sony Radio Academy Awards show for the second year running

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The Folk Show With Mark Radcliffe 24/04/13 24/4/2013 Mark welcomes English singer and musician Eliza Carthy to the studio for a live session.

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The People’s Songs: Coronation Rag - God Save the Queen 23/4/2013 June 2nd, 1953 - the world’s eyes were on London as the coronation was seen globally.

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The People’s Songs: Things Can Only Get Better - Cool Britannia 15/4/2013 The soundtrack to the rise of New Labour, an era when we were intrigued by Cool Britannia.

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 17/04/13 12/4/2013 This week, Mark speaks to the comedian, actor and Grammy-winning bluegrass musician Steve Martin about Love Has Come for You, his new duo album with songwriter Edie Brickell.

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 10/04/13 10/4/2013 Mark Radcliffe presents an hour of the best folk and acoustic music, with the latest releases, classic tracks and news from the folk world.

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The People’s Songs: Part of the Union - We All Stand Together 9/4/2013 A jaunty take on political conflict, a wry and humorous anthem for the strike-bound 70s.

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The People’s Songs: Ghost Town - Post Industrial Decline 3/4/2013 Ghost Town was one of the bleakest no.1 singles ever, but it resonated with the nation.

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The Folk Show With Mark Radcliffe 03/04/13 3/4/2013 Mark Radcliffe has a live session from acclaimed English singer and musician Jackie Oates

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The People’s Songs: Brimful of Asha - The British-Asian Experience in Pop 27/3/2013 Cornershop took the British-Asian experience worldwide with an all-conquering pop song.

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 27/03/13 27/3/2013 Mark Radcliffe has a live session from upcoming songwriter and guitarist Blair Dunlop.

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The Folk Show With Mark Radcliffe 20/03/2013 20/3/2013 Mark Radcliffe presents an hour of folk and acoustic music, with the latest releases and news from the folk world.

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The People’s Songs: Smalltown Boy 19/3/2013 Openly gay pop arrived in the UK in the ’80s thanks to Bronski Beat and the Pet Shop Boys.

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 13/03/13 13/3/2013 Mark Radcliffe has a live session from traditional power-trio Faustus.

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Starman - Androgyny Arrives in the Living Room 11/3/2013 Bowie’s Starman introduced Britain to a world of androgyny and glamorous possibilities.

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The Folk Show With Mark Radcliffe 06/03/13 6/3/2013 Mark Radcliffe presents an hour of the best folk music, with guest Billy Connolly.

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The People’s Songs: Je T’Aime - Sex Please We’re British 5/3/2013 Stuart Maconie attempts to trace the evolution of British attitudes to sex, scandal and pop music.

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 27/02/13 27/2/2013 Mark presents American duo Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer playing live in session.

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The People’s Songs: Ebeneezer Goode - The Second Summer of Love 26/2/2013 Stuart Maconie investigates the roots and impact of rave and club culture in the ’90s.

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The People’s Songs: Whiter Shade of Pale - Britain Skips the Light Fandango 19/2/2013 Stuart Maconie travels back to the ’60s and the infamous ’Summer of Love’.

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 20/02/13 18/2/2013 Mark Radcliffe welcomes Richard Thompson into the studio on this weeks Folk Show

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 13/02/13 13/2/2013 On this weeks Folk Show, Mark Radcliffe welcomes Heidi Talbot into the studio for a live session.

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The People’s Songs: Rehab- The Price of Modern Fame 12/2/2013 Stuart Maconie examines the tabloid tradition of ’build them up and knock ’em down’.

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The Folk Show With Mark Radcliffe 06/02/13 6/2/2013 Mark Radcliffe presents an hour of the best folk and acoustic music, with the latest releases and news from the folk world

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The People’s Songs: My Boy Lollipop - The Caribbean Comes to Britain 5/2/2013 Stuart Maconie looks at the beginnings of modern multi-cultural Britain in the ’40s.

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BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2013 29/1/2013 Mark Radcliffe and Julie Fowlis present the 2013 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, live from the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall as part of the Celtic Connections festival.

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The People’s Songs: God Save the Queen- When Punk Rocked Jubilee Britain 29/1/2013 Stuart Maconie examines British life and music in 1977, the year of the silver jubilee and punk.

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The People’s Songs Gallery Opens at The British Music Experience 28/1/2013 We are pleased to announce the opening of The People’s Songs Gallery at The British Music Experience on 28th January 2013.

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 23/01/13 23/1/2013 Mark Radcliffe presents the folk show with Fairport Convention in session.

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The People’s Songs: Rock Island Line- Britain’s First DIY Pop Music 22/1/2013 Stuart Maconie assesses the 1950s and hears how skiffle was born out of post-war austerity

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 16/01/13 16/1/2013 Mark Radcliffe presents Radio 2’s new folk and acoustic show, with acclaimed English singer and musician Chris Wood live in session.

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The People’s Songs: She Loves You- ’You never had it so good’ 16/1/2013 Stuart Maconie recounts the social change, optimism and Beatle-mania of the early ’60s.

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 09/01/13 9/1/2013 Mark Radcliffe presents Radio 2’s new folk and acoustic show, and welcomes Scottish singer Karine Polwart for a live session.

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The People’s Songs: Two Tribes- The Threat of Nuclear War 9/1/2013 Following the end of WW2 there came a longer and a colder kind of war. The two global superpowers had gone from allies to sworn enemies, each armed to the teeth with weapons that could destroy the world many times over.....

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The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe 2/1/2013 Mark Radcliffe presents the first edition of his brand new folk show, live from Salford Quays.

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The People’s Songs: We’ll Meet Again - Britain in World War II 2/1/2013 Beginning an epic new series charting the history of modern Britain in 50 records, Stuart Maconie considers The Force’s Sweetheart, Vera Lynn, and her own musical part in the fight against fascism

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It’s Grimm Up North 19/12/2012 Contemporary re-interpretations of Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales with a northern twist on BBC Radio 2 this Christmas Eve.

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Smooth Operations’ first RTÉ Lyric FM production: Out with Paganism...and all that Jazz 6/12/2012 In the first Smooth Operations production for RTÉ Lyric FM, critically acclaimed jazz singer Christine Tobin investigates Ireland’s anti-Jazz campaigns

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Who’s Drummer? 26/11/2012 Nobody caught his name, but everybody remembers the skinny kid plucked from the audience to replace the legendary Keith Moon. For just one night.

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Radio Festival 2012 14/11/2012 Radfest 2012 is over for another year and, for the fourth year running, Smooth Operations delivered a slick, polished and professional conference to showcase the very best of our industry.

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BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Weekend 23/10/2012 We’re very proud to announce that this year’s BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Weekend was as successful and inspiring as ever.

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Smooth Operations’ Ground-Breaking 50 –Part Series Launched by Radio 2 4/9/2012 We’re thrilled that our epic new series for BBC Radio 2, The People’s Songs, was this afternoon launched by its presenter Stuart Maconie on Steve Wright’s Big Show.

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Radcliffe and Maconie One Date Roadshow! 24/8/2012 Monday 27th August sees Radcliffe and Maconie live in the Piazza De Stan Ogden in MegaCity for their very own One-Date Bank Holiday roadshow!

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Ballads of the Games- The Marathon 1/8/2012 The ultimate endurance race - the Marathon - is explored in words and original song.

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Mike Harding Cambridge Folk Festival Special 1/8/2012 From 26-30 July, Smooth Operations returned once again to the ever-popular Cambridge Folk Festival with presenter Mike Harding to produce two hours of live music highlights and interviews for BBC Radio 2.

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Ballads of the Games: controversies 30/7/2012 Pills, protest and politics: Olympic controversies explored in stories and original song.

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Smooth Operations cover Cambridge Folk Festival live for Sky Arts 30/7/2012

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The Ballads of the Games: Going for Gold 19/7/2012 The pursuit of the ultimate prize - Olympic gold - is explored in words and original song.

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The Ballads of the Games: Berlin 1936 9/7/2012 Memories of Nazi Berlin and songs inspired by the stories tell how Jesse wins gold but Jews are kept out.

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Smooth Operations Produce Sony Radio Academy Awards 21/5/2012 The 30th annual Sony Radio Academy Awards ceremony was a Smooth Operations production for the first time.

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Record listening figures for Radcliffe & Maconie 17/5/2012 Radcliffe & Maconie have record all time high listening figures, according to the latest RAJAR results.

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Smooth Ops Wins Pan-BBC Olympic Podcasts 21/2/2012 We are very excited to announce that Smooth Operations has been awarded the contract to produce a weekly podcast showcasing the very best coverage of the 2012 games from across the BBC.

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BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 13/2/2012 We’re delighted to announce that this year’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Award ceremony has been heralded a big success.

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Smooth Operations to Produce 2012 Sony Awards Show 14/12/2011 We are thrilled to announce that Smooth Operations has been chosen to produce the 30th Sony Radio Academy Awards ceremony in May next year.

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Smooth Operations’ Sound Women 14/11/2011 We are delighted that Smooth Operations continues to be at the forefront of new initiatives across the industry and that our staff continue to be recognised as the very best in the business.

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Radio Festival 2011 7/11/2011 Radfest 2011 is over for another year and, again, Smooth Operations delivered a slick, polished and professional conference to showcase the very best of our industry.

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Folk Awards 2011 A Huge Success 10/2/2011 This year’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards has been heralded as a great success..

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