Just wanting to know if others has weird sounds during the Flashez Episode the other night. Mine started unfrtunately during the PUnk ROck section. Sounded like mobile phone interference. My phone does not do that, and I turned it off incase. But the sounds kept going on, was it just my end or did others hear it during the FULL "Flashez" Episode???

Nice to know it wasn't just my reception Jason! It did indeed sound like mobile interference and I did the same!

The question remains... what caused it?!!!

Thank goodness it wasn't just my end, I thought it wouldn't be...

The question does indeed remain, what caused it?... Hmmm... Maybe when they were transfering the Flashez EPisode to be played for Saturday's show, someone had their mobile ring and it interfered and made the final sound for programming do that???

I heard that as well. I thought it was my phone, as it was sitting next to the TV, but it was turned off.

I heard it during the segment of Flashez when JPY and others were sitting around in the studio talking. I just assumed it went with the picture, being so old and probably never shown since its first airing.

Hi Jason & hi all,

I'm an archivist/researcher at the ABC & I've been helping out with the retro progs this year & have been busy tracking down a few Countdown rarities...the 1975 Countdown promos & 'What Is Countdown?' items etc.

I've spent some time chasing 'Flashez' material as it is incredibly rare and I'm very happy to see more of this fascinating show presented in the 21st century on good old Rage.

The final ep of Flashez (2/12/1977) was thankfully donated to us and was ex VHS. However, there were a few visual/audio glitches that were inherent in the source tape.

We actually dropped in some intact Flashez titles (from another Flashez episode from the same time-frame) to replace a section of the titles that were subject to tracking problems.

Sound levels for this episode were adjusted (when originally dubbed)to ensure that there was an even as possible sound quality, but it seems that the 'mobile phone' interference sounds could not be removed (if they were, I'd imagine we'd lose all of the sound). So sadly, that was all we had.

Good news however(and you won't believe this), is that I have only very recently tracked down a superior copy of this same episode, that I am in the process of obtaining for the ABC, from a generous collector so this episode will sound a lot better in future!

Love the site,

cheers,
john ;)

WOW, thanks John for that info... Very interesting. Thank goodness it wasn't my phone, I knew it couldn't have been!

Well thank goodness for you John, making rage quite interesting last Saturday night...

Oh, glad you love my site ***

Wow John - that is great to get a response from you. I must admit to walking around several times looking for my mobile phone before realising it was definitely on the actual footage.

From my end - it was just soooooo good to see that particular ep again (Ray was so **** hot in it !) that I wasnt caring about the quality!

Thanks chaps!

I'm glad you are enjoying some of this stuff, its so brilliant seeing it broadcast again.

I can't take all of the credit, with the Rage folks & Simon also digging deep into the archives for treasure!.. & we wouldn't have a final ep of Flashez without the help of the legendary Mr Burgess who gave us a copy.

To John,

Is it possible that you could email me privately

boybowie@tpg.com.au

I have some things I would like to ask you, if that is cool?

Thanks to you John and the ABC team for airing the final Flashez episode, no matter it's condition. That we have it at all is a minor miracle.

I used to bolt home from school every week day to watch the show and was sad when it was axed.

Is there any intention to airing the other 3 complete episodes that Ray gave to the ABC?

Cheerz.

Glad to see people are enjoying the Flashez bits & pieces...

We do have the other three Flashez eps that Ray Burgess has kindly donated, plus another two that I tracked down last year...hopefully we'll see more of them somewhere on ABC TV in the future.

COOL! ***

Yes, Thank you for playing the final Flashez episode. Could someone tell me the reason why it was cancelled?. The show was very popular when it was on. Some people said it was too popular and it was taking some of Countdowns target audience. Was this all just a rumour?

The more Flashez the better

As well as Flashez I'd like to see more GTK clips similar to the one from last year that had a male model talking about australian fashion in 1971 or 1972 IIRC..or was that Flashez?

It was GTK that had the male models.

As I am not a huge 70's fan I am quite surprised how much I love Flashez. I actually am entertained when watching it, but when i watch 1976/77 Countdown's I am bored stiff.

Countdown heaven starts at 1979 for me. So Flashez was I think VERY interesting for it's time as. as I think it has quite an exciting vibe...

Could someone tell me the reason why it was cancelled?. The show was very popular when it was on. Some people said it was too popular and it was taking some of Countdowns target audience. Was this all just a rumour?

It wasn't just a rumour. Flashez became very popular very quickly because it's target audience lapped it up for the quality teen music/youth culture/magazine show it was. Ray & Mike lounged around on bean bags and seemingly chatted to us and each other with nonchalant (and unscripted) ease, just like we did. They spoke in youth language and slang, like we did, They talked about the bands and the things we liked and wanted to see in a way that suggested they were just like us. I loved the casual format.

As for it's demise, Peter Wilmoth summed it up best;

"Countdown, the steamroller, killed Flashez because it represented competition that was not appreciated."

Well, with John getting some more eps' from Ray. One can only hope we get to see the further 3 FULL episodes next January.

It is such ashame that one has to count on only January on rage for treats like Flashez, Countdown and Rock Arena!... With the extended ABC channels these programs SHOULD be played. It would be such an obvious AMAZING and LEGENDARY rating success!

I think it is time for a SERIOUS stand and petition on this one guys, agree?

Thanks Jetboy, I had always remembered that rumour since the day it was taken off the air. I never missed an episode of Flashez when it was on. It was sad to see it go.

To me Countdown was for kids - up to 16 or 18 - especially in the 70s.

But Flashez was aimed more at over 18's. Those who were moving out of home and building their own perfect stereo system that they could deafen their neighbours with. That made it the "cooler" show at the time.

I was only 9 or 10 but I hung around 18 and 19 year old mega muso fans and they worshipped Ray and the show - and so of course I did too. He was my first full blown crush. The first poster I ever hung on my walls! (I think I drunkenly told him this many years later LOL )

And its so great that Ray has preserved his own collection of tapes of the shows. Anyone who has helped restore Aus TV history from the 70s gets a lot of respect from me given the propensity for the TV stations themselves to just tape over everything in sight !!!!

Agreed.

That every master tape of Sound Unlimited/Sounds is now buried in a suburban landfill is disgraceful in my opinion.

Don't get me started with Sounds!

There are NO words to descxribe how vile it is that Channel 7 destroyed all the Sounds episodes.

It is beyond ... OH MY GAWD!... I think I better stop typing now!!!

How stoopid of Channel 7 there was some classic moments on that show Sounds unlimited.. I remember one classic segment had Robert Smith (Cure) on the show in 1980 (I think) and they called upon help with instruments/gear from the public...ah memories... and the Barry Whites Love Theme as well the Theme lol...
I met Donnie Sutherland when I was 15 and have kept his autograph all these years..yee gawd lol

Wow didn't know ch7 destroyed every episode that's pathetic. Imagine if ch9 wiped all the episodes of Hey Hey? Makes what happened to Countdown seem not so bad by comparison..

It has been a point of contention as to why Flashez was axed.

From reading a number of posts here and from speaking to people who were regular viewers of the series, it seems that the program catered to a different niche/demographic than Countdown.

I have viewed the debut episode of Flashez (that is safe 'n' sound in the ABC & National Archives) and this episode sets up the format for the series, explaining that there would be a different 'topic' focus on different days of the week. This 'magazine' format was devised by Flashez' Executive Producer, George Pugh.

You'd have a focus on music on one day (interviews & music clips), consumer affairs issues on another (Wednesdays if I recall correctly, with Helen Wellings in 1976), movies would be previewed & reviewed on another day (eg Star Wars' Mark Hamill was interviewed at the Sydney Opera House for the show in 1977).

There were also a series of reports filed by (the late) Stephen MacLean from the USA & UK and the show ran five days a week all with not a huge budget (from what I've been told).

One former producer on the show believes that the impending 'C Classification' (then in development) also might have had an impact on the show's cancellation and the move away from from producing teen/young adults shows by the ABC. It would be interesting to know if this was the case.

It is also interesting to note that both Ray Burgess & Mike Meade both appeared on Countdown (Flashez ran a story on the taping of a Countdown episode in Sydney in 1977)

I could imagine that the Countdown embargo on using clips first, before other music programs (including Flashez) had potential to erase the word 'harmonious' from the phrase 'harmonious working relationship' but it seems that searching for other less commercial film clips, or simply making their own clips, worked to Flashez' advantage ('unearthing' & giving some national exposure to a young Midnight Oil or playing incredibly rare material from bands like Deaf School).

Some comments in this thread about Flashez viewers relating to the hosts (Ray & Mike) have been really interesting and I have recently read 'Glad All Over' which has provided some fascinating food for thought on the topic (a great read too!)

Hello again,

Just to sort of correct myself a little with the last posting re: the 'ABC moving away from producing teen/young adults progs'...I meant this in the context of presenting shows that featured music clips, advice for teens etc, during the afternoon time-slot...later in the 1980s more music clips started to creep back in to afternoon shows like 'Jam Sandwich', and the 'Afternoon' shows with James Valentine & Michael Tunn (I'm sure that people can think of/remember other ABC shows like these)