Unofficial Recordings

James H Reeve's Nocturnal Emissions programme quickly gathered a regular loyal listenership. Not all of the listeners though were able to go to sleep that late every night. So lots of unofficial recordings of the programmes were made, and then listened to the following day.

Most of these were taped over, lost or just forgotten about.... but some survived. Simon Sandiford-Mitchell's entire collection of snippets are in the process of being turned into MP3s. Obviously most of what was unearthed was the bits where James read out Simon's letters, or where other people mentioned him in their letters, but still makes entertaining listening.

There are also some full or part-shows, as well as some other random things. As much as possible, the clips will be listed in date order.

Below are the ones recovered so far, with relevant information included. Clicking on the YouTube link will play the track in the browser. To listen within YouTube instead, click on the text link at the top of the embedded player and this will open a new YouTube window.

 

TRACK 01
ALMOST FULL SHOW
THU 19 JUNE 1986
Date:
Station:
Presenter:
Available:
From:
Length:
Thu 19 June 1986
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
YouTube
Chinacat
1hr 33m 2s
 
Track Info:

This is the earliest recording that I have recovered and is the full show with music and news bulletins edited. James was on air at 10pm following what was Timmy Mallett's last show before he left Piccadilly Radio. Also James claimed that Frank Sidebottom was doing the answering of the phones that night. The hot topic for the show was: "What is that strange object in the centre of the pitch in the World Cup games?". Rita Roe also has her regular slot about 15 mins in. We also get delightful contributions from Mike Dean, Roy Acorn and Jimmy White.

FULL BREAKDOWN HERE
(opens in new tab)

 

 
Other Info:

I originally uploaded this to YouTube a couple of years ago in six 15 min parts, and these are still there too - Click a link to hear these instead: PART ONE --- PART TWO --- PART THREE --- PART FOUR --- PART FIVE --- PART SIX

 
TRACK 02
ANDREW HAFFNER'S
FIRST LETTER
Date:
Time:
Station:
Presenter:
Featuring:
Available:
From:
Length:
Late June 1986
Approx 10.30pm
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
Andrew Haffner
YouTube
SSM's cassette
2m 03s
 
Track Info:

This is a letter from Andy Haffner about the competition to replace James when he goes on holiday (he was on holiday for the first two weeks of July 1986 and Mike Briscoe - who was also head of programmes at the time - actually took over). Some other correspondents get a mention: Mike Dean, The Welsh Git, Roy Acorn and Irate Albert. There's also a mention of James's blue Mazda that had been stolen a few days earlier in Bury.

The track starts with the instrumental jingle that says "Piccadilly Radio" at the end of it.

 

 
TRACK 03
ASHLEY REECE &
ANDREW HAFFNER PHONE CALL
Date:
Time:
Station:
Presenter:
Featuring:

Available:
From:
Length:
Late June 1986
Approx 11.10pm
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
Ashley Reece &
Andrew Haffner
YouTube
SSM's cassette
1m 47s
 
Track Info:

This is Ashley Reece's first appearance and also Andrew Haffner's first time on the phone, who both must have been round at the same house that night. The clip right at the start mentions that "Buzz Hawkins has just been through" (into the studio) with some callers. It appears that he was doing the answering the phones job at the time. There is light banter with Ashley about Manchester Grammar school being better than WHGS according to James. Andy Haffner explains to James about the infamous "Jim Reeve League Table" that drove all the WHGS people to call and write in. After the point system is explained to James, he guarantees it would be a 0-0 draw. Rita Roe gets another mention and that makes James cut them off.
 

 
TRACK 04
PAUL WILLIAMSON'S
FIRST LETTER
Date:
Time:
Station:
Presenter:
Featuring:
Available:
From:
Length:
Tue 1 July 1986
Approx 10.30pm
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
Paul Williamson
YouTube
SSM's cassette
1m 57s
 
Track Info:

This was the letter sent in by Paul Williamson and the beginning of James's realisation that the William Hulme's Grammar School avalanche of correspondence to the programme was underway. Paul's letter advised that James could expect letters and phone calls from people such as himself, SSM and Andy Haffner. The main part of the letter is about computers and how they may soon be obselete like CB Radio. James also confirmed that he would play "A Good Heart" by Feargal Sharkey later in the programme.
 

 
TRACK 05
PAUL WILLIAMSON'S
FIRST PHONE CALL
Date:
Time:
Station:
Presenter:
Featuring:
Available:
From:
Length:
Wed 2 July 1986
10.16pm
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
Paul Williamson
YouTube
SSM's cassette
2m 57s
 
Track Info:

This was the first call of the programme and was Paul Williamson's first ever call aired. James mentions the 8 letters from the computer room at WHGS he had received that day and he rips them up to Paul's disappointment. James also menions that he is going on holiday to the Aegeon next week and Mike Briscoe will be taking over the show. James also mentions the WHGS Garden Fete on Sat 12 July 1986 at 2pm. Then Paul is cut off and James introduces Steve Carter in Didsbury to talk about raisins.
 

 
TRACK 06
2ND HALF OF SHOW
WED 2 JULY 1986
Date:
Station:
Presenter:
Available:
From:
Length:
Wed 2 July 1986
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
YouTube
Chinacat
48m 41s
 
Track Info:

This is an interesting show that I'm sure you wouldn't get away with these days. Lots of people phoning up to tell Scouse jokes and James contributed with several comments aimed at winding up any listening Liverpudlians. Only the second half of the programme available.

FULL BREAKDOWN HERE
(opens in new tab)

 
TRACK 07
ALMOST FULL SHOW
THU 3 JULY 1986
Date:
Station:
Presenter:
Available:
From:
Length:
Thu 3 July 1986
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
YouTube
Chinacat
1h 32m 42s
 
Track Info:

This was the last show before James went on his 2 week holiday and so was filled with terrible records. It featured Rita Roe, Roy Acorn, Mike Dean and Paul Williamson amongst others.

FULL BREAKDOWN HERE
(opens in new tab)

 

Bonus Material

TRACK 08
COMPLETE SHOW
FRI 1 JULY 2000
Date:
Station:
Presenter:
Available:
From:
Length:
Fri 1 July 2000
TalkSport
James H Reeve
YouTube
Unknown
1h 25m 59s
 
Track Info:

No idea where I acquired this from. It is one from James's stint on TalkSport in 2000. His regular slot at the time was Fri & Sat nights 10pm to 1am. However this evening, the programme immediately followed live boxing on the station, so didn't start until 11.35pm. The theme for the programme was visual gags and James asked listeners to call in with theirs. However some listeners didn't seem to get it.

FULL BREAKDOWN HERE
(opens in new tab)



 

Ignore everything below here!


NOTE - all the links below are not yet sorted!!!
 

TRACK 03
SIMON SANDIFORD-MITCHELL LETTER
Date:
Station:
Presenter:
Contributer:
Size:
Length:
June 1986
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
Simon Sandiford-Mitchell
354 KB
0m 54s
 
Track Info:

This is one of my letters about a month after I made my debut. This is the one where I sent him a "Know-It-All Licence". I didn't actually make up the attached printed licence, although he made it sound like I had. It was written in "American" and hence James picked up the mis-spelling of Licence. I think I found it in a box of cereal or something like that and thought - that's James! So I sent it him and here is the result. I mention my age is 13 and 11/12 which means that it must have been late June 1986.

 
Jingles:

The track ends with a short "Piccadilly Radiooooo" jingle.

 

TRACK 06
PAUL WILLIAMSON PHONE CALL
Date:
Station:
Presenter:
Contributer:
Size:
Length:
June 1986
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
Paul Williamson
939 KB
2m 17s
 
Track Info:

This is another Paul Williamson call and he has a discussion with James about the chicken and the egg, and then moves on to "how to get a boiled egg into a milk bottle". The clip strangely includes a James Bond clip for some reason near the start. The next caller up after Paul is Roy Acorn, much to James's annoyance.

 
Jingles:

The track opens with a repeat of the "Straight From The Heart..." jingle.

 

TRACK 07
YOU'RE MY SON
Date:
Station:
Presenter:
Record:
Size:
Length:
June 1986
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
You're My Son
910 KB
2m 13s
 
Track Info:

This is part of a lightly contraversial record that James played called "You're My Son" which he explains is by Kenny Rogered - which is a take on Kenny Rogers as it contains lyrics such as "he's a bastard, he's a bastard..." in Kenny Rogers country and western style. Also, he refers to himself as Jim H Reeve in this clip - the only time I have ever heard him call himself that. James also mentions that this was the last programme before he went off on his holidays.

 
Jingles:

There is one jingle at the end and it is the one that goes "Piccadilly Radio, Stereo Power, FM 103.... Piccadilly Radio, Music Power, FM 103".

 

TRACK 08
LETTERS TO MIKE BRISCOE
Date:
Station:
Presenter:
Contributer:
Size:
Length:
July 1986
Piccadilly Radio
Mike Briscoe
Ashley Reece & Simon Sandiford-Mitchell
316�KB
0m 46s
 
Track Info:

This was early July 1986 and James H has gone on his holiday to be replaced by Mike Briscoe.� He reads out some letters from WHGS.� First is Ashley Reece welcoming him and then SSM provides a list of callers to expect and Mr Briscoe then screws them up and throws them in the bin.

 
Jingles:

There is a jingle at the end that just says "... the heart of the North West".



 

TRACK 09
THE WHGS GARDEN FETE LETTER
Date:
Station:
Presenter:
Contributer:
Size:
Length:
July 1986
Piccadilly Radio
Mike Briscoe
Simon Sandiford-Mitchell�
370 KB
0m 54s
 
Track Info:

Mike Briscoe misguidedly reads out a spoof letter on Thu 10 July 1986�from SSM about a forthcoming WHGS Garden Fete.� The fete was real, but because I thought he wouldn't read it out, I pretended that the school headmaster had told me to send the letter and the whole school was listening to the programme waiting for the mention.� Any suspicious-sounding content in the letter was purely coincidental, and not noticed by Mr Briscoe!

 
Jingles:

The jingle at the end just says "Straight from the heart!"



 

TRACK 10
ANDREW HAFFNER PHONE CALL
Date:
Station:
Presenter:
Contributer:
Size:
Length:
July 1986
Piccadilly Radio
James H Reeve
Andrew Haffner
1.4 MB
3m 30s
 
Track Info:

This is a call from Andy Haffner. This is from late July 1986 after Jim had come back from his holidays. It is mentioned that James took over from Phil Wood's 10-1am slot at the end of January 1986. Andy tries to convince James to give prizes away on his programme. It mentions that James gave t-shirts away when England were playing their World Cup matches (June 1986). James also mentions going strawberry picking in Whitefield and making jam.

 
Jingles:

There is a bizarre Piccadilly jingle at the end of the track that goes "24 Hours Of Stereo Music, The Heart Of The North West Beating Each Day, Sit Down Relax, You'll Always Be Welcome To Stay".


Last Updated: Sat 16 January 2021