Tuesday 19 June 2018

A Questionable Purchase?


A few months ago, my friend Nick Eyre was extolling the virtues of the 1981 BBC Audio Drama adaption of The Lord of the Rings. I walked away from the conversation promising that if I ever had the chance to listen to it, I would. 

Well, today I was nosing around an Oxfam charity bookstore, when I found the pictured box set. It’s a rather attractive box, in really good condition. The thirteen cassette tapes inside, each containing an episode of the drama, are also in good condition. It even comes with a small, but high-quality reproduction of the map of Middle-earth, so you can follow the path of the adventure as you listen. With a price tag of £10 (and much of that going to charity), it was more than my Tolkien-obsessed mind could resist.

I am especially attracted to it because Ian Holm, who played Bilbo in the Peter Jackson adaptation plays Frodo in this one. I’m sure that is not a coincidence.

There is only one problem… I don’t own anything that can play an audio cassette, and haven’t for at least 15 years! It’s the worst kind of purchase – something that requires another purchase to actually use! Well, I’m going to ask around of my friends and relatives to see if anyone has something I can borrow. If not, it looks like they are neither difficult, nor overly expensive, to obtain on ebay.

I’ll keep you updated!

17 comments:

  1. I remember that radio series as being very good. You might also want to seek out Nicol Williamson's reading of The Hobbit

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    1. Or the Jackanory one read by Bernard Cribbins

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    2. Gosh yes, I remember that. Another good one.
      The Williamson version appeals to me partly from its good use of medieval music, and Williamson's use of voices really brings the story to life.
      In some respects the story is better heard than read, it certainly uses some oral storytelling techniques.

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  2. It is an excellent radio series. I have owned the same set since it came out and listened to it many times. I used to listen to a tape going to and from work. I also bought the set again on CD a few years ago so I didn't wear the tapes out.

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  3. Yes this was the `go to' Lord of the Rings back in the day, the only time the radio dial was turned to Radio 4. So un-hip to be caught.

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  4. Excellent set I have it on cd and listen to it in the car roughly once a year, enjoy....... every minute 😀

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  5. Last week Aldi where selling a blue tooth speaker, styled like a little boombox which also as it was retro had a cassette player.

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  6. Well worth both the tenner and the hassle of procuring a player, I'd say! It's a far better adaptation than any of the films, I reckon.

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  7. I had that exact boxed set. It’s charmingly packaged. Not surprised you couldn’t resist.

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  8. It's excellent. A very worthwhile purchase!

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  9. fantastic. Well worth buying a cassette player for.

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  10. Borrow a cassette player, plug it into a computer and record it into a more accessible format? Very nice packaging.

    I should try to find this too. I've never heard it.

    FWIW, the Silmarillion audiobook is a great listen as well.

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    1. Silmarillion audio book? I need that in my life

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  11. But it's SO good! I have the CD version though ;)

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  13. I had that! But my cassette player chewed up one of the tapes and I was crestfallen, but I replaced them with the CD boxset and got myself The Hobbit radio play to cheer myself up further.

    I heard this when the play was first broadcast at school in 1982, our teacher would record it from the radio and play it to us in class the next day. It was where I found my love of Tolkien.

    I do miss that cassette boxset, though, it had such charm. I shoulde never have gotten rid of it, even with the screwed up tape.

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  14. As everyone has said, these audio recordings are fantastic. It will be a real treat when you get a cassette player to listen to them. Solid purchase.

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