The final farewell from the staff, management and pop stars as Big L says its final farewell, August 14th 1967. More available @ www.pirateradiosales.co.uk
Oh dear... Well, I was 14 in 1967.. We were holidaying in Devon. I listened to Big L non-stop all the way down - knowing I wouldn't be doing it on the way back. Then that awful day. . It was raining, so my Mum, Dad, my brother & I all stayed in & listened to that final day. And then that moment came. . . . 3 o'clock. . . Tears welled-up - just as they are now as I'm typing this at 62yrs old. . . No generation below me could ever understand the passion for a Radio station that we had - still have. And it was my first exposure to politics - I vowed never to vote Labour . I joined the Free Radio Association - I still have the stickers & posters. At school hundreds of us had the FRA badge - which we had to wear under our lapel where it wouldn't be on show - but every now & then we'd flip the lapel to a fellow protester. I have several memorabilia - the disc, the 8mm film&disc and, more recently, cds & DVDs. Alas, the next 10 years will have a devastating effect on that generation of DJs & men like Philip Birch who created our Wonderful Radio London. And after my generation ... what then? . . The memories will die with us. Like the loss of a close friend or pet, it still affects me very deeply.
Part Two: - A sad day for Britain and a win for the Government on putting down the youth of the day. I can still draw tears when I think back. Everett/Cash/Stewart/Skues/Peel/Dennis/Kaye, so many and all at their best. They shared my life for such a short time but made such an impact.
I will never forget picking up Radio London at 8 years old late at night! I DXed to find the best stations very late at night on AM because I adore music...this was the begining of underground! This so COOL! Thnk you for sharing and bringing back childhood memories.
We never saw their like before and we have never seen their like since. I consider myself very privileged indeed to have lived through it and to have heard the best radio the UK has ever had. Shame on wilson's labour governemnt for destroying something so uniquely wonderful and ruining my remaining teenage years by taking away my friends the Pirates. I was devastated when the pirates left us and have never got over it, I doubt at this stage that I ever will.
I remember clearly going on a protest march to No10 and I was up front with Ronan O'Rahilly Radio Caroline's station manager. The only time I have ever gone on a protest march. I remember 3.00pm on August 14th like it was yesterday listening to that last broadcast from Radio London and A Day In The Life fading to silence.
Remember exactly where I was at 3.00p.m on that fateful day in '67.I was on a technical training course for apprentices for G.P.O telephones at Bletchley Park, Bucks.I was distraught, my mind wasn't on the course in hand !. It was a severe blow after neally 3 wonderful years of ' Big L.'.I didn't even get the chance to listen to the finest last hour !.
I remember it well. Big L (Radio London)was so fresh and new after the BBC services that were unchanged since the war. It was the sixties and exciting. Radio Caroline is still sort of going 44 years later and several ships!. I was a member of the Free Radio Association in Essex, UK. We fought for free radio in the UK like in the States. We now have loads of radio stations.Local and Nationwide. Both BBC and Independant. Weird that in the 60's there was no frequencies available. Labor Government
London was the background to my early teanage years. I remember exactly where I was when it closed down. I joined the "fight for free Radio" organisation, and as a result in June 71 went on my only ever Demo (with a theme tune based on the music of Dads Army) Simon Dee was running up and down the column of marchers which made us feel good. I refused to listen to Radio 1 for donkeys years on principle. Some years later on a R1 gig I was working on I expressed my concerns to the R1 DJs, a number of whom were of course ex Pirates and they reassured me saying - 'we don't blame you' Without London & Caroline I would never have been exposed to all that new music - which ended up giving me a career in it for the past 40 years. (I'm not a DJ!). How times have changed!!
After Caroline went in March 1968, I listened to Radio Veronica which was in Dutch, rather than the detested Radio 1. The lyrics of that great anthem "We Love The Pirate Stations by The Roaring '60s "Now the goverment's trying to close down the stations, What'll happen when they're gone?...You won't hear the music that you Love any old time of day or night.....We Love The Pirate Stations,Please don't take 'em away........" Says it all. It died at it's very peak and will be remembered forever.
I will always wonder what would have happened if more of the stations did what Radio Caroline done. would the government have been forced by mass public oppinion to repeal the 1967 act
it must cost a ton of money to run a pirate station like this.....how did these guys finance it....did the get advertising? I find this very interesting...I am an american and know of small garage size pirate radio stations but this seems like a pretty big operation
After Radio London went, and then Radio Caroline which was my first love, I never did listen to Radio One from the BBC, because it just wasn't the same. I changed my listening habits entirely at that time, and listened to what the Beeb did best.... The Home Service... (became Radio 4).
No more good radio since then! The whole day long the music we liked, short news every hour and a positive feeling... Shame on those polticians and their stupid decisions... they stopped a happy part of my youth.
just listen yr radio now...is this what u want...MR CAMERON..20 mill ppl listened to this in the sixties...NO WAY CAN THE BEEB B WORTH IT..even the supermarkets have their own radio now...so sad
Usual UK government tactics, never mind what the public that elected them thought of offshore radio, the government didnt like it so off it went. Radio listening in the UK has never been the same since
1967 was a CRAZY year in broadcasting. We lost too many pirate radio stations due to some unjustified law. Over here in America, two months prior to Radio London's shutdown, KBLA - Los Angeles pop station at the time - reformated and changed its call letters. They went out just as diligently as Big L did 🫡
Oh dear... Well, I was 14 in 1967.. We were holidaying in Devon. I listened to Big L non-stop all the way down - knowing I wouldn't be doing it on the way back. Then that awful day. . It was raining, so my Mum, Dad, my brother & I all stayed in & listened to that final day.
And then that moment came. . . . 3 o'clock. . . Tears welled-up - just as they are now as I'm typing this at 62yrs old. . . No generation below me could ever understand the passion for a Radio station that we had - still have. And it was my first exposure to politics - I vowed never to vote Labour .
I joined the Free Radio Association - I still have the stickers & posters. At school hundreds of us had the FRA badge - which we had to wear under our lapel where it wouldn't be on show - but every now & then we'd flip the lapel to a fellow protester.
I have several memorabilia - the disc, the 8mm film&disc and, more recently, cds & DVDs.
Alas, the next 10 years will have a devastating effect on that generation of DJs & men like Philip Birch who created our Wonderful Radio London.
And after my generation ... what then? . . The memories will die with us.
Like the loss of a close friend or pet, it still affects me very deeply.
Part Two: -
A sad day for Britain and a win for the Government on putting down the youth of the day. I can still draw tears when I think back. Everett/Cash/Stewart/Skues/Peel/Dennis/Kaye, so many and all at their best. They shared my life for such a short time but made such an impact.
I will never forget picking up Radio London at 8 years old late at night! I DXed to find the best stations very late at night on AM because I adore music...this was the begining of underground! This so COOL! Thnk you for sharing and bringing back childhood memories.
A crime to close it down. The Best Radio Station Britain Ever Had !!
God, what an amazing story! I am just now learning about this sort of broadcasting, and your posta are really interesting!
We never saw their like before and we have never seen their like since. I consider myself very privileged indeed to have lived through it and to have heard the best radio the UK has ever had. Shame on wilson's labour governemnt for destroying something so uniquely wonderful and ruining my remaining teenage years by taking away my friends the Pirates. I was devastated when the pirates left us and have never got over it, I doubt at this stage that I ever will.
I remember clearly going on a protest march to No10 and I was up front with Ronan O'Rahilly Radio Caroline's station manager. The only time I have ever gone on a protest march. I remember 3.00pm on August 14th like it was yesterday listening to that last broadcast from Radio London and A Day In The Life fading to silence.
Remember exactly where I was at 3.00p.m on that fateful day in '67.I was on a technical training course for apprentices for G.P.O telephones at Bletchley Park, Bucks.I was distraught, my mind wasn't on the course in hand !. It was a severe blow after neally 3 wonderful years of ' Big L.'.I didn't even get the chance to listen to the finest last hour !.
I remember it well. Big L (Radio London)was so fresh and new after the BBC services that were unchanged since the war. It was the sixties and exciting. Radio Caroline is still sort of going 44 years later and several ships!. I was a member of the Free Radio Association in Essex, UK. We fought for free radio in the UK like in the States. We now have loads of radio stations.Local and Nationwide. Both BBC and Independant. Weird that in the 60's there was no frequencies available. Labor Government
It's more then 40 years ago now that Radio London had to close down
I'm still angry.
London was the background to my early teanage years. I remember exactly where I was when it closed down. I joined the "fight for free Radio" organisation, and as a result in June 71 went on my only ever Demo (with a theme tune based on the music of Dads Army) Simon Dee was running up and down the column of marchers which made us feel good. I refused to listen to Radio 1 for donkeys years on principle. Some years later on a R1 gig I was working on I expressed my concerns to the R1 DJs, a number of whom were of course ex Pirates and they reassured me saying - 'we don't blame you' Without London & Caroline I would never have been exposed to all that new music - which ended up giving me a career in it for the past 40 years. (I'm not a DJ!). How times have changed!!
That tune was "who do you think you are kidding mr.wilson". I still cannot understand why radio london did not set sail to the coast of holland.
After Caroline went in March 1968, I listened to Radio Veronica which was in Dutch, rather than the detested Radio 1. The lyrics of that great anthem "We Love The Pirate Stations by The Roaring '60s "Now the goverment's trying to close down the stations, What'll happen when they're gone?...You won't hear the music that you Love any old time of day or night.....We Love The Pirate Stations,Please don't take 'em away........" Says it all. It died at it's very peak and will be remembered forever.
I will always wonder what would have happened if more of the stations did what Radio Caroline done. would the government have been forced by mass public oppinion to repeal the 1967 act
it must cost a ton of money to run a pirate station like this.....how did these guys finance it....did the get advertising? I find this very interesting...I am an american and know of small garage size pirate radio stations but this seems like a pretty big operation
I share your anger
After Radio London went, and then Radio Caroline which was my first love, I never did listen to Radio One from the BBC, because it just wasn't the same. I changed my listening habits entirely at that time, and listened to what the Beeb did best.... The Home Service... (became Radio 4).
No more good radio since then! The whole day long the music we liked, short news every hour and a positive feeling... Shame on those polticians and their stupid decisions... they stopped a happy part of my youth.
just listen yr radio now...is this what u want...MR CAMERON..20 mill ppl listened to this in the sixties...NO WAY CAN THE BEEB B WORTH IT..even the supermarkets have their own radio now...so sad
Usual UK government tactics, never mind what the public that elected them thought of offshore radio, the government didnt like it so off it went. Radio listening in the UK has never been the same since
1967 was a CRAZY year in broadcasting. We lost too many pirate radio stations due to some unjustified law. Over here in America, two months prior to Radio London's shutdown, KBLA - Los Angeles pop station at the time - reformated and changed its call letters. They went out just as diligently as Big L did 🫡