Comsat Angels

The Comsat Angels were an English post-punk band from Sheffield, England. Named after the J. G. Ballard short story "The Comsat Angels", the foursome's original lineup (lasting from 1978 to 1992) consisted of Stephen Fellows (vocals, guitar), Mik Glaisher (drums), Kevin Bacon (bass) and Andy Peake – (keyboards). Their music has been described as "abstract pop songs with spare instrumentation, many of which were bleak and filled with some form of heartache". They have been credited as being an influence on later post-punk revival bands such as Blacklist, Bell Hollow, Editors and Interpol.

Links to Peel
The Comsat Angels sent a copy of their debut EP, Red Planet, to Peel, who liked it and gave the band a session, which Polydor picked up and signed the group to their label. The group overall did 4 sessions for Peel's show and in an interview with Penny Black Music in 2006, singer Stephen Fellows praised Peel for helping the band sign to Polydor:

"'These days you have singles on the album and singles that are played on the radio and that help sell records, but that kind of thinking wasn’t really as prevalent then.. A band like us didn’t generally get played anyway. If John Peel hadn’t got hold of ‘Red Planet’and given us a session, Polydor probably wouldn’t have heard of us and signed us .Once they had done I don’t think they knew exactly what they had. They left us to get on with it really. I don’t recall any A and R input at all.' "

Sessions
1. Recorded: 1979-10-10. Broadcast: 25 October 1979. Repeated: 22 November 1979, 19 December 1979 2. Recorded: 1980-04-29. Broadcast: 08 May 1980. Repeated: 11 June 1980, 15 July 1980, 02 September 1980, 01 January 1981 3. Recorded: 1981-02-03. Broadcast: 09 February 1981 4. Recorded: 1981-09-28. Broadcast: 07 October 1981. Repeated: 29 October 1981
 * Total War Girl / Independence Day / Baby / Ju-Ju Money
 * Real Story / Monkey Pilot / Waiting For A Miracle / Home Is The Range
 * Be Brave / At Sea / Eye Of The Lens / Dark Parade
 * Now I Know / Ju-Ju Money / Our Secret / Goat Of The West

Other Shows Played

 * Comsat Angels - Red Planet
 * 16 April 1979: Red Planet (7") Junta
 * 08 May 1979: Red Planet (7”) Junta
 * 08 May 1979: I Get Excited (7”) Junta
 * 08 May 1979: Specimen 2 (7”) Junta
 * 26 May 1979 (BFBS): Red Planet (7") Junta
 * 12 September 1979: Specimen No.2 (EP – Red Planet) Junta
 * 1980
 * 15 April 1980: 'Total War (7 inch)' (Polydor)
 * 01 May 1980: Total War (7”) Polydor
 * 07 May 1980: Total War (7”) Polydor
 * 02 June 1980: 'Ju Ju Money (Compilation LP–Bouquet Of Steel)' (Aardvark)
 * 07 June 1980 (BFBS): Total War (7") Polydor
 * 23 June 1980: Independence Day (7") Polydor
 * 30 June 1980: Independence Day (7") Polydor
 * 05 July 1980 (BFBS): Independence Day (7") Polydor
 * 14 July 1980: Independence Day (7") Polydor
 * 02 August 1980 (BFBS): Independence Day (7") Polydor
 * 09 August 1980 (BFBS): Ju Ju Money (v/a album - Bouquet Of Steel) Aardvark
 * 13 August 1980: Independence Day (7") Polydor
 * 18 August 1980: Independence Day (7") Polydor
 * 01 September 1980: Missing In Action (LP - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 03 September 1980: Waiting For A Miracle (album - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 04 September 1980: Baby (LP – Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 06 September 1980 (BFBS): Postcard (album - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 08 September 1980: Postcard (LP – Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 13 September 1980 (BFBS): Map Of The World (album - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 18 September 1980: Map Of The World (album - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 20 September 1980 (BFBS): Monkey Pilot (album - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 24 September 1980: Real Story (LP - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 30 September 1980: unknown (Peel mentioned at the beginning of the show that the group will be played)
 * 20 October 1980: Independence Day (album - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 28 October 1980: Total War (v/a LP - Made In Britain) Polydor
 * 01 November 1980 (BFBS): Total War (album - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 20 December 1980 (BFBS): Independence Day (7") Polydor
 * 1981
 * 09 March 1981: 'Eye Of The Lens (7")' (Polydor)
 * 07 April 1981: Eye Of The Lens (12" single) Polydor
 * 11 August 1981: The Eye Dance (album - Sleep No More) Polydor
 * 11 August 1981: Sleep No More (album - Sleep No More) Polydor
 * 11 August 1981: Be Brave (album - Sleep No More) Polydor
 * 13 August 1981: Gone (album - Sleep No More) Polydor
 * 31 August 1981: Diagram (album - Sleep No More) Polydor
 * 10 September 1981: 'Our Secret (LP-Sleep No More)' (Polydor)
 * 24 September 1981 (BFBS): Our Secret (LP - Sleep No More) Polydor
 * 19 October 1981: Do The Empty House (7") Polydor
 * 1982
 * 17 March 1982: Diagram (album - Sleep No More) Polydor
 * 27 April 1982: It's History (7") Polydor
 * 19 July 1982: Gone (white label album - Sleep No More) Polydor
 * 06 September 1982: Birdman (album - Fiction) Polydor
 * 07 September 1982: unknown (Peel mentioned at the beginning of the show that the group will be played)
 * 08 November 1982: 'After The Rain (Remix) (7")' (Polydor)
 * 1983
 * 23 January 1983 (BFBS): Do The Empty House (7") Polydor
 * 16 March 1983 (BFBS): Total War (album - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 23 March 1983: On The Beach (album - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 27 March 1983 (BFBS): On The Beach (album - Waiting For A Miracle) Polydor
 * 17 April 1983 (BFBS): Eye Of The Lens (12") Polydor
 * 08 May 1983 (BFBS): Mass (LP - Enz.) Polydor
 * 09 May 1983: Mass (LP - Enz) Polydor
 * 28 July 1983: Will You Stay Tonight? (7") Jive
 * 07 August 1983 (BFBS): Will You Stay Tonight? (7") Jive
 * 1984
 * 25 September 1984: Day One (single) Jive
 * 1985
 * 07 January 1985: Diagram (LP – Sleep No More) Polydor
 * Peel 002 (BFBS) (13 January 1985): 'Restless'
 * 1990
 * 24 February 1990 (BFBS): 'Total War (7")' (Polydor)
 * 1997
 * 05 May 1997: Sleep No More (LP - Sleep No More)
 * 2000
 * 26 July 2000: Eye Of The Lens (12") Polydor