RealAudio on the Pete Atkin Web Site!

-- scroll page for list of titles
Our Real Audio clips are really ancient
(we created this page in the 1990s)
and are no longer supported.

Instead, please use the 'Play' buttons or
the audio players on our Discography page.

Important notice concerning copyright:
The images, lyrics and audio clips in this archive are intended to be used only for purposes of private study, scholarship, or research, according to the legal principle of fair use or fair dealing. The quality of streamed audio extracts in particular is held digitally at approximately 2% of commercial compact disc quality in order to comply with this principle and pre-empt any accusation of competition by unauthorised publication or broadcast. Nevertheless any visitor to this site who copies or downloads items for other uses may be in violation of copyright laws. Many items in this archive do not contain individual copyright notices. The absence of such a notice does not necessarily mean that the work is not protected by copyright law.
So what is this Real Audio stuff?
These clips are coded using RealAudioTM 3.0 from Progressive Networks Inc. RealAudio compresses the original sound file so that a one-minute bite of CD-quality stereo sound, normally requiring about 10 Megabytes of data, can be reduced to less than 600kB. This requires a dual-ISDN (112kbits/s) data rate if it is to be transmitted and played in real time. But if AM radio (mono) quality is acceptable the one-minute file can be further compressed to about 115kB, which allows real-time transmission (streaming) over the Internet to a standard 28.8 kbits/s dial-up modem, so bringing a "click-and-listen" facility to the Web browser. RealAudio also incorporates adaptive buffering of the audio stream to cope with the "bursty" nature of Internet data transmission, which would otherwise lead to breaks in the sound. This is in part responsible for the nostalgic AM radio skywave-style fading and "phasing" you will hear at the lower data rates.
How do I get to hear it?
In order to hear these clips you need a Windows-compatible sound card or equivalent. You must be using at least a 28.8 kbits/s modem (though any connection faster than 19.2 kbits/s should work well) and to have installed either the RealAudio Player 3.0, RealPlayer 4.0 (which includes RealVideo), or higher (including the new RealPlayer G2). These are available for free download from the Progressive Networks Web Site via this link. Select the version for your platform (Windows 3.1/95/NT or Macintosh), modem and processor, then download and install the software. You will be prompted to set up the RealPlayer to work with your Web browser. Choose this option and you will have point and click access to our sound files. Just select the RA Speaker icon against each song title. Please note, if you have RealAudio 2.0 or earlier, you must upgrade to 3.0 or later -- the 3.0 files do sound clearer, but they are not backward compatible.
New clips will be added and old ones deleted, on a weekly (or so) basis. Here's the current list:

Search And Destroy -- recorded in concert at the Monyash Festival '97. (Lyric) | (Chords)
Canoe -- a song about exploration, dating from the "Together at last!" tour in 1975. (Lyric) | (Chords)
The Eye Of The Universe from the unreleased "7th Album" (Pathway Studios) demos. (Lyric)
Urban Guerrilla another 7th Album demo track. (Lyric)
The Pressure Boys unreleased demo. (Lyric)
A Man Who's Been Around -- the big ballad (unreleased demo). (Lyric)
A Man Who's Been Around -- "Baudelaire" version (from "TPMO" TV series, thanks Graham Stibbs). (Lyric)
Get It Out Of Your Head -- from The Party's Moving On, still to be declicked. (Lyric)
I See The Joker (single version). (Lyric) | (Chords)
The Architect -- from BBC-2 "Up Sunday"; another from the Graham Stibbs archive. (Lyric)
Practical Man -- 'live' at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 1968, recorded by Roy Brown. (Lyric) | (Chords)
The Hypertension Kid from A King At Nightfall | (Lyric) | (Chords)
The Road Of Silk from The Road Of Silk | (Lyric) | (Chords)
History And Geography (written May 69, recorded June 97) from the DHF demos | (Lyric) | (Chords) | (Midi)
Uncle Seabird -- extended version from BBC radio session. (Lyric) | (Chords)
The Rider To The World's End -- atmospheric recording from early (1970) BBC session. (Lyric)
More In Anger Than In Sorrow -- Another from "WAYDATS?";. (Lyric)
I Got Special Glasses -- "WAYDATS?" again. (Lyric)
I Wouldn't Hear A Word Against The Spring -- imprompu take of an otherwise unrecorded song. (Lyric)
The Original Original Honky Tonk Night Train Blues -- Pete, Richard Digance radio show, 19.9.88. (Lyric)
Rain-Wheels -- BBC radio session recording, 12th November 1974, producer Tony Wilson. (Lyric) | (Chords)
Payday Evening -- recorded in concert at Buxton Opera House, September 20th 1998. (Lyric) | (Chords)
All The Dead Were Strangers -- solo concert at Clare College, Cambridge, June 2nd 1974. (Lyric) | (Chords)
The Wristwatch For A Drummer -- another from the Clare JCR gig, recorded by Spaceward. (Lyric) | (Chords)
Between Us There Is Nothing -- one of three BBC radio session recordings of this song. (Lyric) | (Chords)
The River And Me -- an oldie (non-PA), from BBC R4's Moonshine, sung by "Dave Skitani" (Atkin & Davies).
Tenderfoot -- Pete with Andy Fernbach at Cambridge Union Society in 1977. (Library) | (Lyric) | (Chords)
No Dice -- Pete Atkin, from Driving Through Mythical America. (Lyric) | (Chords)
Beware Of The Beautiful Stranger -- from Beware Of The Beautiful Stranger | (Lyric) | (Chords)
Tonight Your Love Is Over -- from Beware Of The Beautiful Stranger. (Lyric) | (Chords)
Be Careful When They Offer You The Moon -- from BOTBS, RCA issue. (Lyric) | (Chords)
Sunlight Gate -- from Driving Through Mythical America. (Lyric)
I Need New Words -- early (1967) version of Tongue-Tied | (Chords)
May Week Was In June (excerpt) -- Clive James recalls Cambridge Footlights
You Better Face It Boy -- Pete Atkin, from While The Music Lasts. (Lyric)
Over The High Side -- from Capital Radio's Digance show 7.3.82; a song from Pete's stage play A&R. (Lyric)
Can't Let You Go -- studio demo by Pete of another of his songs from A&R. (Lyric)
Sessionman's Blues (single version). (Lyric) | (Chords)
The Hollow And The Fluted Night -- from The Road Of Silk. (Lyric) | (Chords)
Hear Clive's interview on "Front Row", BBC Radio 4, Tuesday 5th October 1999 (prior to Cheltenham show).
Listen to Interview (10 min) with Pete Atkin and Clive James, BBC R2's Steve Wright show, b'cast 27.12.97,
or (shift-click) Download it (1,189,452 bytes) to play off-line if network congestion causes too much break-up.

Some demos by Pete of songs for Julie Covington:

The Ice Cream Man. (Lyric)
The Magic Wasn't There. (Lyric) | (Chords)
Winter Kept Us Warm. (Lyric)
The Sun Was In My Eyes (unrecorded). (Lyric)

Alternative mix from 23rd July 1973 - how Tony Coe's sax solo might have sounded:

Perfect Moments. (Lyric) | (Chords)

And for Kenny Everett fans, here are those vintage radio clips, now in RA3:

Master Of The Revels from demo by "great all-time mystery singer" -- later revealed as PA. Thanks Steve Salt.
Master Of The Revels with Ken's plug for Pete's LWT TV series. (Lyric) | (Chords)
Girl On The Train Ken fumbles start of tape. (Lyric) | (Chords)

These three clips taken from BBC Radio 1, 1214 kHz AM ("247 metres"), spring 1970
Please respect relevant copyrights -- see discography and lyrics page

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