On Jan 26, 1986, while A-Ha’s “The Sun Always Shines On TV” was conquering the charts in the UK, BP was playing Roxy Music, Talking Heads, Roy Orbison, Sex Pistols, Big Audio Dynamite, Little Richard with Beatrix Vaughan, The Temptations, Latin Quarter, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and The Boomtown Rats and talking about Keith Richards and Bono singing for an end to apartheid in South Africa. Three weeks before this show, Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott died age 35.

All audio recordings posted here are owned and copyrighted by Richard Roche. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution without written consent is strictly prohibited. Respect the copyright and intellectual property rights. ©Richard Roche 1986-2024

Jan 26, '86: BP Fallon's Nothing Special [Memorex, Side B]

On Feb 2, 1986, Madonna’s “Borderline” was No. 1 in Ireland, with songs like “In a Lifetime,” “Living in America” and “It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back)” also charting. BP was playing Grace Jones, R. Dean Taylor, Elvis Costello, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Clapton, Pete Shelley, Marianne Faithful, John Lennon, Public Image Limited, LaVern Baker, Van Morrison, The Waterboys and The Damned and talking about the upcoming release of John Lennon’s first - and last - solo album, “Lennon's only rehearsed and full-length live performances in his solo career, and his first – and last – formal, full-fledged live concerts since the Beatles retired from the road in 1966.” (Source Wikipedia).

All audio recordings posted here are owned and copyrighted by Richard Roche. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution without written consent is strictly prohibited. Respect the copyright and intellectual property rights. ©Richard Roche 1986-2024

Feb 2, '86: BP Fallon's Nothing Special [Memorex, Side A]

On Dec 1, 1985, “A Good Heart” by Feargal Sharkey was enjoying its second week at No. 1 single in Ireland. Meanwhile, BP was playing “Rockin’ at Midnight,” from Robert Plant and The Honeydrippers show in Dallas in June of the same year, Lloyd Cole, Talking Heads, The Staples Singers, Sir Douglas Quintet, The Beatles, Nick Lowe, Gene Vincent and the Blue Cats, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Jesus and Mary Chain, Kirsty MacColl, Grace Jones and Artists Against Apartheid.
Throughout the course of the show, BP mentioned Lloyd Cole and The Commotions playing Dublin that week, and the ongoing anti-apartheid marches taking place throughout Ireland at the time.

Dec 1, '85: BP Fallon's Nothing Special [AGFA, Side A]

On Dec 8, 1985, while “I’m You’re Man” by Wham was the No. 1 single in Ireland, BP was marking the 5th anniversary of John Lennon’s death by playing the Plastic Ono Band (”Que pasa, New York!”), John Lennon and The Beatles. He covered a lot of interesting covers too, from Lick The Tin, Van Morrison and more. Also in the show was cajun number Hee Haw Breakdown by Nolan Cormier and the LA Aces, Ann Peebles beautiful “I Can’t Stand the Rain” and more.

All audio recordings posted here are owned and copyrighted by Richard Roche. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution without written consent is strictly prohibited. Respect the copyright and intellectual property rights. ©Richard Roche 1986-2024

Dec 8, '85: BP Fallon's Nothing Special [AGFA, Side B]

Sure, “Separate Lives” by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin was the No. 1 single in Ireland evening of Dec 15, 1985, but that evening, BP was tearing it up with some absolute rockers. The show included a salute to the great Ian Stewart, the original keyboardist for The Rolling Stones who died of a sudden heart attack on the 12th, aged a mere 47 years old. In tribute, BP played “Boogie With Stu” by Led Zeppelin, featuring Ian Stewart. Also on the decks were The Rolling Stones, Fine Young Cannibals (with ”Suspicious Minds” from their then-new album), The MC5, The Pogues, Bob Dylan, Thunderclap Newman, Christy Moore, The Beatles, U2 and – of course Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”.

Dec 15, 1985 BPFN AGFA A.MP3

Thank goodness for BP this week. While “Saving All My Love For You” by Whitney Houston was the No. 1 single in Ireland, BP was playing in a festive mood, playing seasonal gems by Bing Crosby and David Bowie, Otis Redding, Little Eva, Elvis Presley, Band Aid and more. But the highlight of the show was the back-to-back spinning of “Wake Up And Make Love To Me” by Ian Dury and the Blockheads (remixed by Paul Hardcastle) and the amazing, brilliant, entertaining, catchy “Hello (Oh, The Girls Just Can’t Resist)” from Athy band, The Intoxicating Rhythm.

All audio recordings posted here are owned and copyrighted by Richard Roche. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution without written consent is strictly prohibited. Respect the copyright and intellectual property rights. ©Richard Roche 1985-2024

Dec 22, 1985 BPFN, AGFA A Fe I A.MP3

BP was playing these gems on the evening of December 29, 1985…”Walking In The Rain” by Grace Jones, the amazing “Tennessee Stud” by Terry Woods and Phil Lynott (who was to pass away within the week), Peter Tosh and Mick Jagger’s “You’ve Gotta Walk and Don’t Look Back”, ”In a Lifetime” the recent track from Clannad and Bono, and – “the new Eurythmics track”- “It’s Alright, Baby’s Coming Back.” Also featured were Millie Jackson, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, The Byrds, Al Green, Wilson Picket, New Orleans’ own Huey Piano Smith and The Clowns doing their track, “Don’t Ya Just Know It.” A great way to end the year compared to what was topping the charts in Ireland at the time…“Thank You Very Much, Mr. Eastwood.

All audio recordings posted here are owned and copyrighted by Richard Roche. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution without written consent is strictly prohibited. Respect the copyright and intellectual property rights. ©Richard Roche 1985-2024

Dec 29, 1985, BPFN, AGFA Fe I A.MP3

The BPFN of Feb 23, 1986, was truly astonishing! 
It’s hard to believe there was a time when we didn’t know any of these monster tracks from The Pogues’: 
“The Body Of An American” 
“London Girl”
“Rainy Night In Soho” 
“Planxty Noel Hill”
Well, that time ended that Sunday evening in February 1986, with BP’s “global scoop” when he played the Pogues new EP, “Poguetry in Motion” “for the first time ever, anywhere in the world.” 

BP may have been partially responsible for that last track. The prior September, BP had hosted a panel discussion/studio debate on his BPFO show on RTE Radio 2, where “views were exchanged” between The Pogues and traditional Irish music legend, Noel Hill, on the merits of their music. Five months later, “Planxty Noel Hill” was released. Whether it’s in honour of or in spite of Noel Hill, you’ll have to ask The Pogues.

It was also the first night I was introduced to Joe Tex’s belter “Show Me.” In fact, BP shared an anecdote about being “in a Manchester Club with Jimi Hendrix and Mitch Mitchell after an Experience gig…when Jimi got up and filled the jukebox so it could only play that one track. Absolutely dynamite!”
Also on the show that evening were The Staples Singer, Eddie Cochrane, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Otis Redding and Ray Charles.  

All audio recordings posted here are owned and copyrighted by Richard Roche. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution without written consent is strictly prohibited. Respect the copyright and intellectual property rights. ©Richard Roche 1986-2025

Feb 23, 1986 BP Fallon's Nothing Special [Memorex A].MP3

PT 1 of 2.
A Sinéad O’Connor world exclusive, as BP plays host to 19-year-old Sinéad O’Connor and unveils a never-released track. 

Yes, it was funny week in music, but a momentous week on BPFNS; while Bowie’s Absolute Beginners was departing the #1 spot in Ireland (displaced by Living Doll by Cliff Richard and The Young Ones), BP was seeing the future…19-year-old Sinéad O’Connor. 

Keep in mind, this was 18 months before Sinéad’s first album, The Lion and the Cobra, and four years before the world “discovered” her with Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U. 

On this particular Sunday evening, BP played “a world exclusive” of Sinéad’s The Last One Alive, with the host declaring “A star is born!”. Sinead was also in studio with him and did a portion of the intro to the show. There seems to be no trace of this song anywhere else, at least not that I’ve found. I’ve also checked with BP and he has no knowledge of any other version. Perhaps this is a long-lost treasure.

That same show, BP featured Little Richard’s Great God Almighty (his “brand new single”),  Bob Dylan’s Forever Young from the new boxset, Biograph. Also noteworthy was the playing of You Get What You Want from Julian Lennon (who was to be the guest on The BPFO the following Saturday). 

Another shout out that raised a smile evening was one Shane MacGowan who was recovering in St. Charles’ Hospital in London at the time, as BP provided the full address of the hospital for anyone who wanted to send get well wishes to Shane.

NOTE: I’ve split this show into two, so as not to play the full Sinéad O’Connor track. In the event that this track is “important,” I don’t want anyone exploiting it, so I’m not posting the full track at the moment.

All audio recordings posted here are owned and copyrighted by Richard Roche. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution without written consent is strictly prohibited. Respect the copyright and intellectual property rights. ©Richard Roche 1986-2024

Mar 30, 1986 PART 1 of 2 BP Fallon's Nothing Special [Memorex Side A].MP3

PT 2 of 2. 

A Sinéad O’Connor world exclusive, as BP plays host to 19-year-old Sinéad O’Connor and unveils a never-released track. 

Yes, it was funny week in music, but a momentous week on BPFNS; while Bowie’s Absolute Beginners was departing the #1 spot in Ireland (displaced by Living Doll by Cliff Richard and The Young Ones), BP was seeing the future…19-year-old Sinéad O’Connor. 

Keep in mind, this was 18 months before Sinéad’s first album, The Lion and the Cobra, and four years before the world “discovered” her with Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U. 

On this particular Sunday evening, BP played “a world exclusive” of Sinéad’s The Last One Alive, with the host declaring “A star is born!”. Sinead was also in studio with him and did a portion of the intro to the show. There seems to be no trace of this song anywhere else, at least not that I’ve found. I’ve also checked with BP and he has no knowledge of any other version. Perhaps this is a long-lost treasure.

That same show, BP featured Little Richard’s Great God Almighty (his “brand new single”),  Bob Dylan’s Forever Young from the new boxset, Biograph. Also noteworthy was the playing of You Get What You Want from Julian Lennon (who was to be the guest on The BPFO the following Saturday), Another shout out that raised a smile evening was one Shane MacGowan who was recovering in St. Charles’ Hospital in London at the time, as BP provided the full address of the hospital for anyone who wanted to send get well wishes to Shane.

NOTE: I’ve split this show into two, so as not to play the full Sinéad O’Connor track. In the event that this track is “important,” I don’t want anyone exploiting it, so I’m not posting the full track at the moment.

NOTE 2: I've edited out the last three minutes of the show, because it included a track that Sound Cloud asked me to remove. As a result the outro was also edited out. But, for the record, it was BP reminding listeners that "In the BPFO next Saturday, we have Julian Lennon. So 'til then, from me BP, God bless ya, L U V." 

All audio recordings posted here are owned and copyrighted by Richard Roche. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution without written consent is strictly prohibited. Respect the copyright and intellectual property rights. ©Richard Roche 1986-2024

Mar 30, 1986, PART 2 of 2 (excerpt) BP Fallon's Nothing Special [Memorex Side A].MP3

BP Fallon is a legend in the music world. A storied manager, publicist and friend of some of the world's best-known artists, he also hosted radio shows in the 1980's on Ireland's RTE 2FM. 
On Saturday nights, he hosted the BP Fallon Orchestra (BPFO), an interview-and-listen format. 
On Sunday nights, 9-10pm, it was BP Fallon's Nothing Special (BPFN), a music show where BP often dug into the past, introducing new audiences to musical dynamite that was often dismissed by the mainstream. 

The recordings here are from a batch of cassette tape recordings I made live from the radio from approximately 1984-1986. The one-hour format of the show wasn't very conducive to tapes, which were 45 minutes per side. So, I would record them, skip the ads, and sometimes skip tracks I already had captured, and occasionally edited BP's commentary, all of which I regret today, as it would have completed the time capsule.

Posted with gratitude to BP Fallon, who taught me a lot about music and has influenced my musical taste ever since.

About Rochey: "Sunday nights in the mid-80's were the highlight of my week. Whatever I was doing, I had to be home before 9pm so I could position myself the family's stereo system in our back room, fingers on the record+play buttons, ready to "BP Fallon's Nothing Special" on RTE 2FM. I recorded almost every show during that period, all the way up to BP’s very last one. 

After keeping those cassettes with me for almost 40 years, I finally bought a tape-to-USB converter, and will be posting the digitized shows over the coming months.”

New tracks tagged #BPFallon