Customer Reviews

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Primary Phase (Original BBC Radio Series)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the original BBC radio series (I know I have an old cassette copy from the early 1908's). The radio series was first, then the book, then the TV series, and now the movie. In my opinion the radio series was the best. It has all of the great lines my friend love to quote. The actors are wonderful. The sound effects make you feel like you are right there with Arthur and Ford exploring the universe. Highly recommend it. Great way to pass the time while you are driving to work.

This 3 CD package contains the original six episodes--they call them "fits"--of the BBC Radio series broadcast in 1978. Each fit is approximately 30 minutes long. There are 7-13 tracks per fit, so that you can quickly and easily go forwards or backwards in any episode--as close to hyperdrive as your going to get. The sound quality is excellent.

As the title of my review indicates, my favorite version of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the radio version. The BBC Radio broadcasts were the first medium through which The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy was introduced to the world, with the books, TV series and film coming later. Peter Jones' performance as the Book is outstanding.

That being said, I think it beneficial to read the book (if you haven't already) prior to listening to the CD's, so that you know the basic story line. I say the basic story line, because the book and the radio version differ on occasions.

Listen to these CD's in your car, and you'll arrive at your destination before you really want to--who needs an Improbability Drive.

Of all the incarnations this story has gone through, I still believe that this original BBC radiophonic production is the best!

It's great to hear this series again - however for those who are fussy about these things, you should know that there's about a minute missing from the third part, at the point where the characters land on Magrathea. Originally the characters comment on their surroundings and it's explained that the Magratheans lived underground, while Marvin hums like Pink Floyd in the background. Marvin also plays a fragment of a Beatles song. I'm guessing that this section was removed because of copyright concerns.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has had numerous incarnations: novels, TV series, an ill fated stage play, a text based video game, a full length movie, and other obscure manifestations. However, the one that started it all was in fact the 1979 radio broadcast. The series is written for the ear, and no other performance is quite like the original. Any fan of the books should be glad to own the medium that started it all.

This package collects over 99% of the original BBC radio broadcasts from 1977 and 1978 with good sound quality. The original theme music (The Eagles "Journey of the Sorcerer") at the beginning of each episode has been re-recorded (obviously not by The Eagles) and the announcer introduces each episode as "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Primary Phase", then the episode runs exactly like the 1988 audio cassette release. The radio broadcast of episode 3 (or "Fit the Third") included a few seconds of background music from Pink Floyd. The dialogue for this section was not essential to the story, so this episode is slightly shorter than the others. Also, the name of the worst poet in the history of the universe has been scrambled, since it was the actual name of a real poet who threatened legal action after the episode was broadcast. Otherwise, it is as it was. Reviewers who downloaded these episodes complained that the sound quality of the background music was not acceptable. On CD, it is possible to enjoy the sound quality of the background music (mid-1970s avant-guarde electronic music including Terence Riley, Stomu Yamashta, Fripp & Eno, and Tomita). The episodes (2 per disc) are broken down into bite-size tracks, so if you want them to run as complete half-hour episodes on your iPod, you will have to use the "Join CD Tracks" option when you load them into iTunes.

I just wanted to jump in and agree a billion percent (not impossible, just highly improbable) with the others here, especially my fellow San Diegans, that the original BBC Radio presentation is fantastic and the best of all the incarnations of The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy. I never tire of it, and it sure makes road trips fly by. There are a lot of great sound effects that come to life with headhphones too....and all this being said the books are not to be missed either. Marvin Rules!

Fantastic - a true muse of fire, crammed with so many ideas and such comedic brilliance that it is practically bursting at the seams.
All the others seem lame in comparison (which they aren't), like Charlie Chaplin's WW1 films - an ariadne's thread for all his other ideas.

If you haven't listened to the Primary Phase, don't just watch the film or read the book - it is essential that you try it on CD, as it was ground breaking in its time, and still flawless in the present.

All in all, this is an essential audio book, which has had profound effects on popular culture and is a Bible for anyone seeking to make headway (while avoiding cliche) in sci-fi, comedy or any pop culture field. Listen and be enriched!

I'll start it off saying: I was introduced to the series to the (now in my opinion horrible) movie adaptation of the book adaption of this. I saw the movie a few years ago and I loved it. Then at my library I said the TV series, I thought (at that point) that because it was older it was going to be bad, but to my surprise it was great! But I didn't think that was the end, so I borrowed the first 2 books in the series; loved them.
Then I came to this;the original.
I expected it to be god awful since I (at the time) thought radio dramas were horrible BUT since it was HGttG I thought I'd give it a go, a boy was I wrong.
This version in my opinion is the funniest and the best acted incarnation of the series.
The series takes place as an unsuspecting humans friend saves him from his home that has been destroyed by a bunch of aliens -who are basically a bunch of raving bureaucrats- and they are traveling through the galaxy, pretty much trying to survive(I won't go any further into the main plot because I don't want to spoil it, and someone else has probably already covered it)
The performance by Peter Jones by the book was GREAT(even though he did the voice in the TV series, I think he did better here) and the other actors did to.
A lot of jokes were taken out of this in the book for some reason or another and there is only 1 that I agree with(Replacing the Hagunenon Admiral with Disaster Area, though the Hagunenons were still awesome), the other omissions I dislike. The way it feels imagining the actors/characters doing things is much better than seeing them in a TV series(or movie). The presentation -though not very realistic- in my opinion fits the series much better than the other versions. I also preferred the voice of Trillian better in this than I did the actor in the TV series. This Series is great for if you just want to sit and listen to something, or are on the go.
It's really funny how the plot makes so little sense, while making so much sense.

If you're a fan of (which I am) the books, or 80's TV series, pick this up somewhere!
Even if you're a fan of the movie I'd recommend this(even though some people who like the movie probably won't like this).

I just found this link and can't wait for the CDs to arrive. This morning, I was trying to explain to my wife the THRILL of sitting around the living room with my family (we did these kinds of family-oriented things back in the 70s/80s) anxiously waiting to see which of my brothers my dad would choose to put record (33 1/3) on the hifi. Hitch was one of the funniest drama-comedy albums of my teenage years. And yes, FM/AM (Carlin) was great, but Hitchhikers went beyond funny. The trip your mind could take when you listened to the record - with the sound effects and music - how your imagination could take off. Hitch on audio rates right up there or better with the "Theatre of the Mind" radio programs - but Hitch was funny. If you haven't had the chance to listen to Hitchhikers, then this should be on your bucket list. Make sure you get the BBC version.