As inspired by Jeff—This Year presents the best of Blue Jam

In the first Bombcast of 2013, Jeff mentioned watching some of British comedian Chris Morris' Jam, which was based on Morris' original radio show Blue Jam. I love Blue Jam, and I thought it would be something special to dig up for our fiftieth episode. Here's the blurb: Blue Jam is a nightmare that seems to have no end. The series was the brainchild of subversive British comedian Chris Morris. Morris mixed ambient music, haunting monologues, bleak black comedy sketches, and other bizarre sounds to make a lingering sound-scape that sticks with you days and weeks after listening. The first series of Blue Jam was aired in 1997, played in the early morning on BBC Radio 1. One segment was deemed so offensive that it was hurriedly cut off mid-broadcast. Blue Jam is troubling. Blue Jam is disturbing. Blue Jam is unlike anything you’ll ever hear—a dark descent into something totally oppressive and undeniably wonderful.

The best-of is just over three hours long. Here's the MP3; also, the original post if you want more information. Hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know what you think.

In the first Bombcast of 2013, Jeff mentioned watching some of British comedian Chris Morris' Jam, which was based on Morris' original radio show Blue Jam. I love Blue Jam, and I thought it would be something special to dig up for our fiftieth episode. Here's the blurb: Blue Jam is a nightmare that seems to have no end. The series was the brainchild of subversive British comedian Chris Morris. Morris mixed ambient music, haunting monologues, bleak black comedy sketches, and other bizarre sounds to make a lingering sound-scape that sticks with you days and weeks after listening. The first series of Blue Jam was aired in 1997, played in the early morning on BBC Radio 1. One segment was deemed so offensive that it was hurriedly cut off mid-broadcast. Blue Jam is troubling. Blue Jam is disturbing. Blue Jam is unlike anything you’ll ever hear—a dark descent into something totally oppressive and undeniably wonderful.

The best-of is just over three hours long. Here's the MP3; also, the original post if you want more information. Hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know what you think.

Wow. Cool. Will check this out tonight after work. This Year is one of my favourite things on the web, so, thanks.

Pipe to pipe bushman.

Sweet. Gonna check it out for sure.

@ZanzibarBreeze: Thanks, I've watched the series about a dozen times at this point but never listened to the show. Does knowing the series make it redundant or is there a lot more on radio?

@Wampa1 said:

@ZanzibarBreeze: Thanks, I've watched the series about a dozen times at this point but never listened to the show. Does knowing the series make it redundant or is there a lot more on radio?

There's more on the radio version. Also, I don't think having seen the TV series makes it redundant. Here's what Morris did: for many of the TV sketches (like the Doctor sketches) he basically just took the radio versions and had the actors act over them. So the soundtrack is 100% the same; just the visuals are different. But listening to it is a different experience -- there's a lot more music, it's high quality sound, and Morris did a really good job with the stereo sound and using the full left/right range. (I assume the same is true of the TV show, but I don't know anybody who watches TV wearing headphones, so the effect is much more personal when it's audio-only.)

I think you'll still find a lot to like, but I'd be interested to hear how you find it having watched the show first. I heard the radio show before I watched the TV show, so my perspective might be a little different. If you want, I can send you the link to the full eighteen episodes of the radio show.

@ZanzibarBreeze: I'd appreciate that, yeah 20 mins in I love how it sounds I've been trying to get a hold of as much of the music from the show as I could but some is very hard to find.

@Wampa1: Here's a full list of the music that appears in our best-of (in the right-hand column). I've found some of it on YouTube; others on Grooveshark. Some of it is also on iTunes. I'll PM you the link to the episodes now, I just have to find it here...

I love the music but my God are some of the sketches disturbing. Equal parts terrifying and beautiful.

Luckily, the amount of heroin I use is harmless, I inject about once a month on a purely recreational basis. Fine. But what about other people less stable, less educated, less middle-class than me? Builders or blacks for example. If you're one of those, my advice is leave well alone. Good luck.

@Fattony12000 said:

Luckily, the amount of heroin I use is harmless, I inject about once a month on a purely recreational basis. Fine. But what about other people less stable, less educated, less middle-class than me? Builders or blacks for example. If you're one of those, my advice is leave well alone. Good luck.

My friend, let me put you in touch with this very good recovery group. They're called F.U.K.D. and B.O.M.B.D. Please consider reaching out to them.

@PrioritySeven said:

I love the music but my God are some of the sketches disturbing. Equal parts terrifying and beautiful.

The Doctor throat and the acupuncture sketches give me nightmares...

What's she trying to do, get all 'cunts of gold' or something?

And while we're at it, war!

This sounds like it's right up my alley. Can't wait to dig in.

I've uploaded my handwritten rundown of the best-of for anybody that's looking of the songs that were used or the official names of each sketch.

Jam was so godamn important but nobody saw it, such a fuckin shame