The Ship That Rocked The World by Tom Lodge
In this book, "The Ship That Rocked The
World", Tom Lodge, one of the first deejays on Radio Caroline, gives us his own direct
and personal experiences on both Radio Caroline North, Caroline South and Caroline
House, his experiences with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and other rock groups
of the day. He also describes that night on Radio Caroline when they were shipwrecked
and his encounters with MI5 and being intimidated by the Royal Navy. Tom's book is
all about those early days, when Radio Caroline first went on the air, and how this
new British experience of radio, changed the British Culture. Tom was broadcasting,
as they sailed around the English and Welsh coast, with people following from the
shore, flashing their headlights at night and the sun with mirrors in the day. From
Tom's book, you can understand why they finished up with an audience of 23 million
listeners. Chris Peterson said, "This was a unique media situation in history which
yielded some of the greatest creativity and talent output of a country, ever." From
Tom's book, you can clearly understand, how and why, Radio Caroline was and still
is today supported with such deep and heart felt enthusiasm.
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. Ones 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.
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-
The book is to A5 format, it consists of 208 pages with more than 80 illustrations.
It is printed on art paper throughout, with a colour laminated card cover with a
square-
'Radio Caroline,
The Pirate Years'
This book details in a new fresh way, the story from conception through the sinking
of the Mi Amigo in 1980 to the re-
JOHNNIE WALKER -
Johnnie Walker represents the final national link between the pirates and today's government controlled broadcasting. As he embarks on a new chapter away from a daytime show, this timely study shows how a man of integrity has fought against dull formatted radio created by state interference.
In July 1964, Radio Caroline North sailed quietly into Ramsey Bay with a mission to entertain. Now forty years on her legacy is still alive.
The station broadcast for only four years but in that time she stayed perfectly in tune with millions of listeners. The beat group era in Liverpool and Manchester provided the perfect tempo for her powerful transmitters. Personality DJs like Dave Lee Travis, Mike Ahern, Bob Stewart, Tony Prince and Don Allen became household names.
Behind the scenes there may have been turmoil but from the transmitter we heard nothing
but a positive charge. Now relive the fabulous 60’s sounds of the sea -
Dedicated to Chief Engineer Ernie Stevenson, Records At Sea explains how the British
fishing industry was created by the Industrial Revolution and how the industry built
and advanced, eventually creating the need for super trawlers of which Ross Revenge
was one of the biggest and most successful.
The book then moves on the to the Ross
Revenge becoming a radio ship after Britains capitulation in the 'Cod Wars' virtually
destroyed this countries deep water fishing industry.Describing the ships radio years
Mike then gives a virtual tour of the Ross and discusses the ideals that keep Caroline
on air and the Ross Revenge in our care in 2002. He also looks at the future aims
of the organisation. Since Mike was able to persuade the Lottery Commission 'Awards
For All' scheme to fund the cost of production, all profits from Records At Sea go
to the Society’s efforts to preserve the Ross Revenge.
72 pages. 24 Illustrations. Full colour gloss cover with fine shots of the Ross Revenge.
The story behind the 60`s ‘Pirate’ Radio stations
The British 'pirate' radio stations of the 1960's were not the first, or the last,
but they were amongst the most popular and are still fondly remembered today, 40
years later.
Everyone who listened to the offshore stations can remember the personalities,
the music, the jingles and the commercials. But behind the scenes there was real
life rivalry and conflict between the stations. They were also the catalyst for a
major change in British radio and they paved the way for the introduction of land
based commercial radio. They started a revolution. This is the story behind that
revolution
A superb A4 size 104 page glossy softback book of the original Pirate Radio era of the UK coast including Radio Caroline, Atlanta, ‘Big L’ Radio London, Radio England,Radio 270, 390, Invicta, Radio City, Radio Scotland and more...
