Show[]
- Name
- Station
- BBC Radio One
- YYYY-MM-DD
- 1970-10-17
- Comments
- Tracklisting below is from Volume 1 of the Decktician Logs. Many thanks to Decktician, Ken Garner for copying and additional information, and Rocker for acting as central HQ.
- Differences between a few titles given in the tracklisting and Peel's announcements, as shown below.
- Three "one-session wonders" are featured, with repeats for the historic session by Son House and the sole session by Dr. Strangely Strange. Peel is still deeply impressed by Son House's session and says he hopes it will be preserved in the BBC Archives.
- Peel mentions that he and John Walters went to the College of St Mark and St John’s in Kings Road earlier in the week, although he doesn't say why - presumably to talk to the students. He says that after an unproductive first hour, they “sat down and thrashed out a lot of things…..a very instructive session”
- A first broadcast for The Amazing Band's only Top Gear session. They were a free-jazz outfit with a floating line-up, based around trumpeter Mal Dean (known for his cartoons in Melody Maker) and violinist Rab Spall, who appeared on the version of Robert Wyatt's "Moon In June" on the LP Soft Machine - Third. Producer John Walters was interested in free jazz at the time and was probably responsible for booking them. Walters attempted to defend them at their BBC audition, saying "A band concerned with experiments in free improvisation can hardly be failed as there is no real yardstick to measure them by", but the panel weren't impressed. Comments included "Pretentious....boring....a musical confidence trick of the first order" (quoted in Ken Garner, The Peel Sessions, p.252)
- The Rod Stewart track "Lady Day" may be a tribute to Billie Holiday, although the lyrics describe a "one-sided love affair" from the singer's viewpoint. The song's title is the nickname Holiday was given by Lester Young.
- JP says “Welcome back, Ron Yeats” – he scored in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Burnley
Sessions[]
- Amazing Band #1 Only broadcast of only session, Recorded 1970-09-29. No known commercial release.
- Son House #1 Repeat of only session. First broadcast 11 July 1970. Recorded 1970-07-06. No known commercial release.
- Dr Strangely Strange #1 Repeat of only session. First broadcast 06 June 1970. Recorded 1970-05-26. No known commercial release.
(Please add details of any commercial release of these sessions)
Tracklisting[]
(Please add further release details, external links, etc.)
- File 1 begins at start of show
- Kevin Ayers & The Whole World: Butterfly Dance (7") Harvest HAR 5027
- Family: Lives And Ladies (album - Anyway) Reprise RSX 9005
- Mountain: My Friend (7" - Sittin' On A Rainbow) Bell BLL 1125
- Dr Strangely Strange: Jove Was At Home (session) (Peel hums along with the ending)
- Amazing Band: Find (session)
- Jimmy Campbell: Dulcie (It’s December) (album - Half Baked) Vertigo 6360 010
- news, partially edited
- Everly Brothers: I’m On My Way Home Again (v/a album - The Big Ball) Warner Bros. PRO 358 (partially edited)
- Son House: My Good Gal (session)
- Byrds: Chestnut Mare (album - Untitled) CBS 66253 mostly edited out
- Dr Strangely Strange: Ashling (session)
- Rod Stewart: Lady Day (album - Gasoline Alley) Vertigo 6360 500 (JP thinks the LP is “a magnificent record in every way”)
- Humblebums: All The Best People Do It (album - Open Up The Door) Transatlantic TRA 218
- Tape edit, end of above track missing
- Amazing Band: Amazing March (session)
- sounds like another edit in the above, less than 2 minutes of track available
- Son House: Death Letter (session)
- Tape pauses during above track
- Son House: Don’t You Mind People Grinnin’ In Your Face (session)
- Tape resumes
- Elton John: My Father’s Gun (album - Tumbleweed Connection) DJM DJLPS 410
- 4.30pm news edited out
- Skid Row: For Those Who Do (album - Skid) CBS S 63965
- High Tide: Blankman Cries Again (album - High Tide) Liberty LBS 83294
- Dr Strangely Strange: Mary Malone (session) (announced as “Mary Malone of Moscow”, the title this track has on the band’s Heavy Petting LP)
- Pete Brown & Pibiokto!: Flying Hero Sandwich (7") Harvest HAR 5028
- Mr Fox: Little Woman (7") Big T BIG 135 (played for the Pig, who’s in the studio,“sitting at the back either knitting or reading H.P. Lovecraft stories”. Cover of a Dave Mason song)
- Snooky Pryor: Going Back On The Road (album - Snooky Pryor) Flyright LP 100 (Album title announced as "Boogie Twist With Snooky Pryor")
- End of show - "produced by J. Petals Walters" (the nickname Peel gave Walters at the start of their collaboration)
File[]
- Name
- J P Top Gear 17 Oct 1970.mp3
- Length
- 1:37:57
- Other
- Many thanks to the original taper, and to Tim for purchasing from eBay and digitisation
- Available