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Post by bohnny on Jan 9, 2016 6:16:21 GMT
Thanks for all these recommendation. Certainly hoping Big Finish will do a massive Dark Shadows sale for the 50th so I can pick up a bunch. The bundles are pretty (ie very) good value - in Australia, 6 releases for $33 on download - $5.50 each. Once I'd decided I wanted to get into this range (and then got hooked), I was able to catch up pretty quickly by going this route. Obviously this assumes you want to get consecutive releases.
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Post by chris606 on Jan 16, 2016 21:48:36 GMT
I just want to say how happy i am to be back in the Dark Shadows Forum. I've missed this so much. I bumped in to Bobod at a Big Finish event today and he told me about this forum having been set up.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2016 23:31:58 GMT
I just want to say how happy i am to be back in the Dark Shadows Forum. I've missed this so much. I bumped in to Bobod at a Big Finish event today and he told me about this forum having been set up. I'm really glad to have this forum too, I only discovered it recently. Nice to see you here!
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Post by gljohnson17 on Jan 17, 2016 4:25:52 GMT
Can someone explain the STAR system....
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Post by Rob Morris on Jan 17, 2016 13:54:12 GMT
Glad you made your way to us, Chris - and everyone!
I think the stars indicate forum participation. The more you have posted the more stars you get.
Although apparently I don't get any - presumably as I'm in the Big Finish Creative Team group. Oh well!
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Post by gljohnson17 on Jan 20, 2016 23:15:54 GMT
Hmmmm. Seems like there are quite a number of stars and names.... from Moderator to Gallifryan.
Can I be LARGE MEMBER. wink Wink. Nudge nudge.
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Post by Trace on Jan 23, 2016 3:18:11 GMT
I wouldn't do the suggested starting at the beginning (#3) - the earlier ones are often very... sedate... and very aimed at people who already know the show. Same with the earliest full casts. You can always backtrack. I had to do later audios before I could do the earlier ones. Hmmm, I agree that the earliest audios might not be the best place to start, but I think moody and atmospheric (not that unlike the OS at times) might be slightly more accurate a description? I certainly don't think of the earlier audios as uneventful, at least. I like the description of "moody and atmospheric" better than "sedate". There is a tragic beauty to many of the early audios that I do miss having once in a while, because it could be terrifying. I don't think any of them were ever sedate. Don't get me wrong...I think Bloodlust and the recent audios are among the best ever. The range really hit its stride under Joe Lidster and James Goss, and then David Darlington. But a new listener would do themself a tremendous disservice to miss out on Stuart Manning's stuff as well. It still holds up--and granted, I was very familiar with the TV series. But if the audios give you a desire to see the tv series, great! But, start with what you have, and Bloodlust, House by the Sea and the pre-Bloodlust (1973) series, and then the post-Bloodlust series (45-50), but then DEFINITELY go back and get all of the others, a bit at a time as your budget allows. Take advantage of any sales that BF offers on bundles--and pick up some on Amazon if you need to fill in missing ones. There are NONE that I would recommend skipping.
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Post by omega on Jan 23, 2016 3:41:36 GMT
A lot of the early ones feature characters who don't appear as often in later audios, if at all, once they become more full cast (around #33). There are some loose arcs there (Quentin, Trask family, Tony and Cassandra), but most of the stories are much more self-contained than 2013 onward. The first ten releases or so are more about a character looking back on their past (usually during a stay at Windcliff) and set during the events of the TV show. Clothes of Sand takes place after Maggie escapes Barnabas' captivity and Echoes of Insanity takes place when Willie is shot.
If you're going to listen to the 1973 arc (the 2013 stories Beneath the Veil to Beyond the Grave), I'd recommend The House by the Sea and Dreaming of the Water first. Both take place shortly before the events of Beneath the Veil. BtV begins where DotW ends, and it's always nice to be aware of context.
It's always good to try and avoid spoilers. The plot twists can be very clever, and coming across them in the stories is more interesting than reading an online synopsis or forum post.
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bobod
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Post by bobod on Feb 18, 2016 12:09:16 GMT
Speak No Evil, with Arthur Darvill, is another highlight. The story is strong and stand-alone. I've just heard that for the first time - meaning I have now heard every BF DS audio. I wouldn't have been able to tell you that was Arthur, if I hadn't seen the credits.
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bobod
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 2,759
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Post by bobod on Feb 18, 2016 12:12:53 GMT
Hmmmm. Seems like there are quite a number of stars and names.... from Moderator to Gallifryan. Can I be LARGE MEMBER. wink Wink. Nudge nudge. FULL member sounds a bit winky and nudgey too.
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Tony Jones
Chancellery Guard
Professor Chronotis
Still rockin' along!
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Post by Tony Jones on Feb 18, 2016 13:14:00 GMT
Hmmmm. Seems like there are quite a number of stars and names.... from Moderator to Gallifryan. Can I be LARGE MEMBER. wink Wink. Nudge nudge. Happy to take suggestions for less saucy names!
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bobod
Chancellery Guard
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Post by bobod on Feb 18, 2016 13:37:37 GMT
Hmmmm. Seems like there are quite a number of stars and names.... from Moderator to Gallifryan. Can I be LARGE MEMBER. wink Wink. Nudge nudge. Happy to take suggestions for less saucy names! Or for saucier ones?
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Post by jason on Mar 25, 2016 12:12:40 GMT
You might want to watch this 17-minute clip from the show at youtube, where Barnabas Collins meets Dr. Julia Hoffman, posing as a historian researching the Collins family ancestors, when in reality she's trying to determine if Barnabas is a vampire. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZ77rh_Q5wThat was really cool, thanks for that!
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Post by anothermanicmondas on Mar 26, 2016 17:04:11 GMT
I started off focussing on the tales of the 19th century cast and assembled a listening guide based on my opinions posting it on the old BF forum. They fit in arcs (listed in brackets) which have story climaxes referring back to the events of earlier releases - other than that, the sequence doesn't matter too much.
1840s cast 28 Speak No Evil (Collinwood) Note: A good first story to listen to introducing Collinwood and the reputation of the Collins family.
39 Curtain Call (Faye) Note: the Quentin in this story is not the same Quentin featured in later stories This foreshadows events in the 1973 arc
1897 cast 24 Dress Me in Dark Dreams (Collinwood) Note: the final lines include a reference to Judith’s future which have more meaning if you know the events of 07 so you may wish to listen to that first
14 The Doll House (Collinwood, Quentin) Note: not recommended as a first story as un-typical of the series
07 The Wicked and the Dead (Collinwood, Trask) Note – some thematic similarities to 14 so you may wish to listen to something in-between for variety
15 The Blind Painter (Quentin and Amanda) Notes – Quentin and Amanda are only mentioned but this is very relevant to their later stories. 21 The Crimson Pearl ties in with this
05 The Skin Walkers (Quentin) Notes – Angelique only appears in the 1990s framing sequence (the 1990s sequence continues in 06 the Path of Fate), not recommended as a first story as narration heavy
11 Blood Dance (Quentin)
32 A Collinwood Christmas (Collinwood) Collinwood Arc Climax: recommended previous listening : 24, 14 and 07
18 The Carrion Queen (Trask)
19 The Poisoned Soul (Trask, Faye)
13 London’s Burning (Quentin’s War Years, Faye)
26 The Fall of the House of Trask (Trask, Faye) Trask/Faye Arc Climax: Recommended previous listening : 07, 18, 19, 13 Note – a prologue/prequel to a 70s/80s storyline
17 The Creeping Fog (Quentin’s War Years)
27 Operation Victor (Quentin’s War Years) Quentin’s War Years Arc Climax: Recommended previous listening : 05, 13, 17
25 The Eternal Actress (Amanda)
44 The Darkest Shadow (Quentin and Amanda) Amanda Arc Climax: Recommended previous listening: 15, 25
31 The Haunted Refrain (Quentin) Note: this picks up where 44 left off and leads into Quentin’s joining the 20th century cast in the TV series
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