This exceptionally well recorded time capsule was contributed to the site by Ray Fox. This was a commentary that David Marsden did a few iterations of around 1979. I have heard one clip of a different version of this on the web but the quality of that one is poor.
Ray kept the song placement just as it was on the original broadcast and here is what he had to say about how it was recorded and why it sounds so good:
I recorded the original file in 1979 on reel-to-reel. In 1988 I copied it to a very high end cassette deck. And in 1997 I copied it again to a Sony Mini Disc recorder. So the quality did not diminish too much.
I have an Adobe Audition audio program that I can fix up the sound quality and create musical projects.
I used an Akai reel-to-reel and a Yamaha cassette deck. The songs and programming are identical to what he used, except the last song, “Spirit of the Age.” The Marsden excerpt was taken from one of my CFNY mix tapes, in which that song was the next one on my tape.
A big thanks to Ray for letting us hear this again and keep an eye out for a few future CFNY contributions from him.
Speaking of Spirit of The Age and Hawkwind, I recall Hearing the group played by perhaps Bruce Heyding when CFNY was still CHIC FM and I was maybe one of three people listening to them on Wired City Cable back in 1976/77. Went and bought the album Quark Strangeness and Charm from which the track is taken and still have the vinyl to this day.
Another early memory I have of Hawkwind is Mr. Marsden playing the track Silver Machine on CHUM FM a few times around 1973/74.