Peel Sessions: The Best 125

Introduction
"The top 125 Peel sessions have been selected by the people who knew John best - his family, friends, studio engineers, producers and musicians. (BBC Keeping It Peel site.)"

"My favourites would be fairly obscure things - the two sessions the Slits did during the punk era which were just magical, I thought, were just terrific. Oh, there have been so many. There have been so few that have been bad, it’s amazing, really, when you consider how many have been done. Many thousands now. Very few of them have been disappointing. The Clash did half one, and then amazingly said that the equipment in the studio wasn't up to the standards that they'd expected so they couldn't complete the session. Which seemed to me to be unbearably pretentious of them (laughs). It'd be very difficult to pick out an absolute favourite from them. There was one by the reggae band Culture that out of all of the sessions that were released on record is the one that I listen to the most, I think. (MTB Interview)."
 * When asked what his favourite sessions were by Serbian station B92, Peel was unwilling to commit himself to more than a couple of vague preferences:
 * In the event, it was left to others unnamed to make the final choice, presented by the BBC as an alphabetical list, thereby eschewing the need for an indication, given the above 'criteria', of picking a top 10. These are presented below in the same format: dates are those of the original recording. Note that each artist has been allotted only one entry.
 * The list is as notable for what it omits as for those it includes. The Culture session praised by JP above is curiously absent, as is the most frequently repeated session of all, the first by Siouxsie & The Banshees.

0-9

 * 11/02/1996 60ft Dolls

A

 * 16/08/2000 ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
 * 04/03/1997 Arab Strap
 * 03/04/1994 Ash
 * 19/03/1999 Atari Teenage Riot
 * 30/08/1995 Autechre

B

 * 16/02/2003 ballboy
 * 06/07/1986 Bhundu Boys
 * 27/07/1983 Billy Bragg
 * 17/09/1995 bis
 * 20/04/2003 Black Keys
 * 07/03/1995 Black Star Liner
 * 22/04/1997 Blur
 * 01/05/1973 Bob Marley & The Wailers
 * 21/02/2002 Bong Ra
 * 02/02/1999 Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
 * 29/04/1968 Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
 * 15/09/1996 Broadcast

C

 * 19/10/1997 Calexico
 * 06/08/2001 Camera Obscura
 * 20/02/1973 Can
 * 24/01/1968 Captain Beefheart
 * 18/06/2000 Cat Power
 * 20/09/1998 Cay
 * 14/06/1998 Cinerama
 * 17/02/1999 Coldcut
 * 17/01/1993 Cornershop
 * 06/12/1998 Cuban Boys

D

 * 30/11/1976 Damned
 * 01/05/2002 Datsuns
 * 26/05/1996 Dave Angel
 * 04/02/2004 Dave Clarke
 * 16/05/1972 David Bowie
 * 12/08/1997 Dawn Of The Replicants
 * 01/07/1997 Delgados
 * 30/03/1995 Dick Dale
 * 08/11/1988 Dinosaur Jr

E

 * 12/08/1993 Elastica

F

 * 28/09/1971 Faces
 * 03/05/1978 Fall
 * 13/10/1992 Flaming Lips
 * 11/08/1998 Fuck

G

 * 29/05/1979 Gary Numan
 * 14/12/1995 Gene
 * 25/09/1972 Genesis
 * 22/11/1998 Godspeed You Black Emperor!
 * 19/12/1993 Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
 * 18/06/1996 Guided By Voices

H

 * 10/11/1985 Half Man Half BiscuitR-546960-1180915455.jpg
 * 01/04/1986 Happy Mondays
 * 27/09/1998 Hefner
 * 17/03/1998 High Fidelity
 * 19/11/1991 Hole

I

 * 30/06/1985 Ivor Cutler

J

 * 14/04/2004 Jawbone
 * 26/02/2003 Jeff Mills
 * 26/11/1989 Jesus And Mary Chain
 * 15/12/1967 Jimi Hendrix
 * 26/11/1979 Joy Division

L

 * 04/06/2001 Laura Cantrell
 * 24/06/1969 Led Zeppelin
 * 15/04/2001 Lift To Experience
 * 01/10/1999 Lonnie Donegan
 * 08/10/1989 Loudon Wainwright III
 * 26/11/2001 Low

M

 * 12/12/1995 Magoo
 * 11/06/1996 Man Or Astroman
 * 03/10/2001 Melt-Banana
 * 08/04/1997 Melys
 * 15/09/1980 Misty In Roots
 * 20/01/1998 Mogwai
 * 25/09/1988 My Bloody Valentine

N

 * 13/09/1987 Napalm Death
 * 24/03/1993 Nectarine No.9
 * 22/02/2001 Neko Case
 * 28/03/1984 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
 * 05/12/2002 Nina Nastasia
 * 21/10/1990 Nirvana

O

 * 03/12/1989 Orb
 * 05/08/1993 Orbital

P

 * 29/10/1991 P J Harvey
 * 23/06/1992 Pavement
 * 25/06/1968 Pink Floyd
 * 16/04/1989 Pixies
 * 09/12/1997 Plaid
 * 26/04/1998 Plone
 * 14/06/1987 Pop Will Eat Itself
 * 20/10/1996 Propellerheads
 * 07/11/1981 Pulp

Q

 * 08/12/1998 Quasi
 * 05/02/1973 Queen

R

 * 30/10/2001 Richie Hawtin
 * 10/09/1974 Robert Wyatt
 * 19/05/2002 Ronnie Ronalde
 * 11/03/1974 Roy Harper

S

 * 13/09/1998 Samurai Seven
 * 15/04/1996 Scarfo
 * 26/01/1999 Scratch Perverts
 * 02/08/2002 Sender Berlin
 * 27/04/1997 Servotron
 * 25/10/1994 Sleeper
 * 19/09/1977 Slits
 * 18/05/1983 Smiths
 * 20/11/1994 Smog
 * 10/06/1969 Soft Machine
 * 05/05/1998 Solex
 * 06/07/1970 Son House
 * 11/10/1988 Sonic Youth
 * 23/05/1979 Specials
 * 30/07/1991 Stereolab
 * 01/07/2004 Steveless
 * 24/03/1998 Super Furry Animals

T

 * 17/11/1969 T Rex
 * 28/08/1990 Teenage Fanclub
 * 30/09/1997 To Rococo Rot
 * 28/01/1997 Topper
 * 19/01/2000 Tystion

U

 * 01/10/1978 Undertones
 * 10/12/2003 Underworld
 * 02/04/1996 Urusei Yatsura

V

 * 16/10/1975 Viv Stanshall

W

 * 05/05/1982 Wah! Heat
 * 07/11/2001 White Stripes

Y

 * 15/07/1997 Yo La Tengo
 * 18/06/1995 Yummy Fur


 * Footnotes