|
|
| Menu | Memories | |||
| 208 CLUB MAGAZINE Read some issues of this magazine from the 1970s online. FAB
FACTS LINKS MEMORIES THE
208 STAFF WHERE
ARE THEY NOW? THE
EARLY YEARS THE RADIO LUXEMBOURG
FORUM THE
STATION TODAY VILLA
LOUVIGNY TOUR |
Several of people have memories and stories from the time listening to Radio Luxembourg. In this column we give the listeners an opportunity to share their memories with other Luxy fans.
I started listening to the great 208 (actually the great 49.26 since I listened on shortwave) in the 1980s. I remember well, hearing Benny Brown. Luxy was quite a gem to pick up here in Pittsburgh in Pennylvania (in the eastern part of the USA), because it was always swamped with interference from Deutsche Welle on 6095 kHz. What was so great about hearing Luxy, was the fact that I was hearing the music that I really liked, that being all the hits in the UK. It wasn't until the 1990s that I called them with a request.
I was tuned in on 6090 kHz on shortwave at around 8.30 PM Eastern time in the USA. They gave out the request line number, so figured I'd give it a go. I called in and requested Moonlight Shadow by Mike Oldfield. A few minutes later I heard my voice go around the world as they had taped my call. The deejay said something about -- here's proof that Radio Luxembourg really is the world's biggest commercial radio station. It was quite a thrill! I have the broadcast on a cassette around here. I'll have to dig it out. Later, I got a Philips DC-777 shortwave radio for in my car. I was driving to a client one evening, and Luxy was booming in on 6090. So, I stopped at a pay phone and called. The deejay, who's name I don't recall, was really amazed that a guy was driving along the highway in the USA and tuned into the Grand Duchy. This time I was interviewed on the air. I continued to listen to Luxy after the english service went off, and have some tapes of the German programme, when it was known as Der Oldies Sender.
Bill Whiteley: For most of the year of 1960 I sat on an American ship in the Norwegian Sea. Half of the day the programming was in languages other than English. The English portions kept me sane for the whole year. I do reminis of those times in my last years.
Gerald Fry, Australia:
In the fifties I subscribed to the Melody Maker which in those days was mainly a jazz magazine with just a little pop thrown in. I remember once a fairly popular singer called Elvis Presley was listed in the American top 30 with a song called Jailhouse Rock. You see it took some time for American records to filter through to the UK so I had to imagine, sometimes for weeks, what the songs sounded like. Of course in those days it was always Radio Luxembourg that we heard new releases for the first time. I remember hearing Jailhouse Rock for the first time on one of Jack Jackson's Decca shows. It's funny how some things forty odd years ago sticks in my mind, yet others I've forgotten I did yesterday.
John Josephs, Great Britain: I listened to Lux during the late 50s, all the 60s and the early 70s. I was introduced to it by my grandmother. She didn't have a television, but had the radio on all day and night. I can remember asking her; "Why on earth do you want to listen to record programmes all day?". As time went on I got more into pop music and listened every night on an old Ferguson "tranny". In the early 60s the various companies used to sponsor programmes of their own labels, especially Decca and Columbia. My favourite was Jimmy Savile (before he became really famous on Radio 1 and Top of the Pops). One of his shows was the TTDC (Teen and Twenty Disc Club). I was a member, but can't recall my number. The most famous number was member 11321; The King, Elvis. My other most vivid memory is an Advert for Horace Bachelor's "Infra-Draw" method of winning the football pools. His address: "Keynsham", spelt (K E Y N etc) was always spelt out. Once I met someone from Keynsham and asked "How's Horace?". Of course he hadn't a clue what I meant. But it's always good for quizzes.
When I was new to shortwave listening in 1991, I had the good luck
Mike Grant, Great Britain: My earliest memories of Luxy must have been back in the late 60s when I remember hearing "Luxy" playing in my Sisters Room...I remember she had a small Murphy Tranny that had a "Bandspread" facility on it that made tuning into Luxy much easier....I always remember that Tranny as I had it when she married and left home in mid-1972.
I always used to listen to Luxy late evenings and also while I used to do my Homework from School....always great company with the likes of Bob Stewart, Tony Prince, Barry Alldis and the like.....I always liked the way that the DJs always seemed as if they were chatting to you personally....Radio was always a lot more "Friendly sounding" back in the 70s!! (Maybe it's just me getting older but it always seemed that way!) In the late 70s I became interested in Astronomy and Space....in my Home town of Sidmouth in Devon there used to be an Small Private Observatory some 2 or 3 miles from our home.....I always remember taking my portable tranny with me as i used to walk up the long hill in the Dark.....it was great having Peter Powell chatting away in the background as I walked up that long hill!! One tune that really stuck in my mind from that time was Elvis Costello and "Watching the Detectives"...it was played on Bob Stewart's show....I always remember that on that particular November Night in 1978/79 it was really cold and clear and that song was booming out of the Radio!!....Whenever I hear it now it always reminds me of that cold November night!!
At the same time CB Radio was beginning to become all the rage in the UK...at that time it was illegal and you risked a heavy fine from the British GPO if you were caught!!...Once again during my many nights sat in the car chatting with other "Breakers" Luxy played a big part!!...always there in the background....always a friendly voice and great Music! I wonder if any Luxy fans reading this may remember those days in the Sidmouth area back in 1979-1981...I recall they were all Big Luxy fans too!!....I still remember a few of my friends "CB Handles"...Slush Puppy, Rainbow Warrior and others!!...I always remember that Luxy was always our topic of conversation! I moved out of the East Devon Area when I married back in 1983 and Radio had to take a back seat for a while....but only for a short while, my car Radio was always tuned to 1440 kHz!.....Such a shame that Luxy is no more .....but I always remember Mike Hollis' closing words in 1992: "May Luxy live on forever in your fondest memories". And thanks to the ongoing Fan Websites and tape swapping it certainly is!! LUXY LIVES!! P.S.: I'm always very interested to hear from any Luxy fans anywhere in the World.... If you want to contact me, please click on my email address on the following link: Mike Grant.
Reiner Gloe, Germany: Hi everybody. . . . .this was the opening of the Dave Christian Show on 208. Do you remember? My first listening to 208 was around 1968. From that year I listened to 208 every evening. I remember very well the times when I was in my bed with a book by my side and the greatest hits from 208 in my ears!!!!!!! Believe me, my heart was breaking when Mike Hollis closed the station with his final words. Now I am 42 years old, but this is the truth: Radio Luxembourg was a friend for a long time, and it will be forever in my heart!!! Thank you: Bob Stewart, Tony Prince, Mike Hollis, Dave Christian, Barry Alldis, Paul Burnett, Kid Jensen, Benny Brown, Rob Jones and the whole staff of this great radiostation!!!
Stephen Macleod, Canada: I live in Canada, Nova Scotia to be precise. I used to listen to Luxy on 1440 AM in the mid-eighties to late eighties. I actually wrote to them and they sent me pictures of the jocks and program information. I still have the pictures and program info - also have some short tapes of Mike Hollis around 1987-1988. I listened to the German Oldies in later years on 1440, I could pick it up on any radio, it came in better on AM than on shortwave. |
Site updated 01.03.2008
|
Anthony
remember Benny Brown from the time he listened to Luxy.
My memories
of Radio Luxembourg go back to the fifties when I was a wee lad growing
up in Glasgow. A couple of my favourites were Dan Dare, a soap opera on
every night at 7:15, and a fun show called Smash Hits. A DJ would
request listeners to nominate a record they hated, he would play it
"for the last time" and then proceed to smash it to bits using sound
effects. I loved it. I emigrated to Australia in the late sixties, so
have no memories of RL after that.
Marie
Lamb, United States:
