Radio Caroline

TheScribbler

Now for real nostalgia

For those of us old enough to remember when Rock & Roll was rationed by RTE & BBC the year 1964 was to change all that forever and bring the youth culture to the forefront of society. Yes folks, that was the year that Ronan O'Rahilly created Radio Caroline. Caroline South was moored off Kent and Caroline North transmitted from the Isle of Man that pumped wall to wall pop and rock music into the ear pieces of our early transistor radios (when we were supposed to be doing homework).

Anyone care to share your memories of those years? Ooh I must stop twisitng like that as my back aches!

tk123

My dad is always singing some radio Caroline jingle about getting a free t-shirt!:rolleyes:

TheScribbler

His misspent youth perhaps. He was a child of the 60s

TheScribbler

Radio Caroline had become the centre of youth culture in 60s Ireland. I can remember walking along Bray seafront on a saturday afternoon to a complete wall of sound as every transistor radio was tuned in to Caroline - I used to know all the jingles and advertisements by heart

Fuzzy Clam

I'm sure then that you know of this site http://azanorak.com/
Check the Pub section. Password for files is "Freeradio":D

TheScribbler

I listen to Caroline on my computer now. Its still a good pop station. Manx Radio also does a weekly retrospective on the Caroline years that is worth tuning in for but unfortunately the FM reception isn't very good where I live.

TheScribbler

It was sad to learn of the death of Simon Dee a couple of weeks ago. He was Caroline's first DJ who went on to become a major celebrity chat show host but fell out with his bosses over demanding excessive remuneration. Watch out Jonathan Ross, you could be next!

It was sad for all that. I actually like Simon Dee

Latchy

Radio Caroline and the other pirate stations like radio London were before my time ( I'm not that old ) but I always loved the radio jingles from that era .They were very professional , polished , intresting , comical and classic, as the hits of the day back then . I have many of the original jingles on cd /casssete , which were all copied by the pirates from the original format by Pams of Dallas .

These are two cds I also have in my collection

http://www.discovery-records.com/product-ST11633/RADIO-CAROLINE/Don't-Touch-that-Dial-with-Johnnie-Walker.htm

http://www.discovery-records.com/product-ST14807/RADIO-CAROLINE/Don't-Touch-that-Dial-2-Beatles-interview.htm

Iggy Pop

Used to listen to radio Luxemburg top 20 on a Tuesday night when I was in school. It was sponsered by Peter Styverson cigarettes.

Can't remember if it was on a ship in international water or if that was Caroline.

Then came the dreadful Irish pirates and the worst being Radio Dublin 253. I can stilll remember the terrible jingle:

"Two, five, tree, two, five, tree, Radio Du-ublin" Sang by some Dub skangers. Got a right slaggin.:P

Latchy

Iggy Pop wrote: »

Used to listen to radio Luxemburg top 20 on a Tuesday night when I was in school. It was sponsered by Peter Styverson cigarettes.

Can't remember if it was on a ship in international water or if that was Caroline

. Think they eventually moved inland during the late 80s

Then came the dreadful Irish pirates and the worst being Radio Dublin 253. [ I can stilll remember the terrible jingle:

"Two, five, tree, two, five, tree, Radio Du-ublin" Sang by some Dub skangers. Got a right slaggin.:P

Probably the worst ,most depressing radiio jingle of all time ...ever

Fuzzy Clam

Luxemburg was never on a ship. Lots of people confused them with the offshore pirates. Were always based in Luxemburg although they did have a studio in London.

ghost_ie

Caroline used to go off air at 7 or 8pm (can't remember which) and then we'd switch over to Luxembourg which started broadcasting at that time. Some of the Radio Caroline DJ's went to Radio Luxembourg - Tony Prince was one, and I think Kid Jensen also started with Caroline

TheScribbler

You may be right about Caroline but to be honest I cannot recall as I tended to be engrossed in TV or doing homework at the time. Luxembourg started its English speaking broadcasting at 7pm and ultimately employed many disenfranchised DJs after Harold Wilson brought them down.

But Caroline was unique as it shifted its position to reside off the Netherlands and continued operating until closed following and Anglo Dutch police raid. But it bounced back and started up again, shifting its position to the coast of Portugal and Spain but until it moved back to the Netherlands again with a much more powerful ship where it was heavily adopted by Dutch and German teenagers.

Ultimately it discovered digital broadcasting, the Internet and legitimacy and is an excellent radio station. You can even access on Sky and Freeview. But in the 60s it personified the spirit of freedom to music starved teenagers.

TheScribbler

Does anyone have a copy of those car stickers that Radio Caroline used to issue in their millions that announced the station name and its frequency back in the 60s. I even had one on my school bag.