01/11/06
17Cromarty and Forth, moderate or good
That’s twice now.
The first time I heard it sampled was in the Mull Historical Society’s “The Final Arrears”, right at end.
Now Beck has used it in “The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide” from the new album The Information.
The Shipping Forecast is one of those lovely Radio 4 institutions that I guess is prime material for sampling. Not only does it present intrigue (“Where on earth is “Dogger?” and “What does ‘rising more slowly’ actually mean?”) but the calm delivery of information creates a calm and relaxing environment. Somehow, when hearing that “German Bight’ is ‘moderate or poor becoming good’ the world seems good again.
Now I can understand why someone from the Isle of Mull would be interested in the Shipping Forecast, or anyone from the UK for that matter. Heck, its in our blood! What someone from L.A would doing fiddling with it is more of a mystery, I wonder if this is Nigel Godrich’s influence making itself felt?
Anyway, does anyone know of any other instances of Shipping Forecast sampling?
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Simon Clayson said 678 days ago:
Not a sample, but This Is a Low by Blur is ‘inspired’ by the shipping forecast. Another track off Parklife features a sample of some traffic news. Not as wistful as the shipping forecast though.
Scott Matthewman said 678 days ago:
Thomas Dolby’s “Windpower” was the first one that sprang to mind. Wikipedia lists that, and a few others.
Pat Dobson said 678 days ago:
“The whole love story” by Andy White has a complete shipping forecast within the song. It fits in really well.
If you wondered where Dogger bank is, see here –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/shipping/index.shtml
Marty said 678 days ago:
Overseer have a track at the end of their album ‘Wreckage’ which is based entirely around the shipping forecast, with (I think) a specially-recorded version for that track, using the BBC’s announcer. It starts normally with the bleeps for the timestamp follwed by the forecast, and then words like ‘dizzy spells, goosebumps, elation’ and so on start creeping into the forecast, all to the accompaniment of laid-back strings.
Oliver Turner said 678 days ago:
The best use I’ve heard is on the Groove Armada “Back To Mine” compilation where it’s mixed over Pharoahs by Tears For Fears to sublime effect. Heart-stopping stuff (and yes, I know it doesn’t sound too promising, but trust me; it’s ethereally lovely!)
Clive Murray said 678 days ago:
Black Books, series 1, episode 5 (“The Big Lock-Out”). Fran (Tamsin Grieg) diddling herself stupid to the sound of Howell (Peter Serafinowicz) reading the shipping forecast in his overly dulcet tones.
Class.
—c.
Nik Taylor said 678 days ago:
This is not a sampling but photographer Mark Power produced a book called “The Shipping Forecast”. It contains 68 images in black and white taken in all 31 areas. His web site says:
“Intangible and mysterious, familiar yet obscure, the shipping forecast is broadcast four times daily on BBC Radio 4. For those at, or about to be put to sea, the forecast may mean the difference between life and death. But for millions of landlubbing radio listeners it is more than this; the enigmatic language of the shipping forecast has entered the public consciousness, creating a landscape of the imagination and confirming romantic notions of Britain’s island status. In “The Shipping Forecast”, Mark Power documents the 31 sea areas covered by the forecast, which include, among others, Finisterre off the north Portuguese/western Spanish coast, Biscay off the north Spanish/western French coast, the Irish Sea, and southeast Iceland. One of Britain’s leading photographers, Power’s images have an almost mythical resonance. Here, in picture after picture, life itself appears to have lost its co-ordinates, movements are disjointed and frenetic, people wander aimlessly or gather in trance-like formations, lonely gazes stare out towards blank horizons. Yet despite this, the shipping forecast is a steadfast national narrative and symbol; for over seventy years it has given reports on an unstable, volatile ‘exterior’ against which the ideas of ‘home’ and ‘nation’ as places of safety, order, and even divine protection are reinforced.”
To see some images:
http://www.magnumphotos.com/c/htm/FramerT_MAG.aspx?Stat=Portfolio_DocThumb&V=CDocT&E=29YL53ZKSJ1R&DT=ALB
Paul Mison said 678 days ago:
There’s a guide to the forecast which states that rising (or falling) slowly means “a pressure change of 0.1 to 1.5 hPa in the preceding three hours”.
I wish the forecast were on an hour earlier. It’s a great way of sending me to sleep but I’d rather not have to stay up until nearly one for its soothing tones.
Jon Hicks said 678 days ago:
Woah, I’m amazed. I really didn’t think there would be so many references! Thanks for the wikipedia link Scott, I guess I should’ve checked that first!
Alex Lee said 677 days ago:
Again not a sample, but there is a poem (I believe by Roger McGough) created a plot and characters within the shipping forecast. My personal favourite character being the evil military man, General Synopsis.
Mo said 676 days ago:
The Prodigy’s ‘Weather Experience’ (from their first album, ‘Experience’), contains that very same sample, looped a couple of times at the beginning of the song.
Marianne said 676 days ago:
What is Shipping Forecast sampling?
johnie1 said 675 days ago:
Like Scott said “Windpower” was the first thing i thought of.
Listening to the SF is like listening to an Ambient Album… English Ambient (same as listening to Ultimate Ambient Album: “One man and his Dog”).
luxuryluke said 675 days ago:
Roit. Well, I’ve gone one further and recorded about 5 minutes of it for you all to listen to recorded from the double-oh-fifteen report from November 3rd.
It’s around 7MB, though, so be careful those on 9600 Baud Dialup systems, eh?
http://brandamage.com/public/shipping/ShippingForecast20061103-00_15.mp3
Enjoy.
Josh said 673 days ago:
Late to the party but . . . there’s a track called ‘The General Synopsis’ by Braces Tower, which is a mashup of several shipping forecasts set to music. Worth looking out for.
luxuryluke said 669 days ago:
By the way, it seems there is something similar on a TYCHO track on Sunrise Projector album:
Track 1: “Cloud Generator”
http://tychomusic.com/
David Hughes said 665 days ago:
I am horribly late to this one… I would have gone for Windpower also as first choice.
The point of this post is to thank Oliver Murray for pointing me at the Groove Armada – Pharaohs/Tears for Fears track. Been sitting on my hard driver for ages and I’d never listened to it! What a great track.
Thanks