John Parish

John Parish (born 11 April 1959) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. Parish is best known for his work with singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. His sister is the actress Sarah Parish. He started his career in 1980 in the new wave band Thieves Like Us and in 1982 formed Automatic Dlamini, with Rob Ellis. In 1986 he began his career as a producer, working with the Chesterfields, Brilliant Corners, Becketts and many others. In 1987 John met PJ Harvey and it was the beginning of their long-time collaboration. Parish was born in Yeovil, Somerset and lives in Bristol.

Links To Peel
John Parish worked with PJ Harvey on their 1996 Dance Hall At Louse Point album, which received positive reviews from the press including John Peel. Both artists were invited to Peel Acres for a joint interview with Peel and a session recorded and broadcast in 1996. Peel rarely played John Parish's solo material, possibly because he was not a fan of it.

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1996 Festive Fifty: That Was My Veil #17
 * 1996 Festive Fifty: Taut #23

Sessions
Recorded: 1996-09-05 (Peel Acres). First broadcast: 21 September 1996. No repeats.
 * Taut / Snake / Losing Ground / That Was My Veil

Other Shows Played
1996 Heela (LP - Dance Hall at Louse Point) Island
 * 15 September 1996 (with PJ Harvey): Heela (CD - Dance Hall At Louse Point)' Island (JP: "She’s [Polly Harvey] gonna be at Peel Acres to do a programme next Saturday afternoon. [I’m] Putting garlic around the windows - just to be on the safe side. You take every precaution.")
 * 15 September 1996 (BFBS) (with PJ Harvey): That Was My Veil (LP-Dance Hall At Louse Point) Island
 * 15 September 1996 (BFBS) (with PJ Harvey): Urn With Dead Flowers In A Drained Pool (Modena) (LP-Dance Hall At Louse Point) Island
 * 15 September 1996 (BFBS) (with PJ Harvey): Civil War Correspondent (LP-Dance Hall At Louse Point) Island
 * 21 September 1996 (BFBS) (with PJ Harvey): Heela (CD-Dance Hall At Louse Point) Island (JP: "A considerable return to form, I think.")
 * 22 September 1996 (with PJ Harvey): Is That All There Is? (LP - Dance Hall At Louse Point) Island
 * 23 September 1996 (BBC World Service): (JP: "And I mentioned last week that Polly Harvey and John Parish had been down at my house recording one or two songs, versions of songs form their new LP, in order for them to be broadcast on my domestic programmes. And it was a wonderful sunny day and they sat in this very room playing and singing and myself and my family sat on the road outside - there's not an awful lot of traffic goes past - and as they were recording one or two kind of country things happened. A very large baler(?) went past, and I think probably turned up on the tape as well, and our dog Bernard was spectacularly and noisily sick on the road outside as well, and that could be on the tape too. It is certainly not on this track from the LP, though.")
 * 28 September 1996 (with PJ Harvey): Rope Bridge Crossing (CD – Dance Hall At Louse Point ) Island Records
 * 10 October 1996 (BFBS) (with PJ Harvey): 'Rope Bridge Crossing (CD-Dance Hall At Louse Point)' (Island)
 * 28 December 1996 (with PJ Harvey): Taut (CD-Dance Hall At Louse Point) Island FF#23
 * 28 December 1996 (with PJ Harvey): That Was My Veil (CD-Dance Hall At Louse Point) Island FF#17