21 replies to this topic

[Cooperman]

It was 50 years ago today that  'pirate' offshore radio broadcasting was made illegal by a bunch or moronic politicians.

 

I doubt if any will remember that time, but it was the birth of commercial popular radio for the UK and was based on several ships anchored outside our territorial waters with one radio station (Radio 390) on an old wartime fort in the Thames Estuary.

 

Back then, the only popular music station was Radio Luxembourg which came on-air at 18-0 hours, so during the day there had been nothing.

 

The most popular was Radio London, known as 'The Big L' and it was shut down at 15-0 hours on 14th August, 1967, I remember leaving the office and going to sit in my car at five-to-three to hear the final shut down, and recall how sad it seemed at the time. Such was the outcry that BBC Radio 1 started at the end of the following month, but it never had the sort of wild appeal of The Big L, Radio Caroline or any of the others.

 

50 years ago, and it seems like just a short while.

[whistler]

Caroline was the only one I could receive, depending on the wind direction. It was a breath of fresh air. Been a follower of Johnny Walker ever since.
A lot of the original DJs have ended up on local radio stations around the country.
Bring 'em back, they are sadly missed.

[Orange-Phantom]

There were a lot of pirates around when the underground electronic music scene first got a proper foot hold in the late 80's and early 90's, this when this type of music was badly stigmatised by the press and the authorities.  There were mass protests and even riots in London (although never really reported on the TV or the press) when the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 defined illegal gatherings of more than 20 people listening to "repetitive beats". Non of these pirates though were ever as popular as the 60's pirates.

 

It was said the pirates of the 60's that created a new music movement by getting the real music out there and making it accessible to everyone, rather than listening to some bore droning on.  This helped define the swinging 60's.

 

Radio Caroline North was based just offshore from Ramsey in the Isle of Man.  Radio Caroline then went on to be the biggest commercial radio station in the world and  on which the Movie "The Boat that Rocked" was based upon.

 

http://www.express.c...-music-business

 

I personally don't remember the broadcasts but dad still has some recordings and a-lot of people over here remember it very well.  Quite a few local people were involved with the station and speak of those days very fondly!

 

Radio Caroline is in fact broadcasting again on these dates using Manx Radios MW transmitter or via their website.

 

You can hear Radio Caroline North during 2017 on the following dates
either through our dedicated stream or on 1368 kHz MW.

• 12/15 August (50th Anniversary MOA Special)
• 23/24 September
• 28/29 October
• 25/26 November

http://www.radiocaro.../manx_info.html

 

It's not quite the same when it's all legal and above board though!

Edited by Orange-Phantom, 14 August 2017 - 06:37 PM.

[Haygate]

I ran a successful station for 4 years in the late 90s early 2000s on weekends, had the best time of my life during those days, sadly it came to an end with court :)

[mini13]

the radio caroline boat ( or at least an incarnation of it?) is moored near me in the blackwater.

[panky]

https://uk.yahoo.com...-014000161.html

[JBW]

Those were the days, does anyone remember Johnny Walker at midnight on the 13th August 67 playing we shall overcome etc.

Then we had Radio 1, (a station I've never listened too) Radio North Sea, Laser 558 etc. and of course Radio Caroline which kept returning on/off over the years

I had a friend who worked with commercial radio DJ's, he said a lot of them used to listen to Radio Caroline(after August 67 when/if it was broadcasting) whilst they were "live" on air.

 

Apparently Radio 2 have played the Days of Pearly Spencer, by David McWilliams, which was never a hit in the UK, but played virtually every hour on Caroline., as they were involved with Major minor records, (same director)

[Cooperman]

I can remember almost off of them, but 'Wonderful Radio London, the BIG L', was the best of the lot.

 

Caroline was the first to broadcast to the UK and I remember driving my Mini Cooper 998 up the A1 on the day of Tony Blackburn's first broadcast in 1964.

 

Those were wonderful times and it doesn't seem very long ago. Not much traffic, no breathaliser, no speed cameras, no national speed limit, lots of interesting cars and all those beautiful girls in the then-new mini-skirts!

[Icey]

Those were wonderful times

 

As long as you were adult, white, straight and male. Sexism, racism and homophobia were still very much the norm - just look at what used to get put on the TV! And then there are the child abuse scandals....

 

While I can appreciate that for people doing 'OK' at the time it must have seemed like a golden era, it doesn't take much reading (as I wasn't alive at the time) to know that not everyone looks back with such fondness.

[Carlos W]

A friend of mine works on http://www.redsandsradio.co.uk/

 

It used to be transmitted from the forts.

 

He has very found memories of being involved in 60s radio

[Cooperman]

I was 20 at the end of 1960, so I was an adult throughout the entire decade.

Yes. I guess I was lucky, but one tended to make ones own luck as there was full employment and free education for those who wanted it. I served a 5-year engineering apprenticeship in the aircraft industry, and that opened up a lot of opportunities. Most of my friends were similarly trained and we saw it as a golden age, which I believe it was for most.

 

Don't believe all that is written about homophobia and sexism. There was a big move to legalise homosexuality, which happened in 1967 and sexism was not really a major issue except for the fringe few. These things were just not a big issue for over 99% of the population. 

 

We all just got on with life, worked hard and had a most wonderful time. Pirate radio was the voice of the young back then. For those of us into cars, the choices were superb and mainly affordable for those in work. There was no excuse for not working either as jobs were plentiful. We had great holidays and foreign travel was coming into its own. You could board an aircraft without being treated as a terrorist. 

 

I do not envy the young now, with political correctness, 'elf 'n' safety, expensive education, everything down to performance at work and so on. We had a lot of freedom which has sadly disappeared now. I think there was a spirit of optimism which is lacking now. And as for those beautiful and emancipated girls in their mini-skirts- wow! I had a wonderful time  .

[slowy]

Yes I am with you cooperman them times were good. Like you just finished engineering apprenticeship plenty of jobs .the roads not crowded was a joy to drive my cooper .and them mini- skirts .a wonderful time.

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

I can remember almost off of them, but 'Wonderful Radio London, the BIG L', was the best of the lot.
 
Caroline was the first to broadcast to the UK and I remember driving my Mini Cooper 998 up the A1 on the day of Tony Blackburn's first broadcast in 1964.
 
Those were wonderful times and it doesn't seem very long ago. Not much traffic, no breathaliser, no speed cameras, no national speed limit, lots of interesting cars and all those beautiful girls in the then-new mini-skirts!

Sounds terrible. . I'd love to have been a twenty something in the 60's

[Icey]

Don't believe all that is written about homophobia and sexism.

 
It's not just written, my parents are about the same age as you and have a very different opinion despite also taking part in the 'fun' parts of the decade (seriously, the stuff my mother did as a youngster in the 60s  makes my youth look like a book club meeting).
 
The Notting Hill riots were only in '58. Casual racism was part of the 'British' culture, the race relations act only came in in 1965! Enoch Powell gave his speech in 1968....
 
Slums still existed in most major cities, my father grew up in not much more than a slum in North London (wellies for shoes etc..).
 
The mentally ill or those learning difficulties were regularly locked away in asylums for long periods as treatments were ineffective or non-existent.
 
Abortion was still illegal until 1967,  my neighbours growing up (now dead, a bit older than you) had female friends and family die because their only option for an unwanted pregnancy was a backstreet abortion.
 
So while I expect it was a great time to be white, male and middle class, if you were poor, black, female or disabled you didn't have the same social support as you do now.
 

political correctness, 'elf 'n' safety, expensive education

As soon as someone blames 'political correctness' for something, the argument is usually over, it's a useless term. And you want to go back to 60s levels of industrial injuries and accidents? The only point we'll agree on is the cost of education!

 

And one last thing on the female/sexism point. Seriously, look at the two posts in this thread. To paraphrase:
 

Phoowr! Look at the girls in the mini-skirts!

Come on, can you not see the irony in downplaying sexism and then salivating over girls in skimpy clothes?

Edited by Icey, 15 August 2017 - 09:23 PM.

[Cooperman]

Oh, for goodness sake lighten up.

 

I started this post to remember the offshore 'pirate' radio stations and the way they changed broadcasting, and to see if anyone else remembered listening to them, not for a discussion about politics and living standards.

 

For many of us the sixties was the time when we were young and life was great. We had it all to do and the fashions, trends, styles, music, cars, work, education and fun is what we remember. And why did those gorgeous girls choose to wear the clothes they did? For the same reasons all women do - to appeal attractive to men. Does that make them sexist?

 

We shouldn't be looking back 50 years now at what was bad then, any more than you younger folk will look back, in 50 years time, on what is bad now. We were looking forward to the future with enthusiasm and optimism. The promise was never greater for all young people than in that decade.

 

In 50 years time it may be that your children will say "Wow, did you know it was still illegal to take recreational drugs in 2017, how repressive".

 

The '60's was a time of great social and technological advancement which was of benefit to all. If you want to decry a decade, choose the 1930's which was depression-filled leading to WW2. The '60's was fantastic in comparison. I don't know for sure, but I strongly suspect that the fastest growth in living standards in this country was between about 1955 and 1972 and yes, I can remember all that period. Any decade will have its bad points, but the '60's is a defining period which, for those of us who were there and were young, was never to be repeated