Birthday Party


 * Career outline (no more than two paragraphs, please)
 * Links to Peel (no more than two paragraphs, please)
 * Links to Peel (no more than two paragraphs, please)

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1981 Festive Fifty: Release The Bats #19
 * 1982 Festive Fifty: Release The Bats ATFF#28
 * 1983 Festive Fifty: Deep In The Woods #43
 * 1983 Festive Fifty: Sonny's Burning #46

Sessions
Four sessions. All available on The John Peel Sessions / The Complete John Peel Sessions (CD/2xLP, 2002/2011, Strange Fruit).

1. Recorded 1980-09-10. First broadcast 25 September 1980. Repeated
 * Cry / Yard / Figure Of Fun / King Ink

2. Recorded 1981-04-21. First broadcast 28 April 1981. Repeated 27 July 1981, 23 December 1981.
 * Release The Bats / Roland Around In That Stuff / (Sometimes) Pleasure Heads Must Burn / Loose

3. Recorded: 1981-12-02. First broadcast: 10 December 1981. Repeated
 * Big Jesus Trash Can / She's Hit / Bully Bones / Six Inch Gold Blade

4 Recorded 1982-11-15. First broadcast 22 November 1982. Repeated 09 December 1982, 09 January 1985.
 * Pleasure Avalanche / Deep In The Woods / Sonny's Burning / Marry Me (Lie! Lie!)

Other Shows Played

 * 1980
 * 12 March 1980: Happy Birthday (single) Missing Link (as Boys Next Door) (Peel expresses surprise that the The Boys Next Door single was cut at Porky in London.)
 * 12 March 1980: Riddle House (single -Happy Birthda) Missing Link
 * 18 March 1980: Happy Birthday (Single) Missing Link (Previously played under the name of Boys Next Door)
 * 20 March 1980: Death By Drowning (EP - Hee Haw) Missing Link
 * 14 April 1980: Happy Birthday (single) Missing Link (Peel points out that Boys Next Door have changed their name to Birthday Party.)
 * 29 April 1980: Catman (album - Birthday Party) Missing Link
 * 30 April 1980: Hats On Wrong (LP – The Birthday Party) Missing Link
 * 15 May 1980: The Hair Shirt (LP – The Birthday Party) Missing Link
 * 20 May 1980: The Friend Catcher (unknown release) Missing Link
 * 02 June 1980: Mr Clarinet (7”) Missing Link
 * 07 July 1980: Mr Clarinet (7") Missing Link
 * 10 July 1980: Happy Birthday
 * 17 July 1980: (JP plays track from an Ears record that was sent to him by a member of The Birthday Party.)


 * 1981
 * 31 March 1981: A Dead Song (LP-Prayers On Fire) 4AD (JP: 'Sounding a bit Per Ubu-ish these days.')
 * 25 March 1981: Cry (LP - Prayers On Fire) 4AD
 * 15 April 1981: Nick The Stripper (album - Prayers On Fire)
 * 22 April 1981: Figure Of Fun (album - Prayers On Fire) 4AD
 * 12 May 1981: Nick The Stripper (Album: Prayers On Fire) 4AD
 * 22 July 1981: Release The Bats (7") 4AD (as mentioned the following night)
 * 23 July 1981: (JP: "This is the single of the year. I played it on last night's programme right at the beginning and I defy you to nominate one which is better than this anyway.") Release The Bats (7") 4AD
 * 31 August 1981: Release The Bats (7") 4AD
 * 14 September 1981: Release The Bats (7") 4AD
 * 22 October 1981: Mr Clarinet (7") 4AD
 * 29 December 1981: (JP: “The next is one of these bits where you're gonna think, 'Oh, come on, he must have fixed that', but it's all absolutely true, straight and above board.”) Release The Bats (7 inch) 4AD) FF#19


 * 1982
 * 13 July 1982: Junkyard (LP - Junkyard) 4AD
 * 29 July 1982: Several Sins (LP - Junkyard)
 * 04 November 1982: Sonny’s Burning
 * 16 November 1982: The Friend Catcher
 * 22 December 1982: Release The Bats (7 inch) 4AD ATFF#28 (JP: “Wish someone would bite me.”)


 * 1983
 * 14 June 1983: Blast Off (EP) 4AD
 * 21 June 1983: Mr. Clarinet (EP - The Friend Catcher) 4AD
 * 28 November 1983: Swampland (EP - Mutiny!) Mute
 * 05 December 1983: Say A Spell (12" EP - Mutiny!) Mute
 * 21 December 1983: Sonny's Burning (12 inch EP-The Bad Seed) 4AD FF#46
 * 21 December 1983: Deep In The Woods (12 inch EP-The Bad Seed) 4AD FF#43


 * 1984
 * 11 January 1984: Swampland (EP - Mutiny) Mute
 * Peel Mid Feb 1984: Fears Of Gun (EP - The Bad Seed) 4AD
 * 27 September 1984: (JP - "I spent most of today listening to new records - I spend most of my days listening to new records, and I'm quite content to do so, most of the time. But, I just want to say this. If any more of you are planning a career sounding like The Birthday Party, this is what you've got to aspire to.") King Ink (LP-Prayers On Fire) 4AD (JP - "Now back to the rehearsal rooms with the rest of you...")
 * 05 December 1984: Release The Bats (7") 4AD


 * 1985
 * 16 April 1985: She's Hit / A Dead One / Pleasure Heads Must Burn (album - It's Still Living) Missing Link
 * 22 April 1985: Junkyard / Blast Off (album - It's Still Living) Missing Link
 * 01 May 1985: She's Hit / A Dead One / Pleasure Heads Must Burn (album - It's Still Living) Missing Link


 * 1987
 * 23 February 1987: Release the Bats (The Peel Sessions EP 12") Strange Fruit


 * 1988
 * 14 January 1988 (BBC World Service): Release The Bats ("Mixed Peel" cassette) Strange Fruit Records/ New Musical Express

1990s
 * 07 August 1990: Figure Of Fun (LP - Prayers On Fire) 4AD
 * 14 July 1991: Loose (Peel Sessions EP) Strange Fruit
 * 13 March 1992: The Friend Catcher (7") 4AD
 * 07 July 1999: A Dead Song (CD-Live 81-82) 4AD
 * 29 July 1999: Blast Off! (CD-Live 81 - 82) 4AD
 * 31 August 1999: Release The Bats (session)
 * 07 December 1999: Release The Bats (7") 4AD (Peelenium 1981)


 * 200s
 * 28 December 2000: (JP: "[Gutterville Splendour] sound amazing, I have to say ... you can't help but be reminded of the Birthday Party, but what a good band to be reminded of.")
 * 23 August 2001: Figure Of Fun (LP - The John Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit
 * 28 August 2001: Release The Bats (LP - The John Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit