The Hammond: A Vital Organ

Introduction
The Hammond: A Vital Organ was a 2-part dcumentary presented by John Walters which traced the history of the Hammond organ, an instrument that survived decades of changing musical fashions. It was first broadcast in 2001, the year of Walters' death, and its most recent repeat was on BBC Radio 6 Music in 2014, whence the downloads below are taken. As usual, Walters adopted an amusing and whimsical style, as can be glimpsed from his introduction to the first episode: "'Wasn't it Woody Allen who once described the brain as his second favourite organ? Well, I wonder then if his favourite organ could have been the Hammond? Doubt it, somehow. I mean, he's like me, an old jazzer, part of a breed for whom the Hammond held about as much allure as a garlic clove in Transylvania. For a start, it was electric. And yet, I've been close to the Hammond: my next-door neighbour (and it was a terrace) played the Hammond, and most evenings we'd settle down and hear a selection from The Jolson Story coming through the walls. But he was a gentleman and he never played past News At Ten.'"

Music
*The narration was accompanied by music tracks in which the Hammond was used.
 * 1) Booker T And The MGs: 'Soul Limbo'
 * 2) Jimmy Smith: 'Walk On The Wild Side'
 * 3) Ethel Smith: 'Tico Tico'
 * 4) Procol Harum: 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale'
 * 5) Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll and The Trinity: 'This Wheel's On Fire'
 * 6) Brian Auger: 'Indian Rope Man'
 * 7) Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg: 'Je T'Aime, Moi Non Plus'
 * 8) Stef Meeder: 'All Kinds Of Everything'
 * 9) Nice: 'Top Gear Theme'
 * 10) Nice: 'America'
 * 11) Bob Marley & The Wailers: 'No Woman No Cry'
 * 12) James Last: 'If I Had A Hammer'
 * 13) Klaus Wunderlich: 'Swinging Relations, Foxtrott'

Available

 * Pending