| In 1964 twenty cigarettes cost 5s. 10d. (29p), and a pint of beer cost 1s. 2d. (6p). The Beatles had three No. 1s, and spent a total of 50 weeks in the Charts. Their great rivals, the Rolling Stones had two No. 1s and spent 42 weeks in the charts. Radio stations had strange names like the Light Programme, the Home Service, and the Third. In the main, these stations played stuffy music, although Alan 'Fluff' Freeman had his weekly Pick of the Pops programme, and Top of the POPS had just started on television. In addition there were the nightly broadcasts from Radio Luxembourg but reception was often pretty awful, and Luxembourg only played part of a record. 'Radio Caroline on 199, your all day music station' these few words started a revolution in radio entertainment and popular music. All of a sudden pop music was being played all through the day, and then round the clock, 24 hours a day, instead of just one day a week! More stations followed, to us the listener, it was fantastic, young men and women sitting on an old boat (or fort), playing what we wanted to hear, when we wanted to hear it. Sales of radios quadrupled, and interest in radio trebled. Although most of us did not know it at the time, behind the scenes of these latter day buccaneers there was a darker, more sinister side. Ultimately battles broke out between some rivals, which unfortunately (quite literally) led to death, destruction, and mayhem. The Government closed down the stations, but then the highly successful formula was copied, using ex-pirate DJs and staff on the newly-launched Radio One. Pirate stations came, and pirate stations went, but one name outlasted all of the others, Radio Caroline, Britain's first and last, offshore radio station. It survived storms, drifting, piracy, rebellion and the loss of her beloved ship, the Mi Amigo. The Jolly Roger no longer flies, but the influence of Radio Caroline lives on. This is her story and the events that helped shape popular music radio broadcasting as we know it today Contents:
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 The Ballistic Pirates
- Chapter 2 The British Courts, 1964-1968
- 1964 Floating a dream
- - The Merger
- 1965 Ships and Forts
- 1966 On The Beach
- - Pirate Armada
- - Boardings and Bullets
- 1967 For Whom the Bell Tolls
- - Caroline Continues
- 1968 Hijack!
- Chapter 3 The Dutch Era, 1970-1974
- 1970 The Unbelievable has happened
- 1971 Pirates at War
- 1972 The First Lady Returns
- 1973 Caroline to the Rescue
- 1974 Farewell to the Dutch Pirates
- Chapter 4 The Fight for Survival, 1974-1980
- 1974 Alone Again!
- 1975 Loving Awareness
- - The Raid
- 1976 Trying Times
- - On the Move Again!
- 1977 In the Breach of Bad Law
- - Flashback 67
- 1978 Zee Zenders 20
- - Say Hello, Wave goodbye
- 1979 Survival of the fittest
- 1980 The Lady Retires
- Chapter 5 The legend lives on! 1980-1983
- 1983 Robbers of the Airwaves
- Appendix 1 Harrys Story
- Appendix 2 Broadcasting Staff
- Appendix 3 Masts and Frequencies
- Appendix 4 Advertising Rates circa 1966
- Index
Continent: Europe
Country: UK |
