Rock Goes to College (RGTC) was a BBC series that ran between 1978 and 1981 on British television. A variety of up-coming rock oriented bands were showcased live from small venues and broadcast simultaneously on television and radio during a 40-50 minute live performance.
It was a follow-on to the mid-1960s BBC series Jazz Goes to College.BFI.org
Concert venues The venues were small university, polytechnic or college halls holding a few thousand people; often tickets were given to the Students' Union to distribute for free. The bands chosen were also, in some cases, bands which did not have a mainstream following at that time although many went on to be very successful.
A BBC DJ would also be present to introduce the band for the television audience.
Innovation The original broadcasts were transmitted on television as well as Sight and Sound in Concert; a BBC initiative to provide simultaneous pictures on BBC2 and stereo radio broadcasts on BBC Radio 1, as stereo television broadcasts and receivers did not exist at the time.
Recordings Original recordings of at least some of the Rock Goes to College series still exist and some legal releases have been made available, on DVD or CD, either as the concert in its entirety or as part of a compilation. UK Gold has re-broadcast some of the programmes (in stereo on television) in 2006 as has BBC Four and UK Arena in the late 1990s.
In some cases, the radio broadcasts contained additional songs to those broadcast via the television including pre-broadcast/warm-up tracks.
Concert listing Many performances have been bootlegged from the original tapes or from public television/radio broadcasts. All references to availability on DVD here refers to legally produced and sold articles.
Episodes
Original Broadcasts 1978 (14 episodes)
The Boomtown Rats, 22 September, Middlesex Polytechnic, HendonBFI.org Mary of the 4th Form Introduction - Peter Drummond Me & Howard Hughes I Never Loved Eva Braun Don't Believe What You Read Rat Trap Kicks Joey's on the Street Again Living on an Island She's Gonna Do You In Like Clockwork She's So Modern Looking After No. 1
Crawler, 29 September, University of London Union The Crusaders, 10 October, Colchester Institute, Essex The Stranglers. 20 October, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey (a fansite) Ugly I Feel Like a Wog Bring on the Nubiles Burning Up Time Hanging Around The concert is aborted when The Stranglers walk off stage, refusing to play to elitist audiences, after a dispute when an agreement to make tickets available outside of the college was not honoured.BFI.org
Rich Kids, 27 October, University of Reading - with Midge Ure & Glen Matlock Only Arsenic Hung on You Rich Kids Burning Sounds Holy Holy 12 Miles High Forever & Ever Marching Men Lovers & Fools Strange One Empty Words Ghosts of Princes in Towers
The Climax Blues Band, 3 November, City of Birmingham Polytechnic. John Martyn, 20 October. Available on DVD. May You Never One World One Day Without You The Dealer Certain Surprise Big Muff Anna
AC/DC, 10 November, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex. "Whole Lotta Rosie" available on the AC/DC compilation DVD Family Jewels. "Problem Child", "Sin City", "Bad Boy Boogie" available on the compilation DVD set Plug Me In. Introduced by Pete Drummond. "Live Wire" "Problem Child" "Sin City" "Bad Boy Boogie" "Whole Lotta Rosie" "Rocker" "Let There Be Rock"
Lindisfarne, December, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex. Court in the Act Lady Eleanor Winter Song Make Me Want to Stay Kings Cross Blues Meet Me on the Corner Run for Home Brand New Day We Can Swing Together
Cheap Trick Hello There Come On, Come On Stiff Competition Guitar Solo/Jam Ain't That a Shame Need Your Love I Want You to Want Me California Man Surrender
Ian Dury & the Blockheads, Queen's University Belfast Be-Bop Deluxe, Oxford New Precision Superenigmatix Possession Dangerous Stranger Islands of the Dead Lovers Are Mortal Panic in the World
George Thorogood, Middlesex Polytechnic, Hendon Ride on Josephine Cocaine Blues It Wasn't Me I'm Just Your Good Thing Madison Blues New Hawaiian Boogie Who Do You Love No Particular Place to Go Johnny B Goode
Tom Robinson Band
Original Broadcasts 1979 (8 episodes)
Bethnal, 6 January, University of London Union The Cars, 13 January, University of Sussex, BrightonBFI.org Just What I Needed Good Times Roll I'm in Touch with Your World My Best Friend's Girl Moving in Stereo All Mixed Up Night Spots Bye Bye Love Don't Cha Stop You're All I've Got Tonight
The Rubinoos, 20 January, University of Reading
Tonight 3:44 I Think We're Alone Now 2:59 Hard to Get 3:00 I Never Thought It Would Happen 3:06 I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend 3:40 Hey Royse 2:19 Promise Me 3:42 Hold Me 3:14 Fallin' in Love 2:08 Arcade Queen 2:34 Please Please Me1:51 Walk Don't Run 2:23 Rock 'n' Roll Is Dead 3:15
Rory Gallagher, 27 January, Middlesex Polytechnic Shin Kicker The Mississippi Sheiks Do You Read Me Brute Force & Ignorance Fuel to the Fire Shadow Play Cruise on Out
The Police, 21 February, Hatfield Polytechnic Can't Stand Losing You So Lonely Fall Out Hole in My Life Truth Hits Everybody Message in a Bottle (first live performance and not released as a single) Peanuts Roxanne Next to You
Steve Hillage, 28 February, University of Kent at Canterbury (broadcast 10 March) Salmon Song Unzipping the Zype Hurdy Gurdy Man 1988 Aktivator Unidentified (Flying Being) It's All Too Much
Bruford, 17 March, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxfordshire (feat. Allan Holdsworth: guitar / Annette Peacock: vocals). Available on DVD. Sample and Hold Beelzebub The Sahara of Snow (part one) The Sahara of Snow (part two) Forever until Sunday Back to the Beginning Adios a la Pasada (Goodbye to the Past) 5G
Average White Band, University of Surrey, Guildford When Will You Be Mine Atlantic Avenue A Love of Your Own I'm the One Walk on By Feel No Fret
Original Broadcasts 1980 (12 episodes)
Joe Jackson, 14 January, Hatfield Polytechnic Look Sharp! Baby Stick Around Sunday Papers One More Time Friday It's Different for Girls Don't Wanna Be Like That Happy Loving Couples I'm the Man Got the Time Is She Really Going Out with Him? Come On
The Specials, 21 January, Colchester Institute, Colchester, Essex Do the Dog Monkey Man Rat Race Blank Expression Rude Boys Outta Jail Doesn't Make it Alright Concrete Jungle Too Much Too Young Guns of Navarone Nite Klub Gangsters Longshot Kick de Bucket Madness You're Wondering Now
Live Wire, 4 February, Brighton Polytechnic Secret Affair, 11 February, University of Bristol, Bristol Spyro Gyra, 18 February, University of Leeds, Yorkshire (first ever UK performance) Joe Ely Band, 20 February, Middlesex Polytechnic Robin Trower, 25 February, University of London Union, London Day of the Eagle The Ring, Bridge of Sighs Too Rolling Stoned The Shout/Hannah Daydream Victims of the Fury Little Bit of Sympathy
April Wine, 10 March, University of Reading Tom Petty, 24 March, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford Shadow of a Doubt Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll Introduction - Peter Drummond Even the Losers Here Comes My Girl I Need to Know Luna Stories We Could Tell Refugee Breakdown American Girl
Steve Forbert, 31 March, Lancaster University Going Down to Laurel Romeo's Tune Complications Down by the Sally Gardens What Kind a Guy Steve Forbert's Midsummernight's Toast Thinking The Sweet Love That You Give Shure Goes a Long Long Way Say Goodbye to Little Joe You Can Not Win If You Do Not Play Medley: Nadine, Polk Salad Annie, You Can Not Win If You Do Not Play
The Blues Band, 22 May, Keele University After the Fire, 7 November, City University, London (broadcast 16 March 1981) Sailing Ship (instrumental) Wild West Show Can You Face It?
Original Broadcasts 1981 (11 episodes)
Q-Tips, 12 January, Hatfield Polytechnic UB40, 19 January, Keele University King Strange Fruit The Earth Dies Screaming Little by Little I Think It's Going to Rain Today Food for Thought Tyler Signing Off The Motels, 26 January, University of Bradford Kicks Anticipating Days Are O.K. (But the Nights Were Made for Love) Closets & Bullets Whose Problem? Total Control Party Professionals Cry Baby Envy Danger Conroy Guy Wondering
John Martyn, 2 February, Chelsea School of Art The Roches, 9 February, Loughborough University of Technology Bad for Me We Nurds The Troubles My Sick Mind Hallelujah Chorus Hammond Song Mr. Sellack
U2, 23 January, Queen's University Belfast The Ocean 11 O’Clock Tick Tock Cry - The Electric Co. Out of Control Gloria I Fall Down
Stiff Little Fingers, 23 January, Queen's University Belfast B. A. Robertson, 16 February, Preston Polytechnic, Lancashire Gillan, 23 February, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford. Available on DVD, "The Glory Years". Unchain Your Brain Mr Universe No Easy Way Trouble Mutually Assured Destruction On the Rocks Vengenace New Orleans
John Martyn. 2 March, University of Stirling. Available on DVD. Big Muff Some People Are Crazy Grace and Danger Save Some (For Me) Eibhil Ghail Chiuin Ni Chearbhail Couldn't Love You More Amsterdam Rock Johnny Too Bad
Siouxsie and The Banshees, 19 March, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Warwickshire Israel Spellbound Arabian Knights Halloween Christine Night Shift Red Light But Not Them Voodoo Dolly Eve White/Eve Black
Bootlegs In general, many of these performances will have only have been shown a very limited number of times on TV and in some cases only once. Very few of these concerts seem to have made it to legal DVD (such as the Bill Bruford, both John Martyn and a sample of AC/DC).
Bootlegs exist created from original TV (although very few domestic video recorders were around at the time) and radio broadcasts (through cassette tapes) as well as subsequent repeats. In particular, the AC/DC, Specials, Robin Trower, Ian Gillan, Cars, Police and U2 DVDs, CDs and tapes are commonly found advertised on trader's sites.
Some of the shows, such as AC/DC and The Police, have been recently broadcast on VH1 Classic on the show BBC Crown Jewels.
References
External links
Rock Goes to College from the British Film Institute Film & TV Database Partial listing of RGTC concerts from whom.co.uk