By
Brian Reynolds
Reviewed
below by Tony Clayden
The
publication of this book
marks the culmination of
Brian Reynolds' lifelong
interest in the 'Live
Light Music' which was
such a feature of BBC
Radio's Golden Age. The
author, who is the
acknowledged expert on
this subject, has amassed
an amazing collection of
off-air recordings of
MWYW and similar
programmes, including
Bright And Early and
Morning Music; he has
even given much of this
material back to the BBC
Recorded Archive!
In
today's world of
'personality presenters'
playing interminable pop
records, it may be
difficult to appreciate
that there once existed a
very different
broadcasting environment
where live music in
general - and MWYW in
particular - was
ubiquitous. Not only did
the latter make an
immense contribution to
the whole institution of
Radio for twenty-seven
years, but it has
effectively become a
piece of
Twentieth-Century British
social history.
Reynolds
charts the course of the
programme from its
inception in the dark
days of 1940, when it was
conceived as a
morale-booster for
wartime workers,
especially those employed
making munitions.
Thousands of factories
were equipped with
sound-reproducing systems
- another thriving
industry - and the
immediate result was a
substantial improvement
in productivity.
Conversely, failures by
managements to remember
to 'switch on' were
reported to have caused
near-riots! The number
editions reached a peak
of three per day, seven
days a week, with some
even being repeated at
breakfast time under the
title Music In The
Morning.
There
evolved a sizeable corps
of orchestral players,
conductors, composers,
arrangers and 'fixers'.
For more than a few, it
was the principal source
of their livelihood, and
it necessitated the
creation of its own
dedicated administrative
bureaucracy at the BBC,
which was convinced that
all this made a real
contribution to the
winning of WWII - a claim
which is probably
well-justified.
The
post-war years saw the
acquisition of additional
home-listeners, (a figure
which rose to some
4-million), whilst its
popularity in the
workplace, even by 1962,
was found not to have
diminished. However, MWYW
did begin to experience
competition from
commercial companies
selling 'piped music',
although not all
establishments found this
to be as effective as the
original product.
Eventually, it was
abruptly and
unceremoniously axed, the
innocent victim of a
fundamental change of
policy, in 1967. This
caused an expected
backlash from industry,
but curiously almost no
reaction from domestic
listeners -
notwithstanding that, by
then, the great majority
of the afternoon audience
was in the home.
There
were, however, some in
the Corporation who
continued to champion the
programme; this resulted
in several periods of
revival in the 1980s and
1990s, before its final
demise. A measure of
MWYW's importance lies in
the fact that, for many
years, the morning
edition was transmitted
simultaneously on the
Light Programme and Home
Service, and thus
constituted the only
output available on BBC
Radio between 10.30 and
11.00 am. No wonder then
that a whole generation,
(including Brian Reynolds
and myself), grew up
listening to and enjoying
the programme; how
fortunate we were to have
been born in the right
place at the right time!
Within
its 255 pages, the volume
contains the biographies
of over fifty musical
directors who helped to
achieve MWYW's success,
and who in turn became
'household names'. Sadly,
many were rapidly
forgotten, (and in a
number of cases suffered
severe hardship), after
the BBC mandarins 'pulled
the plug' with the advent
of Radios 1 and 2.
Well
produced in hardback
format, the book is
considerably enhanced by
the inclusion of eighty
photographs and a
comprehensive index.
There are over one
hundred programme
'menus', together with a
complete list of all
participating musical
ensembles and
instrumentalists; this
reads like a veritable
Who's Who of the
then-current music
profession.
With
a foreword by journalist
and broadcaster Howard
Leader - who was its
prime instigator - MUSIC
WHILE YOU WORK-AN ERA IN
BROADCASTING has been
meticulously researched
and authoritatively
written by a passionate
devotee. It undoubtedly
deserves a place in the
library of every Light
Music lover and student
of Radio Broadcasting
history.
The
book is available by
e-mail from the
author
for £12 (+ £3 pp,
UK
only).
Cheques
are only accepted from UK
purchasers.
Non-UK
purchasers please note:
Payments are only
accepted via Paypal and
additional postage rates
to be agreed.
Media
Reviews
"....
such an evocative book
... its pages conjure so
many glorious memories
... Brian Reynolds is an
enthusiast and it shows!
His first hand memories
of the musicians are
presented in anecdotal
style that is both
compelling and
captivating ...
Delightful!"
www.history.uk.com
"The
acknowledged expert on
this subject charts the
course of the programme
from its inception in the
dark days of 1940 ...
meticulously researched
and authoritatively
written by a passionate
devotee." The
Robert Farnon Society,
The Light Music Society
Journal and the British
Vintage Wireless Society
magazine.
"I
recommend this book ...
spend some time wallowing
in pure nostalgia."
International
Military Music Society
journal
"....
oodles of fascinating
information and
anecdotes." This
England
"This
comprehensive book gives
a complete history of the
show and includes many
amusing anecdotes ... It
also provides revealing
glimpses of the workings
of the BBC and gives
tempting examples of the Music
While You Work
'Menus' " Best
of British Past and
Present Magazine
"Anyone
who loves light music and
feels a great nostalgia
for what we used to
listen to on the wireless
many years ago will be
absorbed by this
book" Encore
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