On a cold February evening in 1985, over a thousand people gathered outside the studios
of Radio Jackie. They were defying the authorities who were trying to close them
down.Why were so many people so passionate about, what after all was a pirate radio
station?
Radio Jackie - A Very English Struggle is a book written by Colin King that
details his personal view of a momentous battle to bring Local Radio to South West
London and North Surrey. Hilarious situations, larger than life characters and a
band of young people utterly determined to succeed against all the odds.
There are
moments of 'Milliganesque' lunacy. There are moments of abject despair.But through
it all there is humour and determination.
This is the story behind the highly popular
Land Based ‘Pirate’ Radio Station bundled with an exclusive new ‘Radio Jackie The
CD’ audio disc
Radio Jackie book
PLUS new audio CD
complete with extensive
sleeve notes on this famous
land based station that
defied the establishment
for so long
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 Britain's 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.
JOHNNIE WALKER - CRUISIN' THE FORMATS examines the four decades since the pirate stations and traces the Radio 2 DJ's career from a tight US format on Radio England to freeform broadcasts on Caroline. From there he was forced to engage with the highly structured and bureaucratic programming of the BBC. In between he also experienced heady days in San Francisco - and the more mundane world of UK local radio.
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.
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...
THE BEAT FLEET by Mike Leonard... individually by the author £9.99
Johnnie Walker - Cruisin' The Formats by Bob Preedy - DIRECT FROM THE AUTHOR £6.99
'Radio Jackie - A Very English Struggle` by Colin King - THE BOOK COMES WITH EXCLUSIVE NEW AUDIO CD £17.99
RECORDS AT SEA by Mike Weston... Every Penny from this book goes to help preserve The Ross Revenge £5.99
When Pirates Ruled the Waves 6th Edition Paperback by Paul Harris BACK ON SALE! £16.95
Intrigues, threats, boarding parties, smuggling, shipwreck, danger and adventure on the high seas - they all form part of the remarkable story of the pop radio pirates.
During the 1960’s and 1970’s, they broadcast their programmes from storm-lashed radio ships anchored off the coasts of Europe. As the popularity of the stations grew - first in Denmark and Sweden and, later, in Britain, Holland and Belgium - and they multiplied in number, competition among them reached cut-throat level.
The story is told of how the dramatic events around the Radio City fort in London's Thames Estuary resulted in the shooting to death of its owner; of the rivalry between Holland's Radio Veronica and the psychedelically - painted Radio North Sea International which culminated in the night bombing of the North Sea ship; how Radio Caroline, Capital Radio and Radio Veronica broke free from their stormy anchorages and were driven aground; how Radio North Sea International became the centre of an espionage scandal involving the security services of several NATO countries, and played its part in influencing the 1970 British General Election. Blackmail and armed boarding parties were the order of the day as rival gangs of pirates literally fought to take over each other's radio ships and to carve up lucrative advertising markets. Successively, the governments of Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Britain and The Netherlands legislated against the pirate broadcasters.
Most observers will accept that the tragic fatal shooting of Radio City boss Reg Calvert, by Oliver Smedley, gave the UK government the incident they needed to suppress the sixties pirate stations.
These stations had been too popular to ban, but this event turned their image from loveable Robin Hood characters, to that of murdering gangsters. As DJ Dave Cash later remarked ‘We had to give them some reason to act against us. It could have been drugs or it could have been murder. Sadly, we gave them murder’.
Author Adrian Johns, opens his book on the evening of June 21st 1966, when an enraged Calvert drove to Essex to confront Smedley, but there is a far longer story to how these two men came to clash and indeed how UK radio was manipulated from the 20's onwards, to steer society, maintain the status quo, finally creating the climate for the sixties pirate radio revolution.
This is a deeply researched book and thus not a lightweight read. Those who do not have a scholars vocabulary may wish to keep a dictionary handy. But, readers will learn how the BBC obtained and vigorously defended its monopoly from the twenties to the sixties, about the inroads made by overseas broadcasters during the inter war years and how Radio London and Caroline, and to a lesser extent Radio City, created a sudden and permanent change in an era that may have lasted very much longer had Major Smedley not pulled the trigger of his shotgun on that fateful evening.
Review by Radio Caroline’s station Manager Peter Moore...
Hardcover: 305 pages Book Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.2 x 2.8 cm
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co. About the Author
Adrian Johns is a professor of history at the University of Chicago. Educated at Cambridge University, Johns is a specialist on intellectual property and piracy.
DEATH OF A PIRATE - British Radio and The Making Of The Information Age - Adrian Johns £19.99
In 1969 the MV Peace, Abie Nathan's radio ship, sailed from Amsterdam to New York. There it had to stay for three long years through lack of funds. Then at last, after a long and eventful journey, the ship anchored off Tel Aviv in May 1973 where it was sunk in November 1993. Over all those years many things happened to the radio station aboard, the Voice of Peace, that was meant by its owner to voice a message of peace where this was needed. Still very poignant today a sample of this fascinating story is still online at Soundscapes...
A lot of work involved researching not only the history of the Voice of Peace but also the various humanitarian jobs Abe Nathan did through four decades. With assistance from people next to Abe, deejays and staff of the station in the past, Hans Knot wrote this 250 page book with many exclusive photographs.
‘VOICE OF PEACE MEMORIES AND ABIE NATHAN’S WORK Book edited by Hans Knot - DIRECT FROM HOLLAND £19.99
BONUS
PHOTO CD
As there were hundreds of photos sent in by many people, a BONUS ‘photo cd’ is included. While stocks last.
The book was originally presented at the Annual Radio Day in Amsterdam on November 2006. The late and much missed Avraham "Abie" Nathan ( 29 April 1927 - 27 August 2008) was an Israeli humanitarian and peace activist but best known as the founder of the Voice of Peace radio station.
LASER 558 All Europe Radio - Hans Knot DIRECT FROM THE DUTCH PUBLISHER £19.99
Hans Knot brings us another interesting book in an inimitable Dutch spin on English. This time the history of Radio Caroline’s one time neighbour in the North Seas during the Eighties, Laser 558, with a pop play list that drew in big audiences while it lasted.
Caroline later picked up the frequency and for a time some of the commercial style. One for your collection.
Hans writes in his foreword.
Just before Radio Caroline restarted we already heard rumours that a new radio ship would appear at the West European Horizon. But it would last until November that year that we saw in the trade publication ‘Radio News’ the first printed message. In their edition from November 4th 1983: ‘A new pirate ship is leaving Fort Lauderdale, Florida, today to anchor alongside Radio Caroline off the British Coast. The station, which will be called Laser 730, is expected to arrive off Kent in two weeks time. Laser 730 is American backed and will feature only American personalities keen to make impression on the European Market. Its music will be CHR – Contemporary Hit Radio – or Top 40 - which has taken the major stateside market by storm. The mast is 354 feet high and Laser 730 hopes to achieve a power of 100 kW.” I hope this book will bring back a lot of memories to you with the happenings of a wonderful radio station from more than 25 years ago, ‘All Europe Radio Laser 558’.
Groningen, Hans Knot, October 2011.
Johnnie Walker is an inspiration. One of the best-known and most beloved broadcasters in Britain, the charismatic BBC Radio 2 DJ has achieved legendary status with a hugely loyal following thanks to his tireless pioneering of new music, his warm and passionate personality and his soothing voice.
Having thrown away the rule book as a teenager, Johnnie has always made decisions from the heart. As a result, he has had a brilliantly colourful life, with more ups and downs than a roller coaster ride. He made his name in the 1960`s when he and Radio Caroline, where his night-time show was essential listening for 86% of radio listeners, continued broadcasting in defiance of Government legislation. In 1976 he walked out of Radio 1 because of his outspoken views and his insistence on playing album tracks. He made front page news when he described the Bay City Rollers as 'musical garbage' and when he was caught snorting cocaine.
In his memoir, he reveals all about his time with Radio Caroline, his drug addiction, his fight against cancer and his spiritual awakening. Honest, passionate and humorous, his autobiography will provide inspiring and entertaining listening to his million of fans.
Paperback Size : 129 x 198mm Pages : 416 Publisher : Penguin
Johnnie Walker The Autobiography - Penguin Paperback edition £8.99
The new US hardcover edition of the story of Tom Lodge and the earliest days of Radio Caroline. This edition has a hard cover, 242 pages, has been completely revised with many photos, and features a foreword by Steven Van Zandt (The E Street Band and The Sopranos).
"The Ship that Rocked the World" may have the same title as Tom's original book, but it's been completely revised, and dramatically expanded. More tales about life aboard ship and onshore, more insights into the music, and more stories of Tom, Ronan, the deejays, and the musicians who made those days so special, with a concluding section about how Caroline continues today.”
“Without Caroline, we would not have sold a single record .Tom Lodge was a vital figure in Caroline’s most vital times. As such, he deserves a Knighthood... Sometimes the law is more than an ass. Pirates? They were angels.”
Pete Townshend
“Radio Caroline was more adventurous than most stations around in its day. It championed bands like the Kinks, who owe much of their early success to Radio Caroline and Tom Lodge.” Ray Davies
Hardcover 242 pages completely revised edition with many photos
NEW!
EDITION
“Pirate Radio, and in particular Radio Caroline, was a really exciting part of all our lives in those days, and summed up the spirit of the times culturally and musically.” Sir Paul McCartney
“Radio Caroline gave us our start–my eternal thanks.”
Spencer Davis
The Ship That Rocked The World - TOM LODGE £18.99 with Author Signed Bookplate
Now with Author Signed Bookplate
‘Ships in Troubled Waters’ is the long awaited book from Nigel Harris, one of Radio Caroline’s longest serving presenters.
Storms, raids, police chases, near drowning and a knife attack. All part of an amazing offshore radio story with some rare photos of it all.
Nigel writes:
The book covers my boarding school days leading up to my joining the Mi Amigo. Aberdeen is the next port of call for the Cedarlea project with various other Caroline staff. Then it goes to Germany where I join the fledging Radio Paradise and sail to Dublin for the conversion of the ship. Then it’s off again to the North Sea and many years onboard the Ross Revenge. Finally, it’s Tel Aviv, and the Voice of Peace.
Paperback: 230 pages featuring
50 B & W photographs
Publisher: My Way Publishing
Dimensions: 21.0 x 14.8 x 2.4 cm
'Ships in Troubled Water' by Radio Caroline's Nigel Harris - Signed by the author £13.99
Forty seven years ago, we kids, we teenagers, we twenty-year-olds, slid out of that dark English cave and created a dancing, singing, swinging English playground, which then spread to Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Radio Caroline not only gave the British people permission to live fully, it also re-kindled that British love of the sea, of exploration, of challenge, that love where no barrier, no difficulty, no wall is impossible to scale. And then, intertwined all this adventure, this freedom, with music. Because of Radio Caroline, the British latent creativity burst forth like a tsunami. And to celebrate that the Caroline crew have created a fun weekend for Radio Caroline's 47th birthday, broadcasting directly from our ship. Also, for that weekend birthday, I have put together a show which explores and plays with some of the special song intro guitar riffs and the interesting stories behind their creations.’
There can be few modern day adventure stories as gripping and romantic as the story of Radio Caroline, a legend in her own time. In 1964 Radio Caroline was the very first shipborne ‘pirate’ radio station broadcasting to listeners in Britain.
Although Radio Caroline continued broadcasting after the British government introduced legislation to silence ‘the pirates’, the floating radio station was seized and impounded in the late ‘60’s. The Caroline ship the MV Mi Amigo lay rusting in a harbour until 1972 when she was sold at auction for conversion into a ‘pirate’ radio museum. By the end of the year ‘The Lady’ as she was affectionately known, was at anchor again off the Dutch cost and a whole new chapter in her broadcasting career had begun.
The author has written here the inside story of everyday life aboard - often stripped of its romantic aura. Drugs, sex, intrigues, hijackings, mutinies and storms at sea all feature in this extraordinary tale.
Eventually in March 1980 the Caroline ship was to sink in a violent storm in the North Sea, but from August 1983 the station rose phoenix like from the ashes and resumed broadcasting from a new ship.
This is a book which will fascinate not only those readers interested in broadcasting and music radio, but all who can enjoy a real life adventure story of drama on the high seas.
New edition of this classic Offshore Radio Book with new chapters by the author, 26 photos and a total of 278 pages in paperback format.
REDUCED PRICE!
Last Of The Pirates - NEW EDITION Bob Noakes DIRECT FROM HOLLAND REDUCED TO £17.00
‘WAY BACK HOME’ The Graham Gill Story DIRECT FROM HOLLAND REDUCED TO £17.00
Graeme Gilsenan, born April 15th 1936 in Williamstown
Australia, the proud son of George Robert Gilsenan and
Rhoda Jean Heap. Found his career within the radio industry.
First in Australia and from the mid sixties of last century in Europe.
Stations like Radio London, Swinging Radio England, Britain Radio, Radio 390, Radio Caroline, RNI and Radio Netherlands were glad to have him in their presentation team.
Now 74 years of age he reveals his life story in: ‘Way Back Home, The Graham Gill Story’. 176 pages 68 photos
The Pirate Radio Hall of fame says...
Graham Gill From Melbourne Australia, Graham worked for Radio London, Britain Radio, “Swinging” Radio England and Radio 390 during the sixties. There is a biography in the main section of The Pirate Radio Hall Of Fame. Following the closedown of Radio 390, Graham moved to Holland and was heard on Radio Netherlands, the English language programmes of the Dutch overseas service. In March 1973 he joined Caroline but only stayed for a week, moving instead to the rival station Radio Northsea International. Graham is particularly remembered on RNI for opening his show by singing his theme tune live every night over the backing of Junior Walker's Way Back Home. In May 1974 he paid a return visit to the Mi Amigo and, the following month, rejoined Caroline as Programme Director. (His last show on RNI was on 24th May 1974.) Graham left Caroline when the Dutch introduced their anti-pirate legislation in August 1974 and returned to Radio Netherlands. He has now retired and continues to live in Holland.
www.offshoreradio.co.uk for more on all the Offshore DJ’s
REDUCED PRICE!