Mastertapes

With six Grammys, three Emmys and two Oscars (from 20 Academy Award nominations) - to say nothing of his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and membership of both the Songwriters and the Rock & Roll Halls of Fame - means that Randy Newman has one of the most crowded mantelpieces in the world of popular entertainment.

In this special edition of MASTERTAPES the legendary singer-songwriter and composer talks to John Wilson about 'Sail Away' – the album that Rolling Stone magazine described as “a work of genius” when it was released forty-five years ago.

Already with a good dozen years under his belt as a professional song writer (he was only 28 years old when this album was released), with 'Sail Away' we see an artist able to combine biting wit, novelistic complexity and a deep understanding of the contradictions of the American psyche with sumptuous melodies and restrained arrangements. Nowhere more so than with 'Lonely At The Top’ (originally written with Frank Sinatra in mind), ‘You Can Leave Your Hat On’ (later recorded by Tom Jones for The Full Monty), ‘God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)’ and the austere title track that kicks off the album.

MASTERTAPES is recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios. Each edition includes two parts, with John Wilson initially quizzing the artist about their career defining album, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts some of the questions. Both feature exclusive live performances.

Producer: Paul Kobrak

John Wilson continues with the series in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios.

The legendary TOM JONES talks to John Wilson about `Praise and Blame' - the first of a trilogy of albums that would take him back to his musical roots.

Described as a musical "shape shifter" who could "slide from soulful rasp to pop croon, with a voice as husky as it was pretty" (The New York Times), Tom Jones' career has spanned six decades, selling over 100 million records. In 2010, he released an album of largely unknown gospel covers, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe's Strange Things, Pop Staples' Don't Knock and John Lee Hooker's Burning Hell. The album's stripped-down, live production (by Ethan Johns) led one critic to declare "at last Jones the artist is the match of Jones the entertainer" (The Guardian).

Tom Jones discusses the making of `Praise and Blame', responds to questions from the audience and performs acoustic live versions of some of the tracks from the album.

John Wilson continues with the series in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios.

CRAIG DAVID talks and plays his way back to 2000 and his debut album, "Born To Do It", which went on to sell 8 million copies world-wide.

Recorded and released when Craig David was only 18 years old, the album includes the hits, Fill Me In, Walking Away, Rendezvous and 7 Days. Described as a '2-step garage' and R&B album, Born To Do It draws heavily on electro beats, garage and hip hop. It became (and remains) the fastest-selling debut studio album ever by a British male solo act.

Sixteen years later, a more mature Craig David released his 6th studio album, Following My Intuition, which followed in the footsteps of his debut and became his second record to debut at Number 1.

Craig David talks to John Wilson, responds to questions from the audience and performs acoustic live versions of some to the tracks from his first No 1 album and the second which was a further 16 years in the waiting.

John Wilson returns with another edition of Mastertapes, the series in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios.

"Love, Death and the Lady" with Shirley Collins.

Released in 1970 on the Harvest label (also home to Deep Purple, Kevin Ayers and Pink Floyd), Love Death & the Lady exuded a darkness that reflected Shirley's own personal loneliness at the time. With tracks like The Outlandish Knight, The Oxford Girl and Geordie, the album revolves around the themes of murder, class conflict and betrayal.

Shirley Collins began the 1970s releasing what is now regarded by many as one of her finest albums... and she ended the decade by losing her singing voice through dysphonia. Yet she remains revered today by the likes of Graham Coxon, Billy Bragg, Stewart Lee, Jonny Greenwood and Angel Olsen.

Shirley Collins responds to questions from the audience and performs acoustic live versions of songs from her new album, the first she has released in 38 years.

John Wilson returns with another edition of Mastertapes, in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then the audience puts the questions.

John Wilson returns with another edition of Mastertapes, the programme in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then the audience puts the questions.

This time John talks to Laura Marling about her 2013 album 'Once I was An Eagle.'

Laura Marling was only 18 when she released her first album... only 21 one when she won the Brit Award for the Best British Female solo Artist... and only 23 when she released the album described as "a masterpiece, and... she's still only getting started" (The Daily Telegraph).

Produced by Ethan Johns, Once I Was An Eagle included tracks like Master Hunter, Where Can I Go? and Saved These Words, deemed to be "her most lyrically mature work... also the most musically satisfying" (The Independent). On the strength of this album she's been referred to as one of the "greatest singer-songwriters of both her generation and generations before it" (Clash Magazine).

Complete versions of the songs performed in the programme (and others) can be heard on the 'Mastertapes' pages on the Radio 4 website, where the programmes can also be downloaded and other musical goodies accessed.

On the eve of the sixth series of Mastertapes (which features the likes of Laura Marling, Graham Nash and Shirley Collins) there is another chance to hear the Mastertapes special, in which Paul McCartney joins John Wilson. Recorded in the iconic BBC Maida Vale studios, they discuss songwriting, Paul's solo career in the years immediately after The Beatles, his recent collaborations with Kanye West, and working with the likes of George Martin, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and - obviously - John Lennon. He also takes questions from an audience that includes Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher and Brad Pitt.

Producer Paul Kobrak.

Following on from the A-side of this two-part programme, the audience ask Nigel Kennedy questions about his record-breaking 1989 recording of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.

Series in which leading performers and songwriters talk about the album that made them or changed them.

With John Wilson at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios in London.

Nigel also performs exclusive excerpts from his classical and jazz repertoire.

Producers: Paul Kobrak and John Goudie.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2016.

Nigel Kennedy talks about his record breaking 1989 recording of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.

Series in which leading performers and songwriters talk about the album that made them or changed them.

Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios, each edition includes two episodes - the A-side and B-side.

In the A-side, Nigel Kennedy. talks to John Wilson about the best-selling classical work of all time.

Having trained at both the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music and the Juilliard School in New York, Nigel Kennedy has developed into one of the most popular classical musicians of his generation. This in no small part is due to the phenomenal success of his recording of The Four Seasons in 1989. At the time he explained that he set out to use "every kind of technique I know" to communicate his feeling for the music to his listeners.

Kennedy's passion for non-classical music has seen him play alongside The Who and Kate Bush, record violin-based versions of songs by The Doors and Jimi Hendrix, and release an album for the jazz label Blue Note Sessions. However, The Four Seasons retains a special place in his repertoire, and in 2015 he released a completely fresh take on Vivaldi's violin concertos.

Nigel Kennedy talks about the album that earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records, and performs exclusive excerpts from the concertos that helped make him famous.

In the B-side of the programme, it's the turn of the audience to ask the questions.

Producers: Paul Kobrak

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2016.

Following on from the A-side of this two-part programme, the audience ask Bellowhead questions about their 2010 album, 'Hedonism'.

Series in which leading performers and songwriters talk about the album that made them or changed them.

With John Wilson at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios in London.

Bellowhead also perform exclusive live acoustic versions of some to the key tracks from the album.

Producer: Paul Kobrak

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2016.