The Big L Tapes

Background notes

The Tony Blackburn Show
Sat 15 July 1967 0530-0904
Tony's last Big L show

The Keith Skues Show
Sun 23 July 1967 0900-1203
includes the history of Big L

The Penultimate Fab Forty
Sun 30 July 1967 1200-1506
presented by Ed Stewart

The Final Fab Forty
Sun 6 August 1967 1201-1532
presented by Tommy Vance

The Mark Roman Show
Sat 12 August 1967 1500-1809
Mark's penultimate Big L show

The Ed Stewart Show
Sun 13 August 1967 1210-1518
Ed's penultimate 'Stewpot' show

The Chuck Blair Show
Sun 13 August 1967 1758-2040
Chuck's penultimate show for Big L

The Perfumed Garden
Mon 14 August 1967 0225-0537
John Peel's night-time show

The Chuck Blair Breakfast Show
Mon 14 August 1967 0539-0848
the last Big L breakfast show

The Pete Drummond Show
Mon 14 August 1967 0856-1206
farewell messages

The Last Three Hours
Mon 14 August 1967 1208-1502
the final Stewpot Show, the Juicy Fruit Show, Their Final Hour and Big L's closedown at 1500

Big L extras
Mon 14 August 1967
two TV news bulletins on the day Big L closed

Radio Caroline
February 1968
the end of a Stevie Merrick Show and the US Hot 100

Radio Caroline

February 1968

The end of a Stevie Merrick Show; the US Top 100; and
the start of a Stevie Merrick Show presented by Andy Archer

The Stevie Merrick Show - last 18 minutes

Saturday 10 February 1968 1742-1800

Listen

audio file: type mp4 bit rate 128kbps size 18.6mb length 0.18.45

Notes on the recording

I cannot be sure of the date this recording was made. It was certainly a Saturday, because Stevie Merrick says (at 0.18.08 in the audio file) that tomorrow is Sunday.

My best guess is that the recording was made on 10 February 1968. This is based on comparing the current chart position of three records with the Caroline Countdown for the following Saturday, 17 February (which you can see here):

    The Foundations Back on my feet again has just come into the chart at number 50 and Stevie expected it to go to number 1. In the Countdown for 17 February, it is at number 18.
  • Brenton Wood's Gimme Little Sign was at 25. On 17 February it was at number 9.
  • The Beach Boys' Darlin' was at 22; the following Saturday it was at number 6.
Reception quality was poor because of the time of day.

Analysis of the programme

0.00.00 (advert)
0.01.22 timecheck 1743
0.01.36 Brenton Wood: Gimme Little Sign
0.04.17 The Shoes: Farewell in the rain
0.06.37 The Foundations: Back on my feet again
0.10.21 Troggs: I can't control myself
0.13.35 Beach Boys: Darlin'
0.14.16 Herman's Hermits: I can take or leave your loving
0.17.05 Stevie Merrick's theme
0.18.45 tape ends

The US Hot 100
and the start of the Stevie Merrick Show

Sunday 25 February 1968 1213-1537

Listen

audio file: type mp4 bit rate 128kbps size 142.4mb length 2.27.23

Notes on the recording

This was a difficult day for Radio Caroline.

First, a generator breakdown caused a break in transmission of at least 30 minutes: when the recording starts, the station was just resuming broadcasting.

There was a further break when storms in the North Sea (which had been going on for several days) caused the ship to do 'ring around the anchor' as Roger Day puts it (at 1.03.21 in the audio file). He seems to have been unable to play records while this was going on, presumably because of the rough seas. I stopped the recording at this point (because I needed to turn the tape over) and, when the recording resumes (at 1.02.47 in the audio file), about 52 minutes are missing.

In the analysis below, I have only listed the records which were actually played. Hot 100 positions are shown in brackets.

Analysis of the programme

US HOT ONE HUNDRED
presented by Roger 'Twiggy' Day

0.00.00 Caroline resumes broadcasting after breakdown
0.01.00 Hot 100 Show starts at 1214
0.01.48 Calvin Arnold: Funky way (97)
0.04.23 Blue Cheer: Summertime blues (95)
0.07.28 Willoughbys: It's not easy (93)
0.09.46 Bill Vera and Judy Clay: Country girl city man (92)
0.12.33 Troy Keyes: Love explosions (91)
0.15.39 Cher: The click song (85)
0.18.42 Gene and Debbe: Playboy (81)
0.21.46 Shorty Long: The night before last (75)
0.24.06 James Carr: A man needs a woman (72) (timecheck 1238 at 0.24.16)
0.26.19 Delfonics: La la means I love you (70)
0.28.17 Elvis Presley: high-heel sneakers (69)
0.29.41 Petula Clark: Kiss me goodbye (68)
0.32.16 Albert King: Cold feet (67)
0.34.18 Otis Redding and Carla Thomas: Lovey dovey (66)
0.36.51 Mitch Ryder: You've got personality and Chantilly lace (63)
0.40.09 Sunshine Company: Look here comes the sun (62)
0.42.24 The Cream: Sunshine of your love (59)
0.45.50 Weather at 1300 (timecheck exactly 1300 at 0.46.00)
0.46.47 Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell: If I could build my whole world around you (58)
0.49.27 Joe Simon: No sad songs (56)
0.52.29 Neil Diamond: New Orleans (52)
0.57.01 Al Green: Back up train (50)
0.58.31 Sand Pebbles: Love power (49)
1.00.26 Fifth Dimension: Carpet man (48) (part of - tape turned over)
1.02.47 Jay and the Techniques: Strawberry shortcake (30) (end of)
1.03.35 1910 Fruitgum Company: Simon says (23)
1.05.58 Henson Cargill: Skip a rope (22)
1.09.18 Frankie Valli: To give (21)
1.12.40 Impressions: We are a winner (20)
1.14.47 Otis Redding: The dock of the bay (19)
1.17.29 The Cowsills: We can fly (17)
1.19.55 The Association: Everything that touches you (16)
1.22.53 timecheck 1529 (he meant 1429)
1.23.02 Marvelettes: My baby must be a magician (15)
1.25.07 Fireballs: Bottle of wine (12)
1.27.02 Dionne Warwick: Valley of the dolls (11)
1.29.36 American Breed: Bend me shake me (9)
1.33.55 Lettermen: Going out of my head (7)
1.35.13 John Fred and his Playboy Band: Judy in disguise (6)
1.38.28 Human Beinz: Nobody but me (5)
1.40.54 Temptations: I wish it would rain (4)
1.43.45 Classic IV: Spooky (3)
1.46.40 Lemon Pipers: Green tambourine (2)
1.48.49 top 10 list
1.49.30 Paul Mauriet: Love is blue (1)
1.53.08 timecheck exactly 1501, weather

STEVIE MERRICK SHOW
presented by Andy Archer

1.53.51 Stevie Merrick Show begins
1.55.12 The Toys: Lovers' concerto
1.56.34 The Toys: May your heart be cast into stone
1.58.38 The Toys: Attack
2.00.55 Joe E Young & The Toniks: A lifetime of loving
2.03.33 timecheck 1512 (and today's date mentioned)
2.07.32 Cher: Our day will come
2.10.17 The Move: Fire brigade
2.13.04 Paul Bonao: Stay in my arms for a while
2.16.38 timecheck 1526
2.17.01 The Fortunes: The idol
2.19.11 Genesis: The silent sun
2.21.44 Fifth Dimension: Up up and away
2.24.22 Dorian Gray: I've got you on my mind
2.26.53 Sandra Bryant: Out to get you (start only)
2.27.23 tape ends