SIDE ONE:                                                         SIDE TWO:
Tunnel Trouble   21:38                          The Unreliable Wand  20:16

Scripts: Gordon Murray
Music: Freddie Phillips
Voices: Roy Skelton and Gordon Murray

Recording: Music Features
Recording Co-ordinator: Sylvia Cartner
Sleeve Design: Mario Moscardini
Photo: Gordon Murray

Also available on Cassette No. ZCM 282
© BBC 1977    (P) 1977
Graphic Reproduction: Pinepoint Ltd.
Made and Printed in England

Very rare. Good copies sell for about £10 to £20.

This text from back of Rubovia LP cover (almost word-for-word the same as the cassette tape insert) is based on a short article written by Gordon Murray for the Radio Times, Aug 3rd, 1960:

“A GUIDE TO RUBOVIA CASTLE”

This poetic masterpiece, bearing the simple title ‘Welcome’, appears on the cover page of A Visitor’s Guide to Rubovia Castle, together with attractive photographs of the present King Rufus XIV and Queen Caroline (photographer, Albert Weatherspoon).

The casual visitor, having parted with two Rubovian crowns to cover the cost of entrance fee and guide-book, will be conducted round the spacious grounds of Rubovia Castle by the official guide (A. Weatherspoon). He will soon discover that this ancient residence of the head of the royal house of Trum de Trum, ruler of Rubovia, has much to offer.

The eastern battlements, for example, and the lower half of the Round Tower date back to the fifteenth century, when King Rufus III became tired of living in a sheepskin tent. The South Wing was added later by Rufus VI (Known as ‘Rufus the Ruffian’), the West Wing by Rufus IX, and the spacious kitchens by Rufus XII (‘Rufus the Ravenous’).

The present King, Rufus XIV, was responsible for certain improvements to the plumbing, the work being carried out by the old-established firm of Weatherspoon & Cat Ltd.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Bank Holidays some of the State Rooms are open to the public (at a small extra fee, payable in advance). Here can be seen some of Rubovia’s priceless art treasures, including the silver-guilt chess table, used frequently by King Rufus for his games of draughts, and the magnificent rococo organ. This fabulous instrument is frequently used for concerts given by the Master of the King's Musick, Mr. Albert Weatherspoon. It is one-cat-powered and is equipped with cymbal, drum and pneumatically controlled bonker.

Sometimes a quick glimpse may be had of the Queen’s baby dragon, Pongo, and on one or two occasions this engaging little animal has actually been known to oblige visitors by lighting their cigarettes with his breath. But the most impressive thing about Rubovia Castle is probably the air of peace and tranquility which pervades its rooms and corridors—a peace which is shattered only when the Queen has one of her money-making ideas.

In the two stories told on this gramophone record you will find the atmosphere will be anything but peaceful!

THE RUBOVIA TELEVISION PROGRAMMES
The first “Rubovia” puppet play was transmitted ‘live’ by BBC Television in December 1955. Entitled “The Queen’s Dragon”, it was performed by string marionettes. Later, 26 stories were filmed and these were transmitted regularly until 1964,

Recently, six of the plays have been re-made in colour, with newly-designed puppets and settings, using the “stop-motion” method of animation.

© GORDON MURRAY, April 1977

SIDE ONE:                                SIDE TWO:
Tunnel Trouble

Tunnel Trouble              The Unreliable Wand

Scripts: Gordon Murray
Music: Freddie Phillips
Voices: Roy Skelton and Gordon Murray

Recording: Music Features
Recording Co-ordinator: Sylvia Cartner

Also available on LP No. REC 282
© BBC 1977    (P) 1977
Manufactured & Distributed by Pye Records (Sales) Ltd.
Made and Printed in England

Very rare. Good copies sell for about £12.

SIDE TWO, TRACK 4:
Rubovia
'Gavot' (m) 1:05
'Scherzando' (m) 0:42
'Minuet' coda (m) 0:32
Composed and played by Freddie Philips.
Recorded and published by Music mf Features.

(The Rubovia music on this LP is from
the 1976 stop-motion television series)

SIDE ONE:
1) Play Away:
       Theme (s)
       Superstition (s)
2) Dr. Who:
       Theme (s)
       The World of Dr. Who (s)
3) Blue Peter:
       Opening Theme 'Barnacle Bill' (s)
       Kum Ba Yah (m)
4) Magic Roundabout:
       Theme (m)
       Chigley
       The Dutch Organ (m)
       Song of the Fair (m)
5) Fourth Dimension:
       Theme (s)
6) Ring A Ding:
       Theme (m)
       Ricky and his aeroplane (s)
7) Trumpton:
       Trumpton Town Clock (m)
       Fireman Bold (m)
       The Band Concert (m)
8) Ragtime:
       Theme (s)
       I'm going to see the world (s)

5) The Record Breakers:
       Theme (s)
6) Anne of Avonlea:
       Theme (m)
7) Vision On:
       Closing Theme 'Java' (s)
8) Moonbase3:
       Theme (s)
9) Play School:
       Theme (s)
       Wouldn't it be funny? (s)

Points of Interest: The Rubovia story LP (BBC Record: REC 282, see above) interestingly does not use Freddie Phillips' three tunes in the order listed here. Specifically, the 'intro' tune in the LP version of both Tunnel Trouble and The Unreliable Wand is 'Minuet' coda, rather than 'Gavot', and the 'outro' tune is again 'Minuet' coda, repeated twice, linked by another section not included here. The 'Govot' tune, which is presented first here is merely used as a mid-story linking piece in the LP version of The Unreliable Wand. The middle tune Scherzando is one of several linking pieces used in the LP version of Tunnel Trouble, but is not used in The Unreliable Wand. All the pieces except 'Gavot' were speeded up on the Rubovia LP, perhaps to make room for dialogue that was probably not needed in the actual television films.

The change of tune order is perhaps an indication that Gordon Murray changed his mind as to which of Freddie Phillps' tunes was to be the actual theme music for the stop-motion "Rubovia" television series, which did not hit the television airwaves until 1976. Or perhaps the tune order was changed just for the Rubovia LP. This is all the more interesting since a 'coda' is normally a closing section of a composition or an added ending, rather than an introduction.

The Music from BBC Children's Programmes LP also has music from Gordon Murray's Chigley and Camberwick Green television series (Side 1, track 4; Side 2, track 3).

Track 13:  Rubovia - Freddie Phillips
Freddie Phillips Music MF Features (P) BBC
Sleeve notes by Ed Stewart
(This is the theme tune from the 1976 stop-motion television series)

© 1997 Koch International
(P) 1997 BBC Worldwide Music
Made in UK
Somewhat rare. Mint copies sell for about £12.

Points of Interest: Theme tunes from three of Gordon Murray's other television series,  “Trumpton”, “Chigley”, and “Camberwick  Green” (also by Freddie Phillips), are presented on tracks 6, 12 and 14 of this CD. 

Inside the CD sleeve is a picture of what at first glance looks like Windy Miller from “Trumpton”, but is actually a clone named Windows Miller, made by Richard Evans of Trumptonweb  (The original Windy Miller no longer exists.) The Windy Miller shown on the front of the sleeve is the original.