PIRATES DOWN UNDER

News clippings about familiar DJs from the offshore stations when they worked in Australian Radio, both before and after our watery wireless era

Looking a little green on an advertising promo

Go Set music magazine, dated September 4th 1971, reports a Roman record release

Go Set music magazine, dated September 11th 1971, reveals that the Roman record release is a comedy offering.

This was Mark's second release, the first being his cover of Harry Nilsson's 'Cuddly Toy', released on Columbia in 1968. Some years ago, we asked Mark if there was a story behind that recording. He said: No story. 'Cuddly Toy' was the 'B' side of 'Gonna Get Along Without You Now' ('cos I liked the Trini Lopez version) and 'Cuddly Toy' was on a Monkees album. I couldn't find written lyrics, so there is an error. The original line was 'the day after Santa came', but it was indistinct and I couldn't decipher it, so my version reads 'the day that the setter came', figuring that it might be about a dog! Apart from that, my performance is completely forgettable, not to say c**p (I said not to say c**p!!)."

Apparently, Mark's low opinion of his first release did not dissuade him from recording a second. Does anyone have a copy of 'Ugly Agatha'? Presumably, it was played on 5KA, but did anyone buy it? (A sleeve photo appears on 45cat.com)