Fear not, I've got a fair few downloads for you coming up in the new year. Thanks to everyone who's supported this blog throughout 2007. Have a spectacular new year.
Don't forget to listen to the best of the best of the best posdcast over at the ever excellent Teenage Kicks blog.
Free on the John Peel Sunday Show – 15th January, 1971
A few more belting tracks from the superb band Free, recorded a couple of years before I was born. The sound quality is fairly crappy, but I guess that’s not why you come to this blog anyway!
Tracks:
- The Hunter - Woman - Free Me - Remember
If anyone has any more info on this concert, please leave a comment below…
Free performing All Right Now at the Isle of White Festival in 1970
All Right Now, incidentally, was recognized by ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) in 1990 for garnering 1,000,000 plus radio plays in the US by late 1989, and in 2000 an Award was given to Paul Rodgers by the British Music Industry when All Right Now passed 2,000,000 plus radio plays in the UK.
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.
It's not too late to vote for Entrailicus in this year's fifty.
Urban Sprawl by Entrailicus, previously unreleased.
Thanks to my fellow Peel fanatics at John Peel Everyday and Teenage Kicks for the support they've shown me, and to all those of you who have downloaded my song and given it a listen.
Tons of fabulous new Peel stuff over at the king of Peel blogs John Peel Everyday, including this show. It's noted that the transfer from tape to computer has caused some of the early 80s shows to run a bit fast. Well, I've started the laborious process of slowing them down. These downloads run 5% slower than the show on John Peel Everyday. This show marks the debut of the most famous haircutted band in history, Flock of Seagulls.
Part 1 (62 mins):
Part 2 (57 mins):
Siouxsie was always cool. It was great to finally hear my favourite Banshees song on a Peel show:
There was also a belter of a cup final that year (and replay), although be warned that if you follow THIS LINK you'll end up watching the Chas ‘n Dave Tottingham cup final song, not highlights of the game.
Some of you have lost the will to live waiting for me to post this and I apologise. I’ve noticed some comments about my describing this year as the beginning of the end for the Liverpool dynasty, and your comments have been duly noted.
In some ways, my assertion could be regarded as total bollocks. After all, Liverpool won the ’87-88 league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season. Their key players were two new signings - winger John Barnes and striker John Aldridge - who helped defy any doubts that people might have had as to whether Liverpool could challenge for honours after Ian Rush's departure, also quashing my prediction that Liverpool would be relegated without their goal scoring legend.
However, my post on Arsenal’s league cup hinted at the rise of the George Graham side, who went some way to usurping Liverpool in the following years. Also, second in the league were Manchester United, rejuvenated under Alex Ferguson - who had bought some impressive new players including Brian McClair and Steve Bruce. OK, it took them a while but they eventually knocked Liverpool off their perch.
The ’87-88 vintage was quite spectacular to watch, John Barnes at the peak of his career almost unplayable. Although I only got to see it on TV on midweek sportsnight, I still regard the 5-0 victory over a very good Nottingham Forest side as being one of the best games I’ve ever seen.
Liverpool went on to win the league again in ’89-90, but it was becoming more and more obvious that the players they were signing were crap and then Graeme Souness…
Anyhow, on to the show, originally broadcast on 23rd December 1987:
21. Smiths - Paint a Vulgar Picture 22. Motorcycle Boy - Big Rock Candy Mountain 23. Smiths - Sweet and Tender Hooligan 24. Smiths - Half a Person 25. Smiths - Death of a Disco Dancer 26. The Fall - Athlete Cured 27. Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full (sampling was still legalish) 28. Railway Children - Brighter 29. Smiths - I Won't Share You 30. Bhundu Boys - My Foolish Heart
Hi guys, long time no post. Sorry but the little'un has been more than a handful recently - approaching 5 months now.
Anyhows, noticing that the 2007 Festive 50 is now under way, I've decided to launch my bid for immortality here on the blog. I'm officially offering one of my own compositions for your consideration. Entitled Urban Sprawl, this is a track I've been working on for quite a while. As it stands, it still astounds me every time I listen to it, and for any of you out there composing your own music, you'll know how hard that is to achieve.
Voting in this year's Festive 50 is easy. click on the pic below:
My new ambition in life is to be a featured artist on the ever wonderful Teenage Kicks Festive 50 as an artist.
However, I don't want sympathy votes: only vote for me if this track startles you into taking action. Please, whatever you do, download the bugger and give it a listen..
Urban Sprawl by Entrailicus, previously unreleased.
I was umming and aaghhing for ages about this, I eventually decided on aagghh.
So, who’s wondering if I’ll run out of cup finals to talk about before I run out of ’87 festive 50 mp3s?
1987 was a pretty good year for cup finals in general, although I’m not sure Peel would agree after Liverpool’s League Cup debacle. When Liverpool took the lead through an Ian Rush goal in the 1987 League Cup final, many fans assumed that the trophy was Liverpool's, as they had never, up to that point, lost a match in which Ian Rush had scored. However, the incredible 145-game run ended that day, as two, ahem, Charlie Nicholas goals gave Arsenal the cup. A week later, Liverpool lost 2-1 to Norwich at Carrow Road, the first time that they lost a league match in which Rush had scored. Rush went on famously to note, while playing for Juventus, that ‘living in Italy is like living in a foregin country’ although he subsequently denied saying it, as you would.
Men used to have moustaches like this
Although it would be a bit hasty to say that this was the beginning of the end for the great Liverpool dynasty, it would also be fair to say that this might have marked the beginning of the end for the Liverpool dynasty. This Arsenal victory saw a resurgence of the Gunners as one of the major forces in English football, while Liverpool started to sign some really crap players from this point on, although it took everyone else about five years to fully realise this.
This was a good year for Peel heads, as there are approximately one shit load of Peel shows out there in the MP3 ether, many of which I’ll get round to sharing with you at some point. If you can’t wait, head over to John Horne Central.
31 Wedding Present - Getting Nowhere Fast 32 Prince - Sign o' the Times 33 James Taylor Quartet - Blow Up 34 Smiths - Sheila Take a Bow 35 McCarthy - Frans Hals 36 Eric B & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul 37 Sonic Youth - (I got a) Catholic Block 38 Public Enemy - You're Gonna Get Yours 39 Jesus and Mary Chain - Kill Surf City 40 Smiths - I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
Some cool HipHop in there at last, although if you look at the festive 50s the the following years, you’ll notice it didn’t last long.
A lot of you will try and tell met hat the 2006 Cup final was a bit special. You’re wrong, it was rubbish but just happened to have a lot of goals, one of which was really good and scored in the last second of the match. The 1987 final, on the other hand, was bloody brilliant. Being young and having only really discovered footy a year or two earlier has probably helped to romanticize this match but for those of you who’ve never seen Keith Houchen’s goal, click on the pic:
Houchen’s brilliant goal
From an article in the Observer, February 3rd, 2002:
Houchen moved to Coventry at the start of the Cup-winning season, aged 26, with over 300 league games already under his belt for Hartlepool, Leyton Orient, York and Scunthorpe. He was the classic 1980s forward: big and bustling. It was an era Houchen loved: 'Football was at its best,' he says. 'We had got through the Seventies when people were kicking the shit out of each other. In the Eighties people liked good play but they liked to see a solid tackle as well.' There were no stars in the 1987 Coventry side, which relied on graft and teamwork. 'When people saw us play,' says Houchen, 'they would say "that is a team."' As they advanced to the final, the preparations took on a pattern. 'We used to go to Fuengirola in Spain before every Cup match,' Houchen reminisces. 'We'd be there for a couple of days then come back to a hotel in Bournemouth and play a bit of golf. And we would drink all week - do a little bit of training and then go out drinking. And we kept winning.'
Good lad. As we all know, football is crap nowadays but back then it really was different. I think it all went downhill when the players stopped being normal people. Earning a shitload of money probably caused this, along with lack of booze. Houchen’s biography is intruigingly titled A Tenner and a Box of Kippers.
John Peel, meanwhile, had reason to celebrate the demise of the Smiths that same year, as it meant that other bands actually had a chance of getting into the festive 50. The show you’re about to download is part one of the 1987 showcase, numbers 50 to 41 to be precise:
41. Jesus and Mary Chain - Nine Million Rainy Days
42. Big Black - L Dopa
43. New Order - 1963
44. Butthole Surfers - 22 Going On 23
45. Smiths - Shoplifters of the World Unite
46. M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up the Volume
47. Colorblind James Experience - Considering a Move to Memphis
48. Gun Club - The Breaking Hands
49. Beatmaster/Cookie Crew - Rok Da House
50. Talulah Gosh - Talulah Gosh
The broadcast is for the whole show for the evening of 22nd December, 1987. I seem to remember getting a CD player for Christmas that year, early adopter that I was.
The rest of the ’87 festive 50 may well show up on the blog at some point in the future, depending on how many comments you buggers leave.
You Peelians are putting me to shame, you really are. Teenage Kicks, quickly becoming one of the all time greatest blogs, has been churning out the quality posts faster than I can change my four month old nipper’s diapers, how’s that for a bad analogy?
Recent delights include stupendously good posts on Jesus Jones, White Town and Squarepusher to name but a few. I wish I had the energy to craft my blog as well as this, but you’ll just have to make do with my brief inane ramblings for now. Some great broadcast festive 50s to appear soon to make up for me just telling you how good other blogs are.
One of my favourite Peel project blogs is the fabulousIn Session Tonight, who has been brave enough to try and present every Peel session in alphabetical order. Can you imagine? I'm so glad that I opted for a rambling nonsensical stick whatever I fancy whenever I feel like it format for Fades in Slowly.
Anyway, the site has got as far asAe, with the 1998 session from Aerogramme. In Session Tonight also features a rather fine podcast, the second of which is currently available.
The term lard refers to pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread similar to butter. Its use in contemporary cuisine has diminished because of health concerns posed by its saturated fat content and its often negative image; however, many contemporary cooks and bakers favor it over other fats for select uses. The culinary qualities of lard vary somewhat depending on the part of the pig the fat was taken from and how the lard was processed. Lard is still commonly used to manufacture soap and to fill daytime Radio 1 with utter banality.
Some lard, yesterday
Anyhows, in 2004 some lard (often referred to by its nickname Moyles) tried to make fun of our JP. Here is that lard talking about a typical Peel blunder:
Just as with everything else he did, John Peel was ahead of the game when it came to sporting the renowned 'mullet' haircut. This can be seen in the videoclip you're about to watch, in which a mid-seventies Peel interviews Alex Harvey between songs.
It's a fairly big file (98mb) so be warned!
This post was inspired mainly by Gary's excellent post on Alex Harvey over at his Aural Stimulation blog.
This Peel show is an absolute gem for many obvious reasons (look at the songs he plays), but for those of us obsessed with the annual festive fifty lists, it provides some invaluable new info regarding the mythical 1977 list. The fabulous Rocklist website (www.rocklist.net), along with John Horne’s page, was instrumental in getting me started on the road to my JP music quest, and was infamously the source of about half of Mick Wall’s banal, insipid Peel biography which, given that it was released in time for Christmas 2004, Wall must have started cobbling together within minutes of JP’s death, the bastard.
Anyway, back to the ’77 festive chart. Very little was known about this chart, apart from rumours that one existed. Peel first did a 50 in 1976, which followed the format that later charts would use, listeners writing in with their favourite tracks, which JP would compile into a chart. Rocklist has full charts for every year bar 1977, for which it currently lists only a top 13. Well, the end-of-year show you’re about to be dazzled by confirms categorically that Peel did indeed broadcast a full festive chart at the end of 1977, although from what he says in this show, he seems merely to have chosen his favourite sixty tracks for that year.
This show isn’t Peel’s festive 60 for the year; it is the show broadcast the night after he’d completed the list. It is, however, an absolute belter, as Peel showcases his favourite session tracks of the year. This was quite an eye-opener: despite Peel’s later admission that he had tended to let punk dominate his shows during this period, there are many other genres represented, although I can’t imagine why that would surprise me to much.
Part One
The Motors – Dancing the night away
JP confirms the existence of a festive chart, a festive 60 which he appears to have chosen himself, and that this track was his number one.
Frankie Miller – Be good to yourself (yes, for the second time in the space of 15 minutes)
My eternal thanks to Chris Bussicott for providing this show, and for putting me in my place over the course of our email correspondence, when I suggested that getting to hear this show was right up there alongside the birth of my second son among the very good things to happen this year. Thanks for the reality check, and, admittedly less important in the greater scheme of things, for the chance to use the phrase ‘gloriously washy medium wave’ for the first time in ages.
I’d appreciate anyone downloading this show leaving a comment below to thank Chris for making this available to all of us; he went to some effort to get it onto CD and then mp3ify. Cheers fella, it’s people like you who will help us keep Peel’s legacy alive.
While we’re at it, get yourself over to so it goes site and start reading up on the history of the festive 50. Sorry I’ve not been over for a while, the day job has been inconveniently getting in the way.
Part one:
Part two:
As ever, comments attempting to correct my glaring errors are welcomed.
A special shout out to John Peel Everyday, glad to have you back in action!
I was pleased to receive notice in my mailbox this morning that Unpredictable Porridge is finally about to get started:
_____________________________________________
John Peel's Unpredictable Porridge page has been a long time in the building process. This site will continue the legacy of John Peel, you can upload your new musical creations and check out other emerging talent.
Regardless of what style of music you are into, or whether you like to play music, create music, or just listen to music; this site will be for you. John's son William, and Universal Music are seeking to further John's commitment by providing real opportunities and potential record deals for emerging acts. This new interactive portal will be all about your ideas, your talent and your passion for music.
I've kept you waiting for quite a while for a new Peel show download, and here it is. Peel is in good form in this show having returned from a stint in Holland, where his gig was met with blatant indifference, so he claims. This show was to be followed by another which would form an A to Z of independent music at the time. I only hope it exists in a shoe box at the back of someone's wardrobe waiting to be rediscovered, because a lot of these songs are absolute belters, no doubt most otherwise lost forever.
Track Listing
Athletico Spit 80 – No Room (rough trade)
The Bongos – Telephoto Lens (fetish records)
Classic example of Peel being caught by surprise by end of record
Charge – You get what you deserve (ycafo records)
Classic example of next track starting early
Cheeky – Don’t mess around (woodbine street records)
Crash course in science – kitchen motors (gogo records)
The craw daddies - lolette (voxx records)
The cult figures - I remember (rava records)
The Ds - My toy (optimistic records)
The dambusters - Production line love (deep water records)
The deadbeats - Choose you (red rhino records)
Peel monologue on the importance of independent labels
The decorators - Twilight view (new horizons records)
The denizens - Frontier (citizen records)
Mild rant about hippies
The details - Keep on running (energy records)
Digital dance - I sleep on the waves (digital records)
Discharge - After the gig (clay records)
Despite the fact that you've undoubtedly never heard any of these tracks (the cramps being a possible exception) I highly recommend this show. I actually thought that I'd cracked some Peel masterplan when I was making the track listing for this one, until Peel admitted that it was a purposeful A to Z list, not that A to Zing the songs you play would be much of a masterplan. Any luck with the jelly bellies yet?
While we're at it, although where the direct connection is I'm not sure, here's Mrs. Ravenscroft accepting JP's lifetime achievement award in May:
I'd never seen this before, but actually it's very similar to the discussion that Peel has with John Walters in episode four of the Peeling Back the Years series (does anyone want me to post these on the blog? Let me know).
'I am not really into the idea of cloning people', notes cedricimagelimited on YouTube, 'but John Peel may be the only person who could be subject to that kind of experiment! he 's so unique! What a voice! What a career! Absolute respect!' Quite well put, I think.
ColonelWalterKurtz makes another good point, suggesting 'I could listen to John Peel talk about music all day!' Couldn't we all, Colonel, couldn't we all.
I promise I'll get back to the real business of posting Peel shows next week. Things have been a bit hectic after the month of work.
Every day, Jelly Belly's website gives away 100 free samples to people in the UK. I used to get a free sample about once a month, more often than that and I thought they might have cottoned on.
My recommendation is for you to download one of the Peel shows available on this blog, get yourselves some free sweets and play the legendary John Peel sweet eating game.
The best thing about mp3s and the like are that you can have a listen to music before you buy a full album. I wonder how many crap albums I’ve bought down the years, and how few times, in contrast, I’ve put on a record and been truly dumbfounded by what I’ve heard. One of those few times was when I first heard Nick Drake.
Highlights of Nick Drake’s performance on John Peel's NIGHTRIDE show, Wednesday, 6th August, 1969.
As far as anyone knows, no moving image of Nick Drake exists, hence the lack of video accompaniment. The music alone is enough, however. John Horne used to have this available for download over at Right Place, Right Time, Wrong Speed, pester him via email and it might return!
Sometimes I ask myself if why I like The Fall so much. Then I watch a clip like this and wonder what I was thinking. This is awesome.
I've always had a thing for bands with two drummers. Peel finally got an opportunity to get his favourite band on national TV, I believe this was their first appearance on any nation-wide program.
Thanks to all those who've visited the blog while I've been away. Normal service will resume now that my blog is no longer being considered as spam and I'm once again allowed to offer you more great music.
It took me a while to get round to it but finally I'm letting you know about the latest Yank Sizzler broadcast and, as ever, it's a belter:
-Diana Dors - So Little Time [1964]
-Gogol Bordello - Not A Crime [2005]
-Basement 5 - Heavy Traffic [1980]
-Katja Khudolej - Katja [2002]
-Grinderman - Love Bomb [2007]
-Alhaji K. Frimpong - Kyenkyen Bi Adi Mawu! [199?]
-The Shackeltons - Your Movement [2007]
-Meanwhile, Back In Communist Russia - Blind Spot/Invisible Bend
-Blood on the Wall - I Feel Better Now [2004]
-The Krunchies - Lost Confused [2006]
-Cat-Iron - O, The Blood Done Signed My Name [1958]
-Suzanne Vega - Stay Awake [1988]
I had the chance to literally watch Gogol Bordello from the window of my office a few weeks ago when they did an open air gig at my university but missed them due to the birth of my second son. Pretty good excuse I guess.
Here's the promo ad that appeared on MTV Turkey:
Maybe next time. Anyhows, I'm on my summer vacation throughout the month of July, so can't promise there'll be too many posts over the course of the next month. I'll try my best though, so keep coming back for more goodies.
I've been reliably informed by Rowen Smith that this Depeche Mode session is not a Peel Session but one recorded for the Richard Skinner Show on 11/06/81 and was broadcast on 17/06/81. He found this info on Ken Garner's "In Session Tonight" & this is the only DM BBC session listed.
All I found was this information at the Depeche Mode World website. Although it's not Peel, it's still of interest as it's the only session they did for the BBC.
OK, so why is this bloke known as being some kind of monkey? I've never really understood that.
I loved the Stone Roses. They made a big difference in my life, one of the main reasons I stopped trying to look like Axl Rose being just one good example. The debut album may well have laid the foundations for the future of British music, however, to quote from the BBC documentary you're about to download, 'it was Ian who made the blueprint for a generation of swaggering, cocksure Britpoppers.'
Having said that, the break up of the band in 1996 was really a case of us all being put out of our misery, and, 'should have also marked the end for the frontman but the following public fued with former band mate, John Squire, a spell in Strangeways prison and onstage fights at his own gigs, only seemed to further cement King Monkey's legendary status.'
This documentary Features interviews with Ian Brown as well as the Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher and James Lavelle.
Is there something about being an English teacher abroad and having a Peel blog? I'm starting to wonder. Anyhows, here's a great new blog, offering downloads of forgotten classics taped from Peel shows of the past.
I strongly suggest you pop over to Rare Indie Classics now. Oh, and by the way, I will be posting something new here soon rather than just telling you what's on other's blogs!
NB: Onion Terror, the owner of the blog, has been in touch and we've been sharing some mutual blog love (couldn't resist the chance to use the present perfect continuous).
Lots going on over at the Teenage Kicks blog while I've been away. Some great posts and fabulous mp3s to download. I love this site and only hope we get to read the entire history of the Festive 50 as time goes on!
There's a theory that the only reason 'Citizen Kane' is considered the greatest films of all time is because people who compile lists need a film to stick in at number one. I've only seen it once myself, don't feel the need to sit through it again and really don't care what rosebud is. 'Star Wars', on the other hand, is a different matter (shame about the most recent three).
Music is very much the same if you ask me. How many of the so-called classic albums can you sit through on a fairly regular basis? I can't honestly say that I've listened to Sgt Pepper even once in the last 20 years, and don't even get me started on Pet Sounds. Consequently, I was really happy to stumble on this article in The Guardian the other day, that goes some way to debunking the myths of these apparently untouchable albums. In fact, going through the list of albums discussed, the only ones I wanted to defend were the ones I'd grown up listening to, and so the connection is more to do with the time and place I was in when they came out, rather than because they in some way transcend musical genres or define styles in any way.
Please take a look and see if you agree with me, here are the classics that are discussed:
Tupac Shakur, All Eyez On Me: Nominated by Mark Ronson, producer
Nirvana, Nevermind: Nominated by Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips
The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds: Nominated by Luke Pritchard of the Kooks
The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses: Nominated by Eddie Argos of Art Brut
The Strokes, Is This It: Nominated by Ian Williams of Battles
Television, Marquee Moon: Nominated by Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand
The Beatles, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: Nominated by Billy Childish, prime mover of British garage rock
Abba, Arrival: Nominated by Siobhan Donaghy, former Sugababe turned solo artist
Arcade Fire, The Neon Bible: Nominated by Green Gartside of Scritti Politti
The Doors, LA Woman: Nominated by Craig Finn of the Hold Steady
The Smiths, Meat Is Murder: Nominated by Jackie McKeown of 1990s
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, Trout Mask Replica: Nominated by Peter Hook, ex- New Order and Joy Division
It's nice to return from my brief hiatus (my second son was born last weekend!) with some updates from the World of Peel blogs.
First up is the continually excellentKat’s Karavan, who has been kind enough to post some stuff that I myself don't have. For starters, there's some great Top Gear era files on offer, I've blatantly cut and pasted this extract from the mighty blog:
Probably the post of the year on the peel group was from user hills1902, who announced a couple of months back:
I have some old 7 inch reel-to-reel tapes of eight Top Gear programmes that I recorded in 1969 and 1970, with sessions from the following bands:
26 Apr 69 - Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, Eclection, Family 11 May 69? - Fleetwood Mac, King Crimson, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Bonzo Dog Band Date unknown - Pentangle, Blodwyn Pig, Mandrake Paddle Steamer, John Dummer Blues Band Date unknown - Ten Years After, Roy Harper, Third Ear Band 29 Jun 69 - Led Zeppelin, Pentangle, Idle Race, 6 Jul 69 - John Dummer Blues Band, Colosseum, Pretty Things, Imrat Khan 4 Jul 70 - Country Joe Macdonald, Fotheringay, Cochise 11 Jul 70? - Kevin Ayres, East of Eden, Son House
Well, the tapes have now been encoded and properly dated, and they're absolute gems, giving a real flavour of the Top Gear experience for those of us too young to have been there (well, I was technically 'there', but at, 8½, hardly 'hip and happening' enough to set the dial for this). So over the next 8 weeks I'll be uploading these classic shows to the Karavan, starting with this one, which features sessions from, as stated above, Principal Edward's Magic Theatre, Eclection and (The) Family. There's only a slight glitch in Mr. Apollo, as indicated below, but otherwise this is a full two-hour show in very reasonable nick for its age. Manna for Peeliacs.
I've been using the term 'Peelian', although I have to admit I quite like this whole 'Peeliac' thingy. There are some great downloads available, with more promised soon.
Few bands cause such a divide in opinion as Primal Scream, the fact that they have transcended so many different genres means that there is usually at least one appealing album for everyone. This also means that a lot of people only like that one album and don't care much for the rest of their work.
Like most, the album that got me hooked was the awesome Screamadelica, which remains one of my favourites of all time. Of course, the career of the band includes members of other legends such as the Stone Roses, and appearances in other bands, most notably the Jesus and Mary Chain.
In some ways it seems strange that their most highly regarded and critically acclaimed work was completely ignored when time came to vote for the festive fifties, while the earlier, more conventional stuff made regular appearances in the mid-eighties lists. I guess it helps to show the changing nature of John Peel’s listeners over that period.
The BBC broadcast a great documentary charting the twenty-odd-year history of the band this time last year, which I only recently discovered. It’s worth a listen for anyone like me, who has been briefly in love with this band’s work and remains an admirer of their ethic.
There was a nice article in the Guardian last weekend about Nick Cave, a stalwart of early to mid eighties festive 50s (remind me to make some of those broadcasts available):
Nick Cave's brooding lyrics mark him out not only as a poet of the Australian outback, but as one of the greatest writers on love of our times, argues Will Self
Saturday June 2, 2007 The Guardian
I may not have thought Nick Cave worked for the phone company, but I had no conception of the extent to which his creative gestalt was shot through by harmony quite as much as semantics. He was an affable, if gaunt, bloke I saw at barbecues with his kids.
Then I read his novel And the Ass Saw the Angel and was exposed, full force, to the great Manichean divide that rives the Cave worldview. Exposed also to his very individual and mythopoeic terrain: a landscape, present in his songs and his prose alike, wherein sex kicks up the dust, murders take place in the heat (of the moment) and the sins of the fathers are visited on everyone. To those unfamiliar with the very particularity of the Australian hinterland - both physical and cultural - the backdrop to many Cave ballads, with their talk of guns, knives, horses and brides, may seem cut from a similar cloth to that of lyricists such as Johnny Cash, Dylan and the blues men and country artists they revere.
I also love reading Will Self's writing: despite being highly regarded I still think he's one of the few geniuses currently active in the literary world.
I've been trying to upload this for a while without success, let's hope I can manage today.
Mills' set is mentioned lovingly in Margrave of the Marshes, Peel apparently naively suggesting that the 50 records Mills had brought with him would be far too many for the half-hour slot that he was allowed, only to stand back in awe as he proceeded to play every vinyl he'd brought.
Actually, friends, I need some help with this one (for a change). The file is labelled as being from 22nd May, 2002, but the only reference to Mills on the Peel show are for 22nd May, 2003. Indeed, the streaming audo of the 2003 set, which you can listen to on the Peel BBC website is different from the set you're about to download.
Not quite as serene as the James Taylor & Joni Mitchell Sunday Show I posted a while back, but very cool nonetheless. The earliest Sabbath stuff is the best, I'm sure most of you will agree. Legend has it that it only took them 12 hours in the studio to record the first LP. I was inspired to post this after downloading the AC/DC Peel session yesterday. Indulge me a little!
These performances of 'Black Sabbath' and 'War Pigs' date to about the same time as the Peel Sunday show you're about to download:
Anyway, yeter artik ('enough already' in Turkish):
I'm happy that my efforts are being appreciated. I got a mention over at Sweeping the Nation, which was nice. This looks like a very good blog and I recommend you pop round some time.
More importantly, head over to In Session Tonight, another blog to have mentioned my work, and download an inconceivably good AC/DC Peel session.
You wait ages for a new post and then loads of them arrive at the same time! I'm forever indebted to DuffPaddy over at Kat’s Karavan for the new stuff:
John Horne has updated his site, inciuding, wisely, a link to this blog.
One of my students came up with the word reavailablise the other day. Amazingly, that describes perfectly what has happened over at Right Place Right Time Wrong Speed, the following shows being made available once again:
In October 2004, Robert Smith stood in as one of three guest presenters for John Peel on BBC Radio 1, a week before Peel's death. He plays a collection of songs that were influential on his musical career.
I'll get round to doing a track list later, bit busy at work this week.
Inicidentally, I will be posting the 1979 show that Smith plays a clip from some time soon.
The Pixies are frequently quoted, with good reason, as being the immediate forebearer of the alternative rock boom of the early 1990s, though they disbanded before reaping any of the benefits this might have brought them. Devoted fan Kurt Cobain's acknowledgement of the debt Nirvana owed to the Pixies, along with similar tributes by other alternative bands, ensured that the Pixies' legacy and influence grew substantially in the years following their demise.
This documentary, along with the previously posted New Order show, formed part of a BBC series called 'Time for Heroes'. One of my favourite parts of this show is when Black Francis is in discussion with John Peel about the lyrics to 'Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons'.
Living in Istanbul, I was lucky enough to go to the 2005 Champion’s League Final. In a way I'm disappointed that this year's final will be between the same two teams, as it's bound to, in some way, affect my memories of what happened on that famous night.
Here's your chance to relive the night in 1984 when Liverpool won their fourth European Cup. Peel can barely keep it together, and I think it was a good job that he had rhythm pal Jensen in the studio with him.
Track Listing
-We begin with the final penalty in the shootout -Kop Choir - You'll Never Walk Alone -The Mighty Wah - Come Back -The Undertones - Teenage Kicks -The Pogues - The Dark Streets of London -The Wailing Souls - John's Shop -The Membranes - New Breed (I'm not sure if band and song match here, let me know if I'm wrong) -The Great Unwashed - Duane Eddy -Duane Eddy - Hard Times -Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band - Pachuco Cadaver -Theater of Hate - Legion -Anti Nowhere League - Streets of London -Ivor Cutler - Scenes from a Scotch Sitting Room Vol.2 #17
There's some creative editing by whoever originally recorded this tape, especially towards the end, lots of pressing of the pause button. I've transcribed the tracks as best I can, but please let me know if there are any glaring inaccuracies.
– Then I kissed her
– Less than zero
– Bad man
– Mary of the fourth form (Bob Gelding?)
– Be good to yourself (yes, for the second time in the space of 15 minutes)
