Articles in Sound, is a year-long project, lead by Coventry Music Historian Pete Chambers BEM and created by volunteers/friends and visitors at the Coventry Music
Museum, funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund. Coventry and Warwickshire has produced, and continues to produce, a stunning tapestry of music, ranging from The Coventry Carol to the Enemy. Local music can become national music and often international music, but sometimes it stays right in the city where it was invented.
With this very important project, we look at fifty items that helped change the face of our local music scene key figures who put the city on the music map. Some may have sparked an audio revolution, like 2-Tone Records. Others like Johnny B Great and the Goodmen, may not be household names, but by releasing the first record by a Coventry band, they booked their place in history, and helped other artists and musicians to follow suit.
This project is cross-reference for anyone who wants to know more about the city that gave the world Frank Ifield, The Specials and Pete Waterman. It’s never just about the objects, it’s about the history and musical memories they evoke. In this book we present our musical key notes in timeline order, but it doesn't have to be like that. It’s about “YOU”, and how you dip into the information in here.
The Coventry music universe is an interesting one, yes, there are bigger music cities, like Manchester, Sheffield, London, Liverpool and nearby Birmingham. Yet none of these great cities have a music museum to showcase their effect on the world of music. Uniquely Coventry does, and because of it, this Midlands city (and surrounding Warwickshire) has a music scene that is less a random collection of musicians and artists and venues, but much more a tangible visual narrative. A story of celebrated objects, that all allow the viewer a chance to relate and understand the importance of each one. Hundreds of photos, hours of exclusive interviews with key
figures and other material collected by the team offer unique & hitherto unseen insights into key moments, figures, music and places: never before has this story been told in such detail.
Book and app a Synergy
Throughout the book, there are references to locations in and around Coventry and Warwickshire, The idea is to use the book and App as one.
The fifty items gathered together in this book are by no way definitive, the idea is that you come up with fifty of your own, and while we hope many of our choices would be present, we would hope that they were not the same. That's why with this project we
actively encourage peoples suggestions. Maybe you feel that Coventry Theatre should be included, and not Grindcore, this is our fifty, we want to know yours. Access our website at www.articlesinsound.com
THE FILM
Nigel Meffen and his team of volunteers has produced the film for the Articles In Sound project. Running at a fascinating three hours long, is the first time the history of Coventry and Warwickshire music has ever been captured on like this. From The Coventry Carol to The Godiva Festival, this is the most exhaustive look at the music that made our city,ever. Movers and shakers of the scene interviewed in the film include Neol Davies, Pauline Black, Gapps, Horace Panter, Paul King, Tony Wall, Jim Lantsbury, Hazel O'Connor, Paul Sampson, Panjabi MC, Taz Singh, Roger Lomas, Steve & Heather Taylor, Dill, Martin Bowes, Ray King, Tom Long, , Roger Bailey, Frank Ifield, Nigel Fletcher and Clive Blackburn, and many more.
THE SMARTPHONE APP
Beyond this book, we are delighted to inform you that ARTICLES IN SOUND, is also available for FREE as a dual-platform App, that gives the user the ability to tour key locations in Coventry & Warwickshire. It will be available to download for free at the
App Store for Apple users and from Google Playstore for Android users.
WEBSITE
We also have a standalone website, where you can add your own 50 objects, and generally interact with the project, it can be found here. Where you can see the in-depth film of the project, that was made headed up by Nigel Meffen.
MURAL
There is also a mural located at the 2-Tone Village entrance, depicting some of the objects.
MUSEUM
Last, but by no means least, many of the actual 50 objects are located at The Coventry Music Museum, where there is an Articles In Sound display and also a database.
The 50 Objects
1. Coventry Carol
2. T E Dunville's Autobiography
3. Reg Dixon's Sheet Music to "Confidentially"
4. Bobbie Clark's Drumsticks
5. Frank Ifield's Jacket
6. Brian Locking's Harmonica
7. Johnny B. Great's "School Is In" single
8. Bev Jones "Heatwave" single
9. Woody Allen's Stage Jacket
10. The Orchid Ballroom
11. Vince Hill's stage waistcoat
12. Delia Derbyshire's Tape recorder
13. The Sorrows record "Take A Heart"
14. One off cassette recording of a Pinkerton Colour's gig
15. Zodiac's Stage jacket
16. The Co op Hall, Nuneaton
17. "The Ray King Blues Band Live" LP
18. The Lennon Bench
19. Tony Clarke's platinum disc for Moody Blues LP
20. Lieutenant Pigeons Belgium release of "Mouldy Old Dough"
21. Jigsaw "Sky High" single
22. Rod Felton's Jug
23. Lanchester Polytechnic
24. Tiffany's
25. Mr George
26. "Kingston Affair" reel to reel tape
27. "Alternative Sounds" fanzine
28. "Gangsters"/ "The Selecter" single
29. Hazel O'Connor's awards for Breaking Glass
30. Horizon Studios Master Tape Machine
31. Hand written lyrics for The Selecter's "On My Radio"
32. "Sent From Coventry" Album
33. "Too Much too Young, Live EP" by Special AKA
34. The General Wolfe
35. Dill of Gods Toys Jacket
36. Reluctant Stereotypes Clarinet
37. "Ghost Town" single
38. Fun Boy Three NME Cover
39. "Nelson Mandela" single
40. King boots
41. "Go For It" Master tape
42. Grindcore
43. Primitives stage suit
44. Eclipse flyers
45. Roger Lomas's Grammy Award
46.Godiva Festival
47.Taz/ Stereo Nation jacket
48. Panjabi MC Tumbi
49.Enemy Demo CD
50. Clint Mansell tickets