Fades in Slowly

- Real life CSI

2012-01-17T20:57:00.002+02:00

CSI is an awesome program. I’ve often wondered what goes into computer forensic investigation and, after a bit of research, I’ve found it’s just as interesting in real life. Computer forensics is basically an examination of computers which is conducted during criminal investigations. While police are examining files and data on the computer during the investigation, they utilize the art of computer forensics.

Basically, if you need to examine a suspect's computer to learn whether or not they are taking part in hacking or industrial espionage case, or if the computer in question is being actively used to commit the crime, you will be involved in computer forensic investigation.

So much CSI work is data recovery training and support. In this day and age, almost all data is managed and manipulated by computers and therefore it is completely possible to lose data in any number of ways. You might accidentally delete your data, or it may become inaccessible due to an unfortunate a computer crash. Of course, in some cases, people have gone to great lengths to purposefully hide data. In any given state of affairs, lost data can easily be recovered by using contemporary data recovery techniques. Indeed, data recovery tools, software and hardware are now commonplace parts of any data recovery investigation.

- Getting your customised T-Shirt

2010-10-19T07:49:00.002+02:00

Nothing in this world changes faster as the fashion. What constitutes today’s styles and fashion may become totally obsolete by this time next week. For a lot of people, meeting one’s own clothing needs means turning to customised clothing. This basically means getting garments personally made according to one’s needs.

So, how can you get customized clothing that suits your style? The traditional way was to buy a piece of cloth and pay a visit to your local tailor’s shop and then get the item of clothing that suited your desire. Fortunately, we now live in the twenty-first century and this, even though the results may be stunning, is no longer necessary (check out Billy's Savings Club for ideas).

Getting a Customized Clothing is not a new trend but it’s prevalent ever since the man has started using clothes. CafePress custom t-shirts is now recognised as being the world's favorite place to find or make unique T-shirts and gifts. Tailors have been serving people since the beginning of time, but the advent of the internet has made this practice much more widespread. CafePress truly offers the best assortment of personalised gifts as well as unique t-shirts, clothing, mugs, art and even posters and Christmas ornaments. CafePress has millions of designs from around the world that range from funny to cool to designs for promotional use.

- The Chico School of Rock!

2010-10-12T14:21:00.003+02:00

So, you think you'd like your kids to be able to learn to play a musical instrument with competent music instruction? Remember that there are many benefits to learning to play a musical instrument. For example, music lessons help children in subjects such as maths and languages. What’s more, learning anything new is always a good way to build new neurological pathways. Additionally, because not all of us can play a musical instrument, this is a great hobby for future resumes. Keeping those benefits in mind will help you through those early, noisy and very, very bad practice sessions.

If, like me, you’re a parent who wants to get his young ones started in music, finding a fun music instructor seems like a sensible place to begin. It's really imperative that the person teaching your kids to play a musical instrument keeps the sessions appealing and pleasurable, especially in the beginning. Remember: it doesn't cost you any more to find an instructor who actually likes to teach! The Chico School of Rock in Chico, California, aims to fulfill such a role. The school was the brainchild of local musician and mentor Sid Lewis way back at the turn of the century, and has since given more than fifteen thousand music lessons, guitar lessons, children’s concerts, and has enabled many, many kids to grasp their musical dreams.

The syllabus at the Chico School of Rock is based around the three tenets of creativity, pleasure and hands-on experiences in making music. The Chico School Of Rock enables children of every age to focus with a positive attitude and buid team spirit as well as their confidence. Among the successful bands who’ve made their start at the school are the teen band Jet Fuel Only who were recently featured in People Magazine and received coverage on the Rachael Ray Show, Many other of their students are also now performing and recording their own music.

- Introducing... The Green Police

2010-01-24T15:21:00.003+02:00

American novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., who blended satire, black comedy, and science fiction, was well known for his humanist beliefs and was the honorary president of the American Humanist Association. Indeed, in Vonnegut's final work, the short story, ‘Armageddon in Retrospect’, the Oklahoma town of Verdigris is featured as the headquarters of the United Nations Demonological Investigating Committee, or UNDICO. The town is named after the Verdigris River; the name being derived from the French words for ‘green’ and ‘gray’. Nearby Claremore, in contrast, takes the name from an Osage chief called ‘Gra-moi’. French traders in the area pronounced the town’s name ‘Clairmont’, which means ‘mountain with a clear view’. OK, geography lesson over.

From these origins come The Green Police, a four piece garage rock band composed of Duss Rosencutter on vocals and guitar, Drew ‘the Screw’ Wilson on guitar, Chris Pixley on bass and Evan Campbell on drums. Although you can hear the influences of archetypal punk bands like the Buzzcocks, their style also pays homage to the classic garage and surf music of the 1960s. Go a little beyond this and you even hear the spirit of Johnny Cash in their fast paced songs. They not be, as their name suggests, the environmentalists of the future, but their music is energetic and a lot of fun. Learn more about the Green Police.

- I really have moved

2009-11-11T08:56:00.002+02:00

Thank you to those of you who keep commenting on posts here, but I'm not reading them because I've moved the blog here. Please drop by and say hello.

- I've moved!

2009-10-19T11:53:00.004+02:00

Hi everyone. Thanks for dropping by in your many numbers over the past couple of years. FiS has now moved to a real proper site: fadesinslowly.com and all future activity will take place over there. Come and join me.

- 22nd December, 1995

2009-10-16T10:35:00.004+02:00

A 46-minute segment of the pre-Christmas show. I'm extremely pleased about this one as it features the epic song 'Flesh' which I myself played in one of my podcasts. At the time I was in the 'difficult' second year of university, you know the one where they kick you out of halls and you have to live in a house much worse than your parents'. Thanks to alanforduk for this gem:

New Bad Things - Like
Henry & Louis - Instilled Dub
The Fall - The Chiselers
Gagarin Kongress - Astralleib
Polvo - Bombs That Fall From Your Eyes
The Geckoes - The Old John Peel
Ken Nordine - Flesh
New Decade - Broken Keys
Girl Of The Year - Halo
Jackie And The Cedrics - Banzai Diamond Head
Prince Far I & Creation Rebel - No More War
Loren MazzaCane Connors - Stilled Wind
The Fall - This City Never Sleeps At Night

Download here.

This is what TV adverts looked like in 1995. Glad to see that someone was still using Quo to sell car parts, while it's amazing to see what Bruce Forsyth would do if, er, the price was right. Did the internet really look like that back then?

- 2nd September, 1986

2009-10-09T13:45:00.002+02:00

Here be the link. Only 30 minutes of the show and and seven and a bit tracks.

Were you watching this in September, 1986?

- The Vivian Girls

2009-10-09T09:35:00.011+02:00

Imagine, if you will, that it is March, 2007 in Brooklyn, New York, and the trio of Cassie Ramone, Kickball Katy and Frankie Rose have become The Vivian Girls. Ramone and bassist Kickball Katy form after first coming together in high school, meeting at a Weezer concert. After only having been a band for a matter of weeks, they have recorded their first a demo which includes five original songs and a one cover (the band cites the Wipers as their one big influence, other than Burt Bacharach), and have begun to play the local Brooklyn scene as well as around the state of New Jersey.

Within weeks they have developed a strong following, supporting acts as renowned as Sonic Youth, as well as finding camaraderie among other local bands like Cause Co-Motion!, Crystal Stilts, and Woods, with whom they share many bills, thus helping to build up a local music scene to which the band is still very much connected.

Fast forward to March of 2008, they have released ‘Wild Eyes’ as a single on the ‘Plays With Dolls’ label. Despite low key promotion and little in the way of distribution, the single has become an indie hit, appearing on many college radio play lists and acquiring many a positive internet review.

Their eponymously-titled debut album is recorded during the same session and released on the ‘Mauled by Tigers’ label. The initial pressing of the album sells out in a mere ten days, during which time the group sign with ‘In The Red’ Records. The album is subsequently re-released in October of that year, although the band had undergone a minor lineup change, with new drummer Ali Koehler replacing Frankie Rose in July.

Move on to October, 2009 and their second album, ‘Everything Goes Wrong’ has just been released. Song titles include the likes of the majestically titled ‘I Have No Fun’ and ‘I'm Not Asleep’, and the ladies have doubled their studio recording time for this album; they have spent a long, grueling six days recording this time round, instead of the three that it took to deliver their debut.

So, would you call them cute? Do so at your own peril, although possibly their utmost claim to fame is that they were part of a recent Jeopardy question about really cute Brooklyn bands. The band's name actually comes from an epic work by outsider artist Henry Darger, called ‘The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion’ (a 15,000-page epic the band admit to not having read). Darger, whose work ranks among the most celebrated examples of outsider art, created in his Vivian girls some of the most slick and yet disquieting figures in contemporary culture, making the band's appropriation of the monicker all the more apposite.

Listen to the Vivian Girls here.

- New Wedlock album

2009-10-01T07:30:00.007+02:00

Artwork For The Album Continuity

October is now upon us, meaning that memories of summer are drifting away and the leaves, even here in Istanbul, are turning. One thing that's keeping me going is the knowledge that North Carolina’s Wedlock have a new, 10-track, full length release coming out this month, entitled, Continuity, as with their pervious release, on Kounterfeit Records.

Those of you with better memories than I may remember that I while back I blogged about the Chapel Hill based electronic pop band and their 2008 album Exogamy. Well, the band are back with a new release, and for those of you who wish to look and listen, here’s a You Tube video clip promoting the album's release.

Wedlock Promo Clip For Continuity

This could prove to be the moment that the band makes it big and seems to be an opportune time for a new album release, as their previous album, the aforementioned Exogamy, is currently riding high at number 20 on the GBLT chart at outvoice.net. For me there is definite progression from their last album and in particular from their 2006 debut EP, The Matrimony Ep. I sense development in the cultured nature of their songs and the lyrical content which is now growing into a more comfortable partnership with their electronic sound. Having said that, Continuity is still a fitting title as you’ll be able to recognize the band’s style as a continuation of earlier releases.

As is custom in these modern times, the band have given you the chance to listen to the new material before you decide to buy it. Listen to Continuity here and please leave a comment below to tell me what you think about the band. Continuity will be widely available online at all the regular joints such as iTunes, Amazon, and many other other online retailers, also directly from the band's online shop.

Those among you of a voting disposition, and I know there are one or two, will be pleased to know that the band currently has the most votes in MusicEmissions.com's ‘Indie Band of The Year’ award for 2009 for the upcoming Continuity, currently rated a whopping 4 out of 5 by Music Emissions. If you’ve been convinced by me, you’ve got until October 31st to help determine the winner.

- 70 songs (Vol. 6)

2009-09-29T12:24:00.002+02:00

Getting fed up of waiting? Well, I've been having a load of problems with my audio editing software of recent and it's taken me longer than normal to cobble this one together. I am getting dreadfully close to the magic 70 now, one more collection of songs should do it.

Here's a track list for all the faithful who've stuck with me while I've been putting these together, indeed for all those who've visited the blog over the past two and a half years.

Part One

01 Lonnie Donegan - Lost John
02 Toots and the Maytals - Louie Louie
03 The Cure - A forest
04 Camper van Beethoven - Take the skinheads bowling
05 Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect device
06 The Fall - Lay Of The Land
07 Public enemy - Rebel without a pause
08 My bloody valentine - Soon
09 Disposable heroes of hiphoprisy - Language of violence
10 Pocket Fishrmen - The leader is burning

Part Two

11 The smiths - There is a light that never goes out
12 The Fall - Mr. pharmacist
13 Symarrip - Skinhead Moonstomp
14 Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band - Big eyed beans from venus
15 The Damned - New rose
16 Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - The message
17 The Sugarcubes - Birthday
18 The Sundays - Can't Be Sure
19 Happy Mondays - Step on
20 Lo-Cut A Sleifar - Sefyll Fel Un

Part Three

21 Andy Capp - Popatop
22 Free - All right now
23 Inspiral Carpets - she comes in the fall
24 Inspiral Carpets - Directing traffic
25 Buzzcocks - What do i get?
26 David Bowie - Heroes
27 New Order - Temptation
28 PJ Harvey - 50ft queenie
29 Mazzy star - Fade into you
30 Daft Punk - Rollin' & Scratchin'

Part Four

31 Von Südenfed - Fledermaus can't get it
32 The Dead Kennedys - California Über Alles
33 Joy Division - Transmission
34 The stooges - I wanna be your dog
35 The Beatles - strawberry fields forever
36 The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
37 Eric B. and Rakim - I know you got soul
38 M/a/r/r/s - Pump up the volume
39 Pixies - Debaser
40 The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds

Part Five

41 Scotty Moore Trio - Have guitar will travel
42 Future Sound of London - Papua New Guinea
43 The Sex Pistols - Holidays in the Sun
44 James - Hymn from a village
45 Hüsker Dü - Makes no sense at all
46 The Fall - Hit the north (part 1)
47 sugar - A good idea

(The all-new) Part Six

48 David Bowie - Queen bitch
49 The House of Love - Christine
50 PJ Harvey - Angelene
51 James Taylor & Joni Mitchell - That song about the midway
52 Nirvana - About a girl
53 Pavement - The classical
54 The Cure - One hundred years
55 The smiths - What difference does it make?

Part Seven to come any year soon.

- Lightning Bolt in session

2009-09-22T09:37:00.002+02:00

Rhode Island’s Lightning Bolt are known for their ‘guerrilla gigs’, preferring to play on the floor of the venue rather than the stage, creating a tight circle of spectators around the band. They have also been known to start playing only a few seconds after the opening band finishes, often taking the audience by surprise. In 2004, Lightning Bolt played on the doorstep of John Peel's lodgings at noon during the ‘All Tomorrow's Parties’ festival, about which neighbor Steve Albini commented, ‘Best alarm clock I've ever had.’ They have also staged concerts in kitchens, on sidewalks (pavements to the British among you), and in parking lots (car parks to the British among you). 2009 perhaps has brought about the first time that Lightning Bolt have ever been seen onstage, having performed at Primavera Sound Festival on stage, hooked up to a professional sound system. Here they are in session. I've had to return my copy of Ken Garner's Peel Sessions to the uni library and owe them a lot of money in fines, so please fill in the details that are lacking until I pay my penalty and can get the book back again.

- New York Musical Theatre Festival 2009

2009-09-22T09:16:00.004+02:00

Along with my love of (nearly) all things music, I’m secretly also a bit of a theatre and musical buff, which is why I thought I’d make a quick post about the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Every year, during a three-week autumnal festival, the theatre festival does for theatre what JP did for music, showcasing in excess of 30 new musicals at locations in New York City's theatre district. In fact, over half of these productions will have been chosen by leading theatre artists and producers via an open-submission procedure, while the other shows are requested to take part by the Festival's artistic team.

Vacation Rental Deals make it easy

During its first three years, the festival saw seven of its shows 'promoted' to off-Broadway commercial runs, with four more being picked up by regional theatres, while many others secured financing as a result of being in the festival. The New York Musical Theatre Festival has evolved into the largest annual musical theatre event in the United States. This year’s festival will run from September 28th to October 18th. One of the main benefits of the festival is that it gives upcoming artists the chance to perform in front of a live audience that includes directors, well-known actors and other recognised components of the theatre profession. During the course of its life, the New York Musical Theatre Festival has been a great success, with over 40 shows making the leap to become successful productions on Broadway, off-Broadway and elsewhere around the world.

- Joy Division: Love will tear us apart

2009-09-08T08:39:00.003+02:00

This is a video produced by Jonathan Beamish for the earliest recorded version of the song, i.e. the one recorded as a John Peel Session for the BBC in 1979. The track would of course go on to become a perennial Festive 50 entry. The original band footage is a mixture of a performance video shot by the band for the single release and live concert excerpts from Brussels and the Apollo, Manchester.

A lot of effort clearly went into editing the footage to sync it up from completely different versions of the song, especially as much of the original performance video performed for the single release contained shots of the band not playing accurately along to the audio.

Download, if you wish.

- 70 songs (Vol. 5)

2009-09-08T07:49:00.003+02:00

Will this ever end? Well, yes, actually, a couple more and I should be done. As ever, it is available to download or you can listen now...

- Sean Dickson and JP take a walk around Bellshill, Lanarkshire

2009-09-04T09:59:00.005+02:00

One of the great things about being a teenager is that at some point you'll inevitably try and dress like a pop star. So it was with me and this band. The Soup Dragons formed in Bellshill, near Glasgow, in 1985. Sean Dickson (vocals, lead guitar), Jim McCulloch (guitar, second voice) and Sushil K. Dade (bass) were joined by drummer, Ross A. Sinclair, who left the group after their first album, This Is Our Art, and was replaced by Paul Quinn. Most of their songs were written by Dickson, while some were co-written with McCulloch.

The band signed to Subway Records in early 1986 and their first single, The Sun in the Sky EP, although the band's big breakthrough came with their second single for Subway, Whole Wide World, which reached #2 on the UK Independent Chart in 1986. The band were signed by former Wham! co-manager Jaz Summers' label Raw TV and scored indie hits during 1987 and 1988. Over the course of these singles, they gradually developed a more complex rock guitar sound, culminating in This Is Our Art, and the group were now signed to major label Sire Records. However, after the one single taken from the album Kingdom Chairs had failed to chart, the band were unceremoniously dropped and returned to Raw TV.

In the year following This Is Our Art, their sound underwent a change from an indie rock sound, to the prevailing zeitgeist, i.e. the rock-dance crossover baggy sound, with the release of the album Lovegod. This change echoed that of fellow Scottish band Primal Scream, clearly influenced by the rise of the acid house rave scene in the UK. By 1990, they had not only recruited a 17-year-old me as a fan but also released their most successful hit single in the UK, I'm Free, (see above) an up-tempo cover of a Rolling Stones song with an added overdub by reggae star Junior Reid.

Subsequent albums continued the rock-dance crossover sound. In 1992 they enjoyed their biggest U.S. hit with Divine Thing. The band split in 1995 with Quinn joining fellow Bellshill band, Teenage Fanclub. Sushil K. Dade formed the experimental post rock band Future Pilot A.K.A., and singer Sean Dickson formed The High Fidelity. Jim McCulloch joined fellow Glaswegians Superstar, and has since formed musical collective Green Peppers, writing and recording with Isobel Campbell.

Sean Dickson is now based in London, DJing under the name of HI-FI Sean and writing and producing songs for Glasgow based electro group The Record Playerz. Indeed, he is presumably the HI-FI Sean who has added this clip to YouTube. In this video, he accompanies JP around his childhood haunts in Bellshill (pronounced Bells-hill), two miles north of Motherwell.

Download this clip, if you wish.

- John Peel in Dallas

2009-09-03T12:05:00.002+02:00

Thanks to Dave (Fillerzine) for this little gem. another very lazy post, I'm afraid, this info taken straight from YouTube. Some great footage, especially good to finally see exactly where JP was standing when Lee Harvey Oswald was shot:

John Peel, recorded June 23,1996:

'I went over there the beginning-to-middle of 1960. The first radio programs I did were on a station called WRR in Dallas and they had a rhythm & blues program called Kats Karavan, spelled inevitably with two K's. I'd gotten some British LPs of blues and rhythm & blues stuff that were only available in Britain, or in Europe anyway, so I went along and played them some of those records and they put me on the radio to talk about them. I thought they'd probably put me on there because of my extraordinary knowledge of the music, but I think in fact they probably put me on there because they found my accent very entertaining because in those days I used to talk a bit like Prince Charles.

This was not the day that Lee Harvey Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby; it was a few days before that. It was when he was kind-of presented to the press as the man who'd been arrested and charged. And, I mean, it was just one of those things that -- Earlier on when the assassination first happened, and I'd been - I used to work here for an insurance company on Central Expressway, so I was able to get into town pretty quickly. I was an office boy, so I could come and go as I pleased, and so when I heard about the assassination, it was announced on the P.A. in the office, and I just drove into town and went to the police cordon and told the policeman, I said, "I'm from The Liverpool Echo" and instead of telling me to piss-off, he let me through. It's one of those things which sounds so bizarre. And I walked down - I didn't go to the grassy knoll - I just stood on the other side of the road and kind of watched what was going on until frankly it became boring. It's hard to imagine that it did, but after I stood there about 40 minutes and watching people scurrying about, so I then went and made what I'd said kind-of retrospectively true and phoned The Liverpool Echo, and funnily they weren't terribly interested. I thought, Cripes, here's my chance because I've always wanted to be in journalism, so I thought, hey, this is my chance to get into journalism. I could be The Liverpool Echo's "Man in Dallas", but they really didn't care. So I was a bit wounded by that, but then that night a mate of mine and I had been driving around and were trying to figure out what to do, and at the end of the evening I said, why don't we go down to the police headquarters and see what's going on. And we got down there, and I said to this policeman, I said "what's happening?" And he said, "Well, actually there's a press conference down here," pointing to a flight of steps into the basement of the building - "there's a press conference in here in a few minutes." And I said, "Well, actually I'm from The Liverpool Echo and this is my photographer," and we went down there. I mean, we didn't have a pen or paper or camera between us, but we went in there anyway. It's a story that I've told so often that you get to the point where you don't really believe it yourself, it just seems so unlikely. But then in one of the bits of film of that press conference, we were all standing in this room and they had the identification parade in the basement of this building and they said - Henry Wade said - that this is the man that's been charged in the assassination of President Kennedy, and they brought in Lee Harvey Oswald. And he stood there looking slightly puzzled and alarmed for a while, and then was taken away again. In one of the films of this, which they showed on British television, they showed that Jack Ruby was in the room as well - which I didn't know he was until I saw this film they sort-of panned across the room and in the last few frames you can see me and my friend Bob standing there looking like tourists.

None at all, no. I wish, I don't know, y'know, I think, I mean, everybody else does, but I think we'll probably never know the truth.'

John Peel, interview recorded June 23, 1996. Published Sept. 1996 (Filler #5). Soundtrack music "Comment Naissent des Meduses" from "Science is Fiction," written & performed by Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan, James McNew (Yo La Tengo).

- 70 songs (Vol. 4)

2009-08-30T10:01:00.003+02:00

Part four ready and waiting for your ear-based consumption. Download or listen now...

- 70 songs (Vol. 3)

2009-08-26T09:20:00.002+02:00

Amazingly, I seem to be reasonably on schedule with this series of podcasts celebrating JP's upcoming 70th birthday. Work to be done still, so keep calling by for more.

Here's part three, download or listen now...

- 70 songs (Vol. 2)

2009-08-24T08:14:00.003+02:00

Here's part two of the 7oth birthday tribute collection...

Download the bugger or listen now...

- 70 songs (Vol. 1)

2009-08-21T14:01:00.003+02:00

Part one ready for your pleasure, more to come over the next week or so. Download or listen now...

- Mark's record collection Q Magazine article: October, 1990

2009-08-19T11:47:00.005+03:00

Smith and friends, circa 1990

After the unbelievable lack of interest in my post on the Peel sessions Q Magazine article, I've decided to go ahead and offer you another from my collection. October, 1990 finds a sprightly, fresh-faced Mark E. in a rare forthcoming moment, sharing one or two secrets about those musicians that have influenced him, including a nod to JP for playing Can.

Download the article here (1.8mb)

- Podcast 21 in all its glory

2009-08-05T14:08:00.002+03:00

01 Althea & Donna - Uptown top ranking
02 Frankie Miller - Good to yourself
03 Jayes & Ranking Trevor - Truly
04 Confuse the Cat - Get the bullets
05 Whitey - Leave them all behind
06 The high Fives - The line
07 Pulp - Live at John Peel night (October, 2005) Peter Gunn theme / Sorted for Es and whizz / Help the aged / This is hardcore / Sunrise
08 Favours for Sailors - I dreamt that you loved me in your dreams
09 Joy Division - Transmission
10 Dandy - A message to you rudie
11 Birdland - Peel session (June, 1989) White / Sugar blood / See no evil / Paradise
12 Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - The beat that my heart skipped
13 Don Rimini - Rave on
14 Ty Segall - The drag
15 The Fall - Ed’s babe (Festive 50 version)
16 The Virgins - One week of danger
17 Lady Dottie & the Diamonds - I ain't mad at ya

Download link here.

- Back with a whimper: Podcast 21

2009-08-04T13:26:00.006+03:00

I know, you'd gotten used to lovely downloads completely free of any of my wittering. Well, I'm back with a podcast proper after a beer / holiday / procrastination fuelled absence. Those of you in the teaching profession will know only too well how much effort it is to do anything during the summer hols, that's all the explanation I have, I'm afraid.

Full track list to follow...

Download: A lean, mean 1 hour and 40 minutes for only 93mb

Alternatively, listen now...

- Peel sessions Q Magazine article: April, 1989

2009-07-29T13:35:00.003+03:00

Peel and Walters, circa April, 1989

Here's an article that's taken me ages to get onto the blog, mainly due to no longer living in the same country as my copy of the magazine. Although not particularly revelatory, especially if you own the wonderful Ken Garner volume, it makes for interesting reading, nonetheless. I believe the Fini Tribe - who were the band in recording at the time of the article being written - session is out there, prime for downloading. If you can confirm, let me know.

Did somebody say 'long lost Police session'?

DOWNLOAD (pdf format 2.5 mb)

- Mod Reggae

2009-07-12T21:51:00.004+03:00

Go on, try to find a good reason why you shouldn't be listening to this in the height of summer.

Mod Reggae (1 of (probably) 1)

01 John Holt - Ali Baba
02 Lynn Taitt And The Boys - Storm Warning
03 The Maytals - Just tell me
04 Laurel Aitken & The Soulmen - Last Night
05 The Message - Rum-Bum-A-Loo
06 Ike Bennett & The Crysyalites - Bombshell
07 Derrick Morgan - Fat Man
08 The Enforcers - Musical Fever
09 Dermott Lynch - Hot shot
10 Jimmy Cliff - The Man (Aka Man To Man)
11 Lord Kitchener - Dr Kitch
12 The Vagabonds - Lindska

Download and love...

- Dancehall 1969 (Vol. 4)

2009-07-01T13:07:00.000+03:00

'Every so often, John was pilloried for not playing black music - absurd, really, as reggae and, latterly, hip-hop, were a staple ingredient of his shows. (He was even driven to seek police advice after the National Front responded to his playlist with a letter: "We know where your kids go to school.") John wrote in Sounds magazine: "Frankly, I listen to music with no concern whatever for the race, colour, religion, preference in breakfast foods, height, shoe size or whatever-you-like of the music makers. The only footling prejudice I do permit myself is this - musicians I suspect of supporting Everton or Arsenal have a bugger of a time getting their ponderous tripe on to the programme." '

Ryan Gilbey

The early 1970s saw a rise in white-power skinheads who, for reasons best known to themselves, saw the masses of new immigrants as being the cause of most of their social and economic problems. By the end of the decade, this image had become widespread and the skinhead style had fallen out of favor.

The movement underwent a resurgence in the 1980s, however, with the creation of groups like SHARP (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice) and others who spoke out against neo-Nazism and were either apolitical or moderate in their beliefs. Today, skinheads hold a wide spectrum of political opinions, dress styles, and musical preferences. This is the final Dancehall installment, although next up I'll be moving on to Reggae.

Volume 4 (of 4)

01 The Music Doctors - Music Doctor, Chapter 1
02 The Rudies - The Split
03 The Cimarons - Kick Me Or I'll Kick You
04 King Horror - Cutting Blade
05 Joe Mansaro - The Thief
06 Hot Rod All Stars - Return Of The Bad Man
07 The Des All Stars - Black Scorcher
08 The Music Doctors - Bush Doctor
09 The Rudies - Devil's Lead Soup
10 Dice The Boss - Your Boss DJ

- Dancehall 1969 (Vol. 3)

2009-06-27T13:05:00.000+03:00

Skinheads wore Doc Marten boots in black or burgundy, with short cuffed jeans or corduroys, flight jackets, sweater vests, Ben Sherman button downs and suspenders. Girls wore short skirts and fishnet stockings. They listened to early reggae, soul, and ska music in youth clubs. Here are some more magic tunes for you.

Volume 3 (of 4)

01 The Soul Twins - Cherrie
02 Roland Alphonso - One Thousand Tons Of Megaton
03 The Hippy Boys - Reggae Pressure
04 The Reggae Boys - Ba Ba
05 Glen Adams - Power Cut
06 The Hippy Boys - Dreams To Remember
07 Max Romeo & The Hippy Boys - Clap Clap
08 Roland Alphonso - Musical Resurrection
09 Derrick Morgan - The Conqueror
10 Tommy McCook - The Saint (The Saints Go Marching In)

- Dancehall 1969 (Vol. 2)

2009-06-25T12:04:00.002+03:00

'Peel's championing of reggae was criticised by hippies and then punks. But the more hostile the reaction, the more Peel would play it, and the juxtaposition of different genres of music on his show inspired groups such as the Clash to experiment with different styles.'

Jon Dennis

The original skinheads were working-class British youths in the 1960s, influenced by the mod and Jamaican rude boy styles in their clothing and music. The subculture wasn't based on politics or race in the early days, but more on the desire to rebel against the British class system, which greatly limited social and job-related opportunities for young people, and against the flower power and high fashion styles of the 60s. Here are ten more belters to help ease you into summer.

Part 2 (of 4)

01 The prophets - Revenge of eastwood
02 King horror - Zion i
03 Desmond Reily - Tear Them
04 The Des All Stars - Walk With Des
05 The Corporation - Walking Thru Jerusalem
06 Dandy - Shake Me Wake Me
07 Dice The Boss - Tea House From Emperor Rosko
08 Sir Collins - Black Panther
09 The Music Doctors - Going Strong
10 S. S. Binns - Bossa Moon

- Dancehall 1969 (Vol. 1)

2009-06-24T12:05:00.004+03:00

If you're new to the world of ska, your life is about to be changed for the better. This is from the period just before Rasta took over, so there's little talk of Babylon and the like, just great pumping dance songs and instrumentals which will get you turning up the volume and opening the window so the whole neighbourhood can hear.

Part 1 (of 4)

01 The Bunny Lee All Stars - Warfare
02 Busty Brown - Fight For Your Right
03 The Medetators - Soul Fight
04 The Victors - Reggae Buddy
05 Karl Bryan - Red Ash0
06 Hortense Ellis - My Last Date
07 What's your excuse - Hippy Boys
08 The Bunny Lee All Stars - Annie Pama
09 Lloyd Charmers - In The Spirit
10 The Hippy Boys - Peace Maker

Volume 2 coming any day soon.

- Entrailicus vs Mark E Smith #1

2009-06-20T16:11:00.018+03:00

Smith on the left, me on the right

While the family are away on holiday and I'm left home waiting for the academic year to draw to a close, I have been spending way too much time fiddling around on the computer. Fortunately, not all of that time has been a complete waste, at least I hope you'll agree with me, as I've cobbled together the following track.

Although more people get to work with Mark E Smith than would be the case of a member of any band other than The Fall, the time comes when you realise that your chances of ever being in the band are fairly limited. Luckily for the computer techno geeks among us, lord Smith has a couple of spoken word albums for us to sample from.

I've been intending to give it a go putting samples and loops to a Smith vocal for ages and have finally completed the first track of what I optimistically hope will become a full album worth of tracks. This first effort is entitled 'Chocolate tourizt findz art muzeum' and features the track 'The CD in your hand' from Mark E Smith's spoken word album 'The post nearly man', along with various royalty free samples from the SONY Loops and samples collection, namely 'Blip: Glitch Electronica', 'Bradley Fish: Unstrung' and 'Cinematix Vol. 1'. Consequently, the only person who could legally make any dosh from this is Mark E Smith. I hope this will become viable because I also invite all of you to remix the bugger and do a better job than I've done.

Entrailicus vs Mark E Smith- Chocolate tourizt findz art muzeum

Download the samples and have a go yourself (link now fixed). If you do a remix, please let me know.

- Movietone sessions:1994 - 1997

2009-06-20T14:14:00.004+03:00

‘Movietone create beguiling musical statements that draw explicit influence from the coastlines of England,’ or at least that is what record label Domino would have you believe, and who am I to argue? Formed in Bristol in 1994, Movietone revolve around core members Kate Wright and Rachel Brook. Brook was also a member of Flying Saucer Attack during the first few years of the band, while Wright is currently the bass player for Crescent.

Ostensibly an ongoing concern, no new album has appeared since 2003's ‘The Sand and the Stars’, which was recorded, as all albums should be, almost entirely live on a beach.

The band’s three sessions come from the mid 90s…

18th June, 1994

Movietone’s first session, recorded on 12th May, 1994.

TRACKLIST

-Heatwave Pavement
-Darkness Blue Glow
-Stone
-Mono Valley

LINE UP

Kate Wright (Guitar, Vocals)
Rachel Brook (Bass)
Ros Walford (Clarinet, Perc)
Matt Elliot (Guitar, Percussion, Piano)
Matt Jones (Drums)

10th February, 1996

Movietone’s second session, recorded on 28th January, 1996.

TRACKLIST

-The Voice Came Out Of The Box And Dropped
-Blank Like Snow
-Summer
-Chocolate Grinder

LINE UP

Kate Wright (Guitar, Vocals)
Matt Elliott (Guitar, Noise)
Rachel Brook (Bass, Xylophone)
Matt Jones (Drums)

20th September, 1997

Movietone’s third session, recorded on 31st August, 1997

TRACKLIST

-The Blossom Filled Streets
-Hydra
-Facing West From California's Shores

LINE UP

Kate Wright (Guitar, Vocals)
Matt Elliott (Guitar, Noise)
Rachel Brook (Bass, Xylophone)
Matt Jones (Drums)

Movietone record label site

- Leonard Cohen: 14th July, 1968

2009-06-18T20:38:00.009+03:00

Canadian Leonard Cohen, despite or probably because of his brooding, monotonous voice, is loved for the intensity of his songs. Along with artists like Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, singer-songwriters moved to make songwriting an art form in the late 60s, their efforts were recognised when mainstream acts covered their songs.

Cohen's sessions at the BBC in 1968 offer a young artist, whose voice is fresh, delving into poetry with a richness of words and subject. Today, they show a young artist at the peak of his powers.

Cohen did a lot of work at the Beeb in 1968, but here are the four songs from the July Top Gear show hosted by John Peel. The final track of the four is a duet with British folk singer Julie Felix. I'm warning you now, this is a bit special.

Leonard Cohen's Top Gear session: 14th July, 1968

- That's no way to say goodbye
- You know who I am
- Like a bird on a wire
- So long Marianne

- The Eno / Fripp backwards blunder: 18th December, 1973

2009-06-16T13:55:00.003+03:00

Jupiter, circa December, 1973

The time is December, 1973 and as a no-doubt grizzly three-month baby, I am shocked as Chile breaks diplomatic contacts with Sweden. Elsewhere, Papua New Guinea gains self government from Australia. The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its DSM-II, meaning that being gay is no longer a mental illness.

Good news for lazy buggers in the United Kingdom; due to coal shortages caused by industrial action, the three-day-week electricity consumption reduction measure comes into force. Pioneer 10 sends back the Earth’s first close-up images of Jupiter, finally giving us a decent look at the giant spot.

Here we see Patrick Troughton, by this time usurped by Jon Pertwee as TV’s Doctor Who, interviewed on Pebble Mill at One by Marian Foster, transmitted on 21st December, 1973. YouTube commenters on this clip allude to a certain degree of drunkenness, both on the part of the interview and the filming crew.

In case you were still wondering, British TV was a bit dodgy back in those days, to prove it, here is a festive except from the ‘classic’ Generation Game show, starring Frankie Howerd and Bruce Forsyth at their best, originally Broadcast on 25th December, 1973.

TOTP was at the peak of its powers, celebrating its tenth anniversary. Here are the opening two songs from the 1973 Christmas special presented by Peel colleagues Noel Edmonds and Tony Blackburn, with music from Slade and ‘little’ Donny Osmond.

Almost no shows exist from the period 1971 to 1974; in fact, this long-lost show is one of the very few examples of Peel on the radio during that time. It is also the show in which he unwittingly played a session by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno backwards, with Eno being regarded as a crank caller by the switchboard operator when he tried to phone Peel at the BBC to inform him of the error.

DOWNLOAD

Tracklisting

-Paul McCartney & Wings, 'Jet (LP-Band On The Run)' (Apple/Emi)
-Fripp & Eno, 'Heavenly Music Corporation' (Peel Session)
-Faces, 'Maybe I'm Amazed (7 inch)' (Warner Bros)
-Jack The Lad, 'Back On The Road Again' (Peel Session)

JP: 'It's around this time that we collect a whole handful of listeners that we wouldn't normally get if the television was working, and I'd like to tell you that, I'm very very sorry, but there's no television on. I'm very disappointed that you can't watch it, but, seeing as you can't, you can either listen to us, and we don't talk very much but we do play quite a lot of music. Or you can turn over to Radio Four, where they've got a talk on spinach or something like that.'

-Queen, 'Liar (LP-Queen)' (EMI)
-Bridget St. John, 'Curious & Woolly' (Peel Session)
-Travis Wammack, 'Scratchy (7 inch)' (Sonic)
-Pink Floyd, 'Bike (double LP reissue-A Nice Pair)' (Harvest)
-Bridget St. John, 'Choosing, You Lose One' (Peel Session)
-Jackie Brenston, 'Juiced (LP-Chess Golden Decade Vol. 1)' (Checker)

(11 p.m. news bulletin)

-Ian Carr's Nucleus, 'Caliban (LP-Roots)' (Vertigo)
-Bridget St. John, 'Jumble Queen' (Peel Session)
-Jack The Lad, 'Fast Lane Driver' (Peel Session)
-Ann Peebles, 'I Can't Stand The Rain (7 inch)' (Hi) (omitted from this recording)
-Bridget St. John, 'Sparrowpit' (Peel Session)
-Roy Buchanan, 'After Hours' (LP-Second Album) (Polydor)
-Jack The Lad, 'Where The Action Is' (Peel Session)
-Fripp & Eno, 'Swastika Girls' (Peel Session)

JP: 'I'd like to see what they make of that on Come Dancing...Opinion in here is divided...I think it's great, I really do, magnificent in fact, in the Tangerine (Dream) tradition, I suppose. Very very good, and well worth having the LP, incidentally.'

-Bridget St. John, 'In The Bleak Midwinter' (Peel Session)

- Roxy Musicus Vol.1

2009-06-15T22:04:00.004+03:00

Don't care what you say, this is cool

Cool. The absolute epitomy of cool. Hopefully there are those among you who already share my opinion, but equally I hope there are those who will be getting their first listen of Roxy Music. No particular reason for this post other than I dug out a few of the old albums today and needed to share a few tracks as they're pretty close to perfection. Their early work from the early to mid 70s saw them instilled as Peel favourites; they did no less than four sessions in 1972. Today's offering comes from the later era, which, if certain fools are to be believed, their work would be described by Rolling Stone as:

"Roxy Music has not gone disco. Roxy Music has not particularly gone anywhere else either... as well as Flesh + Blood (is) such a shockingly bad Roxy Music record that it provokes a certain fascination."

Clearly wrong. If you don't believe me, all you have to do is listen to this fifteen minutes of wonder.

Roxy Musicus Vol.1

- Same old scene
- More than this
- Dance away
- Angel eyes

Listen now...

- Punishment of Luxury sessions, 1978-79

2009-06-15T18:53:00.008+03:00

Formed in December, 1976 in the north-east of England, Punishment of Luxury, also known as Punilux, came from a background working in left-wing English fringe theatre groups. The band took their name from an 1891 painting by Giovanni Segantini in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. A four-man post-punk band, they first released a single, Puppet Life, in June 1978. Shortly after, the band recorded the first of two Peel sessions, followed by a second in 1979.

By 1979 they had signed to the major label United Artists and released the single Jellyfish/Engine Of Excess and the album Laughing Academy. 1980 brought the release of the single Secrets/Brain Bomb, which received both critical acclaim and also sold fairly well. A European tour followed and United Artists sent the band into the studio to record another album, a concept album to be called Gigantic Days. However, while the recording was still going on, United Artists were taken over by EMI, who dumped the band. Punishment Of Luxury released two further albums, Seven in 1983 and Feels Like Dancing Wartime in 1984. The album Gigantic Days was finally released, on CD, in 1998.

In 2007, they reunited and played a few songs for the basist Jimi Giro's 50th birthday party. A little more than a year later they landed a gig at a small pub in Gateshead, which was considered a success and was reviewed in The Guardian newspaper. The band are apparently planning more gigs in the future and possibly introducing more new material. They are currently enjoying gigging, on June 12th they played in Kilburn, North London.

30/08/1978 : TRACKLIST

-Funk Me
-Babalon
-Let's Get Married/You're So Beautiful

30/05/1979 : TRACKLIST

-Radar Bug/Metropolis
-British Baboon
-Secrets

Punishment Of Luxury on MySpace

- Not November, 1976, but February, 1977

2009-06-14T18:45:00.009+03:00

Model railways were very popular in 1976

The time is November, 1976 and the Uk has well and truly forgotten the manic heat of that summer. America, it seemed, had finally forgotten the years of slavery that had led to its civil war as, on November 2nd, Jimmy Carter defeated incumbent Gerald Ford, becoming the first candidate from the Deep South to win since the Civil War. On November 25th, which may or may not be the date of this broadcast, in San Francisco, The Band held its farewell concert, The Last Waltz.

More ominously, especially for those of you like me who think that, despite Terminator clearly being a work of fiction, the basic premise is almost certain to come true (yes, I am a freak, hopefully), on November 26th, which also may or may not be the date of this broadcast, Microsoft was officially registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico, thus commencing the end of the world as we know it...

Downloaden s ie hier

This is how Britain looked in November, 1976:

UPDATE: Further investigation has revealed that this show dates to February, 1977 (9th to be exact) and the track list is as follows:

Wishbone Ash (live, recorded 16th January, 1977)

-Runaway
-King will come
-Lorelei
-Mother of Pearl
-Blowin' free

Johnny Guitar Watson - A real mother for ya.

- Peel and Star Trek

2009-06-13T07:35:00.000+03:00

Here's a link to a documentary 'Beam Me Up Scotty', originally broadcast in February, 1996 on Radio 4 (28 mins). Peel is only the 'hired help' for this one but as a massive Trek fan who knew nothing about this, I'm drooling with anticipation at the prospect of listening to the account of the

musical careers of various Star Trek folks:

Download

- A brief history of sheet music

2009-06-09T13:28:00.002+03:00

Going leftfield for a minute. I'm no musician but my brother remains an aspiring guitarist so I thought I'd post this one for him. For those of you who don’t know, sheet music is the hand-written or printed form of musical notation; the medium is typically paper, although access to musical notation has in recent years also included presentation on computer screens. Usage of the expression sheet is intended to distinguish music on paper from its audio presentation, which would arise from a sound recording or live performance. In everyday use, sheet music can refer to the print publication of commercial music in conjunction with the release of a new film, show, recorded album, or other special or popular event involving music.

Sheet music can be used as a record of or a means to perform a piece of music. Even though it doesn’t take the place of the sound of a performed work, sheet music can be used to create a recital and to expound aspects of the music that may not be palpable from mere listening. Authoritative musical information regarding a piece can be gained by studying the printed outlines of compositions that the composer might have retained, as well as the final signature score and individual markings on proofs and printed scores.

The Comprehension of, for example, piano sheet music requires an extraordinary form of literacy: the ability to read musical notation. I'm in awe of anyone who can do this. On the other hand, the capability to read or write music is not a prerequisite to compose music. In fact, many composers, take Captain Beefheart and Mark Edward Smith as two prime examples, have been capable of producing music without the capacity themselves to interpret or inscribe in musical notation, so long as an amanuensis of some sort is available. Examples include the sightless 18th century composer John Stanley and the 20th-century composers and lyricists Lionel Bart, Irving Berlin and even Sir Paul McCartney.

Ok, so now for the reason why I'm posting. The Pianosheetmusic website is offering a load of free sheet music downloads, including free sheet music and free guitar tabs, so take a look.

- Peel and Kershaw at Glastonbury, 1993

2009-06-02T10:56:00.003+03:00

I've only ever been to Glastonbury once, in 1993, so am rightly delighted that this tape has surfaced, thanks to alanforduk:

'Here's a home-made compilation tape of broadcasts from Glastonbury in 1993 (25,26,27th Jun).
The programs were hosted by JP and AK, and both are on great form and many of the links are pretty hilarious. Johnnie Walker also appears, mainly introducing the bands. Apologies for the quality, which varies from poor to appalling (you might want to skip The Saw Doctors), and for some of the music choices. You may be able to spot where I've patched-in a couple of tracks from my own CD collection. These replace records played, not live performances.'

Side A (Mono)

00:00 John'n'Andy Intro
00:21 Saw Doctors
N17
Presentation Border
That's What She Said Last Night
I'd Love to kiss the Bangles
Hay Wrap
I Hope We Meet Again
32:35 John'n'Andy on the Velvet Underground
35:08 Rolf Harris - Tie me kangaroo/Stairway To Heaven
41:52 Hothouse Flowers - ?
45:45 John'n'Andy on Velvet Underground bootlegs
46:44 [end]

Side B (remastered)

00:00 New Bad Things - I Suck
04:57 Jonathan Richman - Velvet Underground
08:58 Christy Moore - Well below the Valley-O
15:22 JW interviews JP re Football/Frisbees/Sharon Shannon
18:34 The Four Of Us - Car Crash At 80 MPH
24:14 Tragically Hip - At the Hundredth Meridian
28:43 John'n'Andy on attracting quite a crowd
29:19 John'n'Andy on hearing voices
30:25 John'n'Andy on drainage etc
32:30 John'n'Andy on male organs of generation
33:02 John'n'Andy Sharon Shannon intro
35:02 Sharon Shannon
39:10 Van Morrison - St Dominic's Preview
45:26 John'n'Andy working well as a team
45:54 The Fall - Victoria
48:48 John'n'Andy outro
49:25 [end]

Here be the Verve at Glastonbury, 1993, although I think they were still called Verve then. Drug experimentation means I have no recollection of this performance:

- Genuinely funny

2009-06-02T10:15:00.001+03:00

...Eminem's inability to take a joke. Click here to download and keep forever.

- Play Dead sessions: 1982-84

2009-05-29T14:01:00.006+03:00

As you can see, Goths were very cool

Play Dead were an English Goth rock group from Oxford that emerged from English punk scene in the early '80s. Though the band identified with other Goth groups, they felt they didn't really belong under the 'Goth' label. The band made three studio albums for a few different small labels before forming their own label, 'Tanz', for their final album, Company Of Justice, which appeared in 1985.

The original lineup was Rob Hickson (vocals), Pete Waddleton (bass), Mark "Wiff" Smith (drums), and Re-Vox (guitar). In July 1981, Re-Vox was replaced by Steven Green. The band recorded 3 Peel sessions between 1982 and 1984.

28th January, 1982

23rd June, 1983

18th January, 1984

Cheers to Martin Wheatley for these.

- Enjoyable romp from 1982

2009-05-29T13:48:00.002+03:00

People looked like this in 1982

Short, sharp and to the point... would be a huge improvement on my current posts, but work continues to be a real bugger. Another one courtesy of the mighty Teenage Kicks Steve, a mix tape of 1982 shows. The master speaks:

‘Mark was at the same Uni at the same time that I was, but in a different college. He made this compilation of various sessions and Peel plays, and has several more. Dates are largely unknown (and it's not entirely October 1982), but it's an enjoyable romp. Despite his reservations, the quality is not all that bad.’

Info here.

- Andy Kershaw: 10th March, 1988

2009-05-26T20:27:00.003+03:00

Here's an old Andy Kershaw show courtesy of the one and only Ken Garner. According to Ken, 'It's a stormer featuring the Frank Chickens, plus Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in session.'

Tape side A

Tape side B

Work is manic, hence the lack of posts. Bear with me, I'll be back.

- American Idol: A cautionary tale on how to enjoy it for what it is

2009-05-19T10:49:00.004+03:00

The good news is that, living in Turkey as I do, I am not subjected to ‘Britain’s got Talent’ or whatever it’s called. 'American Idol' I have witnessed, however. No doubt one of the most popular TV shows of recent years, drawing millions of viewers every week, it is, according to four music business experts, doing damage to aspiring musicians and warping opinions of how the music industry in actual fact works. Let this be a cautionary tale to all seeking to get into this profession.

‘(American Idol) may be fun to watch, but it's the last place I'd recommend anyone go to learn how to succeed with a music career.’

Bob Baker, author of ‘Guerrilla Music Marketing’

Bob Baker suggests the show has created widespread misconceptions about what it takes to be successful as a music artist in the contemporary world and has documented five falsehoods perpetuated by American Idol.

If you want to experience the best of American Idol, throw an American Idol Party in your own home.

Falsehood 1 - Industry talent scouts enthusiastically look for singers and musicians to develop

Times have changed… Record companies do employ A&R people whose job it is to sign and nurture new artists, but the truth is major labels are consolidating more and more, cutting staff and they no longer have the time or money to develop new acts. Instead, especially now they don't have John Peel doing the hard work for them, they want artists who are already developing themselves, attracting fans and selling CDs on their own. In the music trade, like any other business, a record company's investment and risk on a newly signed act can mean the end of several careers, not only the artist's, if it doesn't work. Consequently, any label is much more likely to invest in someone who has a proven track record.

Falsehood 2 - Most would-be musicians are deficient in talent and are delusional

The American Idol auditions, especially, spawn this fantasy. Many amazing musicians have decided they're happier selling 10,000 CDs on their own and making a hundred thousand dollars, than selling a million CDs and being broke on a major label. That's the reality of today's music business.

Falsehood 3 - You require the endorsement of industry insiders to make it in the music biz

Another misguided notion is that getting an industry big shot's approval will make or break your career. Sorry, you don't need Simon's or anyone else's permission to be worthy of a career in music. Remember, every major label in the U.K. passed on both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in their day.

Falsehood 4 - Getting a major recording contract is the definitive sign of achievement

There are innumerable stories of bands that get signed and never go anywhere, or bands that have record deals and end up falling far short of their expectations. Think of all those great Peel session artists who signed a deal and then disappeared into obscurity. Only about one in 30 signed acts reach significant enough sales levels to justify the record label offering a second CD release, which means practically 97% of artists with recording contracts do not make the grade. Scared yet?

Falsehood 5 - Without extensive on exposure a national scale, you're doomed to crash

Most musicians would love to get the high-impact TV exposure that American Idol finalists receive, but nationwide media coverage is not a requirement for ultimate success in music. There are thousands of lesser-known artists who enthusiastically write, record and perform great music under the radar, converse to popular credence, many of them make decent money, have large armies of devoted fans and are quietly, but steadily, building careers. The musicians with the best odds of success are those who follow the Peel mentality and take their careers into their own hands, promote themselves relentlessly and create their own lucky breaks.

Alternatives?

Basically, enjoy American Idol and programs like this for what they are but forget about them being realistic models of how the music industry operates. In fact, if you’re thinking of taking part in something like this, just throw a party for your friends as you’ll likely have more fun than you ever could participating in the real thing. Birthdayexpress.com is an online shop and complete source for birthday party supplies for themes such as American Idol. From television shows to movies, they boast a huge range of diverse themed party gear. Birthday Express currently offers more than 150 children's party themes. Each theme includes the products and information necessary to help parents create a memorable birthday party. Forget going on American Idol and have fun at home.

- Led Zep at Live Aid

2009-05-15T12:20:00.005+03:00

I didn't edit this pic, they really were wearing those clothes

On 13th July, 1985, Page, Plant and Jones reunited for the Live Aid concert at the JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, playing a short set featuring Phil Collins. Collins had contributed to Plant's first two solo albums so eemed like a natural choice to complete the lineup.

The performance was, however, marred by the lack of rehearsal with the drummer, Page's struggles with an out-of-tune Les Paul guitar and by Plant's hoarse voice. Page himself has described the performance as 'pretty shambolic', while Plant was even less kind, summing it up as an 'atrocity'. Personally, I think the worst thing about it is the mid '80s crime againt fashion as evident in the pic above.

When Live Aid footage was released on a four-DVD set in late 2004 to raise money for Sudan, the group unanimously agreed not to allow footage from their performance to be used, asserting that it was not up to their standard. However, to demonstrate their support for the campaign, Page and Plant pledged proceeds from their Page and Plant DVD release and John Paul Jones pledged the proceeds of his then-current US tour with Mutual Admiration Society to the project.

Download the debacle here (198mb).

- Turkey's Eurovision Entry: Hadise

2009-05-13T14:40:00.004+03:00

For no other reason than I want to share my pain with you, here is this year's Turkish Eurovision song, the delightful Hadise with her ode to whatever the bloody hell it is she's warbling on about.

Eurovision Turkey 2009 - Hadise - Dum Tek Tek Crazy for you
by jief75

Hadise - Dum Tek Tek

Baby you're perfect for me
you are my gift from heaven
this is the greatest story of all times
we met in like in a movie
so meant to last forever
and what you're doing to me
feels so fine

Angel i wake up
and live my dreams
endlessly
crazy for you

Can you feel the rhythm in my heart
the beats going düm tek tek
always out it like there no minute
feels like there's no way back
can you feel the rhythm in my heart
the beats going düm tek tek
always out it like there's no minute
feels like there's no way back

Baby i read all answers
in your exotic movements
you are the greatest dancer of all times
you make me feel so special
no one can kiss like you do
as it is your profession
feel so fine

Angel i wake up and live my dreams
endlessly
crazy for you

Can you feel the rhythm in my heart
the beats going düm tek tek
always out it like there no minute
feels like there's no way back
can you feel the rhythm in my heart
the beats going düm tek tek
always out it like there's no minute
feels like there's no way back

Can you feel the rhythm in my heart

Can you feel the rhythm in my heart
the beats going düm tek tek
always out it like there no minute
feels like there's no way back
can you feel the rhythm in my heart
the beats going düm tek tek
always out it like there's no minute
feels like there's no way back

Always out it like it no minute
feels like there's no way back
always out it like there's no minute
feels like düm tek tek

- Iggy and Bowie terrorise Dinah Shore on daytime TV

2009-04-30T11:20:00.002+03:00

Some things just seem like a bad idea at the time, others need to be viewed as such in retrospect. Yet others can simply be labeled as WTF moments. This falls into the latter category. You have to ask what on Earth they were thinking inviting Iggy Pop onto daytime US TV in this way. If you want to know who Dinah Shore is, click here.

Just for good measure, here's a short clip of Iggy on the Old Grey Whistle Test:

- Podcast 15 in all its glory

2009-04-20T11:16:00.001+02:00

So, here's the belated track listing for the podcast:

Del Close & John Brent – Introduction
Toots & the Maytals - 54-46 was my number
Pocket Fishermen - The leader is burning
Dead Kennedys - California Über Alles
Queens of the Stone Age – Misfit love
The Stooges - No fun
Imperial Leisure - Untouchable
Yuksek - Break ya
Franz Ferdinand - Can't stop feeling
Dave Clarke - Live on John Peel (4-2-2004)
LR Rockets - Death of the UK
Filur - 28 - I want you (feat. Magnum Coltrane Price)
Fake Problems - The Dream Team
Mansun - Peel session (7-10-1995)
Genius Mess Poets - Lost in translation
The King Blues - Save the World, get the girl
Papa Roach - Hollywood whore
Acid Junkies - Wrathchild
Legowelt - Run To The Hills
Mr. Velcro Fastener - The Trooper
Rude 66 - Killers

Thanks to the many of you who downloaded this on blind faith alone, it's appreciated.

Download and listen now links are one post down.

- Not yet, we're not ready: PODCAST 15

2009-04-16T07:50:00.003+02:00

Don't say you weren't warned. Here I am back again with yet another podcast, featuring Dave Clarke live on Peel, a Mansun session from 1995 and some of the finest elektro NWOBHM you'll ever hear.

Download the bugger (125mb for 140 minutes of music).

Alternatively, listen now:

Full details to come in the next post.

- Podcast 14 in all its glory

2009-04-10T11:44:00.006+02:00

Peel enjoying bathtime, apparently

First up, and what better way to get things swinging than with a track from the glorious days of rampant sampling, we have Eric B and Rakim’s ‘I know you got soul’ as it appeared in the 1987 Festive 50. This if followed by ‘My circuitboard city’ by The Wombats, Micachu’s ‘Golden phone’ which you’ll either love or hate and Mando Diao with the track ‘Give Me Fire'. Blatant cutting and pasting next with Davy H's ruff roots reggae mix, stolen directly from his exquisite blog and deposited here for your delight. We have Jackie Edwards with 'Invasion', Jackie Edwards with 'Invasion' again, Culture’s 'Natty Dread Takin' Over' and finally Eek A Mouse with 'Heroes Dead and Gone'.

Peel sessions featured this time round are Freddy Fresh's session from November, 2003, for which I have Steve to thank. There’s also the culmination of the White Stripes' 2001 Maidas Vale session, the first half of which featured in the last podcast, as did New Order’s first session, the the second Peel Session from 1982 appearing this time round with the tracks ‘Turn the heater on’, ‘We all stand’, ‘Too late’ and ‘5-8-6’.

This podcast also features Empire of the sun's ‘Walking on a Dream’, the 1990s track ‘Vondelpark’, Mute Math’s ‘Spotlight’, The Bravery with ‘Believe (Moon version)’, The Job with ‘Killer’ and Blue October’s ‘Dirt room’.

Download and listen now links are here. Enjoy.

- Uncle Jim's birthday bash: PODCAST 14

2009-04-09T09:35:00.002+02:00

My brother Jim, uncle of my two little 'uns, has just turned 27, good age for all but world famous rock stars, so this podcast is dedicated to him for looking after our mum in my absence.

As usual, the track listing will come later so as to avoid post deletion from Big Brother. For those of you who can't wait, here are the download options.

Download: 130mb for 2 and a half hours of listening pleasure.

Listen now:

- JP on Room 101 (part 3)

2009-04-07T10:02:00.000+02:00

In the final part of the show, JP continues his pursuit of bearded men and tries to get rid of clothes shopping.

- JP on Room 101 (part 2)

2009-04-06T09:15:00.000+02:00

Part two of JP on room 101, in which he tries to rid the world of death, footballers shielding the ball out of play for a throw-in and, strangely enough, men with beards.

- JP on Room 101 (part 1)

2009-04-03T13:41:00.002+02:00

This is a show I used to enjoy a great deal way back when I used to live in England. For those of you not from the UK, the format is quite simple and is explained in the opening moments of the show. I didn’t see this one at the time, though, and it’s nice to see both JP and Paul Merton in fine ‘grumpy old men’ form. The show comes to you in three ten-minute parts over the course of the next week or so as the files are all pretty large and I’ve had to set up a new divshare account as it is.

In part one, JP attempts to discard driving through Essex and men with colds.

- My traumatised childhood #1: Kinder Surprise ad

2009-03-25T11:12:00.002+02:00

This was one of the creepiest things I'd ever seen at the time. I wasn't alone on the school playground in being genuinely creeped out by this advert:

Another podcast and lots of other stuff on the way soon.

- Podcast 13 in all its glory

2009-03-17T13:40:00.004+02:00

I've tried editing this post to give more info about the songs but blogspot is being a right pain in the blogspot at the momener, so here be the tracks and nothing else:

Prodigy - Omen

The Fall - I Am Kurious Oranj

Madvillain - Rhinestone Cowboy

Flairs – Truckers Delight

Buzzcocks - What do I get

Tori Amos - Professional Widow [Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix]

808 State - Pacific 707

Doves - Kingdom of Rust

Duman - Her peyi yak

The Coral - In the morning

The Holloways – Kill this day

Symarrip – Skinhead Moonstomp

Trash Fashion - Why Can't We Be Friends?

Captain Beefheart anf his Magic Band - Well

The Boy least likely to - I box up all the butterflies

White Stripes – Live 25/07/2001 at BBC Maida Vale 4

New Order - First Peel Session (January, 1981)

Prince Buster - One step beyond

Kraftwerk - Metal on metal

Siouxsie and the Banshees – Metal postcard (1978 Festive 50 version)

Leonard Nimoy – Spock thoughts

Guy called Gerald - Voodoo Ray

Alvarez Kings – Despair on 2 stairs

We smoke fags - Eastenders

Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

Download and listen now links here.

- Like a bad rash that won't go away: PODCAST 13

2009-03-16T14:16:00.002+02:00

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, here I am back with another bloody podcast. I'll do my usual trick of posting the track listing on a separate post so as not to get it removed by Big Brother, but believe me there are some beauties this time round.

Available, as ever, for download or in listen now format:

120mb for more than 2 hours of listening pleasure.

- Old Grey Whistle Test Archives: Sisters of Mercy 1985

2009-03-11T13:24:00.003+02:00

This is punishment for the 250 plus people who downloaded the 1976 Punk show without leaving a comment. You won't like me when I'm angry, as the bloke who could change into a big green monster used to say...

What? You really want to download this?

- The Who at the Beeb

2009-03-09T14:39:00.005+02:00

Once you've lived away from your country of birth for a while, the very notion of nationality starts to get a little confusing and you realise that patriotism is faintly ridiculous, nationalism much more so. Nevertheless, I consider it extremely cool that I'm from the same country as this group. The Who recorded approximately a shit load of stuff at the BBC during the 60s, there are some real gems to be had. I've cobbled a few tracks together here to make one hell of a montage. The sound is a bit crap for the first thirty seconds or so, sorry about that, but it picks up thereafter. If you haven't listened to the Who for a while, prepare to be reminded how bloody good they are, if you're listening to the band for the first time, well...

Listen now option...

You heard a sample, now go and buy the album...

The Who - The BBC Sessions

- 1976: Where it all began

2009-02-02T09:35:00.004+02:00

First of all, I can't believe I've never posted this before. I guess when you become obsessed with something you really can't see the wood for the trees. In this instance, I suppose I just assumed that everyone would have this show, as it was the first one I got hold of and started my yearning to collect every Peel show the man ever broadcast. Let's just call it a slight oversight, shall we!

In short, this is Peel's show from December, 1976, when he unleashed punk on an unsuspecting audience of aging hippies, much to their consternation. It's an absolute belter.

File size:91mb

As for me, well, at the moment committing to this blog feels more like an obligation than something I'm enjoying, so I'm going to take a couple of weeks off at least. I'm not calling it quits permanently, but I just don't feel like it at present. There are hundreds of new Peel shows to share with you but they'll just have to wait a while. Thanks to everyone who has visited, especially those who leave comments. They're what sustain me through the dark times.

See you soonish, Adam.

- Old Grey Whistle Test Archives: U2 1981

2009-01-29T13:37:00.003+02:00

Having won friends and influenced people with my first two selections from the OGWT vaults, I now present you with a bunch of young Irish scruffians who completely disappeared from the music scene after this brief three and a half minutes of fame:

For fans of my 'download and keep' policy...

- Album Review: Exogamy by Wedlock

2009-01-29T13:06:00.003+02:00

Exogamy is out now on Amazon.com

You may remember that earlier this month I added my latest addition to my very occasional ‘give ‘em a listen’ section. Those of you who reside in Chapel Hill, NC, as I know so many of you who visit the blog do, may have been lucky enough to see this band in action. Their latest album, Exogamy, was actually released in April of last year, and has so far had three singles released from it, ‘Discopharma’, ‘Still Unsatisfied,’ and most recently the Jonestown-inspired ‘Reverend Charisma’, which I previously praised.

While by no means being trashed, Exogamy has received mixed reviews, but I tend to agree with a comment left by a certain individual identified only as ‘Beatstalker’ to the review on the Music Emissions website, who suggests:

‘Whoever wrote the last review on Wedlock must have been on crack and I am willing to pay for rehab. Wedlock is an amazing new band that should be on every Ipod in the world.’

The tracks from the album Exogamy, Wedlock's full length debut, are an eclectic bunch of electronica gems. The album was released on Kounterfeit Records last April, 2008. To date, three digital singles have been culled from it, with the band receiving numerous reviews across the web. Wedlock consist of Paul Allgood, Jay Bowden, Ana Mitchell and Baxter Smith and are perhaps best described as a combination of techno pop and digital funk. For me the thing that stands out the most about this album is the diversity of the lyrics and range of song styles. On Exogamy there is a wonderful mix of banging dance tunes (such as ‘Asseswaving’ and ‘Discopharma’), politically charged anthems (see ‘Reverend Charisma’ and ‘Allegiance… WTF’) and even love songs thrown into the mix (‘Black Sundress’).

With their lyrical depth and electronic beats, Wedlock could slowly but surely carve out a niche in the dance scene. Not living on groove alone, Wedlock tries to shake things up with strong personal and sometimes politically charged lyrics. Despite this intensity, Exogamy is often fun, energetic and makes you want to get up and move.

Exogamy is OUT NOW On Amazon.com

- Old Grey Whistle Test Archives: The Specials 1979

2009-01-26T13:58:00.002+02:00

How good is this?

- Podcast 12 in all its glory

2009-01-23T11:09:00.005+02:00

Typical, isn’t it? Even though you hadn’t been waiting for me to do a podcast, two of them show up almost at the same time. Believe it or not, I rarely use these as an opportunity to indulge in, er, self indulgence, although I’m perhaps a little guilty this time around, particularly with my first selection, Hole’s 'Celebrity skin'. I did manage to get a reference to ‘Margrave of the Marshes’ in there to throw you off the scent though, plus I have to remember that there are those among you who aren’t quite as approaching middle age as I am and may never have heard it before.

The main reason I had to cobble this podcast together so quickly after the last one is that, by hook or crook, I’ve managed to get hold of a copy of Franz Ferdinand’s new release and have shared 3 tracks from ‘Tonight’ with you today: ‘Ulysses’, ‘Turn it on’ and ‘No you girls’. Another newly released long player I’ve stumbled ass-backwards into owning is John Frusciante’s ‘The Empyrean’, from which you can enjoy the opportunity to listen to his interpretation of ‘Song to the siren’ (including some probably woefully incorrect discussion of the song’s place in Festive 50 lore).

There’s another live selection for you all, this time from The Police. The concert, recorded in Melbourne, Australia in early 1981, is a real curio, as it contains some incredible backstage chatter from the band members and their manager, Miles Copeland (brother of drummer Stewart). Songs you can enjoy are: Voices inside my head / Don’t stand so close to me / Walking on the Moon / De do do do, de da da da / backstage interview / When the World is running down, you make the best of what’s still around / Message in a bottle / Roxanne / backstage interview / Can’t stand losing you / Reggatta de blanc / Be my girl / So lonely.

Peel session lovers can also get their fix with what is, for me at least, a classic from Adam and the Ants, originally broadcast on 30th October, 1978. The session tracks are: Deutscher girls / Lou / It doesn't matter / Puerto Rican. Keeping with the Peel theme, I play one of my favourite Festive 50 tracks from the ‘80s, 19 Blancmange’s 'Living on the ceiling', which I think is the first 45rpm that I bought with my own pocket money.

Other tracks featured include Cocteau Twins’ ‘Pitch the baby’, Polly Paulusma’s ‘Back to the start’, Nightjar’s ‘Poor man's son’, ‘Bad before good’ by Day One, Kalli’s ‘It's over’, ‘Lord, Ive been on fire’ by BC Camplight, Soundgarden’s ‘Like suicide’, ‘N.T. parts 1 & 2 [original full length album version]’ by Kool & the gang and Jesse Malin’s ‘Broken radio’.

Click here or scroll down a bit for download / listen now options.

- Franz Ferdinand's new album: PODCAST 12

2009-01-23T08:58:00.004+02:00

As is the norm these days, I'll post the download and listen now links here and give details of the tracks in a separate post, to appear later today. The post title should give you a hint as to the content.

Download: 125mb for more than 2 hours of smashing tunes. Alternatively, listen now:

- Old Grey Whistle Test Archives: Tubeway Army 1979

2009-01-22T13:10:00.004+02:00

If the ever wonderful Davy can write one word and get a gazillion comments, I reckon I can get away with a single sentence.

Also available for download...

- Podcast 7 in all its glory

2009-01-15T12:20:00.008+02:00

So, here's the highlights of the mega podcast. First up from Hamilton, Ontario, we have Vatican Chainsaw Massacre and their track 'The Not So Hidden Agenda' from their 2008 album 'Hazy Skies Over Martha's Vineyard'. to continue my antitdote to my 1976 blues, I've chosen 'Fight the Power', the 1989 classic by Public Enemy. I've also included an old favourite from Sneaker Pimps.

Three tracks from the new Morrissey album 'Years of Refusal' feature, 'Something Is Squeezing My Skull', 'Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed' and 'Black Cloud'. There are also a couple of funk classics; Curtis Mayfield's awesome 'Pusherman' and James Brown's epic 'Stone to the Bone'.

There are two full Peel sessions; Hagar the womb's one and only session from 1984 and the classic 1983 session from Culture. The podcast also includes tracks from Levy (Glorious), Asobi Seksu (Thursday), BC Camplight (Lord, I've been on Fire), Land of Talk (Young Bridge) and Stalkers (Let's Get it Together). I really think there's a bit of something for everyone on this podcast, so please give it a listen.

Click here or scroll down a bit for download / listen now options.

- Morrissey's new album: PODCAST 7

2009-01-14T14:14:00.004+02:00

Chronologically this is nowhere near being my seventh podcast, but I recently noticed a cockup in my numbering system, i.e. I hadn't named one of the podcasts #7. Why am I even bothering telling you this? The title of the post might give you a clue as to some of the content. I'll be back with a fully informative post about the tracks I've played tomorrow, laziness and procrastination permitting. For those of you who can't wait...

130ish mb for an incredible two and a quarter hours of entertainment, by far my most ambitious effort yet. Alternatively, listen now...

- Post Festive Season Chillout #14: 1996

2009-01-13T13:44:00.006+02:00

Work has been a real bugger recently and I apologise for not finishing this lot off earlier. This is just a short one with the links, I'm afraid. Hopefully, normal service will be resumed shortly.

The 1996 Festive 50:

21st December: here, here, here and here.

22nd: here, here and here.

28th: here, here, here and here.

29th: here, here, here and here.

- Give em a Listen: Wedlock

2009-01-07T13:40:00.003+02:00

Wedlock - Reverend Charisma (Kounterfeit Records) is available NOW on iTunes

The ‘Peoples Temple Agricultural Project’, more infamously known as Jonestown, was an intentional community in northwestern Guyana formed by the ‘Peoples Temple’, a cult from California, United States, led by Jim Jones. It was to become internationally notorious due to the events of November, 1978, when more than 900 people died in the commune as well as in a nearby airstrip and in Georgetown, Guyana's capital. All but two of those who died did so from apparent cyanide poisoning in an event Jones named 'revolutionary suicide'. It is the largest known mass suicide in modern history and resulted in the largest single loss of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster until the events of September 11th, 2001.

These events have inspired the notion that ‘religiosity leads to insanity’ which serves as the basic concept for the latest single from North Carolina band Wedlock. The electro pop outfit is made up of Paul Allgood, Baxter Smith, and Lee Whitsel. Their full length debut album, ‘Exogamy’, was released in spring 2008 on Kounterfeit Records and ‘Reverend Charisma’ is their latest digital single currently released to iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, and other digital download sites. The track is also available for streaming on their myspace page, and direct downloads are available there as well.

Wedlock

Gigging regularly in their local neck of the woods, you can keep up with what the band are doing on their blog (http://wedlockmusic.blogspot.com/). I like the new single, the third from the album, a lot and recommend you give it a listen. There’s a definite edge to the lyrics, as you’d expect given the subject matter, and the electronic beats remind me of jittery mid-era Depeche Mode, although I’m sure you’ll disagree.

Wedlock - Reverend Charisma (Kounterfeit Records) is available NOW on iTunes.

- Post Festive Season Chillout #13: 1998

2009-01-06T12:21:00.003+02:00

I'm starting to regret committing to getting all the fifties out there, but there you go! On to 1998 then, a time when I was living in the United States and generally gaining lots of weight. Speaking of America, this was the year of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which basically centered around how scandallous it was for any woman to not wash a dress covered with semen for several months. Elsewhere, the world was intrduced to the iMac:

The IMac

In football, England were undone at the world cup by those dastardly Argentinians:

Why David, why?

The 1998 Festive 50 was broadcast over several nights, and you can listen to all shows by clicking here, here, here (22nd Dec), here, here, here (23rd), here, here, here (29th), here, here and here (30th).

- Post Festive Season Chillout #12: 2002

2009-01-02T09:56:00.006+02:00

2002: it feels like yesterday, doesn't it? Well, it does when you're my age and have been in the same job since then. The slow but steady collapse of capitalism began when the United States Department of Justice announced it was going to pursue a criminal investigation of those bastards at Enron. HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother of the United Kingdom popped her clogs at the spritely age of 156, Russia started beating the shit out of Chechnya and in Bali, terrorists detonated bombs in two nightclubs in Kuta, killing 202 and wounding over 300. Worst of all though was that the Eurovision Song Contest still hadn't been outlawed, Latvia trouncing allcomers with this effort...

Marija Naumova's 'I wanna'

For those other than I who are starting to feel their age, draw inspiration from Michael Jordan's almost last stand, as in this year he became the oldest man, at 38, to score more than 50 points in a game:

That man really could bounce a ball

I think I'm right in thinking that the whole fifty was broadcast on Boxing Day (although I wait for you tell me otherwise). This wasn't one of my favourite fifties although it did contain this track from one of my favourite bands:

A phenomenal video for this year's joint #27

To listen to this festive extravaganza, you can do so by clicking here. I'll try and complete all the 50s in the next few days, I promise.

- 1976: The Full List

2008-12-29T21:39:00.002+02:00

So, here they are then, the tracks you voted for. I'm glad that many of you voted for what you were actually listening to at the time, rather than what you feel you should have been listening to. I had great fun putting this together and will definitely be tackling another chart next year.

Thanks again and have a great new year everyone.

01 Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
02 Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
03 Damned - New Rose
04 Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves
05 ABBA - Dancing Queen
06 Queen - Somebody to Love
07 Joan Armatrading - Love and Affection
08 Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free
09 Pere Ubu - Final solution
10 Thin Lizzy - The boys are Back in Town
11 Donna Summer - Love to Love you Baby
12 Osibisa - Sunshine Day
13 David Bowie - Golden Years
14 Be Bop Deluxe - Ships in The Night
15 Augustus Pablo - King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown
16 Bob Marley & the Wailers - Johnny was
17 Peter Frampton - Show me the Way
18 Saints - Stranded
19 Buzzcocks - Boredom
20 David Bowie - Station to Station
21 Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle
22 Thin Lizzy - Cowboy Song
23 Bob Dylan - Hurricane
24 Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded by the Light
25 Blue Oyster Cult - (Dont Fear) the Reaper
26 Peter Frampton - Baby, I love your Way
27 Queen - You're my Best Friend
28 Billy Ocean - Love Really Hurts without you
29 Eddie & the Hot Rods - Teenage Depression
30 Rick Springfield - Take a Hand
31 Electric Light Orchestra - Rockaria
32 Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band - A Fifth of Beethoven
33 War- Low Rider
34 ABBA - Knowing Me, Knowing You
35 Electric Light Orchestra - Evil Woman
36 Sensational Alex Harvey band - Boston Tea Party
37 Richard Hell - Blank Generation
38 Max Romeo & the Upsetters - War in a Babylon
39 Vicki Sue Robinson - Turn the Beat Around
40 Steve Miller Band - Take the Money and Run
41 ABBA - Money, Money, Money
42 Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
43 Tina Charles - I Love to Love
44 Wild Cherry - Play that Funky Music
45 Sailor – Girls, Girls, Girls
46 Kiss - Beth
47 Leroy Smart - Ballistic Affair
48 Rose Royce - Car Wash
49 David Soul - Don't Give up on Us
50 K.C. & the Sunshine Band - (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake your Booty

- Countdown to Festive Season #11: All New 1976 Part Three - 20 to 1

2008-12-29T13:15:00.002+02:00

This is what albums looked like in 1976

Just like Steve over yonder at Teenage Kicks, I'm coming to terms with the increasing inappropriacy of the title to these threads, as the countdown is pretty much over. The second part of his Peel Sessions 50 is finally with us and what a belter it is. Not to be outdone, I've cobbled together the third and final part of my 1976 opus, and here it is...

Download and listen at your leisure:

86 mb for an hour and a hlaf of sheer listening bliss. As ever, you can listen now:

This time round there are three video clips for you; numbers 18, 14 and 12. Hope you've all had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all the best for the coming year.

- Countdown to Festive Season #10: 1990

2008-12-26T11:16:00.003+02:00

Hope everyone had a nice time yesterday. Ok, first up it’s joke time:

One sunny day end of January, 2009 an old man approached the White House from Across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here." The old man said, "Okay", and walked away. The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here." The man thanked him and, again, just walked away. The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U.S. Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?" The old man looked at the Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it." The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow, Sir."

Now on to business… in 1990, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed to the public due to safety concerns. Something to do with it leaning a bit, apparently. February was a pretty big month as history goes. In South Africa President F.W. de Klerk allowed the African National Congress to legally function again and promises to set Nelson Mandela free. This he fairly promptly did: Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, was freed from Victor Verster prison outside Cape Town. Also, an agreement was reached for a two-stage plan to reunite Germany which, as we know, worked out so well. Indeed, East Germany hastily accepted the Deutsche Mark as its currency, thus uniting the economies of East and West. Later in the year Latvia proclaimed independence and the first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Romania. In November, destroyer of towns Margaret Thatcher resigned as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, which was nice.

Bitch

In the world of computing, the Windows 3.0 operating system was released by Microsoft to wide lack of acclaim and Paperback Software were found guilty by a U.S. court of copyright violation for copying the appearance and menu system of Lotus 1-2-3 in its competing spreadsheet program (that's the abacus equivalent of Excel for all you young 'uns). The first known World Wide Web page was written in November. Interestingly, on 8th July or 7th August, depending on how (un)American you are, the time and date was 12:34:56 7/8/90.

This was the future of dance music

This year’s Festive 50 was broadcast between 22nd and 30th December. This was the first chart for a while (ever?) to include a genuine pop chart #1 (OK, I’ll give you a clue, it went in at that all-important #44 slot, although officially it only made #2 in the pop charts – can you remember why?). If my memory serves me well (which it probably doesn’t), this was the closest I ever came to voting for an FF #1 (I went for MBV’s epic ‘soon’). There are a shed load of different downloads for this particular fifty, so I’ll try and make it easier for you not to get lost in them all:

22nd – here, here, here and here
23rd – here, here and here
29th – here, here, here, here and here
30th – here, here, here and here

- Countdown to Festive Season #9: All New 1976 Part Two - 35 to 21

2008-12-23T12:45:00.004+02:00

This is what people looked like in 1976

In case you're worried, I'm officially declaring this part of the chart a David Soul-free zone. This then is the second part of the chart, running down from that all-important #35 to the very brink of the top 20. My apologies in advance if you find me taking the piss out of any songs that you chose.

Podcast available in download and keep format:

56 mb for just over an hour's entertainment. Alternatively, listen now:

There's just one video clip in this part of the chart, it's #23 and you can download it here. Stay tuned for the top twenty some time between now and the new year.

- Countdown to Festive Season #8: All New 1976 Part One - 50 to 36

2008-12-22T10:36:00.004+02:00

Welcome to 1976 from David Soul

So here we go then with part one of the 2008 1976 Festive Fifty. I think you'll find it's somewhat different to the original chart. In this first part, we'll be going from #50 through to # 36.

Here's the link to part one (50 to 36):

54 minutes and 51 mb. Alternatively, listen now:

I couldn't get hold of mp3s for #47 or #45, so you can get hold of them by clicking here (45) and here (47). Thanks to Steve, these are also now available in mp3 format (see comments for details).

- Deleted Post Retaliatory Move

2008-12-19T16:01:00.001+02:00

See comments for details of how to view my first ever deleted post...

- Countdown to Festive Season #7: 1986

2008-12-19T12:38:00.005+02:00

Why the bloody hell didn't I do this in order? I'm only seven 50s into the marathon and I've already lost count and have to go back and check what I've already done. On to 1986 then. This was the year that Spain and Portugal were admitted into the European Community, there was the first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley) and Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just after takeoff killing all seven astronauts onboard. Even worse, Sandra Kim won the thirty-first Eurovision Song Contest for Belgium singing "J'aime la vie" (I love life).

In an interview with Playboy magazine, science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke came out as a bisexual and US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met in Reykjavík, Iceland, in an effort to continue discussions about scaling back their intermediate missile arsenals in Europe. In Ukraine, a nuclear reactor at the Chornobyl (Chernobyl) nuclear plant exploded, creating the world's worst nuclear disaster. I should warn you, this clip doesn't make for comfortable viewing...

Aftermath of Chernobyl

This year's Festive 50 was broadcast between 22nd and 31st December and is one of the greats, especially if you happen to be a Smiths fan. #47 has long been a personal favourite of mine...

Camper Van Beethoven's Take The Skinheads Bowling

If you're one of the tens of people who might actually be interested in listening to the shows, you can do so here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. Notice how I carefully avoided mentioning any hand of God type incidents?

- Countdown to Festive Season #6: 1994

2008-12-17T13:31:00.002+02:00

The year 1994 was designated as the "International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. For me, it was the international year of getting drunk in different countries as I embarked on my first and so far only round the world trip. It was also the year that I gave university life a second, and eventually successful, try. Hence, a lot of Peel shows were listened to around this time with people of a like minded disposition.

Famous slaphead Telly Savalas died this year, as did Richard Nixon, A-Team legend George Peppard and East German bastard Erich Honecker. Newt Gingrich led the United States Republican Party in taking control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in midterm congressional elections, the first time in 40 years the Republicans secured control of both houses of U.S. Congress. George W. Bush was elected Governor of Texas. Russia and the People's Republic of China finally agreed to de-target their nuclear weapons against each other. Michael Schumacher cheated his way to his first Formula 1 World Championship and Colombian footballer Andrés Escobar was shot dead in Bogotá. His murder is commonly attributed as retaliation for the own goal Escobar scored in the 1994 FIFA World Cup against the United States.

The Festive Fifty for this year, given my student status at the time, remains one of my favourites. It was broadcast on 17th and 23rd December. Anybody who doesn't think the #25 isn't just wonderful is in big trouble...

Mazzy Star's Fade Into You

Hope you weren't as freaked out by Tarantino's sudden appearance at the end of that clip as I was. this was, of course, the year of Pulp Fiction. It's almost impossible to choose a definitive clip so here's the trailer to the film with the best soundtrack ever.

Travolta was well and truly back

It's the middle of December and it's a balmy 20 degrees C here in Istanbul. Listening to all these Festive charts is the only thing keeping me in the Christmas mood, I'm telling you. To enjoy the many delights of the 1994 chart, click here, here, here, here and here.

- Far from Moscow New Look

2008-12-17T13:25:00.002+02:00

My favourite Russian inspired music site Far from Moscow has got a new look. That's all I have to say about it, really.

- My Name is Yon Yonson, I Work in Wisonsin

2008-12-15T19:32:00.001+02:00

I'd completely forgotten about this for the best part of 20 years and have no idea why it popped back into my mind. This is just fantastic, if you've never heard it before you're in for a real treat:

- Countdown to Festive Season #5: 1992

2008-12-15T14:29:00.003+02:00

There was never enough hip hop in the festive 50 for either my or Peel's liking, but when it did make it into the chart it did so in some style. For those of you who still doubt the genre, listen to this absolute classic which charted at a lowly #30 in 1992.

Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy's Language Of Violence

Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain married Courtney Love in February, 1992, while in March, Microsoft launched the, er, crap Windows 3.1. Michael Schumacher won his first Formula One race at the Belgian Grand Prix that year and the Toronto Blue Jays became the first non-US team to win the World Series. Absolutely Fabulous aired its first episode on BBC1.

Ab Fab: The first 10 minutes

The Festive 50 had truly moved into the 90s following the 'debacle' of the 1991 chart (soon to be detailed at the ever marvellous Teenage Kicks blog). I believe this was the beginning of the kind of fifties that Peel wanted, very few comparatively established mainstream artists appear, the chart appearing to be a championing of the causes of the upcoming stars. Fair enough, there's still a healthy representation of the Fall and the Wedding Present, but that's par for the course.

For those of you who haven't been keeping up, Steve has been doing the odd years while I've been doing the evens. Hence, you need to pop over to Teenage kicks. OK, I'll make it easy for you. Here are his posts for 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1987. Back to 1992... the chart for that year was broadcast between 19th December, 1992 and 1st January, 1993. If you want to give it a listen, and I'm sure you do, you can do so here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

- Countdown to Festive Season #4: 1984

2008-12-10T11:21:00.006+02:00

'Why festive season and not Christmas' I hear hardly any of you ask? Well, living in a predominently Muslim country means that I've gained a bit of perspective on how others view this time of year. Sadly, they've gone the whole hog as far as the commercial aspect goes, but the true meaning it seems is being lost just the same as is the case elsewhere. Tradition here in Turkey is that people exchange presents on New Year's Eve, which is good news for my young 'uns who basically get two sets of presents.

On to business... 1984 was a big year for me. I moved to the North of England from the South, which had quite an impact on how my life panned out from that point on. Elsewhere, big brother wasn't watching that closely just yet, although lots of stuff did happen. Hulk Hogan won the World Wrestling Federation Championship from the Iron Sheik, in New York's Madison Square Garden. Hulkamania was born as a consequence. Konstantin Chernenko succeeded Yuri Andropov as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and famously appeared in this video with Ronald Reagan, who defeated Walter Mondale to be re-elected in one of the largest electoral landslide in United States election history.

Great video for this year's FF #25

This also happened in 1984...

Torvill and Dean in Sarajevo

This year's Festive 50 marked the start of The Smiths' short-lived but nonetheless remarkable domination of the chart. The Cocteau Twins were also at the height of their FF activity, while elsewhere there were entries for, ahem, Peel favourites The Cult and The Sisters of Mercy. There were also some classic entries from best band ever The Fall, most notably (if you ask me) at #9. The chart was broadcast between 18th December, 1984 and January 1st, 1985. Those of you who are interested in listening to the shows can do so here, here, here, here and here.

My long-lost (now found) half sister Gemma also arrived this year.

- Countdown to Festive Season #3: 1980

2008-12-01T12:44:00.002+02:00

1980 was a busy year. There was a Military coup here in Turkey, the Solidarity trade union was formed in Poland, Björn Borg won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title, while in Australia the State of Origin rugby league series, possibly the world’s greatest sporting spectacle, was born. To make you feel really old, Christina Ricci, Chelsea Clinton, Venus Williams, Jessica Simpson, Macaulay Culkin and Jake Gyllenhaal were born in this year. Lest we forget, this was the start of the decade of debauchery, greed and excess, which could have been predicted when Ronald Reagan was elected the 40th US president in a sweeping victory. Hero of the year was a certain Alan Whipper Wells, who benefited greatly from loads of people not showing up at the Olympics to win the 100m men’s title in a time of about 15 seconds that wouldn’t even have got him to this year’s final.

A Flying Scotsman

In December, shortly before the broadcast of the Festive Fifty, Mark David Chapman murdered former Beatle John Lennon in New York. As a seven-year-old, I clearly remember the night it happened, I guess I was just about at that age where you can gauge the importance of events like this.

BBC NEWS reports John Lennon’s death, December 8th, 1980

The Festive Fifty was still ostensibly an ‘all-time’ list in 1980, although you’d be hard pressed to find anything in the top 50 dating back much further than 1977. You have to look to the extended 65 list to find a few old gems from the likes of Pink Floyd and The Who. Indeed, it was probably fear of this year’s one and two duking it out for top spot in the following years that prompted JP to change to the year’s best format that we came to know and love. If you’d like to listen to the shows, broadcast between 22nd and 30th December, 1980, you can do so here, here, here and here.

While we’re on the subject of festive charts, I should mention that this will be a joint operation between myself and Teenage Kicks Steve, who has just begun his half of the shift with the 1977 chart.

- CD Cover Printing

2008-12-01T12:38:00.002+02:00

I got to thinking the other day about my own exploits in the world of music, as limited as they have been. What would I do if people actually started listening to the bloody stuff? Where would I get CDs pressed, who would design the CD sleeve and how much would it cost to produce? Idle thoughts at present and probably forever, but it got me thinking and doing a bit of internet research into how I’d go about it if I ever needed to. PSprint is a prime example of the kind of online resource that could help me should I ever need CD cover printing for 10000 units in a hurry. PSprint prints custom posters for businesses, artists, as well as special events and promotions. Additionally, they offer customized CD cover printing and DVD sleeves for artists, musicians, movie makers or anyone else who may need such products.

So, how easy would it be for me to use PsPrint? Put it this way, the company has even developed CD/DVD packaging product templates to make it easier for its customers to prepare print-ready files in graphic design software programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Quark Express. These templates can be downloaded from the website and give information on product dimensions, layout, bleed, safety zone, and any folding or mailing guidelines for those of you who want to design your own sleeves.

The cost of getting sleeves produced is clearly displayed on this site and as you’d expect, buying in bulk makes for a more economic process. The service also offers full color poster printing, which I’ll think about later on my path to world music domination.

- Cover Versions Special: 13th July, 1991

2008-11-27T11:32:00.003+02:00

Thanks very much to Alan for making this one available. I haven't even downloaded it myself yet so can't comment much. The downloads cover almost the full three-hour show, in four parts, and feature sessions from Party Dictator and Scientist.

Available for download here (part 1 47 mins), here (part 2 44 mins), here (part 3 46 mins) and here (part 4 31 mins). If anyone wants to do a tracklisting, feel free.

Will return with more festive 50s soon.

- Countdown to Festive Season #2: 1988

2008-11-26T10:48:00.005+02:00

Just to make it clear, I will be posting links to every currently available Festive Fifty over the next month or so, as long as the day job doesn't get in the way. I should also make it clear that they will in no way be coming along chronologically, just in whatever order takes my fancy. This time we leap forward to December, 1988, a time when I was a moody fifteen-year-old who spent way to much time alone in his room listening to Pink floyd and, ahem, Marillion. Photos of me during this period exist, apparently, although I go to great efforts to keep them hidden.

This was also the month that Roy Orbison died; it's been twenty years, really. It was also the month that Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing a total of 270 people, Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state and Estonian became the official language of Estonia; communism was well and truly on its way out. for a couple of days in September, the world was astounded by this...

Oooh, you cheeky bugger

...of course, he was to cause more of a stir when his cheating was discovered. I remember getting up at something like 3:00 am to watch this race, I was so happy when that smug git Carl Lewis lost. Oh well. This was also the year that Red Dwarf started. The Festive 50 this tear was broadcast between 20th and 28th December. Should you wish, you can get to listen to these shows by clicking here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

- Countdown to Festive Season #1: 1978

2008-11-25T13:05:00.008+02:00

'What were you doing in December, 1978' is a question I'm rarely asked these days. Watching 'The wizard of Oz', 'Jeux sans frontieres', 'The generation game' and 'Blankety blank' is probably about as accurate an answer as I can give right now. I think this was the year that I got a Kermit the frog for christmas, although that could well have been 1979. I've absolutley no doubt that I wasn't tuning in to John Peel's 1978 Festive 50. As a five year old, I just didn't see the appeal at the time. My tastes have changed somewhat, which is why I'm so glad that I am now able to listen to this feast of music.

Stuart Hall and Ostriches, circa 1978

While my new toys were occupying me - perhaps this was the year that I got my six million dollar man doll - JP was busy broadcasting what was quickly becoming an international institution. The Festive 50 for that year was broadcast between 26th December, 1978 and 1st January, 1979. For those of you interested in listening, you can do so by clicking here, here, here and here. This is how the UK sounded before Thatcher got her hands on it.

- 30 from 30 Breaks the DivShare Bank

2008-11-25T11:29:00.003+02:00

So many of you rushed to download the latest podcast that the monthly limit is about to be breached. Never fear ,boys and girls, I've uploaded it to a new account and you can download it here. A fantastic effort from Steve to name all thirty tracks, now it's down to the rest of you to fill in the gaps:

1. Siouxsie and The Banshees, 'Love In A Void' (Session #1)
2. Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band, 'Electricity' (Session #1)
3. Meteors, 'Ain't Gonna Bring Me Down' (Session #2)
4. David Bowie, 'Queen Bitch' (Paris concert)
5.
6. Smiths, 'What Difference Does It Make' (Session #1)
7.
8. Cure, '17 Seconds' (Session #3)
9. Department S, 'Is Vic There' (only session)
10. Killing Joke, 'Wardance' (Session #1)
11. Joy Division, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' (Session #2)
12. Adam And The Ants, 'Deutscher Girls' (Session #1)
13. Queen, 'Spread Your Wings' (Session #3)
14. Damned, 'New Rose' (Session #1)
15. Motorhead, 'Louie Louie' (only session)
16. Cocteau Twins...
17. Pavement, 'The Classical' (Session #4)
18.
19. Chameleons, 'The Fan The Bellows' (Session #1)
20. Fall, 'ROD' (Session #10)
21.
22.
23.
24.
25. House Of Love, 'Christine' (Session #3)
26.
27. Nirvana, 'About A Girl' (Session #1)
28. Breeders, 'Hellbound' (only session)
29. Future Sound Of London, 'Papua New Guinea' (Session #1)
30. Billy Bragg, 'Between The Wars' (Session #3)

If you think you can help, leave comments below and I'll update the list. Meanwhile, in news from elsewhere, those of you who feel that the blog is, and I quote, 'slightly bewildering' and even a 'complete mess', you should bloody well see the rest of my life. While we're at it, I don't really know where you live, stop being silly. I've changed the little caption anyway, hope you approve.

All new listen now...

- 30 from 30: Peel Session PODCAST

2008-11-24T10:04:00.006+02:00

Ok, first of all, down to business. Vote for your favourite 3 tracks from 1976 in my super duper (haven't written that in years) 1976 Festive 50. Go on, do it now. After you've done that, go to Steve's blog and vote for your favourite Peel sessions. Thirdly, go to dandelion Radio amd vote in the 2008 Festive 50. Then, only then, listen to my stupendous Peel Session Podcast.

The tracks featured today span 30 years of Peel sessions and Peel show concerts, from the late '60s to the late '90s (thirty years if my maths is right). Just to spice things up a little, I'm not going to give you the details of any of the tracks, I'd just like anyone who can identify them to leave details in the comments section below. There are a fair few classics in there, even some from my selections for Steve's Peel session 50. There are also a few more obscure tracks, which is where it might get tricky.

I've had a bad back for the last few days and have generally been feeling miserable and bored, so was really happy when Davy H pointed out that the Guardian had written a piece about the blog. I get in a bit of a downer about the blog from time to time, especially as I have nowhere near enough time to devote to it as I'd like, so it's nice to know that people out there give a damn.

Getting down to business, finally, here's the download and keep forever link to the podcast:

Length: almost 2 hours

File size: 100mb

Alternatively, make use of the 'listen now' format:

There's much less chitter chatter from me this time, you'll be delighted to hear. I eagerly await your wildly inaccurate guesses about band names, track names and session dates in the comments section!

- Peel Radio Times Feature, August, 1999

2008-11-12T10:58:00.002+02:00

Thanks to Andrew for scanning the 'Do you think I'm sixty?' feature from August, 1999.There are 11 pages from the Radio Times of Peel's 60th birthday, including pics, stories and schedules.

Download the 'bit of a monster' pdf (20mb)

Now, does anyone have a copy of this...

- Flock of Seagulls on TOTP

2008-11-11T13:18:00.003+02:00

At some point you have to just say that the music must take precedence over the hair - pretty much any piece of music ever produced being that point. Never mind anything else, think of the damage this bugger singlehandedly did to the ozone layer keeping that monstrosity im place. JP must have heard something in the music though, as he featured them in session in 1981 (see my post 'May 12th 1981: The Birth of the Haircut'. ), probably before the patented hairstyle became the band's focal point.

This is a great clip, never the less. TOTP was once the coolest program on TV, lest we forget:

Also available for your downloading pleasure:

File size:50mb

- Erazerhead Session: 20th July, 1982

2008-11-11T10:59:00.000+02:00

I haven't shared any sessions with you for a while so I felt it was about time. Here we have Erazerhead's one and only offering, dating from 1982. The East Londoners were more often compared with the likes of The Ramones than the nihilistic thrashings of their UK contemporaries, but their relentless enthusiasm and manic vibrant energy ensured their place in the annals of UK punk. Formed in 1980, their frontman Lee Drury's passion for rock 'n' roll would help colour Erazerhead's musical offerings.

Visit the band's website

Lineup:

Lee Dury (Vocals)
Jim Berlin (Guitar)
Billy Trigger (Drums)
Gary Spanner (Bass)

I await the deluge of complaints that this track list doesn't match the one that you've seen elsewhere. Please let me know if you have more info.

Track list:

I Hate You
Teenager In Love
Noone sees me now
Martian girl

File size: 7mb

- iPod or MP3 players?

2008-11-11T10:52:00.006+02:00

I feel like I’m getting old when I can actually remember when MTV used to play music videos and I used to haul around a portable CD player with a stack of CDs. Then came the ipod, one of the classic inventions of this decade as well as being one of the world’s most popular music and video players. I was late to the trend, only getting mine a couple of years ago, but some of the latest mp3 players now offer the same great features and storage memory.

So folks, what are you, an iPod devotee or will any of the many brands of mp3 players do the trick? What do you think about the differences and similarities of iPods and mp3 players? For me, and a big part of me hates to say this, I’ve been suckered in to the iconic status of the iPod brand, so much so that since buying our family’s first one for my wife, we now have another two for the kids (one an iPod Touch) and I’m hankering after an iPod Nano for myself for Christmas. I think another big factor for me is the shear range of iPods on the market, there’s one for just about every shape and size of person.

As those of you who come to the blog regularly will know, I live in Turkey and am often complaining about stuff like the 'entertainment tax' the government places on cool stuff like mp3 players. As a result, I often employ the services of my brother to bring things over from England when he visits. He put me on to the price comparison website Save Buckets (see pic) recently, even going so far as to suggest I abandon my beloved iPods in favour of a Creative zen mp3 player. Sorry Jim, but I guess I'm too much of a traditionalist.

- Your Favourites: Sid Vicious - Slender and Likeable at 50?

2008-11-09T10:03:00.002+02:00

This documentary, which I first posted back in May of last year, remains a perennial favourite, so it earns a repost. Remember everyone, war is bad.

Interviewer: Are you having fun at the moment?
Vicious: Are you kidding? No, I am not having fun at all.
Interviewer: Where would you like to be?
Vicious: Under the ground.
Interviewer: Are you serious?
Vicious: (quietly, and sad) Yeah.

Sid Vicious would have turned 50 last weekend. His story is a sad one indeed. The BBC broadcast a one-hour documentary last weekend commemorating him.

Download the program...

-here (part one)

-here (part two).

His version of My Way has never been a personal favourite, but never the less, here it is...

- 2008 Festive 50 needs your vote

2008-11-07T09:37:00.002+02:00

As you'll know, the Festive Fifty is an annual chart featuring the previous year's best tracks, as voted for by listeners. Peel presented the first ever Festive Fifty on Radio 1 back in 1976 and continued to do so until his untimely passing in 2004.

Radio 1's One Music show hosted the poll in 2005, before Peel's former production team asked Dandelion Radio to become the new home of the Festive Fifty from 2006 onwards. The time has come for you to make your selections for this year's chart by clicking here! .

- Son of Purges Continue

2008-11-05T19:46:00.001+02:00

- Happy Days

2008-11-05T11:33:00.002+02:00

'Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk; Martin Walked so Obama could run; Obama's running so our children can FLY!'

Words of wisdom from Jay-Z