LimeWire Music Blog

I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Richard Curtis‘ body of work (screenwriter of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, and writer/director of Love Actually), but I’m mildly interested in Pirate Radio, which opens nationwide on November 13th. Curtis, who hails from New Zealand, apparently came up with concept for the film about a band of merry pirate radio station DJs set in the ’60s about ten years ago but kept the idea on the back burner while working on other film projects. Curtis wrote and directed the ensemble piece, starring, among many others, Philip Seymour Hoffman (pictured), Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson and Rhys Darby. (What? No Jack Black?)

While music is ubiquitous these days, in the ’60s, a time when musical experimentation in rock, pop, folk and soul was rampant and songs became anthems of social change, broadcasting regulations in England were so restrictive that aspiring broadcasters were forced to set up studios on ships in the North Sea just outside legal jurisdiction. Pirate Radio, which is loosely based on actual events, tells the story of how a band of DJs stood up to the British government and fought for their right to rock. Have a look at the clip below and tell us if you plan to buy a ticket.

Tracklisting for Pirate Radio
1. Easybeats – “Friday On My Mind”
2. The Who – “My Generation”
3. Cream – “I Feel Free”
4. Hendrix – “Wind Cries Mary”
5. Procol Harem – “A Whiter Shade Of Pale”
6. Otis Redding – “These Arms Of Mine”
7. Junior Walker, Cleo’s Mood Supremes – “The Happening”
8. The Turtles – “She’d Rather Be With Me”
9. The Bystanders – “98.6″
10. Kinks – “Sunny Afternoon”
11. Cat Stevens – “Father And Son”
12. Moody Blues – “Nights In White Satin”
13. Dusty – “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”
14. Lorraine Ellison – “Stay With Me”
15. The Isley Bros – “This Old Heart Of Mine”
16. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”