Recorded in 1974 for the What Now? tv documentary series, this rare surviving interview with Reg Omeroyd traces his musical development, his inspirations and gives insight into daily life, both at Ousewater Television and in the Lounge Bar Orchestra. The interview also examines Omeroyd's meeting with Frank Zappa and the details of a potential collaborative project with Graham Greene. Never broadcast, due to legal reasons, this audio is all that remains of the hour long programme. 

Recovered from the attic in the home of Omeroyd's third wife, Pamela Didcott-Frear, this tape recording was badly degraded and needed careful restoration.

Special thanks to the technical team at the Omeroyd Foundation and Archive.

5 But That's By The By

Forget Watergate! Listen to Reg Omeroyd and his Lounge Bar Orchestra. 

THE LOUNGE BAR ORCHESTRA, REG OMEROYD AND OUSEWATER TELEVISION
On the 3rd of October 1975 Reg Omeroyd waved goodbye to his colleagues at Ousewater Television Studios, climbed into his almost new Ford Taunus TC coupé and drove off. The composer had just finished recording the theme music for Ousewater’s next big thing and, on the face of it, everything was good in the life of the 52 year old. 

The Lounge Bar Orchestra, the group of in-house musicians put together by Omeroyd in 1968 when the Ousewater Television Studios opened, were at the height of their limited powers. They gelled fitfully over his scores and worked cautiously through whichever genre they were tasked to bring to life - pushing themselves in pursuit of the music vision that was known as the Omeroyd Sound. That latest theme tune, known as The Washing Line after the series it was written for, had, however, drawn moderate praise from across the industry and there was even talk of a pay rise.  

One month later, after an intensive police search and countless public appeals, Omeroyd’s car, polished and immaculate as always, was discovered in the carpark of a nearby beauty spot. Omeroyd was nowhere to be seen. The only clue to his whereabouts was a note, blurred and faded due to overnight rain, which read: Just off for a wee. Back in 5 mins. Reg Omeroyd never came back from that wee. Over the ensuing months rumours circulated that Omeroyd was an East German spy, had been abducted by aliens, or that he’d made off with the seed money raised to fund the new Washing Line tv series. None of these stories were ever substantiated. To this day nobody really knows what happened to him.
	
Crippled by debt due to a string of failed projects, Ousewater Television and Film Productions Ltd closed its doors for good on the 5th of November 1975. The brainchild of Wing Commander Jackie Baird-Lockless, Ousewater had been plagued by poor decision making since its inception. Based at a disused World War Two airfield, in the remote region of Kielder, Northumbria, the studio produced a succession of instantly forgettable tv shows and films, in an atmosphere one former employee described as “very pleasant and quite productive”. 

Nothing remains of the films and tv shows made during those heady few years at Ousewater Television. Luckily, the musical recordings were saved and placed in the hands of the Omeroyd Foundation. This and four Shell Garage crystal tumblers is his legacy.

The Lounge Bar Orchestra is a playful celebration of library and film music from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Written and recorded by Greg Healey it is a wistful backwards glance to a time when it was possible to summon fifty-odd skilled musicians to a studio in one of Europe’s major cities, pay them a pittance and get them to work quickly through a composer’s score. Greg Healey is a musician, author and music journalist. His previous music projects include HealeyIsland and Milo Moesche. Healey has written extensively about 60s and 70s children’s television and socio-political context of behind some of our most loved shows. The influences and inspiration behind The Lounge Bar Orchestra are: Keith Mansfield, Alan Hackshaw, Sven Libaek, Peter Thomas, Gert Wilden, Piero Umiliani, Piero Piccioni, Bruno Nicolai, Nora Orlandi, Vittorio Gelmetti, Stelvio Cipriani, Berto Pisano, Gianfranco Plenizio, Carlo Rustichelli, Ennio Morricone, Johnny Pearson, Barry Gray.