Melody Maker

Melody Maker was a UK weekly music paper first published in 1926. Initially aimed at dance band musicians, it covered not only pop music but jazz (and, later, folk music) and was regarded in the 1960s as the most serious of the British pop weeklies. Besides its main news and feature pages, the paper included a large advertising section, with gig listings, ads from bands seeking to recruit new members, and offers of musical instruments for sale.

It's not known if Peel was a reader of Melody Maker in his youth, but it might have been one of the "jazz magazines" he subscribed to. He may well have been an MM reader during his years in the USA; some of the gossip items he included in his 1966-7 Kmentertainer columns on the British music scene read like the MM's "The Raver" column, which documented the "raving" and "looning" of pop stars in trendy London clubs like the Speakeasy and the Bag O'Nails.

When Peel joined Radio 1 it was the pop paper most sympathetic to the music he had played on the Perfumed Garden and featured an interview with him in September 1967, a couple of weeks before Radio 1 began. A sign of the paper's continuing jazz orientation was that he was compared in the article with Willis Conover, the authoritative jazz presenter whose shows on Voice Of America were listened to all over Europe. MM was never a hippy paper, but it began to include pieces on the hippy scene in London and the USA and profiled many of the artists Peel admired, and he liked two of its younger writers, Nick Jones and Chris Welch. Jones was sympathetic to the underground and wrote in a hippy-impressionist style which brought him criticism, but Peel defended him in his International Times column.


 * In the "Melody Maker" reviewer Nick Jones writes of "seashell sounds" and the bewildered write and scoff. When I listen to music, see people in the streets, smell the tumbling smells of the Liverpool docks I feebly try to involve the rest of my battered senses in these experiences. If Nick hears "seashell sounds" in a record how many times better is that than "another rave record from a gas new group from Coventry?"

Jones left MM in late 1967, but there was a mutual respect between Peel and Chris Welch, who reviewed (often humorously) singles and LPs for the paper, while also covering live gigs and the London club scene. Welch praised artists Peel liked, like Cream, Skip Bifferty and the Nice, some who were little-known but later became stars (Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Rod Stewart) and even some more commercial bands with good standards of musicianship (Marmalade, Amen Corner, Herd). But he wasn't impressed by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, describing them in 1968 as the worst group he'd seen anywhere. Despite this, Peel namechecked Chris Welch in 1975, on the final Top Gear show.

In 1968 the DJ and his programmes were fashionable and popular with MM's readers, with frequent mentions in the paper (see Melody Maker: 1968). But after that, Peel mentions gradually became less common, and the paper gave more space to musicians to express their views. Nevertheless, Melody Maker thrived, gaining a large circulation by concentrating on the "underground" and "progressive" rock favoured by Peel's audience. However, in the 1970s, the New Musical Express challenged MM's pre-eminence by hiring younger journalists (some of them from the underground press) and adopting a more irreverent approach to the music scene. NME became the most influential pop weekly in the 1980s and was often mentioned by Peel, but the two papers continued to compete for readers until 2000, when Melody Maker was merged with NME.

Peel never wrote a regular column for MM, as he did for rival publications Disc & Music Echo and Sounds, although he took part in some of the paper's opinion features, such as the record review series Blind Date (in early 1968), was interviewed from time to time, and did contribute occasional pieces.

As discussed with John Walters on Peeling Back The Years, Peel's victory in the DJ section of MM's 1968 readers' poll over Tony Blackburn may have helped to cement his position at Radio One. Walters commented:

"You look down a fairly straight poll – obviously the Beatles were in there and so on – and there was John Peel, and the top radio show was Top Gear. And I remember within Radio One people were absolutely astounded. And it was sort of resentment mixed with a reluctant acceptance that things had changed and that you had been a key part of it changing. After 1968 you were being seen as a figure of importance and influence."

Peel would eventually win the MM award 11 times.

In the December 1994 edition of the Melody Maker, Peel was featured in the Rebellious Jukebox section, where music celebrities choose records that have made an impact on their lives. Peel choose twelve records ranging from Frankie Laine to Elastica.

On his show of 05 May 1997, which featured Blur's visit to Peel Acres, Peel showed off to the band his 1931 Christmas double issue of MM and also recalled a piece he did for MM's 50th anniversary, noting that the lead article of the first issue had been about whether there was still a place for the banjo in the modern dance orchestra.

1967

 * September 16 "Peel's appeal is in his chat": "in the jazz field Willis Conover of the Voice of America has for years been held in high esteem. Now pop has its own Willis Conover, 28-year-old ex-Radio London DJ John Peel...". He talks about his time in the USA ("I was offered a job with KFRC in San Francisco for 1,500 dollars a month. But I didn't take it because I wanted to come home...I left all my belongings behind, including 800 LPs, and came back...") and the Perfumed Garden; the article confirms he's among the ex-Radio London DJs taken on for the new Radio 1.

1968

 * (See Melody Maker: 1968)

1970

 * July 18: JOHN PEEL: What's wrong with Radio One? The fact that you can listen to it for an entire week without learning anything that relates to what's going on. I don't know whether it originates from the producers or where, but... (read more)
 * November 14: Reaction (Peel gives his opinions on various people and topics).

1971

 * April 24: In the three years since he first won the Top DJ title in the MM Poll, John Peel has been mocked and worshipped. Today he wipes the slate clean... (read more)

1967

 * July 1: From "The Raver" column: "Radio London DJ John Peele [sic] uses David O'List's guitar solo "Any More Than I Do" as a signature tune. Dave recently declined an offer from John Mayall"
 * August 19: Mailbag - letter from Perfumed Garden listener after closedown of Radio London: "Every night from midnight to two am a beautiful sound flowed from radios all over the country. Soul by the Cream, Mayall, Doors and a host of others, and a a beautiful voice uttering inspiring thoughts and poetry. Now John Peele [sic] of Radio London wil be heard no more..."
 * September 16: "Hold On, Here Come The Nice" - article on this "new group". "David [O'List] is the 17-year-old guitarist who played with the Attack...he already has fans like DJ John Peel who played his exciting solo on "Any More Than I Do" on Perfumed Garden."
 * September 23: 1967 Pop Poll - Peel seventh in Top DJ listing. Winner is Jimmy Savile.
 * September 23: Mailbag - letter in praise of flower power; "Aware people such as Jeff Dexter, John Peel and Steve Abrams are becoming noticed and appreciated..." (link as above)
 * November 11 From "The Raver" column: "John Peel asked by pop magazine for a short, clean joke for their Christmas number replied: "How about Tony Blackburn?"
 * December 2 From "The Raver" column: "Fantastic response to gOD poll from readers. Votes went to Eric Clapton, Tony Coe, John Lennon, Roland Kirk, Ginger Baker, John Peel, Donovan, John Coltrane, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Mavis Greebstabling, an undiscovered drummer from South London called George Jeffrey, and Edwin Bulstrode"
 * December 16 From "The Raver" column: "John Peel played Captain Beefheart's "Electricity" on Top Gear. Yes John, it's "Safe As Milk"!"
 * December 30 "Old Dawbarn's Almanack". Bob Dawbarn's comic predictions for the music scene in 1968, including the replacement of Radio 1 DJs by much older, established BBC presenters; "November: Radio One replace John Peel with Jack de Manio".

1968

 * (See Melody Maker: 1968)

1969

 * January 4: Interview with Grateful Dead managers Danny Rifkin and Rock Scully during a visit to London. They discuss FM radio in the USA: "...while you have John Peel with two hours a week, we have two stations in San Francisco that operate 24 hours a day, all week...."
 * January 4: From "The Raver": "John Peel raving about Van Der Graf Generator.[sic]..." (link as above)
 * January 4: The New Blind Date, with Ed Stewart: Cream: "White Room" (Polydor) "...The Cream? I only see John Peel these days when we play football together". (link as above)
 * January 4: Letters page: "I am sick and tired of these infantile teenyboppers who knock John Peel. He is one of the most wondrous and magical people ever...One day the gates of the Perfumed Garden will open and exhale a breath of peace and beauty for the world" (link as above)
 * January 11: From "The Raver": "John Peel seems to have given the Speakeasy his Seal Of Approval..."
 * January 11: "Trend '69 - Alan Walsh looks at the growing scene in universities and colleges". Photo of Peel with caption; "London's Brunel University carry out a simple booking policy. "We book anyone John Peel likes" (link as above)
 * January 11: Dean Ford of Marmalade in Blind Date: Eric Burdon and the Animals: "Ring Of Fire" (MGM); "...I don't think it's got a chance. The bass part is nice, let's listen to it. Yes, that's set for the John Peel programme.....No, I don't like this". (link as above)
 * January 11: "1969 should be a good year for...." - a number of artists, including Liverpool Scene; mentions that their LP was produced by Peel. Success is also predicted for Yes, Led Zeppelin, Colosseum, John McLaughlin and Al Stewart.
 * January 18 : Labour MP Gwilym Roberts wants to ban continuous pop music on the BBC and complains about its late programmes. The MM responds; "....there is in fact very little pop after midnight. Five days a week, the midnight to 2 a.m. slot consists of Night Ride, a miscellany of middle-of-the-road music, outside news broadcasts, interviews and chats, the occasional pop record and a guess-the-personality telephone quiz. On the two remaining days, John Peel's Night Ride is basically the more esoteric pop, while Humphrey Lyttelton introduces an hour of jazz, followed by an hour of middl-of-the-road sounds. So check your facts Mr. Roberts...."
 * January 18  Chris Welch reviews Tyrannosaurus Rex's Queen Elizabeth Hall concert: "Tyrannosaurus Rex, with John Peel at the wand, conducted us on a tour of a land of rattles, plinks, plonks and poetry,.." Says the evening's best music came from Vytas Serelis, also mentions guest appearance by Melanie (link as above)
 * January 18: From "The Raver": "John Peel becoming a Speakeasy regular?" (link as above)
 * January 18: Aynsley Dunbar in Pop Think-In: "John Peel: He's supposed to be a blues follower. He is one of the few making any comment on the pop scene within the whole power of the BBC". (link as above)
 * January 18: Paul Curtis of the Gun in Blind Date: Heavy Jelly: "I Keep Singing That Same Old Song" (Island): "Spooky Tooth? No....I don't really like the song, it means nothing, but a good record for John Peel..." (link as above)
 * January 25: Review of "underground" concert staged at Manchester's Houldsworth Hall: "...the audience was reassured by John Peel that things were under control. "To any cynics here," he monotoned, "it might appear that we don't know what we're doing, but that would be a totally erroneuos impression". Then he contradicted himself when, apologising for the concert starting 15 minutes late, he added, "Sorry about the lack of organisation"
 * January 25: Tony Hatch in Blind Date: Tyrannosaurus Rex; "Pewter Suitor" (Regal Zonophone): "...I should imagine that if you were in a stoned state at a party, you'd think this record was fantastic. I think Tyrannosaurus Rex are the only thing that keeps John Peel awake on his programmes" (link as above)
 * February 1: Interview with Jeff Beck, by Chris Welch: "Jeff says his album, "Truth", has sold a quarter of a million in the States. "But it's unplayed on the BBC except by John Peel. I think he's responsible for all the airplay our group has ever had....""
 * February 15: Interview with new Radio One Controller Douglas Muggeridge: "...it would be nice if in the fullness of time if we could encourage and fashion a typically British style of deejay....As an example, I would cite John Peel. He has his own style, which is very interesting..."
 * February 15: From "The Raver": ""Peter Cook's new Private Eye record a gas, with amazing John Peel imitations" (link as above)
 * February 15: Singles reviewed by Chris Welch: "Spirit; "I Got A Line On You" (CBS); "According to John Peel on my wireless set, Spirit's last album was one of the best sounds of '68. Hoping for a name check - I entirely agree..." (link as above)
 * February 15: Blind Date with Roy Wood of the Move: Liverpool Scene: "Burdock River Run" and "Percy Parslow's Hamster Farm" from the LP "The Amazing Adventures Of" (RCA): "I like this very much...This is the kind of album John Peel will play each week on his show...." . Misunderstood: "Children Of The Sun" (Fontana): "...Terrible. Even the guitar was crap now I've listened to it all. I don't know why they bothered. I don't think even John Peel would play this. Oh yeah, I like his show. It's quite interesting. but he does play some weird stuff at times" (link as above)
 * February 15: Letters page - response to article on pop single reissues: "...it seems we have no worthwhile groups in this country. Of course we have, if only the BBC would let us hear them instead of constantly shoving the same records at us all the time - the one great exception being John Peel" (link as above)
 * February 22: "Explaining Englebert - Singer who splits the pop world" by Tony Wilson; "If Englebert Humperdinck ever toped the bill at the Roundhouse, that bastion of progressive underground music, there would be wholesale hari-kari [sic] among the hippies and John Peel would hand in his earphones..."
 * February 22: Blind Date with Peter Sarstedt: Peter Cook: "The Loneliness of the Long Playing Record" (Private Eye): "It's Peter Cook, isn't it? He did a very good imitation of John Peel on Cilla's TV show...." (link as above)
 * February 22: "More than an album, a rarity". Enthusiastic review of Liverpool Scene's "Amazing Adventures Of; "; ...John Peel's production is cleverly paced and presented with the minumum of pretension and the maximum of taste..." (link as above)
 * March 1: "Now Pop Catches Up WIth Poetry" - interview with the Liverpool Scene. They say Peel is "a friend rather than our producer" and claim their success is because pop lyrics are much better these days. ""It's become a cliché to say it, but it's because of Dylan and the Beatles" said Mike [Evans]. "And John Peel. He's allowed to present poetry on a sort of pop fringe show"" (i.e. Night Ride)
 * March 8: From "The Raver":  "John Peel on the Concorde: "It's all rather amazing. Perhaps they can house Britain's homeless in it"....Blues and progressive music should be doing well. But some clubs have had to close because of groups not turning up for gigs. Peter Reddaway, manager of the Locarno, Swindon, says becasuse some groups hadn't turned up or couldn't play for technical reasons, his audeince dropped from 1,000 to 174, even for John Peel and Ten Years After".
 * March 8: "It can't be long before Ron Geesin takes over the world". Interview by Chris Welch; "Among those who have helped Ron to gain more exposure is John Peel...." (link as above)
 * September 20 "Pop Poll '69" (p.1) Cartoon by MM's Jimmy Thomson on front page, showing Peel and three other winners in annual readers' poll.(Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, possibly Christine Perfect of Chicken Shack)

1970

 * July 18 "Cool or Uncool?" (p.8) Light-hearted article with lists of people and things which fit the two categories, including "Cool: John Peel - Uncool: Tony Brandon "
 * September 19: 1970 Pop Poll Results: "John Peel makes it a hat-trick of Top Disc Jockey awards, follows it up with the first and second places in the Top Radio Show division with his Top Gear and Sunday Show".

1971

 * February 13 "Football on Peel 'Special'". "Guests on John Peel's Late-Night Line-Up "special" on BBC2 TV on February 20 at 10.45 p.m. will include former Liverpool and Scotland football international Billy Liddell and soprano saxist Lowen Coxhill..." (read more). Programme was described as first of a regular series, but only this one featured Peel. The series was called "One Man's Week" and was edited by Rowan Ayers, father of Peel favourite Kevin Ayers.

1973

 * September 29: Peel winning the Best DJ category in the 1973 Melody Maker Readers' Poll. (read more)

1978

 * November 11: Peel wins Top DJ and comes 2nd in the Best Radio Show in the 1978 Melody Maker Readers' Poll. (read more)

1991

 * January 5: Peel wins Best Radio Show in the 1990 Melody Maker Readers' Poll (read more)

Melody Maker v/a Compilations
(Known plays by Peel of various artist (v/a) releases from Melody Maker, listed in order of first appearance on his R1 show. He also gave airtime to at least one flexidisc issued with the paper (see 03 May 1982). Please add more information if known.)

(v/a LP - Red Stripe - Playback Volume 1)
 * 17 November 1982: IQ: Beef In Box
 * 07 December 1982: Hibi Yaki: Labours And The Land

(v/a 7" - MM Vinyl Conflict 1)
 * 11 February 1986: Housemartins: Anxious

(v/a 7" - Vinyl Conflict 2)
 * 24 September 1986 (VPRO): Fall: Lucifer Over Lancashire (Alternative Version)
 * 24 September 1986 (VPRO): Cocteau Twins: Orange Appled
 * October 1986 (BBC World Service): Cocteau Twins: Orange Appled

(v/a cassette - Five Alive)
 * 05 February 1993: Therapy?: Nausea
 * 14 February 1993 (BFBS): Therapy?: Nausea

(v/a 3xCD - The Serious Road Trip )
 * 12 November 1994: Banco De Gaia: White Paint
 * 12 November 1994: Loop Guru: Yayli (Unity Vibrations)
 * 12 November 1994: Dust Brothers: Be That Thing

(v/a cassette - Reading Present)
 * 26 August 1994: Elastica: Waking Up [BBC Radio 1 FM Session]
 * 27 August 1994: Elastica: Waking Up [BBC Radio 1 FM Session]
 * 02 September 1994: Elastica: Waking Up [BBC Radio 1 FM Session]
 * 10 September 1994 (BFBS): Elastica: Waking Up [BBC Radio 1 FM Session]
 * 08 October 1994 (BFBS): Elastica: Waking Up [BBC Radio 1 FM Session]
 * 23 December 1994: Elastica: Waking Up [BBC Radio 1 FM Session] FF#7

(v/a cassette - Reading Present 1995)
 * 25 August 1995: Stereolab: Pop Quiz

(v/a CD - ...Hold On)
 * 02 September 1995: Dick Dale: Mexico
 * 09 September 1995: Sleeper: Disco Duncan

Links

 * Wikipedia: Melody Maker
 * Jazz Lives : 1934 photo of Louis Armstrong reading Melody Maker
 * Pathe News: Peel at 1968 MM Readers' Poll Awards
 * Pathe News: Peel at 1969 MM Readers' Poll Awards
 * Archived Music Press: Melody Maker
 * rocklist.net: Melody Maker Annual Critic Lists 1978-2000
 * Melody Maker Pop Poll 1973 - Best disc jockey