- Peel and Star Trek

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

- JP on Room 101 (part 1)

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.

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

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...

- Drinking Wine Wine Wine

Liquor will get you through times without money better than money will get you through times without liquor, as it may well read on my gravestone.

This is the first of numerous Bob Dylan Theme Time Radio Hour shows I'll be posting over the course of however many months it takes me to get round to it. Feeling as though my task of spreading Peel shows to the masses has been somewhat pre-empted by the presence of the Peel Torrents, I’ve decided to change direction slightly, although these shows are definitely worth a listen to all fans of Peel’s style – a great deal of care and research has gone into the selection of songs.

This edition is on the fine subject of drinking:



Or give it a listen now…

- Peel's History of Traditional English Folk Music (PARTS 4 to 6)

As promised, here are the remaining three parts of the documentary series:


Part 4: Folk Rock (Fairport Convention et al)




Part 5: Celtic and Irish music




Part 6: Contemporary folk of the late 90s




Thanks once more to Chris for his efforts in mp3ifying these. If anyone has any more info on this series, don't hesitate to leave comments below.

- Peel's History of Traditional English Folk Music (PARTS 1 to 3)

I confess, I’ve never been the biggest fan of folk music. Having said that, I’ve often lamented the fact that there isn’t a stronger base of traditional English music in contemporary culture. As many of the regular readers of my irregularly posted blog will know, I live and work in Turkey. One thing that constantly amazes me is the ease in which a group of Turks will break out into song and that everyone will know all of the words. This is something I only ever really experienced around the time that Oasis released ‘Don’t look back in anger’ and ‘Wonderwall’, hardly the same.

This series of Peel-narrated documentaries, originally aired in August & September 1999, are bloody good. Chris, who sent me the end of year ’77 show, was also responsible for making these documentaries public, as well as permanently changing my perspective of this musical genre, for which I'm very greatful:

Part 1: The late Victorian era and the First World War



Part 2: To the fifties and the American influence



Part 3: The boom years of the late sixties and early seventies




There are another 3 parts, which I’ll post on the blog after I’ve given them a listen.

Thanks again to Chris for these.