Radio Caroline - Chart
Saturday, January 29, 1966
The MV Mi Amigo went aground at Walton on the Naze around 2.00 am on Thursday 20th January 1966.
Caroline South started irregular broadcasts on 1493 kHz from MV Cheetah II on Saturday 12th February 1966,
but didn't broadcast a new chart until Saturday 19th February .
In this period, charts were compiled, but not broadcast .

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The Caroline Top 4, above, was compiled prior to Radio London taking over Jempi's charts. However, the clipping (left), from a 1966 music paper, is a Caroline Top Ten for this week. Apart from having the Overlanders'version of 'Michelle' at #1, the published chart differs considerably from Jempi's and would therefore alter some positions of records in both previous and subsequent charts.

This is certainly a very unusual chart. Seven of the Top Ten singles to have bounced straight in from nowhere and Herman's Hermits' 'A Must to Avoid' is missing altogether, whereas Jempi had it placed at #4.

As it cannot be proved conclusively that the published chart is the one that had been intended to be used aboard the Mi Amigo before the unfortunate grounding, we have decided to include both versions for reference purposes.

Jon Myer of the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame did establish in an email exchange with the late Tom Lodge, that for at least part of Caroline's history, separate charts were compiled for the North and South stations. Tom told Jon, "The two ships were always separate. I created the charts on whichever ship I was on, mostly from Melody Maker. We made some subtle changes, but not much, mostly from information we would receive from sales and also feedback from the audience. But that was extremely minimal. Melody Maker was our main source. What was happening, chart-wise, on the ship I was not on, I have no idea.".

David Ballantyne was #9 in the Fab Forty dated 30/01/66, but whether or not he ever became a 'Radio Caroline Hot Shot' as the advert proclaims, we do not know. It may be that 'I Can't Express It' was intended to have been played as a Sure Shot during the period when Caroline was off the air.

Mary

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