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The local music club that rocked the world
Friars Aylesbury was the venue of many appearances by musical town hero John Otway.
'The local music club that rocked the world' was an exhibition of memorabilia from the famous club, at Buckinghamshire County Museum, Church Street, Aylesbury. One of the exhibits was a torn piece of a jacket worn at Friars by David Bowie. Its owner is interviewed at the museum in this news clip.
Friars' Founder David Stopps was the cover star for local magazine Vale Life, with a backdrop of a photograph of the Ramones taken in 1977 by Geoff Tyrell. Insidethe mag, David is pictured with a Pink Floyd drum kit. |
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Radio Academy Gold for Tony – but did Arnold win anything?
Tony Blackburn is the recipient of the highly-prized Gold Award, in what is his 50th year of radio broadcasting, at the 32nd Radio Academy Awards. Tony was honoured at a ceremony on May 12th at London's Grosvenor House, hosted by Chris Evans. In his acceptance speech, he gave thanks to Radio Caroline and Ronan O'Rahilly and also to Phillip Birch.
The Radio Academy says:
The Gold winners' entry audio for the 2014 Radio Academy Awards will be available to listen to online.
If you want to hear what a Gold-winning entry sounds like, just head to the Official Awards Website, where you'll also find the video played on the night to celebrate Tony Blackburn's Gold Award.
Friday Night is Blackburn Night
Friday Night is Music Night, June 13th, on BBC Radio 2 celebrated Tony Blackburn's 50th on-air anniversary (Thanks to Jon Myer)
Photo: Kim Hardy Photography/The Radio Academy |
The In Crowd
Graham Hall, who presents programmes on Lincoln City Radio writes:
"My colleague Phil Pask conducted an interview with Dave Walton, who was a member of a First Gear who featured in the Big L Fab 40 in early 1965. He has a website with a page devoted to First Gear."
Fab Four News
A collection of poems, drawings and skits by John Lennon is to be auctioned at Sotheby's.
The pictures and handwritten drafts are being sold by his former publisher Tom Maschler.
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Hans Knot has kindly contributed an MP3 of an interview the Beatles recorded with Chris Denning on December 24th 1964, when he was working for Radio Luxembourg. It was conducted on the opening night of the Fab Four's second festive extravaganza, 'Another Beatles Christmas Show', which ran till January 16th 1965. |
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Lack of Pirates responsible for Global Warming
We always guessed the real problem causing global warming was a lack of pirates. Now it has been confirmed by statistics!
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Keith in fine form as usual
Many thanks to John Peters, who writes:
"Seeing Tony Blackburn on the website at the Radio Academy Awards reminded me to send you this pic.
It was a great night with so many old friends to catch up with. I was there as part of 40th celebration of more recent commercial radio. Keith was in fine form as usual!" |
The Soopa Podcast
Trevor Dann has kindly made 'The Pirate Port', his very interesting documentary about Radio Caroline and its birth in the harbour at Greenore, available as a podcast. 'The Pirate Port' was recently broadcast on Irish station Newstalk and is presented by Declan Meehan. It includes interviews with many former Caroline staff members, including the reclusive Caroline North DJ, Jerry 'Soopa' Leighton. By popular request, the complete interview conducted with Jerry is available as a separate podcast.
(Thanks to Jon Myer) |
Hi-di-Hi – it's PY!
Peter Young (NOT pictured right) had a May celebration.
He presented a 'Soul Cellar' special, 'At Last The 1969 Show', "marking my 45 years as a DJ. It all started in May 1969 at Butlin's Skegness. 3 shows a day, 7 days a week for £10. I'm pleased to say that my fee has almost doubled since then!"
PY – the original 'Revived 45', Saturdays on Jazz FM, 1400 - 1800 and available on the Jazz FM for 7 days. |
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Big L – still in our hearts
John Consterdine writes:
It's something like 10 years since I found your website and I must admit in the last couple of years I've neglected going on the site on a regular basis, but then today all of a sudden I've been listening to some voices from the past – Kenny Everett, Paul Kaye, Tony Windsor and so many others many now departed. The offshore radio years were so important for the freedom of broadcasting in the UK and the help to progress to music industry.
Let's not be too reflective – Big L was set up to make money - but it still remains in our hearts with such deep affection due to the enormous commitment of the DJs and staff on board and in the Curzon Street office.
I'm so pleased now to listen to Oldies Project whilst I'm cooking or whatever on my internet radio. To me, local and national music radio in the UK is so sad and seems to be totally generated by Saturday 'talent' shows rather than people who genuinely have talent.
I can't believe 50 years has gone since Caroline started, but I will always remember when Big L came on the air, with its very different style.
Cilla was nightowl listener to Kenny
In a BBC News interview with Natalie Jamieson, Cilla Black claims: "The great Kenny Everett used to send me messages [on the radio] at 2 o'clock in the morning: "This is for Cilla, she's just about brillo-ing the baby's bum right now." And he'd dedicate a song to me. It was fabulous!"
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Radio-Piraten in der Schweiz
Hans Knot has sent a link to a clip from Swiss TV, which includes footage of the Galaxy in her intended role as the home of RNI and an interview with Edwin Bollier. This appears to be an extended version (11mins 27secs) of an item we linked to previously in the feature 'The Galaxy's fourth life'. (See pages of Older Stories)
The accompanying blurb (roughly translated) tells the story of Swiss radio – and it's a somewhat familiar tale:
At the end of the 60s Swiss Radio comes under pressure, because many young listeners feel the rock and pop music on offer is insufficient. Various pirate radio stations try unsuccessfully to break through the SRG monopoly. In 1979 the radio pioneer Roger Schawinski on Pizzo Groppera starts his pirate radio station Radio 24 and quickly finds a loyal core audience. When the Italian authorities shut down the illegal radio stations at the instigation of the SRG, thousands of radio fans protest against the closure. After countless demonstrations, debates and quarrels, the SRG-monopoly is shaken, and the Federal Council decided to allow private radio stations. On 21st October 1983 the first legal local radio stations start operating and Radio DRS 3 DRS launched.
('Pirates in the ether' (time travel - Highlights from 50 years of television), 9.8.2003). |
A Life on the Radio Waves
Radio London roving kneeporter Keith Milborrow was in Norwich:
'A Life on the Radio Waves' was a 6-day exhibition in the BBC/Fusion area of The Forum at Norwich, organised as a tribute to Radio Caroline's 50th birthday, which opened on Easter Monday. The exhibition featured a mock-up of a radio studio (circa 1964) which included a porthole through which rough seas could be observed, just to prove you were on board a ship! A large video screen constantly showed the Caroline Club 1965 film and a short documentary presented by Keith Skues. This featured some cine film he shot on board the Mi Amigo which he had only recently rediscovered in his loft, combined with footage filmed recently on board the Ross Revenge of Tony Blackburn and Cardboard Shoes reminiscing together about their offshore days.
Day One, Monday 21st, coincided with Pirate Radio Day on BBC Norfolk. This was a treat for radio fans, particularly those of Radio London, as many of the old Big L jingles had been re-sung with 'BBC Radio Norfolk' and 'Pirate Radio Day' lyrics. Most notable of these was a new version of the PAMS Sonowaltz which was played many times throughout the day. Every hour, on the hour, there was the present-day BBC news, whilst on the half-hour, a retro newscast was aired with local and national news from the Sixties with the regulation 'blips' in between each item. This was introduced each time with a typically Everett-style jingle edit of the Ben Toney Big L original– "Radio / News, tells you more – says it better / News around the clock" – and closed with the traditional fanfare, although missing the single drumbeat start. Sadly, there seemed to have been no opportunity to 'Meet the Pirates' during their day on the air, although Keith Skues was making a personal appearance at The Forum on the Wednesday afternoon. |
In Search of the Wolf (2008 story updated May 2014)
Mike Terry writes:
"I have just read a wonderful book 'Border Radio' about the mainly English language Mexican border stations from the 1930s to 1980s" As the book cover looked familiar, a search through the Radio London archives revealed that it was the subject of a feature in 'Happenings' back in 2008 in conjunction with a Radio 4 documentary presented by Nick Barraclough. (We have had a hunt on the Radio 4 website and the programme is not in the archives.)
'Border Blaster: In Search of the Wolf' was broadcast as two 30-minute programmes on BBC Radio 4, in March 2008, covering the story of the Mexican 'Border Blaster' stations such as XERB and XERF that sent high-power transmissions to the US and beyond. As well as becoming bases for spurious businesses involving all sorts of quack doctors, the Border Blasters provided a launch-pad for the career of iconic DJ Wolfman Jack.
(left) X marks the spot – contemporary mast monument at the original XERB site in Rosarita, Mexico
In the second episode of 'Border Blasters', David (formerly 'Kid') Jensen reminisced about the XERB transmissions bringing the Wolfman to Canada. As Steve Young in Victoria BC is an old friend of David's, we sent him the link so he could listen to the programme. Steve wrote:
"I really enjoyed listening to the Border Radio documentary. In fact, I can remember being in the company of Dave Jensen (Dave Allen as he was known then) and another radio guy named Mark Ackerman, who now works in radio in New Zealand (we all worked together at CKOV in Kelowna) and we were listening to Wolfman Jack on the radio up in Mark's apartment. It was the first time I'd heard him and it absolutely blew me away. It was great to hear Dave talking about listening, but he probably doesn't remember that specific event as clearly as I do.
Also, I sent the link to the show to another fellow, named Ralph Hull who lives in Sooke, just outside of Victoria. He used to be a deejay who worked with Wolfman Jack using the name Preacher Paul Anthony, he now runs a sushi operation on a boat in Sooke called Sushi On The Sea. I'm sure that he will be interested in it."
Right: 'Border Radio: Quacks, Yodelers, Pitchmen, Psychics, and Other Amazing Broadcasters of the American Airwaves' is available in paperback, hardback and as a Kindle edition. Some of the contents are available to preview online.
David Jensen responded to Steve's message with: "What a lovely surprise! The world is a tiny place these days. Steve has a wonderful memory. It sure was a long time ago that Mark Ackerman introduced us to the delights of XERB! I lost all contact with Mark many years ago. Great days. It was fun to be part of that documentary 'Border Blasters'! Please give my best to Steve, David."
The BBC News Magazine story (which equates the Bolder Blasters with the British offshore pirates) implies that the Wolfman was a Shock Jock. However, he was simply innovative and fun. A shock jock is a different animal altogether – and most can't be regarded as DJs because they host controversial chat shows with no music. They are called 'jocks' mainly because the word rhymes with 'shock'.
Eddie O'Konnor met the Wolfman in October 1992, at Mel's Diner in Universal Studios in Florida and very kindly supplied a photo of the occasion (left). Eddie says: "What an absolute professional he was and a really fabulous bloke – much missed. Wolfman sent me a signed copy of a great book published in US upon my return to UK – 'Border Radio' by Gene Fowler and Bill Crawford.
The subject matter is 100% Border Radio, how it began and the crime involved in running it in Mexico, including Wolfman's classic drive through the desert with American Dollars to pay the security guys keeping the Mexican authorities at bay. The Border Blasters were the very first real pirates blasting 100000 watts or more from Mexico, virtually across the Globe on a good night.
It's one of the very best books on Radio ever written and one which every radio fan should have in his collection!" (Click on the book cover photo for full information).
Mike Terry agrees. "The Border Blasters covered the US and much of the world on medium wave with power of up to 500kw (yes five hundred thousand watts) Wow! It includes references to US stations, notably KLIF with its pioneering Top 40 format, PAMS jingles, fast news etc. We so lucky to have heard that format from '64.
They got their facts slightly mixed up re Gordon's involvement over here but its still interesting reading. I have written to the publisher hopefully to contact the author (the other one is dead I think) and set the record straight in the next edition." (Seeing as the book was first published in 2002, I think we'll be lucky to see another edition. - Mary)
"How's your boogaloo?" asks the XERB tribute site where you can listen to original Wolfman Sixties shows. (Answer? It's alive and well and living with Emperor Rosko!) |
Arnold Unmasked
On Keith Skues's April 27th programme, Tony Blackburn's dog 'Arnold' (right) was brought along on vinyl by regular guest Eric White of Out of Time Records, Norwich. Eric, who is Keith's regular monthly guest, had received from Adrian Juste a copy of Sound Effects, Audio Fidelity 145000 dated 1961. It turns out that Arnold's voice arrived via a clip from sound effect track 3, 'Dogs Barking'.
What record could Mr Skues use to follow up this exciting information, other than 'I Love My Dog'. ('Walking My Cat Named...' might have fitted the bill too.)
Many Fab Forty tracks also appeared, as there had been so much offshore material that Skuesy had been unable to fit into his 'Pirate Norfolk' show on Easter Monday.
Mike Barraclough recalled an item about Arnold that appeared in 'Happenings in 2002'. In its Offshore Themes pages, Offshore Echoes had identified a track called 'Ringo's Dog' as the source. Mike says,"'Ringo's Dog' barked three times. I was never completely convinced that he was Arnold." |
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Moosepeace
On his recent visit to Amsterdam, Cousin Moosie took part in the 'Get in bed for peace' happening at the Mercure hotel.
Sponsored by Axe Peace and hosted by radio station Q, broadcasting live from the venue, visitors were encouraged to have their photo taken on a 'peace bed'.
The sponsors would donate money to a peace cause for every photo they received. The event was inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who 45 years earlier staged bed-ins at the Amsterdam Hilton and other worldwide locations.
Moosie was particularly impressed by the red guitar, which closely resembles the brand new axe that he has recently added to his own collection. |
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Earl's Theme Tune
Kenny Tosh has kindly forwarded the following information from a friend:
"I thought you would be interested to know that Earl Richmond's theme on Big L is a piece taken from the de Wolfe library titled 'Potato Chips' composed by Frank Rothman. Go to the de Wolfe website to hear this in full."
The Offshore Echoes website's compilation of DJ themes lists Earl's as 'Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat', a vocal from the musical 'Guys and Dolls' by Stubby Kaye. We can't help noticing a strong similarity between this and the 'Potato Chips' instrumental.
Radio London graffiti survives for 48 years
Hans Knot reports from Groningen:
"My twin brother now lives 50 metres away from the shed with the Radio London graffiti on it. They were rebuilding the gates and more and I thought 'now it's the end' but luckily enough, the words are still there after the renovation, 48 years after the wall was painted."
Looks like those words have a guardian angel. Maybe it's TW or Kenny Everett? |
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Hauraki pirate quits
Fred Botica, who has has worked in radio since 1969, when he started broadcasting from New Zealand's offshore station Radio Hauraki, has quit Perth station mix94.5 after 21 years.
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Otway the Movie: #2 Film of 2013!
Narrowly beaten into second place by space-epic 'Gravity', 'Otway the Movie' made a big impression on the Guardian's Best Film of 2013 poll.
In May, Aylesbury's microstar heads for Canada to take Toronto and Ottawa by storm.
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2014 Radio Day – "a programme we can never top again!"
Chris and I and Cousin Moosie must congratulate Hans Knot and Martin van der Ven and all their helpers for arranging such a wonderful Radio Day, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. They can be extremely proud of their 36th and final event, which we know took many months of preparation.
We also know it was not easy for them to carry on with the preparations during the long illness and subsequent sad demise of their co-organiser and close friend Rob Olthof, but the spirit of Rob was very much a part of the event.
We wish their successors Jan van Heeren and Jan-Fré Vos the best of luck with arranging future Radio Days. The Knot, Olthof and Van der Ven team is a hard act to follow!
Photo Collections
I am honoured and delighted to be a recipient of one of the final Radio Day Awards, which is also an accolade to Chris and to everyone who has kindly contributed to the Radio London website over the years. On Friday 28th March, we celebrated not only the 50th anniversary of the start of offshore radio, but the website's 15th birthday, on March 29th. Thanks to everyone who has visited the website over the years.
Click here for our personal collection of nine pages of Radio Day photos.
Here's a page of some of the lovely messages of congratulations we have received. Please don't be offended if yours is not included, but they are far too numerous to include them all. We can assure you that we do appreciate every one of them equally.
With many thanks, Mary Payne
A huge collection of photos and audio and video recorded at the Radio Day, is available on the dedicated website, RadioDay.nl, with very positive feedback from visitors and guests.
Visit the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame for Jon's own Radio Day photos, plus montages from celebrations in Kent, Harwich and Walton and Ray Clark's BBC Essex celebration. There are also links to recent TV and newspaper features about the 50th birthday.
YouTube video now posted by hoekkeoh (Thanks to Mike Terry) |
Kenny Everett
April 4th marked the 19th anniversary of the sad demise of Kenny Everett, but we are commemorating the date with humour. Two items from Radio Times about the return of 'R. J. Dallasty' (right) and other Ev creations for BBC TV have been added to our tribute pages. |
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Amsterdam & Norderney
A selection of photos taken in Amsterdam after the Radio Day, mostly on the former Veronica ship mv Norderney. |
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Record Store Day 2014: Fab Forty artist still top-seller on vinyl
Nielsen Entertainment has labelled the 2014 Record Store Day, April 19th,"the most successful ever for vinyl", with LP sales up 58% over the same week last year. Among the top-selling vinyl LPs in both the US and UK was 'Live at Monterey' by those boys from the Big L Fab Forty, the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
"LP sales doubled in volume last year to 780,000 units - the highest annual total in over 15 years, and with sales up again this year, we're close to seeing the greatest demand for vinyl recordings in nearly two decades," said Gennaro Castaldo, spokesman for the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"I've been on the air this long!" |
Webby's 60 wonderful years – Caroline was the greatest
John Preston, our 'Down Under Reporter' sent us the news that in 2014, Graham 'Spider' Webb is celebrating an incredible 60 years on the airwaves.
John has kindly obtained permission from Greg Newman, editor of Jocks Journal, for us to reproduce his recent 2-Part interview with Graham, where he cites his Caroline years as the best of the 60.
Warmest congratulations to Webby from Mary and Chris at Radio London and from all his loyal Caroline listeners.
This is the full version of the interview (posted 02/04/14)
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Caroline celebration in Walton-on-the-Naze
Keith Milborrow reporting:
On Friday March 28th, the celebrations kicked off at 10.30 when a crowd of 50 or so had gathered around the Lifeboat House and were being entertained with Sixties Music and Radio Caroline jingles played from a disco unit by actor Paul Barber. Paul is an ardent pirate radio fan who has previously shown up at Pirate BBC Essex gigs. He's probably best known for his role as Denzil in 'Only Fools and Horses'.
Just before 12 noon, Tony Haggis (a former Skipper of the Ross Revenge and organiser of the day's activities) called upon any former pirate DJs to make their way to the lifeboat mooring at the end of Walton Pier. It would seem that the only representative of the Sixties era of Offshore Radio was Radio London's Ian Damon. With the pirates on board, the lifeboat headed around the pierhead and took up a position between the pier and the Albion Breakwater. It was from here that radio contact was established with the lifeboat and interviews were conducted with those on board, followed at 1200 (precisely) by a double ring of an actual ship's bell from Radio Caroline. Then there was an explosion of fireworks in the sky and a helicopter fly-past. Back on shore, 'Can't Buy Me Love' by the Beatles and 'Not Fade Away' by the Rolling Stones were played in rapid succession. Depending on what history you read, both were alleged to have been the first ever record played on Radio Caroline some 50 years ago.
With the formal part of the celebrations over, we all adjourned to the Royal Marine public house for refreshments. The pub was bedecked with skull-and-crossbones flags and full of pirate radio memorabilia, including some fine pictures of the radio ships painted by Tony Haggis. 'Ross Revenge' IPA beer had been specially brewed for the occasion and was on sale at the bar, along with a bottled version. Significantly, this was a limited edition and only 50 bottles had been produced, each individually numbered. At 1500 the music started, with a performance by the Honeycombs ('Have I The Right') with other groups continuing the entertainment well into the evening. (Many thanks to Keith for his report)
Radio Times corrected
In last week's Radio Times, a feature on the Letters Page marking Caroline's 50th Birthday was illustrated by the Getty Images photo below, of Radio London DJs coming ashore on the tender on August 14th 1967! On Page 149 of Radio Times, my correction of the previous week's item appears. The editor acknowledges that 'several pirate radio fans' had alerted him to this major goof (our guess is that it was more than 'several') so well done all of you!
RT failed to print the part of my email that explained that I got Getty Images to correct the erroneous caption and description back in 2009. I even gave them all the names of RL personnel in the line-up, as follows:
The photo is the Radio London DJs coming ashore from the mv Galaxy on the tender Ocean Cock, after the station closedown at 1500, August 14th 1967.
From left:
Mike Lennox
Pete Drummond (psychedelic suit)
John Peel
Michel Philistin (Ship's steward Mich was a member of the original Haitian crew who sailed to the UK on the Galaxy in 1964. He was the only one who remained on board until the station closed in 1967. Mich was often invited into the studio to chat and subsequently attracted his own fan mail.)
Behind Mich, Willy Walker
Lighting a cigarette, Paul Kay, sometimes spelt Kaye. (It's short for 'Kazarine'.)
Chuck Blair
Mark Roman
Tony Brandon (reaching towards the girl ashore.)
The agency that supplied the photo is being blamed for the error - but that didn't stop RT from circling John Peel in the photo as if he'd been a Caroline DJ, which of course he never was.
As John Bennett puts it:
"Some 5 students have contacted me in the last few years, doing a thesis on Media and so needed offshore stations' history. The University of California also contacted me, desperate for data and information. All of them used the information accurately and to a high standard. Why can't the Radio Times do the same?"
I did offer to write a feature for RT... Mary |
The pirate of Collingswood: The preacher, the FCC and Radio Free America
Hans Knot has sent a link to a feature by Ted Sherman about another former minesweeper that played a part in the history of offshore radio. It's just unfortunate that the author didn't pick up on the history of that extremely important former minesweeper, USS Density.
Radio Days at Sea
A couple of specials for Radio Six International.
On April 12th, Tony Currie and Kenny Tosh reported back from the Amsterdam Radio Day 2014 with 'Radio Days at Sea', a programme recorded on the MV Norderney, former home of Radio Veronica, with radio guests and clips from dramatic pirate broadcasts.
L to R, Kenny Tosh, Tony Currie, John Rosborough |
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April: a busy month of Celebrations
Philip Birch's Manchester station Piccadilly - came on air 40 years on April 2nd
Graeme Gill, 15th
Graham 'Spider' Webb, 19th (see interview story below)
Admiral Robbie Dale, 21st
Ed Stewpot, 23rd
Tony Monson, 27th - the Big 70!
Phil Martin, 30th
Many happy returns to all! |
The Saga of 'The Real Pop Pirates'
Our joint-webmaster Mary Payne's offshore radio feature 'The Real Pop Pirates', which appeared in the April 2009 edition of Saga magazine, includes interviews with Nick Bailey, Tony Blackburn, Dave Cash, Roger Day, Tom Edwards, Keith Skues and Johnnie Walker. It is no longer available on the magazine's website, so we have added a .pdf version for our readers. A few errors crept in during the magazine's editing process (Atlanta wasn't on the air before Caroline, and the Galaxy didn't have a switchboard) but on the whole the feature is very close to the original as it was written.
Nick Bailey wrote: "A very good article. Well done! Very well balanced too as I know your first love is Radio London. Superb picture of Radio Caroline North on the front."
Many people have asked about the origin of the colour photo of the Fredericia. Saga Pictures Editor Leanne Bracey tells us she sourced her photos from Mirrorpix.
Mary says:
"It was quite encouraging not only to see the offshore article listed (under the title 'Boats That Rocked') as a Saga Readers' Favourite (left) but also to receive the following praise from Features Editor, David Allsop: 'Glad to hear that the piece went down well. That's 660,000 happy subscribers (not to mention the additional million-or-so readers). To be honest, I haven't seen the subject covered remotely as well elsewhere.'
Saga's June Readers' Letters page carries a comment on 'The Real Pop Pirates' from Phillip Crossland of East Yorkshire, pointing out that Caroline and London were not the only offshore stations. Phillip (who echoes the views of many when he says, "We were lucky to grow up in the best music era ever,") talks of how much he enjoyed listening to his local station, 270. The original version of my feature, in which I was obliged to encapsulate the history of offshore radio in only 1000 words – no mean feat – did in fact refer to both Radio 270 and Radio Scotland and their founders. Unfortunately, these references were cut to make room for longer quotes from the DJs."
John Preston in Australia read the feature and posed an interesting question. "It was great reading and you are right – what an awesome photo of the Fredericia! I have often wondered why she went north and the Mi Amigo stayed as Caroline South and have never seen a reason anywhere. Do you know why?"
Jon Myer of the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame suggests the following answer: "I believe the Fredericia was chosen to go north because she was bigger, stronger and more stable. The anchorage off Essex was relatively sheltered, thanks to some conveniently placed sandbanks, but in the Irish Sea the ship was going to experience some serious weather. I can't remember where I heard that bit of information but it is, at least, a possible explanation."
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Kenny and Cash on Capital 539
Graham Freer was a newsman in the early days of London's Capital Radio, ("the channel which is free from monosodium glutamate... and Jimmy Young") which launched in 1973. Graham has posted links on Facebook to edited Kenny & Cash Capital Breakfast Shows from his archive.
9th January 1974 (including a smashing promo for Gerald Harper)
26th February 1974 (in this show, Graham Freer has his own 'Day in the Life' news jingle. There's a lovely trailer for 'Topless' Tony Myatt. Plus another ex-Radio London DJ Tommy Vance trails his Pancake Race taking place later in Carnaby Street. And never forgetting, "The thing that ripped your mother's leg off"! There's even a mention of Curzon Street!)
28th February 1974 1 (including a fab Ringo impression and harmony Capital Beatle jingle by Ev)
28th February 1974 2 (including a great Stevie Wonder jingle)
(Thanks to Jon Myer)
Another light vessel hosts offshore radio
This time it's Caroline North, aboard Liverpool's Bar Lightship LV23.
The official press release said:
If radio is King of the Media then the Queen of the Airwaves is surely Radio Caroline, celebrating her 50th Birthday this year.
Caroline has never closed down but has had to go off the air on a number of occasions. One of those was on 3rd March 1968 when the original Caroline ship, MV Fredericia, broadcasting as Radio Caroline North, was seized by creditors. She was towed from her anchorage in Ramsey Bay, Isle of Man, leaving millions of listeners in the northern part of the UK and Eire with the loss of what they had come to regard as a friendly voice and part of their daily life.
With its personality DJs, the station had perfectly captured the spirit of the Swinging Sixties which, added to the phenomenon of the Merseybeat Sound ignited a revolution in music for teenagers. It resulted in the vibrant and successful popular music industry which continues to this day.
Now a group of radio presenters and enthusiasts want to give Caroline North listeners the chance relive those memories.
Based on the last Liverpool lightship, the LV23 berthed in the city's Albert Dock, a recreation of the station will take place for 28 days commencing March 31st.
Photo: Mary Payne
Organiser John Dwyer said. "We felt it was important to acknowledge the Golden Jubilee but at the same time to celebrate our station, Caroline North, whose part in the Swinging Sixties is often overlooked."
"While we will not be on air for March 28th, the anniversary of the start of Caroline, Easter Saturday fell on that date in 1964 and since Caroline is the Queen of the Airwaves there is no reason why she should not have two birthdays. Why should we not celebrate her Official Birthday over the coming Easter weekend? The station will be a fully licensed broadcast."
Alan Roberts, owner of the LV23 and skipper of the ship during the broadcast said, "I bought the lightship to secure an important part of Liverpool's maritime heritage and was delighted to be asked to host the event. The LV23 was built in 1960 and was the last manned vessel to serve Liverpool. For her to take part in celebrating the 50 years of Britain's most famous radio station is a fitting use for the ship."
The LV23 will be open to the public 1000 to 1800 each day during the broadcast. Incidentally the original company set up to run Radio Caroline was Planet Productions, and the name of the lightship is the Planet!
Caroline North is on 87.7 FM from 0700 March 31st - midnight April 27th 2014; and available on the internet at carolinenorth.com. Contact details: John 07956 000707 itscarolinenorth@outlook.com; Phil 01942 716237 delmare192@ gmail.com
Brian Cullen, who just missed out on a career on RNI but made his mark on other airwaves, says he will be heard daily between 1800 and 1900 hosting the 'Action Show', named after an original Caroline North programme. Brian will also be aboard the ship every Sunday from 1600 - 1900, hosting 'The Weekend Wing Ding'. He says he thinks the RSL, "Will include Sixties to Eighties music (especially as John Dwyer was on the Ross) but (in my show) I intend to keep to the original RCN sound as much as possible." (Thanks to Jon Myer) |
Radio Caroline: The True Story of the Boat That Rocked
Naturally, Ray Clark was thrilled to finally receive the first printed copy of his book Radio Caroline: The True Story of the Boat That Rocked. He says, "The story just had to be written. It was a very special time that really must be remembered. I hope those involved enjoy it too - many have been kind enough to help me."
On the Radio Today programme, Trevor Dann interviews Ray at BBC Essex about the book (5:12 in) (Thanks to John Sales)
Radio Caroline was the world's most famous pirate radio station during its heyday in the 1960s and '70s, but did the thousands of people tuning in realise just what battles went on behind the scenes? Financed by respected city money men, this is a story of human endeavour and risk, international politics, business success and financial failures. A story of innovation, technical challenges, changing attitudes, unimaginable battles with nature, disasters, frustrations, challenging authority and the promotion of love and peace while, at times, harmony was far from evident behind the scenes. For one person to tell the full Radio Caroline story is impossible, but there are many who have been involved over the years whose memories and experiences bring this modern day adventure story of fighting overwhelming odds to life. Featuring many rare photographs and unpublished interviews with the 'pirates' who were there, Ray Clark, once a Radio Caroline disc jockey himself, tells the captivating story of the boat that rocked! |
Pirates in the News
Several newspapers picked up on the story of the 50th Anniversary of Offshore Radio – with varying degrees of accuracy.
'How a Radio Ship and 7 men shook up Britain in 1964" – Colin Morrison's insightful feature for flashesandflames.com views the history of offshore radio from the perspective of 'The Aristocrat, the Publisher, the JFK 'Conspirator', The Spy, The Shot Pirate, the Prince and the Maverick".
Let's Talk magazine homed in on Cardboard Shoes.
Nicola Jordan writing in KentOnline believes that Tony Blackburn began his career aboard the Fredericia in Ramsey Bay, Isle of Man.
Denis Kilcommons, in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner reports that Caroline broadcast a Top Forty-style format. That wasn't there at the station's birth, but came later. In the beginning, the station output was far more middle-of-the-road. And unfortunately, Caroline is no longer broadcasting via satellite, as claimed in the feature. The two reporters above disagree as to whether 'Not Fade Away' or 'Can't Buy Me Love' was the first record played.
The Liverpool Echo focuses on the forthcoming Caroline North RSL (see story further down the page) while the Sunderland Echo spotlights students from university station Spark FM who chose to honour the 50th anniversary by broadcasting live from onboard a P&O ferry on the Hull to Rotterdam route. The feature says that,"DJs that made the leap from pirate stations to mainstream radio include John Peel and Kenny Everett." No, John Peel and Kenny Everett are DJs who made the leap from Radio London to mainstream radio!
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Herald reviews the new Radio Hauraki feature film '3-Mile Limit' about the time when "...a bunch of hard case larrikins took the bull by the horns and launched a pirate radio station to play rock'n'roll instead of state radio's easy-listening pulp."
The
Sister Salvation Sonowaltz
Mike Barraclough tells us there was a discussion recently in Mike Terry's Radio London Facebook group about the Sonowaltz. We feel an item that was included in 'Happenings' in 2002, and updated in 2003, is worth revamping and repeating in the light of recent interest.
In January's Happenings, 2002, night-owl, Philip
Lowe asked:
Can you tell me the name of the music played at the close
of the day's transmissions of Radio London and who played it? In the same
way that Caroline used to play out with Jimmy McGriff Round
Midnight, so Radio London played out with something similar. The
name Sister's Salvation springs to mind, but
I'm not sure.
Many thanks, Phil Lowe
Alan Field discovered a link to a track called Sister
Salvation. Written and recorded in 1961 by jazz trombonist Slide
Hampton and his Octet, the track is now on Youtube. Phil
recalled a piece of music 'similar to Round Midnight'.
There is no similarity whatsoever between Sister Salvation and Jimmy Mc Griff's famous recording of the Thelonous Monk composition, but
it transpires that Sister Salvation sounds so
similar to the Big Lil Sonowaltz that the listener could mistake it for two different arrangements of the same
music. The 'Wonderful Big L' Sonovox inserts recorded for Big
Lil, would fit Sister Salvation perfectly.
The PAMS Sonowaltz recording was made around the same time as Slide
Hampton's. It was part of the 'Sonosational'
Series 18, which was written by Euel Box.
There is no apparent connection to Slide Hampton.
Alan went into detective overdrive and contacted US jingles
expert, Ken R. (www.kendeutsch.com)
Ken commented:
I think it's very likely that Sister
Salvation was the inspiration for the Sonowaltz.
It's not big news that Euel Box, the main writer of Series 18 borrowed styles
that were popular in 1961 when the series was written. One of the cuts is
even named "Prado" after Perez Prado who provided the inspiration for that
cut.
Other cuts in the series were based on Henry Mancini riffs and other well-known
composers of the time. There's a definite "Mr. Lucky" sound to one if you
listen closely.
Most people are not aware of this, but it went on with almost every series.
In the mid 60s the bossa nova cut from Series 29 was a direct rip-off of a
Ray Charles song!
In the late 60s Spanky and Our Gang, Sergio Mendez and others influenced the
writers. In the early 70s it was the Carpenters, Blood Sweat and Tears and
Chicago.
It always surprises people who hear these jingles for the first time, because
they are more familiar with the songs than the jingles. To us jingle collectors,
we are so used to the jingles that we almost forgot that most of them were
"borrowed" from popular artists.
A year later, in January 03, we heard again on the subject
from UK jingle expert Norman Barrington:
I read with interest your piece on the origins of Euel Box's Sonowaltz
(Pams series 18).
The origins of particular Pams cuts are the subject of much interest
in the jingle fraternity. I agree that 'Sister Salvation' sounds very similar
in many ways and could indeed have been an inspiration to Mr Box (inspiration
is a kinder word than rip-off!) however I think (along with others) that
'Blue Brass Groove' from the band of Julian 'Cannonball'
Adderley is more likely the source.
It's a composition from his brother Nat and can be found on Youtube.
On a trip to Groningen to visit Hans Knot, Hans played us 'Blue Brass Groove' and we are inclined
to agree that although both tunes are similar and are written in waltz-time,
the composition and arrangement of 'Blue Brass Groove' more closely resembles
the Sonowaltz (or maybe it's or vice versa!) than 'Sister Salvation'.
As the Slide Hampton recording came out in 1960, while the 'African Waltz' album
containing 'Blue Brass Groove' was issued the following year, maybe Nat Adderley
gained his inspiration from Slide Hampton.
Mike also tells us that the music-bed version of the Sonowaltz with no station ID voiceover, is now on Youtube.
The 'Cork' Story
Brian Nichols, who runs the excellent Felixstowe and Offshore Radio Facebook Page (open for all to view) has kindly explained the story behind the Cork pub in the town.
"The pub was named after the Cork Lightship which was moored at this location until the 1970s:
'Cork Sand (51°54'N, 1°24'E), marked by a lighted beacon, was located with its N extremity lying about 4 miles ESE of Landguard Point. It extends SSW for about 4 miles and has patches which dry up to 1.3m. Cork Ledge, a rocky patch, lies 1 mile W of the N extremity of Cork Sand and has a least depth of 4.3m.'
When the Fredericia was moored off Felixstowe, the Cork lightship would have been her nearest neighbour, further to the north." |
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Ian on 2CH Breakfast
Another Australian story from 'Jock's Journal' and John Preston, concerns Ian MacRae.
"Ian MacRae is now heading breakfast weekdays from 5.30-9am on 2CH. He's also been joined by Australian singer Glenn Shorrock. Glenn has previously worked on air at 2UW in 1984 when it briefly became Magic 11. He co-hosted the 'Shorrock & (Ron E) Sparks Magic Morning Zoo'. Ian began his radio career as a panel operator and then moved to his first on air job in a country regional station. He sold his car to pay for a ticket to the UK where he worked for two years on the off-shore legendary "pirate" radio stations. Not long after he returned to Australia, Ian joined Radio 2SM and stayed with that station all the way to the top of the ratings, hosting the breakfast show for 13 years. After a few years at 2GB he's now on weekday breakfast."
'I Got the Music in Me' – Kiki's 50-year celebration
On March 12th at London's St James Theatre, Kiki Dee was in concert to mark 50 years in the music business.
Kiki made her debut in the Radio London Fab Forty in February 1966 with 'Why Don't I Run Away From You?' and returned a year later with 'I'm Going Out (the Same Way I Came In)'. She was also a backing singer on several other Fab Forty hits, including Dusty Springfield's 'Little By Little' and 'Some of Your Loving'.
(Right) Kiki arrives aboard the Galaxy in the film 'Dateline Diamonds' where she plays herself and performs 'Small Town'. |
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Hello, Darlings! – Kenny's 50th Anniversary
On Saturday 14th September 2013, The British Comedy Society, Transworld Books and Terence Higgins Trust co-hosted a day-long event celebrating the life and career of Kenny Everett. A blue plaque was unveiled by Cleo Rocos outside his last home, 91 Lexham Gardens, Kensington, followed by the launch of his much-anticipated authorised biography, 'Hello Darlings' at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel. From Feb 27th, the book, by James Hogg and Robert Sellers became available in paperback, which is somewhat appropriate in the year of the 50th anniversary of Kenny's amazing broadcasting career starting aboard the mv Galaxy in December 1964.
James Hogg has posted a link on Facebook to this interview with Kenny conducted by Mavis Nicholson in 1989. (Thanks to Jon Myer)
Random House, the publishers of 'Hello Darlings' have launched a Kenny Everett website. |
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Another Big L mention on SOTS
Radio London (this time announced without any 'pirate station' tag) got a mention during BBC Radio 2's 'Sounds of the Sixties' at around 0815, when Brian Matthew played Petula Clark's 'Don't Sleep in the Subway' and its B-side 'Here Comes the Morning'. The reason for the reference to Big L was that listener Derek Harby recalled Chuck Blair sitting in for Tony Blackburn on the Breakfast Show and playing the both sides of the single. This would have been May or early June 1967, when the single was climbing the Fab Forty.
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How about some Pirate Fashion?
For 'dedicated followers of fashion' a wide range of skull-themed clothing is available which would be ideal for parties and of course, 50th Anniversary celebrations.
Lady pirates wanting to strut their stuff might approve of this 'Party Skull' top. Men might prefer something warmer. (Click on photos for infomation)
Of course, everyone can look stylish year-round in our Radio London teeshirts and sweatshirts.
Not into fashion? Maybe a copy of the Eagle Annual: The Best of the 1960s Comic with a Radio Caroline feature is more your style.
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Thanks a Million, viewers!
2013 saw the Radio London website achieve for the first time over 1 million page views for the year! |
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The 'Radio Caroline' Show
Caroline Robertson introduced piratical guests on her February 14th BBC Radio Cumbria show, as part of a Pirates and Princesses Day charity event.
Paul Rowley (right) was first up (circa 15:57) with his offshore memories, followed later in the programme by Big L's Dave Cash. Listeners sent their own reminiscences and Stephen Morecambe related how he had lived in the Isle of Man in 1965, when his dad managed the Majestic Hotel which hosted the Caroline Club events on Friday nights. (Stephen, we'd love to hear more of the Morecambe family memories) (Thanks to Mike Terry) |
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"Come up and see my big satellite dish"
Tony Blackburn told the Daily Mail that he looks back on his pirate radio days "with enormous affection and pride". The offshore adventures aboard Caroline and London that began his 50-year radio career can hardly be ignored, but are not mentioned in the programme description below.
Tony was Piers Morgan's guest on Friday February 7th in the ITV series 'Life Stories'. (Available on ITVPlayer for 30 days from transmission date) "Tony looks back at his life and a career which included launching Radio 1 in 1967 and being banned from the airwaves for playing Cliff Richard records. Tony talks about developing an addiction to Valium after his high-profile separation from actress Tessa Wyatt, reveals how he romped with a girlfriend in Frank Sinatra's London flat and saved fellow DJ Kenny Everett's life. Tony also confesses that one of his chat-up lines was to invite girls back to his place to admire his 1.9 metre rotating satellite dish."
The Belfast Telegraph wrote a feature about the programme. Sadly, the paper's link to 'Big L' is nothing whatsoever to do with Radio London. For reasons best known to the paper, it goes to a link about a musician called Janina Zione Gavankar. We have attempted to point out this anomaly and get it corrected, but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
(Photo: John Sales) |
Stones v Beatles continues after 50 years
The rivalry between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones returned when the Grammy Awards took place in Los Angeles. Paul McCartney and The Stones were both nominated in the Best Rock Song category, but Paul won. Hiscollaboration with Dave Grohl, 'Cut Me Some Slack', beat the Stones' 'Doom And Gloom'.
Sir Paul also won the Grammy for best long-form music video for 'Live Kisses' and former bandmate Ringo joined him on drums (of course) to perform 'Queenie Eye'. The two surviving Fabs received a standing ovation from an audience that included John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono.
The Beatles also receive the 2014 Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The last Stones v Beatles awards battle was at the NME Pollwinners' Concert in 1964.
Meanwhile in France that year...
"La perruque Beatles fait fureur" – Beatle wigs cause a furore! (2:20 in).
More Fab 50th anniversaries
More 50th anniversaries and this time it's the Fab Four's 50th Anniversary of both Beatlemania arriving on US soil and the band filming 'A Hard Day's Night'.
West Somerset Heritage Railway is celebrating the anniversary of filming on the Minehead Branch line. (Thanks to Jon Myer) while Alan Hardy remembers another location in Middlesex.
"One of my memories is coming home from school and hearing from my mum that the Beatles had been filming at the end of the road in 'Greenhams' as we called it – now known as the Thornbury Playing Fields, but then it had its name because of a nearby company. It was the sequence when the Fab Four ran down the fire escape stairs of the theatre and ran around in a field. How my mother knew about it, I don't know, because the field was quite a way from our house, but maybe she saw or heard the helicopter – perhaps just as much a novelty as The Beatles! But the group was big then, so no doubt the word spread."
There's a great deal of interesting stuff on the official Beatles site, but we would have to dispute the statement:"Saturday Club was a big one - it played the kind of music (the Beatles) loved". It would be more accurate to say that Saturday Club was one of the very few places where musicians would have the opportunity to perform live on national radio and any band offered a gig on the show would jump at the chance.
On the two Light Programme weekend offerings for teenagers, Saturday Club and Easybeat, both fronted by Brian Matthew, there was usually only a handful of vinyl, often new releases. The biggest proportion of the records that constituted the station's weekly 'needle time' agreement would have to have been allocated to the Pick of the Pops chart rundown.
Saturday Club and Easybeat both had weekly guest acts, but a number of session singers would be wheeled in to perform hits of the day that couldn't be played from vinyl. This practice persisted even at the launch of Radio One in the autumn of 1967.
Saturday Club had a somewhat eclectic 2-hour content as the following listing for an edition broadcast 16th March 1963, shows: The Beatles, Susan Maughan, The Karl Denver Trio, The Brook Brothers, The Jeff Rowena Six, Bob Wallis and his Storyville Jazzmen, Tommy Sanderson & The Sandmen.
The Karl Denver Trio played folky stuff, while Bob Wallis and his Storyville Jazzmen played traditional jazz. There was a fair amount of 'trad jazz' content in the BBC's pop programming of the time, as the music was quite popular in the early Sixties. Imagine being a 13-year-old Beatle Maniac (as I - Mary -was then) and having to sit through that stuff till my idols came on! Hardly "the kind of music (the Beatles) loved" - or their fans either. The Fabs were into soul and Motown, as indicated by their cover versions of the likes of the Shirelles, Arthur Alexander and the Isley Brothers on 'the Please Please Me' album. This was the material they had been playing on stage before they got into their stride as songwriters.
"Sealand the Island Nation founded by a guy calling 'dibs'"
An interesting, if not entirely accurate feature about the history of Sealand from Gizmodo.in
Desert Island Harris
Choosing his selection of Desert Island Discs on Radio 4 Sunday February 2nd, was 'Whispering' Bob Harris, who had 'some fabulous stories to tell about Marc Bolan, Robert Plant and his old Radio 1 mucker John Peel'. Available to download to keep
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The first Internet Radio was a Trannie!
Antiques expert Mark Hill, a familiar face to viewers of 'Antiques Roadshow', made an unusual find in Amsterdam. He discovered an Internet All Transistor S-1000 Internet sold by Radio Product Ltd of Beckenham (Internetra), thought to date to 1970.
Little is known about the company, but the Radio Museum website shows that it also sold a 10 Alltransistor Hi-Fi model (dated 1965) with lw and mw. Just over 6 inches long, the trannie lists Radio Luxembourg on the dial.
We must have some viewers in Beckenham who worked for Internetra and can tell us more about the company and its products.
Electronics engineer and joint webmaster Chris says that long ago, he and his mates made a discovery. Inside some of the tiny, tinny trannies marketed as '6 transistor' and '8 transistor' radios that we used to smuggle into school so we could listen to the pirates, not all of those transistors were actually functioning. Some of them weren't connected to anything and might not have even been genuine components - merely mock-ups. Of course, many people in their total ignorance (Mary was one of them) believed that the more transistors in the device, the better it would function. If only we'd known!
Mark has very kindly given his permission for us to reproduce his photos of the interesting find. |
Look Who's Seventy!
Françoise Hardy celebrated her 70th birthday on January 17th. Her biggest offshore success was with 'All Over the World' but she also recorded French-language versions of Fab Forty faves 'Tar and Cement' and 'Tiny Goddess'. According to Wikipeda, Françoise gained her musical inspiration from listening to the likes of The Everly Brothers and Cliff Richard on Radio Luxembourg.
Françoise sings 'Ma Jeunesse Fout le Camp' – my youth is slipping away. |
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Radio Caroline Story Continues
The latest update to the Caroline story from Offshore Echoes, continues through 1986 and '87 with pages on Raffles' birthday; unwelcome visitors - UK officials; Caroline on shortwave; UK Police visit and a new position in the Falls Head. Also, Twenty Years On, in which Ronan O'Rahilly recalls that, "If we had all continued, what could the government have done. But they didn't have the guts, everyone was afraid of the policeman's knock".
There's a section on the Driftback 20 convention, held in London on August 15 1987, with a selection of photos of those attending.
Visit the website for details.
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Not everyone thought Radio London was wonderful!
Hans Knot tells us he has recently acquired 1250 high quality, unpublished photos taken by Menno Dekker to add to the ever-growing archive. Menno took many photos on both Caroline ships and one of them shows fan mail, newspaper clippings and other debris strewn over the floor. Hans says, "Our layout man has done some work on the photo and the result can be seen in the close-up segment of the picture."
The close-up shows that one of the fans (or quite likely one of the DJs) was not a Big L afficionado. They have doctored a newspaper headline relating to traffic congestion, 'Let's Get London Moving' to read, "Let's get Radio London Moving'!
Many thanks to Hans for sending the photo and to the sharp-eyed person who spotted it. |
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World's Largest Vinyl Record
The Forum in Los Angeles, an iconic California venue since the Sixties, revamped its roof into a giant spinning vinyl album to promote its reopening after major refurbishment. As the Eagles are the first band to give concerts there, the roof-topper is a giant replica of their multi-platinum bestseller, 'Hotel California'.
The Forum revitalisation is inspired by the venue's original 1967 design. Among the key features to be resurrected in an effort to replicate the original design principle, is the exterior colour of the venue, which has been repainted to the 1960s 'California sunset red'.
Video of the massive disc in motion is posted at www.fabulousforum.com
Other links to the story LA Independent; NBC News (Thanks to Howie Castle) |
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Ron's Galaxy Memories
Ron Crider in Florida has great memories of fitting out the Radio London studio aboard the Galaxy before she sailed from Miami. He says:
"As you can see I was only a part of the early stages of the Radio London adventure in Miami. I was there when the ship arrived at Dade Dry Dock and then worked on the ship over on the causeway. I was only involved with the studio (Audio).
I am going to keep updating my page as I learn more. Your information is GREAT!" (Thanks to Mike Barraclough)
Left: Ron pictured in 1964, from the Ron Crider archive |
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More lovely Galaxy photos
Hans Knot says: "I got a marvelous collection of photogaphs taken by Tom Collins during the period he was on the Laissez Faire in 1967. One is certainly nice enough to put on your site. The others soon on www.hansknot.com
(Click on the photo to see larger version) |
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Eagle-eyed Ken
Ken Garrett writes:
"My wife bought me an Eagle Annual: The Best of the 1960s Comic in hardback for Christmas. In it is a page feature on Radio Caroline with photos that I don't think I have seen before."
Unfortunately, the photofeature about Caroline is not shown in the book's online preview, but there are some nostalgic adverts. One features 'model skin divers and sea creatures' given away in breakfast cereal – "Ask mother to get Shreddies in skin diver packets!" (Hands up those who fought their siblings to get those plastic toys that you filled with baking powder to propel them up and down in water.) While in Hornimans' tea (prior to the arrival of tea bags) cards depicting 'pets' were the collectable free gifts - most of the 'pets' being cute-looking wild animals. |
Congratulations to Tony 'Birdbrain' Brandon on a milestone December birthday
He wrote: "Very many thanks for your delightful card. It is much appreciated. I can't believe I've hit 80 but at least it's a lot better than our cricketers have achieved!
Here's wishing you a very merry Christmas and everything you wish for each other in the year ahead.
All good wishes, Tony" |
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Golden Day for Janice and Ian
Congratulations are also in order to Janice and Ian Davidson, aka 'The Wombats', on their Golden Wedding Anniversary, December 2013. |
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Lucky Escape for LV18
The Harwich and Manningtree Standard reports that a rescue operation had to be launched when the LV18 came dangerously close to breaking free from her moorings. Sea levels rose dangerously high during recent storms and the historic light vessel was inches away from escaping from the top of the huge mooring posts that anchor her to the quayside. The Lifeboat Crew and emergency services were involved and volunteer Ricky Callender managed to get aboard and assisted the operation for six hours. She was declared safe at 0300.
Ship's custodian Tony O'Neil said,"The whole of Harwich pulled together and the community support was fantastic."
(Thanks to John Sales for scanning the feature, which does not appear to be in the newspaper's online version)
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From Rob Olthof's basement
Hans Knot has been going through the archive of memorabilia left to him by his late friend Rob and has kindly forwarded this lovely photo of the Galaxy in Hamburg, taken by Tom Mulder. Martin van der Ven has a photo album of many more of Rob's photos, including several of the Galaxy, in the Offshore Radio Guide.
(Click on the photo to see larger version) |
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Archive photo:
17 Curzon Street to let
We are grateful to Roger Walker for sharing this unique photo of 17 Curzon Street after the offices were vacated by Radlon Sales. (Thanks to Hans Knot for forwarding it)
On the right, Chris and Mary stand at the door of #17 in 2002.
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The Band called Radio London
Recently, Radio London received a teeshirt order from the USA, which was for a special birthday present. Lynne Jackier bought the shirt for the 60th birthday of her husband John, whose band is named after Radio London.
Lynne says, "John loves oldies - especially 'British Invasion'. He is an oldies DJ on a local radio station and knows the history of pirate radio in the UK, so the band name is a tip of the hat to that history. He likes the idea that early British musicians heard American R&R from the pirates that influenced their music and culture, and then turned around and made great R&R that came back to the U.S. and influenced our music and culture."
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The Pirate Business
On December 12th 1965, when Postmaster-General Tony Wedgwood Benn was threatening to kill off the pirates, the Daily Mail published a feature about the business of offshore radio, with a photo of Brian Cullingford the 'gentleman pirate' of Radio 390 and a family portrait of Philip Birch and his family. (Thanks to Hans Knot)
Click on the picture to read the story
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Otway the Movie – vote OTWAY!
Trailer features co-star Johnnie Walker
The Guardian is running a poll to discover its readers' favourite films of the year. Ours, naturally, is 'Otway the Movie'.
This is the latest news from Aylesbury's Microstar on the successful screenings of 'Otway the Movie' and his quest for a BAFTA. There's more about the movie and its West End and Cannes premieres lower down the page. Otway writes:
"What a good cinema tour! We sold out three or four times and on two occasions the new 'Diana' movie had to be relegated to screen two to make way for the more popular 'Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure: Otway The Movie'!
BAFTAs
On November 18th we received the following e-mail: "Your EE British Academy Film Awards entry 'Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure: Otway the Movie' has been approved."
Hurrah! Now we have been accepted we just need the Bafta members to vote for us. There's a good explanation of how it all works on this Bafta site.
Keep an eye on the movie website, or follow us on Facebook/Twitter for all the exciting news as it unfolds.
Vue Cinemas
Due to the success of the tour we have succeeded in getting back into the West End and Vue Cinemas have agreed to screen the Movie at their prestigious Piccadilly Cinema on Saturday, November 23rd. If we can sell this out early enough (it holds 160) the wonderful people at Vue have indicated that they will put it into some of their other cinemas around the country - which would be a monumental achievement akin to getting Woolworth's to a stock the Second Hit.
I'm looking to get some interesting people in for the Q & A session, invite a load of BAFTA members and find somewhere for us to have a drink and celebrate after the movie. If you or anyone you know fancies going, get booking HERE" (This is also a link to the film trailer featuring Johnnie Walker.) Vue Cinemas have been very supportive and have suggested that they would be happy to screen the movie at some of their other cinemas if there is the demand. We know we would like to show the film in Sheffield and some other places where they have venues – if there's a Vue near you, you can drop them an e-mail
The Otway website lists all the latest screenings and upcoming gigs.
Radio London's archive Otway news index and collection of Leicester Square premiere photos is here
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It was 50 years ago today
50 years ago on December 13 1963, to be precise, was the unforgettable occasion when Mary met the Beatles at the Wimbledon Palais. See 'My Beatles Story'.
'How pirates captured my heart'
Sinead Ryan writes in the Irish Independent on how pirates captured her heart with "a frisson of illegality and sexy alter egos". The feature has a nice photo of the late Chris Cary, who was of course a watery wireless pirate before he was a land-based renegade.
Auspicious Meeting
A plaque at Dartford station will commemorate the first proper meeting between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, on 17 October 1961.
Reluctance to Turn Digital
The government sets out its plans to switch off FM transmitters in favour of digital radio signals, but many people are still reliant on analogue radios. An estimated 95% of cars lack DAB equipment, and some people are rebelling against the FM switch-off.
BBC News
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New company plaque for Radio London
Our wall plaque marking the registered offices of Radio London (a legal requirement for limited companies) had become somewhat dilapidated, so we have created this eye-catching special replacement. |
Logging the Test Transmissions
Paul Campbell has a question regarding the Caroline test transmissions that took place prior to the opening on March 28th 1964, as books vary on when these tests took place. Paul asks:
"Would anyone know the actual times, and the content of the tests? Also, I believe Chris Moore opened the microphone and spoke during one of these tests, but what did he say?
On the day of the opening, was anything being broadcast prior to 12 noon? What I mean is, did Simon Dee just open the microphone from 'empty air', or was music being played in the run up? Maybe a test transmission that had begun the previous evening?
I've often pondered over these questions, and I know that this concerns the very early days of Radio Caroline - almost 50 years ago! But someone, somewhere must know the answers.
The Radio London website is fantastic. I spend a long time reading the features and it certainly makes up for the fact I missed it all in the 1960s. If only I'd been born 10 or 12 years earlier!
Webmaster Mary Payne heard some of the tests, but was simply a teenager wandering about with her trannie on full blast. She I certainly didn't make notes!
"I would think, although I can't remember, that we saw reports about Caroline in the papers that made us tune in, rather than hearing the tests from the start. I remember my friend Mozz and I thought Chris Moore had a very sexy voice and were quite smitten when we got the Caroline Club photos of him!"
Jon Myer of the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame agrees that details are vague.
"I am told that music and some pre-recorded announcements went out on the evening of Good Friday, but reports differ as to whether the first voice was that of Chris Moore or John Junkin (Keith Skues's book says the latter). I believe they played Ray Charles albums on Saturday morning before the 12 noon launch so that the signal would be instantly recognisable to those listening out for the tests on land.
If anyone can answer Paul's queries, please email
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Tardis-tastic!
The Simmertones are proud to release an officially licensed cover of the Doctor Who theme, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of this iconic institution of British television.
This energetic and upbeat track has received national airplay on BBC Radio 1, 2 and 6 Music. It has been praised by both fans of the show and producers and writers alike, with a powerful horn section paying immediate homage to Ron Grainer's instantly recognisable melody, over the infectious rhythm of drums, guitar, keys and bass.
The track is available for streaming or downloading.
Webmaster's note: Dr Who is only a year older than Radio London – at least the TV programme is. The Doctor is considerably older than that. We think this new release is great and would have fitted very well in the Big L Fab Forty, which does contain a few good ska tracks. |
You've lost that... Number 1 Slot
The BBC news website features an interview with Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers about his battle in January 1965 to top the UK chart with 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling'. Cilla stalled at #2, while the non-related 'brothers' reached the top. They also beat Cilla inone of the earliest the Big L Fab Forties. |