Uncategorized – Sound Of The Hound

Bonus episode! Simon Blumlein on his extraordinary inventor father, Alan Dower Blumlein

In a bonus episode to round off Series 2, Dave and James talk to Simon Blumlein about his father Alan Dower Blumlein, the extraordinary man who among others things invented stereo sound. Alan Dower Blumlein was an electronic engineer and one of the most significant inventors in the first half of the twentieth century, beingContinue reading “Bonus episode! Simon Blumlein on his extraordinary inventor father, Alan Dower Blumlein”

This series of The Sound of the Hound ends with an interview with Giles Martin, the Grammy-winning record producer and son of Beatles producer Sir George. With this episode it feels as though we’ve come full circle: Giles was there at the plaque unveiling that we featured in the first episode of the series. AndContinue reading “Something different. We talk to record producer Giles Martin about families in the music industry, the Beatles and teaching Taron Egerton to sing like Elton John in Rocketman – its the finale to series 2 of The Sound Of The Hound.”

Bonkers, basically. The story of opera singer Adelina Patti is one of the most eye-popping of all the tales we explore in this series. The saga starts in Madrid, where Patti was born in 1843, before it takes us to Clapham in South London, moves around the world and ends in a haunted castle inContinue reading “We tell the story of Adelina Patti, the diva of all divas, the biggest female star in the world, & how Fred recorded her in a haunted Welsh castle. Listen to our new episode right now!”

Melba toast. Peach Melba. Melba sauce. Why are we listing foodstuffs (and sounding a bit like Alan Partridge in the process)? Because they are all named after the subject of this episode of The Sound of the Hound, Nellie Melba. The soprano was one of the most famous singers of the era – and itContinue reading “Diva Alert! Fred records Nellie Melba: A peach of a new podcast episode. Listen now!”

With these episodes focusing on the life and work of the mighty Fred Gaisberg, we may have given the impression that he was his own boss. That would be wrong. Working for The Gramophone Company in London, Fred was answerable to a man called William Barry Owen. In this episode we tell Owen’s story. ItContinue reading “New podcast episode in which we tell the tale of the UK recording industry’s Employee #1. William Barry Owen.”

Every hero has a sidekick. And in this episode we tell the story of Fred’s wingman, the wonderfully named William Sinkler Darby. Five years Fred’s junior, fellow American Sinkler was by his boss’s side as he established The Gramophone Company in London and travelled the world to capture sound. Their tale is like a buddyContinue reading “Every hero has a sidekick. Today’s new podcast episode tells the tale of Sinkler Darby. Listen now!”

In this episode we look at the epic – and we mean epic – story of Russian bass singer Feodor Chaliapin. The singer’s relationship with Fred spanned decades, continents, wars and revolutions. It is a tale about music but it is also a tale about the extraordinary power of friendship. And spats. It’s a storyContinue reading “From escaping revolutionary Russia to drinking in Harlem speakeasies: Fred’s lifelong adventures with Feodor Chaliapin. New podcast episode!”

I was delighted to open the latest edition of The Spectator to find that Daisy Dunn had chosen to review an episode of The Sound Of The Hound podcast. And I was even more delighted to see that she’d enjoyed our efforts and given it a lovely write up, describing Dave and James as “jollyContinue reading “A great review of The Sound Of The Hound podcast in The Spectator magazine!”

Diva alert! In episode four, Holley and Hall tell the story of the recording of one of opera’s greatest characters, Emma Calvé. Basking in the glory of having captured the voice of the mighty Enrico Caruso in Milan (as outlined in Series One of The Sound of the Hound), Fred goes on something of aContinue reading “Diva Alert! New episode tells the story of how Fred Gaisberg recorded of one of opera’s greatest characters, Emma Calvé”

After India, Fred goes to the Far East. But when he arrives in Tokyo in January 1903, he is rocked by some terrible family news. Stuck on the other side of the world, Fred does what he’s done countless times before: he throws himself into his job. Once the crates and crates of equipment areContinue reading “What happens when Fred Gaisberg arrives in ancient Tokyo with his new-fangled recording equipment? Find out in today’s new episode.”