- August 27th, 2002

Like a lot of people, I'm happy to admit, I spent quite a bit of 2002 listening to the White Stripes, who by that time we all realised were very good. In contrast, and again like many of us, I didn't spend nearly enough time listening to John Peel, who, naturally, I assumed would live forever.

Incidentally, this is almost 25 years to the day after the last Peel show I posted, which for the contrastive (is that a real word, and if it is, can it really be used to describe a person?) among you may make for good, er, contrast.

Track listing

-Hixxy - 'Alternative (12")' (Jelly Baby)
-Cinerama - 'Careless (EP)' (Scopitones)
-Niney the Observer - 'Dub Born Free (10")' (Jamaican)
-The Icarus Line - 'Live ' (From the Reading/Leeds Festivals)
-Digital - 'Deadline VIP (2x12")' (Function)
-James Yorkston And The Athletes - 'Tender to the Blues (LP-Moving Up Country)' (Domino)
-Miss Elsie Southgate and her sister Dorothy - 'Rubenstein's Melody in F (Pig's Big 78)' (2onophone)
-The Knockouts - 'Monkey Mantra (LP-Cannibal Lounge)' (High Town)
-Me Against them - 'tension and Release (CDR)' (White Label)
-Karsten Pflum - 'Lire skuffe (7")' (Snake Eyes)
-Von Bondies - ' Live' (from the Reading/Leeds Festivals)
-E.U. - 'Nou Comp (LP - EU Presents Christmas Baubles and Their Strange Sounds)' (Lo)
-The Breeders - 'Buffy Theme (EP - Son of Three)' (4AD)
-UFO - 'Deep Inside (Hixxy Remix)' (Raver Baby)
-White Stripes - 'Live' (from Reading/Leeds Festivals)
-John Lee Hooker - 'Tupelo (LP - Live at Newport)' (Vanguard)

In addition to listening to the White Stripes, I also spent a lot of time, I'm less eager to say, watching Buffy, and consequently was really happy to discover The Breeders' version of the theme in this show.

Download the show here. Thanks to whoever it was out there who took the time to transcribe the track list for this show. If it was you, let me know.

- My favourite websites #1

The Big Ozine

Although I only discovered it recently, it has become a site I visit regularly. Once you go there, you'll quickly see why. Scroll about half way down the page to find loads of, quite frankly, excellent downloads. On offer at the moment are:

-Slade: London 1975
-The Evens: Brisbane 2007
-John McLaughlin & Santana: A Live Supreme
-Cat Power: KCRW 2006
-Blondie: The Old Waldorf 1977
-Branford Marsalis: Ronnie Scotts 2001
-Humble Pie: BBC Studios 1970
-Zumpano: Vancouver 1999
-Jan Garbarek: Hamburg 1984
-Prince: Superbowl 2007
-Liu Sola: Fantasy Of The Red Queen
-Free: Berkshire 1972
-Brotherhood Of Breath: Berlin 1971
-Tom Ze: KCRW 1999

OK, I admit it, I'm listening to Slade as I write this. Please be warned that the links to the MP3s only stay active for a short time, but please also be understanding, as this appears to be a one-man operation, with band width expenses and the like.

Check out the Big Ozine here.

- Robert Fripp & Brian Eno: Top Gear, November,1973 (UPDATE)

The downloads are no longer available at the Big Ozine site, however you can get them by clicking here.

- Peel documentary from Australian Triple J radio, 2004

Truth be known, I've no idea where or from whom I got this documentary. Never the less, it's a good one, with lots of good stuff from many Peel sessions throughout the years. It was broadcast shortly after Peel's death.





I don't know anything about Triple J radio but their website offers many free downloads of Australian bands and is worth a look.

Download the documentary here.

- The Wonderful and Frightening World of Mark E. Smith

I love the Fall, though to be honest, despite some brave efforts in my teens, I didn't really get what it was all about until much later in life. I think my story is like that of many Fall fans: there's a damascene moment when it all seems to make sense, and then you know that you're really in trouble. Comedian Frank Skinner has come as close as anyone to describing what it's like being a fan, suggesting that it's something like being a member of a cult. I've never tried to get my wife, or any of my friends for that matter, to listen to the band. I don't know if you could make somebody like the Fall, I think, like a skin rash, it's something that you find yourself afflicted with rather than going out and looking for it.




Anyhow, this excellent documentary was screened on BBC Four a few months ago (lots of sightings of Peel as you'd expect). I'm sure that anyone who loves the group would have found this on their own, but anyway, here are the links, in nine parts:

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, part eight and part nine.

This is quite a lot of HTMLing for me to have done in one go, so please let me know if I've cocked up any of the links.

- Mark E. Smith being interviewed by a German, 1989

Watch a very funny clip of Mark E. Smith being very awkward. I really don't know if I'd ever want to meet him. I wonder how many times he's been asked the question, 'what's wrong with you?'

- Robert Fripp & Brian Eno: Top Gear, November,1973

Did Eno just record some album tracks in reverse? Did Peel just put the LP on at the wrong speed? Did both of these things happen?

Was this a real session? Who cares, it sounds great.

More information, album cover and song downloads available here. You'll have to get your skates on because the links don't stay active for too long. If they expire let me know and I'll do something about it.

NOTE: The links have expired - see 30th April update!

- August 29th, 1977

This show is a belter, Peel eschewing the popular disco music of the era in favour of these abrasive tunes. I know it's starting to seem like I'm a bit obsessed with the punk era, but I figure you'll like these shows as these are the ones that you won't be able to find so easily elsewhere on the net, plus the fact that I am a bit obsessed with the punk era.


Track listing

The Vibrators - London Girls
The Stranglers - London Ladies
The Clash - Capital Radio
Squeeze - Model (session track)
The Models - Man of the Year
XTC - Crosswires (repeated session track)
---Peel wrongly introduces the following track---
The Cortinas - Television Family
---Peel apologises---
Generation X - Your Generation
The Desperate Bicycles - Fast Train
The Buzzcocks - Boredom


Download the August 29th, 1977 show here.

Thanks to the Yank Sizzler for recently identifying the final track.

- The Pink Floyd: July 16, 1970 and Sept 30, 1971

It's a bank holiday (equivalent) here in Turkey so I'm making the most of it by sitting inside and staring at the computer screen. Admittedly, this offering is one that I'm blatantly plundering from another website, but if it means more people get the chance to hear it then it's all good.




As far as I know, it was only ever people associated with the BBC that referred to Pink Floyd with the use of the definite article, but I've always liked this quirky habit and wished it had become commonplace. Which one was Pink?

Track listing

The 1970 show:

1, [Opening Speech]
2. Embryo
3. Fat Old Sun
4. Green Is The Colour
5. Careful With That Axe Eugene
6. If
7. Atom Heart Mother [with John Alldis Choir and the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble.]

The 1971 show:

1. Fat Old Sun
2. [John Peel Announcement]
3. One Of These Days
4. Embryo
5. Echoes
6. Blues

Download a lovely album cover for these concerts from the Big O magazine.

I don’t want this to turn into a rival to the excellent perfumed garden site, mainly because I’d lose, but I’ve been a Floyd head since the age of 13 and can’t resist this one.

The links no longer work, but the downloads are available here.

- Lay of the Land on (Old Grey) Whistle Test

This is an epic, epic live performance from November, 1984.




Introduced by a very young looking Andy Kershaw, this is such a powerful performance from Smith and the band. Although I'm no great fan of modern dance I do think the presence of Michael Clark and a few close friends greatly enhances the spectacle.

I love this more every time I watch it, download it here or watch it on youtube here. Mark E Smith noted in a recent BBC documentary that it was really funny because the other members of the Fall had made their parents watch this on telly and all you could see was 'Michael Clark's arse.'

This performance happened the same month that the Band Aid single was released. Does anyone know if the Fall were invited to perform at Live Aid?

- Kicker Conspiracy on the Old Grey Whistle Test

This video clip dates to 1983, and features Peel discussing the video for Kicker Conspiracy, followed by the video itself.




I think this is my all time favourite Fall track, from one of their best albums, so I was really pleased to get hold of this recently. It's a truly epic vocal performance from Smith, and it's really great to see him being so unenthusiastic about having to lipsync for the video.


Click here to download Kicker Conspiracy on the Old Grey Whistle Test, alternatively you can just watch the youtube clip here.

An alternative though beautifully made video clip can be seen here.

- New Year's Eve, 1975

A short time after my second birthday and Peel's in good form here. I've listened to this one many times and love the fact that we only get to hear the last thirty seconds of the Toots and the Maytals track, much more than if I could hear the whole thing. I guess it's knowing that somewhere way back in the mists of the 70s, somebody decided to press the record button at just that second and this is the historical document we're left with. Did I warn you this would occasionally involve self indulgent claptrap? Apologies for this and all subsequent lapses.

Track listing

Toots and the Maytals - Louie Louie
Ivor Cutler - Pearly winged fly
Ivor Cutler - Go and sit on the grass
The Cate brothers - Time for us
Ivor Cutler - Life in a Scotch sitting room (vol.2 #11)
Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
Ivor Cutler - Fremsly
Isiro Sabissa (sic) - Uhuru
Richard Thompson - New St. George
Ivor Cutler - Sleepy old snake
Ivor Cutler - Little black buzzer
Sadistic mika band - Go Johnny go
Betty Williams - (If she's your wife) who am I?
Ivor Cutler - A wooden tree
Max Merritt and the meteors - Slippin away

Pay close attention to the way Peel describes the Cate brothers' track, and how he predicts it will be one of his favourites of 1976. He really didn't see that whole Punk thing coming, did he?

I'm sure that many of you will be dismayed that the Max Merritt and the Meteors' offering is cut off in the middle, which is why I spent literally seconds googling Mr. Merritt in order to find this live recording of the Antipodean legend's track. I've tried to contact Max to see how he feels about having been on Peel's show, but he's busy until June and unable to get back to me until then, apparently.


Here’s the link to the December 31st, 1975 show.

- Right Place Right Time Wrong Speed: update #1

Jon Horne has recently updated his site, and it has a couple of the things also on this blog.

- Festive 50 1979 top 10

At the time of broadcast I was six years old, and to be honest probably didn't stay up late enough to be able to listen to Peel all that much at the time. Consequently, this means a lot more to me nowadays than it did then.

This particular 50 dates to the time before Peel had made the chart year-specific, and as a result it bears striking similarites to the 50s of the previous and following years.

The quality of the recording is as delightfully bad as you'd hope - washy mediumwave signal fading in and out.

Legend has it that this was recently discovered at a car boot sale and purchased for 25 pence. If I could put a price on this recording, I'd probably say it's worth a bit more than that.

Here’s the link to download the 1979 festive 50 top 10. If you have any problems downloading from MEGAUPLOAD, let me know and I might try and sort it out.

Be warned that number 3 seems to be missing, although that just makes it all the better if you ask me.

Track Listing

Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
Undertones - Teenage Kicks
Jam - Down in the Tube Station At Midnight
Clash - Complete Control
Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster
Special AKA - Gangsters
Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device
Public Image Ltd. - Public Image
Damned - New Rose

- Another John Peel blog

Q: Does the world need any more Peel blogs?

A: Yes.

Lots of good stuff on its way to you...