The Friday Rock show with Tommy Vance.

Well, I did say it was quick.

 

I seem to remember him also presenting a Saturday afternoon magazine type show at the same time including interviews with musicans and playing tracks from their new albums. This covered all types of music. I though it was called Rock On, but find no mention of it in his wiki entry.

 

Oh man, I use to love his show! I use to record them on cassette & listen to them on a Sunday night. My focus was on other activity late on Friday night lol

 

Yes Tommy definitely was one of the presenters of Rock On, I think it ran on Saturday afternoons between 1600-1900. Richard Skinner also presented it among others

 

I used to record them on a C120. The Flashback 1970 show from October 1980 was one of my favourites. I was 15 at the time and getting into 60's/70's rock so this was a godsend to me.
First time I had heard wishbone Ash & Caravan

Deep Purple: 'Speed King' (LP-In Rock)
Elton John: 'Take Me To The Pilot' (LP-Elton John)
Pink Floyd: 'Father's Shout' (LP-Atom Heart Mother)
Santana: 'Oye Como Va' (LP-Abraxas)
Free: 'All Right Now' (Harding session 1970-06-04)
Free: 'Fire And Water' (Harding session 1970-06-04)
Wishbone Ash: 'Phoenix' (LP-Wishbone Ash)
Eric Clapton: 'Let It Rain' (LP-Eric Clapton)
David Bowie: 'The Man Who Sold The World' (LP-The Man Who Sold The World)
Ten Years After: 'Sweet Little Sixteen' (LP-What)
The Who: 'Shakin' All Over' (LP-Live At Leeds)
The Nice: 'Pathetique' (Ferris session 1970-03-25)
Neil Young: 'Southern Man' (LP-After The Goldrush)
Yes: 'Time And A Word' (LP-Time And A Word)
Black Sabbath: 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' (LP-Greatest Hits)
Genesis: 'The Knife' (LP-Trespass)
Caravan: 'If I Could Do It All Over Again I'd Do It All Over You' (TOTP-TS session 1970-08-19)
Caravan: 'As I Feel I Die' (TOTP-TS session 1970-08-19)
Emerson, Lake and Palmer: 'Lucky Man' (LP-Emerson, Lake and Palmer)
Led Zeppelin: 'Since I've Been Loving You' (LP-Led Zeppelin 3)

Free, recorded 1970-06-04 for Mike Harding. First TX 1970-06-23
Caravan, recorded 1970-08-19 for Top Of The Pops (Transcription Service)
The Nice, recorded 1970-03-25 for Andy Ferris (Sound Of The Seventies). First TX 1970-04-27

 

Excellent playlist ! I also remember him playing the whole of the Led Zeppelin 1969 One Night Stand show when John Bonham died, also around October 1980. The first ever Friday Rock Show was 2 hours of Yes at Wembley in 1978.

 

There was also a particularly memorable `Knebworth Special' when Zep played there in 1979....with updates from the site, news and information..I still have bits of it.....a real moment in time !

 

It was here where I discovered Pentangle. I had been in hospital for tests all week, August 1982 I recall, I had just turned 18 the previous month.

Bored silly, The Friday Night Rock Show was the highlight of the week, as the radio, complete with crappy headphones, was the only entertainment on the Ward. Light Flight was the first tune on connections, and I was hooked, straight from the first hit of the snare. I even forgo my 'Newcastle Friday night lads evening the following week just so I could catch the name of the band. It seems so quaint now in these instant internet days.

 

Used to love this back in my metal teenage days of the early 90s. For ages I had on tape an interview Tommy did with Tony and Geezer from Sabbath when they came back with 'Dehumanizer'.

Also used to enjoy Fluff on the Saturday rock show too. I remember a documentary he did one early Saturday afternoon called 'In search of the lost riff', all about guitar riffs which was quite exciting if you're just learning to play the guitar. In the pre-internet days I would soak up all these kinds of shows trying to piece together a timeline of rock history in my head.

Going off topic a bit, I also remember (and had on tape for a long time) a really great Johnny Walker show from the summer of 1993 on a Saturday afternoon when Robert Plant was his guest all through the show and they just chatted and played Plants favourite records and solo stuff. Those were the days!

 

And one of the great Yes live shows, as well: I've got a great sounding version of this on CD now.

Genesis 1980, was another fantastic two hour show.

 

Ah yes, the Lyceum show from the Duke tour I think ?

 

Some great posts here triggering lots of memories. I particularly remember the 'long live rock & roll' jingle and a sense of foreboding as it got closer to midnight as I had a Saturday job I hated . I must have been about 14/15.

 

Yes. I saw this tour at Southampton Gaumant.

It was supposed to be Bournemouth Winter Gardens, but Phil Collins was unwell.

Superb show!

 

My radio would be on right now!!

I had a 'Lye Back and Enjoy it' featured one week. I still remember the four songs I choose...
Hallowed be thy Name - Iron Maiden
Leaving Love Behind - Samson
Since Ive been Loving You - Led Zeppelin
Have we been here Before - Demon

Tommy was a great fella!
Who remembers Coverdale popping into the BBC studio with a four pack of beers? Or hearing Fish was leaving Marillion (I'm still shocked!).

 

Well hello there...

 

The Friday Rock Show was part of growing up for me - listening in bed with the headphones on, getting excited about all the new releases, new metal from round the world ...
There was something special about this show, happy days indeed.

 

Coincidentally i took delivery of FRS favourites Samson's box set today. So excited was I!!
But it suddenly dawned on me that no-one I currently know has even heard of Samson!
They did a few jingles for Tommy and a few sessions.

Samson box set....

 

Band was called "Trespass"

 

I remember Trespass ! Nice to meet you

 

Well, it's two o'clock on a lazy Sunday afternoon, you've all inspired me go pick one of the old tapes and go for a nostalgia trip. Don't listen to the radio much these days, unless it's sport or a very specific R5 film show.

 

Listened to it almost every week. Taped loads of them but gave the tapes away eventually. Heard loads of things for the first time on there and got a shout out and my request for Tom Sawyer played one time.

 

I remember that well. Plant had been on Jools Holland the previous evening and there was a lot of good banter between them, wIth a couple of punters calling in.
If I'm not mistaken Plant, with Dunnery on guitar, played If I Was a Carpenter and Bluebird. Walker was miffed that there was no banjo on the latter track.
Simpler times.

 

Hi there Brummie, a newbie to the forum here, I used to listen to the Friday Rock show every week and record most of the songs on the trusty tape deck on my Panasonic music centre
One song I have been hunting for for nearly forty years had the lines that go something like; "when you get across to the other side of the bridge, just look over your shoulder....don't be a fool" it also included a brilliant guitar solo (no surprises there!)
If anyone could help me find the artist/song title you would make my day. I've tried all the usual places, Youtube, lyric finders on Google etc etc.
Great memories of Tommy Vance "your music vendor."

 

Only just found this post and forum
I am not that young (59) - however I was around at the time of Tommy Vance.
Indeed I had the absolute privilege of working in the BBC Radio Control Room at Broadcasting House and the radio "continuities" between 1980 and 1986 and my absolute favorite was working as a Technical Operator (later became Radio Sound Assistant) with Tommy Vance and others.
I managed to be the TO on quite a few Friday Rock Shows and even some of his Top Ten shows - an absolute highlight of my professional radio days as it mirrored my own music interests and loved working with a man dedicated to his craft. Like few other Radio 1 DJ's he was dedicated to his music like only a handful of others (Paul Gambaccini and Annie Nightingale come to mind).
One abiding memory (other than the phenomenal 'voice') was the bald line he was getting from wearing his headphones so f'ing much.
Oh happy memories and what a rock legend.

 

It's not well-known that Tom hosted the first series 'Disco 2', BBC2's 1970-71 precursor to 'The Old Grey Whistle Test'. The reason it's not well-known is that very little of it survives, but the BBC did put the first 30 seconds of Episode 1, with Tom's intro, on Facebook a while back. Google 'Tommy Vance Disco 2'