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What are your memories of Alan 'Fluff' Freeman

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Squonk19 View Drop Down
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    Posted: August 12 2018 at 18:59
From 1973 to 1978 BBC Radio 1 had Alan 'Fluff' Freeman's Saturday afternoon Rock Show - which I think was the single most influential radio show on my musical tastes ever. I heard all the great classic and prog rock releases, some wonderful studio sessions (many I taped on the old cassette player), humour from John Peel and Vivian Stanshall, and many great tracks introduced with snippets of classical music. I would listen to it all on my lounge floor, doing any homework, if necessary - while my friends would be out and about or following the football scores on Radio 2. What a geek!!!!

Only The Great Easton Express on weekday evenings on Liverpool's Radio City ever came close to it (with the great Phil Easton) and while Tommy Vance tried his best to keep the rock flag flying on a Friday night on the Beeb, it was never quite the same.

Any thoughts from the 50 somethings out there?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hercules Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2018 at 07:51
Make that 60 somethings (and not for much longer!)
I listened almost every Saturday afternoon whilst at university unless I had to man the telescopes that night. I taped many of the shows and found the John Peel interludes very funny. Sadly, the tapes accidentally got discarded 25 years ago. Fluff introduced me to many new bands, including Gentle Giant (who I didn't "get" then) and Caravan.

Also an honourable mention for Noel Edmonds, who played some great music on his Saturday morning show.

The greatest recent loss was Darren Reddick's "One Man and his Prog" show on Planet Rock. It was axed a couple of years ago and I haven't listened to Planet Rock since (on principle).
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lazland Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2018 at 10:21
The biggest radio influence on me was Tommy Vance and his Friday Night Rock Show, which I loved. In '78, I was still approaching 14, so was a bit young to have caught Fluff in this heyday.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2018 at 12:20
Hi,

Sorry ... in Southern California (Santa Barbara), that did not show up much, and in fact, that guy had nothing on Guy Guden and his SPACE PIRATE RADIO show, which would have a list that probably would make PA blush for not adding Guy to the progressive list ... sadly, we can not listen to the shows (there are a lot of tapes around!) ... and a listing of stuff from its opening in January 1974 to the end of the 70's would be a listing that would make anyone around the world look skimpy and too "pop'y" in their choices of music!

Do we really want to discuss ... "Progressive" ... or just talk about it?

But some of these other folks deserve a wee bit of credit for helping some bands get a listen ... though I still do not see many folks capable of talking about the EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND, or THE THIRD EAR BAND ... and so many other bands out there ... that never even had the chance of being played on the air ... at all!


Edited by moshkito - August 13 2018 at 12:23
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mascodagama Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2018 at 12:29
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

The biggest radio influence on me was Tommy Vance and his Friday Night Rock Show, which I loved. In '78, I was still approaching 14, so was a bit young to have caught Fluff in this heyday.

As a schoolboy I loved that and his later-added Thursday night show Into The Music featuring 'classic rock' / AOR and occasional prog. The intro music was the VdGG version of Theme One!

I liked Peel too, so Radio One made me a happy bunny Monday to Friday.

Edited by Mascodagama - August 13 2018 at 13:28
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cosmiclawnmower Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2018 at 13:05
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

The biggest radio influence on me was Tommy Vance and his Friday Night Rock Show, which I loved. In '78, I was still approaching 14, so was a bit young to have caught Fluff in this heyday.
 

The same for me; but the Saturday afternoon shows influenced me indirectly as my older brother was a big fan and discovered lots of stuff which then I absorbed by being the ear-wigging annoying younger brother! our shared love of music is very much something that has kept us close over the years and in particular the last few years.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2018 at 16:05
'Fluff' was an unashamed prog fan who was given the graveyard slot on a Saturday afternoon by the BBC and made something of it. At the time though I didn't appreciate 80% of what he played and just wanted to hear ELP mostly. After Fluff I listened to Radio Caroline quite a bit and that really opened my ears to a lot of prog stuff. Tommy Vance was okay but he was more into hard rock. After about 1985 British music radio was total pants and hasn't changed much to the present day. I second the comments about Darren Reddick 'One Man and His Prog' although I'm fairly sure that Darren killed this slot and it wasn't 'axed' as such. Prog fans are an over zealous bunch at times and he was obviously fed up with the criticism he was getting on a regular basis for sticking too much to the Dream Theater/Neal Morse /Transatlantic axis and not giving enough air time to new bands. Fish hosted a very nice prog show about 10 years ago. It would have been nice if that had continued imo.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hercules Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2018 at 16:22
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

The biggest radio influence on me was Tommy Vance and his Friday Night Rock Show, which I loved. In '78, I was still approaching 14, so was a bit young to have caught Fluff in this heyday.

Tommy Vance was also very good.Bit hard rock, but.....!


Edited by Hercules - August 13 2018 at 16:25
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hercules Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2018 at 16:25
Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

I'm fairly sure that Darren killed this slot and it wasn't 'axed' as such. 

Er no. I spoke with him and he was devastated by it being axed.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2018 at 16:30
Originally posted by Hercules Hercules wrote:

Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

I'm fairly sure that Darren killed this slot and it wasn't 'axed' as such. 

Er no. I spoke with him and he was devastated by it being axed.

 

Makes no sense at all because all they have done is replaced it with the The Blues Sunday Brunch thing which is just a repeat. There was no logical reason for it to be axed. Darren is also one of the main presenters on Planet Rock and has plenty of clout.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote flyingveepixie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 15 2018 at 02:45
I remember the Saturday Rock show with misty eyes, especially the moment when Fluff aired for the first time ever on radio, tracks from the new Wishbone Ash album "There's the Rub" featuring new guitarist Laurie Wisefield.  That was around September 1974.  Through Fluff I was also introduced to other delights such as Yes, Judas Priest and many others - all of whom are still much loved and still on my regular playlist now.

Fluff resurrected the Rock Show in the mid 1980s on Capital Radio - I think on Friday evenings although I'm not certain about that - maybe saturdays....can't rightly remember - where it went out on exactly the same format as the original and I remember listening to it when I lived in London for a couple of years back then. No idea how long it lasted on Capital Radio though....


Edited by flyingveepixie - August 15 2018 at 02:48
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2018 at 00:16
Originally posted by flyingveepixie flyingveepixie wrote:

I remember the Saturday Rock show with misty eyes, especially the moment when Fluff aired for the first time ever on radio, tracks from the new Wishbone Ash album "There's the Rub" featuring new guitarist Laurie Wisefield.  That was around September 1974.  Through Fluff I was also introduced to other delights such as Yes, Judas Priest and many others - all of whom are still much loved and still on my regular playlist now.

Fluff resurrected the Rock Show in the mid 1980s on Capital Radio - I think on Friday evenings although I'm not certain about that - maybe saturdays....can't rightly remember - where it went out on exactly the same format as the original and I remember listening to it when I lived in London for a couple of years back then. No idea how long it lasted on Capital Radio though....
 

yes I remember that second run of the show and I heard Spock's Beard for the first time. I don't think it lasted that long but it was nice to have it back.
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