Also, my initial comment was largely uninformed by any real exploration of facts. Sorry about that. Looking at the the BBC Transcription Service Pop Spectacular series, there seems to be no overlap with KBFH that I can see, so I was rambling and wasting my time with that thread.
What's interesting about the BBC Transcription Service quads based on Soundfield's comment above is that they were specifically mixed and issued for overseas audiences, which I gather means that quad radio broadcasting wasn't a trend over here in the 70's. That leads me to a curious question. Quad was mildly popular in the US (with loads of releases in the 70's and a number of major market radio stations broadcasting in both stereo and quad) and a fair number of German prog/Krautrock bands did quad releases as well (though I have no idea whether quad systems were popular in Germany or if it was just that American's were buying albums in quad, so there was a market), and I know it was popular in Japan. And back in the US, there is currently clearly a strong market for multi-channel recordings on SACD, DVD and Blu Ray. But since moving here (to the UK) I've seen almost no old quad LP's in 2nd hand shops (and the one or two, I recall, were US pressings). And apart from the stuff coming out of Steven Wilson's studio and Dutton-Vocalion (which both seem to have big followings in the US), I've seen very little quad or 5.1 releases released on UK labels that are sold in shops (and I've not once seen a Dutton release in a retail store, though I get that Dutton doesn't seem to focus on retail). But it's clear that Europe has an audience for surround (the Moody Blues 5.1's came out in the EU, Talking Heads CD/DVD sets are still in print over here). But while a few shops carry the Steven Wilson surround mixes (King Crimson, XTC, whatever's still available and popular), shops tend to look a bit confused when I inquire about surround releases. So, is (or was) multi-channel audio a thing that interests UK listeners anywhere near to the extent that it interests US listeners? I've been to many shops in the US that have expansive separate sections for SACD and DVD/Blu Ray audio...surround and audiophile sections. But shops here just tend to say "we never see that stuff", one owner of a rather large shop with a large section of used CD's simply said he's never gotten anything like that in his shop. Lack of interest over here could explain why, perhaps, a label might be able to issue fairly dubious "surround" releases without much criticism. But I'm just not clear whether or not there is measurable interest in surround in the UK. I would love to see some of the major releases in boxed sets (Beatles, Pink Floyd, solo Beatles) generate more interest and more releases. But I'm uncertain whether what I'm seeing isn't just a coincidence of the particular shops I've gone into (which are many) or whether it is indicative of a difference in interest over here.
Please, anyone from the UK, do not misread this as disparagement of the UK, it is only my own curiosity based on my experience as a resident of the UK for only the past few years. I accept that I may be completely clueless here. I also accept that this may look like a sprawling mess of a comment.
........ and does anybody actually watch BBC3?
