OTR Recommedations Needed

[Flint]

Hey All-
Can anyone here recommend the best place to go for complete, high quality recordings of First Person Singular, Mercury Theater on the Air, The Campbell Playhouse, and any other radio shows directed by Welles? I've been canvassing the net and their seems to be quite a few options. Wondered if anyone out there can give me their suggestions. Much appreciated!

-Mark.

[Jeff Wilson]

Your best bet for quality copies is to buy cassette versions from some of the dealers out there; most MP3s have been recorded in the smallest possible file size to cram as many as possible on a CD, thus compromising audio fidelity in some cases. I've dealt with Fair Pickings (very slow but good quality) and Jerry Haendiges (fast, but sometimes you get a blank tape). With Haendiges, you can listen before you pay, which is nice, in case you get a bad tape. And of course, with some shows, the surviving copies simply aren't in good shape to start with, so it's hit and miss in some cases. The cost can be prohibitive (around $5 or $6 a tape) as well. Also, there is the Radio Spirits people, who have released several shows in what I hear is good quality.



Edited By Jeff Wilson on Dec. 31 2003 at 13:22

[Glenn Anders]

Dear Flint and Jeff: As you suggest, Jeff, Radio Spirits, which took over the vast Radio Yesteryear reel-to-reel library, has many of Welles' Radio shows on cassette, at reasonable prices. Some of the rarer ones can be dug out, custom, for a few dollars more. They are transferring everything gradually to CD, but I have found that the cassettes are more reliable than the discs, which sometimes won't track.

A point which I keep emphasizing is that these shows were broadcast for reception on heavy bass speakers (one reason Welles was so much in demand in Radio), and on tape or recordings, they tend to sound thin. Crank up the bass a bit for something more like the original experience.

Good luck on your adventure, Flint, and Happy New Year to all.

Glenn