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The Sound Of The Hound

Dave Holley and James Hall

The Sound of the Hound is a podcast series about the people and the technology that brought recorded music to the masses in Victorian London and beyond. In it, journalist and author James Hall and music industry executive Dave Holley chronicle the adventures of the early sound pioneers as they risked life and limb to capture sound and launch the music business as we know it today. In particular, the series focuses on a genius called Fred Gaisberg. The world’s first A&R man, Fred was a nineteenth century amalgam of Steve Jobs, Simon Cowell and Indiana Jones. He travelled by cart, cargo ship and camel – from London to Italy and from Japan to India – in search of intriguing music. His – and others’ – stories have to be heard to be believed. The Sound of the Hound is brought to you by EMI Archive Trust.


James Hall is a music journalist and author. As well as being one of The Daily Telegraph’s rock and pop critics, he has written for The Times, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The FT and The Observer. James’s novel about the birth of the recorded music industry in 1890s London — The Industry of Human Happiness— was published in 2018. James’s prize possession is a very battered, very loud gramophone-in-a-suitcase from the 1920s. His neighbours are equally enamoured of it.


Dave Holley is a music business suit. He ran EMI's recording studios, including Abbey Road and Capitol Studios, and remains a trustee of The EMI Archive Trust. He is currently CEO of Wise Music Group one of the world's leading independent music publishers. If you hear a dog in the background of the podcast that is Dave's labrador Leo who joins us for the recordings, dozing as we speak. He occassionally talks in his sleep.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Top 10 The Sound Of The Hound Episodes

Best episodes ranked by Goodpods Users most listened

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05/13/20 • 31 min

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05/13/20 • 31 min

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The Caruso breakthrough

The Sound Of The Hound

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05/06/20 • 35 min

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05/06/20 • 35 min

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The last castrato

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04/29/20 • 21 min

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04/29/20 • 21 min

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Russian revolutions (part two)

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04/22/20 • 34 min

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04/22/20 • 34 min

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Russian revolutions (part one)

The Sound Of The Hound

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04/15/20 • 27 min

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04/15/20 • 27 min

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The first propaganda record

The Sound Of The Hound

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04/08/20 • 22 min

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04/08/20 • 22 min

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play

03/18/20 • 20 min

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03/18/20 • 20 min

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Fred Gaisberg arrives in London

The Sound Of The Hound

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03/09/20 • 41 min

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03/09/20 • 41 min

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#11 To India

The Sound Of The Hound

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05/18/21 • 46 min

It’s late summer 1902. Fred heads to Tilbury Docks to board the steamer SS Coromandel and set sail for India. His objective? “To open up new markets, establish agencies, and acquire a catalogue of native records,” as he puts it in his diary. And what a trip it is. Accompanied by an assistant called George Dilnutt and a few others, Gaisberg engages in some of his most daring ever recordings and kick-starts the recorded music industry on the subcontinent.


The voyage itself takes weeks. On the last night, as the Coromandel lists on the mudflats of the great Hooghly River at the entrance to Calcutta (as Kolkata was then known), the boat’s guests hold a raucous fancy dress ball. As you do. But once he disembarks, Fred soon ditches the trappings of colonial life after he discovers that Brits in India might as well “be living on another planet for all the interest they took in Indian music”. They live in walled compounds, throw tea parties and play tennis, he finds. Not what he’s come to India for. So Fred goes renegade to find his own musicians.


Visiting the theatres on Calcutta’s notorious Harrison Road – the city’s equivalent of Covent Garden – he meets a wealthy businessman who invites him to a dinner party. It’s at this party where Fred encounters one of the most fascinating voices he’ll ever hear. Gauhar Jaan is a courtesan with a huge entourage and an even bigger voice. Fred is entranced. And he ends up recording her. She goes on to become one of India’s biggest stars. Using Fred’s diaries and other historical documents, Holley and Hall retell the story, playing some of Jaan’s recordings along the way.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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05/18/21 • 46 min

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Interview with Joe Boyd

The Sound Of The Hound

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05/20/20 • 67 min

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05/20/20 • 67 min

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FAQ

How many episodes does The Sound Of The Hound have?

The Sound Of The Hound currently has 29 episodes available.

What topics does The Sound Of The Hound cover?

The podcast is about Audio, History, Music, Music History and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on The Sound Of The Hound?

The episode title 'James Hall on The Industry of Human Happiness' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Sound Of The Hound?

The average episode length on The Sound Of The Hound is 39 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Sound Of The Hound released?

Episodes of The Sound Of The Hound are typically released every 6 days, 22 hours.

When was the first episode of The Sound Of The Hound?

The first episode of The Sound Of The Hound was released on Mar 9, 2020.

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