Link: Veronica Sorry
Good shout, Mike.
I thought about the Capital Radio one after I posted yesterday, I had forgotten about The Days Before Rock and Roll, and I don't recall hearing the other two.
This needs a mention, shame it only reached 103 in the UK chart.
"Also in September 1985 a record entitled ‘I Spy for the DTI’ by the ‘Moronic Surveyors’ was released and heavily promoted on Laser 558. The ‘Moronic Surveyors’ were in fact members of the bands Sad Cafe,and Boys Don’t Cry, together with John Wilson and Paul Young. The record also featured the voices of Rob Day and Laser DJs Liz West and Erin Kelly and reached number 103 in the UK singles chart." - http://www.offshoreradiomuseum.co.uk/page383.html
Four that I can think of
Two Van Morrison songs
The Days Before Rock and Roll
Mentioning AFN, Luxembourg, Helvetia, Athlone, Budapest, Hilversum all mentioned on medium wave radio dials at the time.
On Hyndford Street, tuning into Luxembourg at night
Capital Radio One by The Clash where they mention then head of music Aidan Day and end with their jingle changed to Capital Radio in tune with nothing from in tune with London.
Heard it on the X - ZZ Top
It's about Mexican border blasters operating at much higher powers than the 50kw US ones. Not clear which station they were singing about in 1966 or whether just border blasters in general.
Dr B was Dr John Brinkley whose XERA pre World War Two operated with 500kw output and a directional aerial. That became XERF after the war with 250kw, Wolfman Jack was on it 1962-64 but had closed in 1966. There would be others on the air, have a book about them.
I had caught part of this track a couple of times on Caroline and loved it, but somehow missed the bit at the start until it was played a while ago.
"Night falls, I’m all alone, getting away from it all my ear glued to the radio I hear the station call: “this is Radio Caroline, evening all, hope you’re doing fine”, one hell of a time!"
Arjen Lucassen's Supersonic Revolution - Golden Age Of Music - great video too, it's even got a Caroline sticker on the radio!
No wonder it's getting a decent number of plays.
Just like Status Quo's Rock 'N' Roll did, because of the chorus -
It's Rock 'n' Roll and Rock and Rock 'n' Roll
It's Rock 'n' Roll and Rock keeps rollin' on
Waiting all the time to find radio plays on Caroline
They say you'll get there in the end
(We can pray) We can pray, (what we say) what we say (what we say)
Makes a difference in the end.
And, of course, this got a lot of air plays on Caroline when 648 was fired up, despite no specific reference to Caroline.
Can anyone else think of other songs that reference Caroline, other pirates, or indeed any radio stations?