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Music

Listen Back to a Fantastic BBC Documentary About 90s UK Rave Culture Right Now

Stuart Maconie's 'Second Summer of Love' is a fantastic overview of a moment in time that we'll never forget.

When you think about Radio 2, what do you think of? Maybe it's the robotic voice that introduces Ken Bruce's Popmaster quiz. It might be Steve Wright's Factoids. A Guys and Dolls deep cut courtesy of Elaine Paige? If you're a real head, it might even be your old mate Brian Matthews wishing you farewell at the end of another episode of Sounds of the 60s. You might think of Murray Mints and long car journeys, comfort blankets and road atlases, milky, sugary tea and the faint whiff of austerity nostalgia. You probably, definitely actually, don't think about Ibiza or drugs or massive raves or the second summer of love.

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One man wants to change that. Last night, avuncular professional northerner Stuart Maconie took his listeners on a journey into the loved up heart of the UK's raving heyday. The programme, Ebeneezer Goode - The Second Summer of Love, was part of the station's series The People's Songs which as the title suggests, attempts to craft a kind of pop-anthology narrative of the nation's cultural interests via the medium of song. Which, when you think about it, is a very Radio 2 kind of project indeed.

Over the course of an hour, Maconie's an interesting and interested guide, walking us through the highs and lows of the last time it really felt like youth culture had any chance of changing things here for the better. This one's well worth a listen during your lunch break. If you can't find the time today, don't fret - the show's available for another 29 days.

Listen to Ebeneezer Goode - The Second Summer of Love on the BBC iPlayer.