- Big Ozine UPDATE #5

This week's free mp3s over at the Big Ozine:


-Rolling Stones: Shanghai 2006 (yes, they're still alive, apparently)

-Jimi Hendrix: Randall's Island, 1970

-Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue: Sant'Anna Arresi 2004

-Bobbie Gentry: TV Soundtrack

-Loggins & Messina: Kansas 1972

-Neil Young: Living With War Live

-Linda Ronstadt: Keeping Out Of Mischief

-Van Morrison: Inner Mystic Remastered

-Ornette Coleman: Rotterdam 2007

-Elton John: Dubai, 2002

-Girlschool: London, 1980 (!)

-Joanna Newsom: Munich, 2005

-Jimi Hendrix: Miami, 1968

-Thurston Moore / Rashied Ali / Ginger Baker / Art Blakey: Improv


Remember to read the articles too!

- An A to D of Independent Music: 26th May, 1980

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)

Collective horizontal – Edward’s lear (dolman records)

The Cramps – Garbage Man (illegal 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:

- Peel talks about punk

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.

- Free Jelly Belly

Have some free sweets while you read my blog.

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.

Go here for the jelly bellys.

- Nick Drake on John Peel's NIGHTRIDE show, 6th August, 1969

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!

- The Fall on The Tube, 1983

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.

If you like The Fall as much as me, look at some of my other posts, such as thid documentary about Smith at the age of 50, or The Fall’s set at John Peel’s 50th in 1989 .

- Back from Hols

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.