Sealand
January 1, 2013
His Royal Highness Roy Bates Prince of Sealand (also known as Roughs Tower), ruler of the world’s smallest country died on the 9th October 2012. Presumably the title now passes to his son Michael. Sealand is the only known country that will cease to exist when it finally rusts away.
Monitor 24 from 1983 featured a number of articles about Sealand.
PS: Monitor No 1 featured a number of articles about the original fort-based Radio City.
PPS: AZAnorak is the place to find great old off-air recordings from the pirate days, and recently, copies of Monitor ……
Laser 558
November 1, 2012
I’m currently reading an (out of print) book which covers the beginnings and setting up of this offshore radio station in depth. It was published in 1984 when Laser 558 had only been broadcasting in the UK for a few months so it doesn’t cover the “siege” by the DTI. Laser 558 officially began in May 1984 and disappeared suddenly in November 1985. Radio Caroline soon moved in and captured the clearer (at the time) 558m frequency for themselves. (Laser would make a comeback of sorts under new owners as Laser Hot Hits for a few months in the beginning of 1986 but the moment had passed).
Lo-fi recording of Laser 558 in October 1985.
Brief audio extract of an invite to a Laser 558 party.
For more Laser etc details than you can shake a stick at there’s no better place to look than an old 1980s issue of “Monitor”.
Radio Caroline Annual
July 1, 2012
World Distributors were certainly busy in the 1960s and 1970s churning out Annuals on myriad subjects. This one must have appeared in autumn/xmas 1965. Was there one the following year? I don’t think so, but there were a number of books and magazines about Caroline in the sixties. Perhaps this 132 page hardback was originally going to be another annual about pop music and at the last minute they decided to latch onto the latest trend of Pirate Radio? There are half a dozen articles inside about Radio Caroline. Most of the book consists of info about the popstars of the time. The numerous full-page black and white photos are often rather gloomy and grainy but the book is still an interesting read.
Buster Pearson
January 1, 2012
Roland C. Pearson, better known as “Buster” (1928 – 1985) was responsible for the fascinating publication known as “Monitor”. Begun in the early 1970s as coloured foolscap sheets, by the early 1980s it had progressed into an A5 booklet format. Always crammed with information about Offshore Radio these news-sheets have become even more interesting as time has gone on. Here are a few more issues from 1978 and 1979. Earlier issues are available on the Interweb at various locations. Later (A5 sized) issues may appear here one day if the mood takes me.
In 1984, to celebrate 20 years since Radio Caroline began, Buster and the team produced a “20th Anniversary” special edition of Monitor. Enclosed in the next edition of the magazine was a sheet listing the (very few and very minor) errors that had cropped up in the “special”. Just shows his attention to detail.
In April 1986 Radio Caroline broadcast a tribute to Buster Pearson. Although I posted a recording of this previously it was taken from a cassette copy. Here is my original recording from a reel-to-reel tape. The quality isn’t much better but it is slightly longer as it includes a few minutes of programming from both before and after the documentary. (Disclaimer: I’m sure sonically superior recordings of this are undoubtedly available elsewhere.)
Radio Caroline – Tribute to Buster Pearson
PS: Here is a brief lo-fi aircheck of Radio Caroline September 1976 I’ve just found whilst looking for something more interesting….
CRAM
September 12, 2011
I don’t know how many “issues” of the Commercial Radio Audio Magazine were produced in the early 1970s. I’d love to hear them. All I’ve got is an approx 20 minute long sample tape that I sent off for circa 1972.
A to Z of Offshore Radio
August 1, 2011
When I acquired this tape 40 (!!) years ago it was mostly documenting surprisingly recent history of just 4 or 5 years earlier. Perhaps more extensive versions of these recordings are in circulation but this 90 minute tape gives you a pretty good idea of what could be found on your transistor radio in the 1960s besides the BBC. More odd stuff for my Audio Archive.
