John Peel Wiki

Changes to the look of John Peel Wiki will take place in the near future due to a new skin being rolled out over Oct/Nov across Wikia. Please see the Wikia Staff Blog for further details. On this site, the changes will affect the navigation from the left menu, as well as introduce a fixed page width with narrower content space. Please be patient while adjustments are made for the switch to the new system.

UPDATE: As the change is now in force for some users, I have switched the navigation to the simplified one for the new system. Please check Navigation in the Help section if you can't find things. I also initially made small adjustments to the front page layout, but have now reverted to the old look until all users are on the new system.

COUNTDOWN: Just a reminder for people still using Monaco that the final switch to the new skin is due on Nov. 3. After that, it will no longer be offered as an option. Sorry. Nothing to do with me.

Steve W

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John Peel Wiki

Show[]

Name
Station
YYYY-MM-DD
  • 1987-02-23
Comments
  • The recording contains the first hour of the show, but is missing the opening two minutes.
  • The David Bowie track presumably opened the programme to commemorate Warhol's death the previous day.
  • Peel had been to see the band Europe in Birmingham with his son William. "It was one of those things you go to really expecting to be able to tear it to shreds to be honest with you, actually in a sense there wasn't enough there to dislike. By the end of it I felt quite sympathetic towards them. You'll be appalled to hear that, I don't doubt, some of you, but... a good show, there's no getting away from it. They could actually play quite well and it was quite entertaining. Perhaps I'm mellowing in my old age." (Review is reprinted in Olivetti Chronicles, p.64)
  • Still on the subject of gigs: "Out of all the gigs that I've had to review for the newspapers, the only one that I really came away from thinking... in fact I left at half time because I thought if I stayed any longer I should have some kind of rather exciting seizure, was the Cliff Richard gig."
  • After the gig Peel had been out for a meal with Robert Lloyd and Derek Hammon, formerly of the group Yeah Yeah Noh.
  • Another television appearance is referenced: "You may recall that there was a programme about Polish music on BBC television recently, and then I talked a load of patronising codswallop about it on 'Did You See?' which you may not have seen, in fact."
  • The Mekons cover Merle Haggard's 'Skid Row' in their session, adding a verse for Peel: 'Well hello John Peel what we want to know / When you going to quit? Where will we go / We'll never get played on the radio / But we'll see you down on skid row.'
  • Peel couldn't recognise a Japanese record, as it was written in Japanese. The record turns out to be from あぶらだこ (Aburadako), whose track "29" was played at the wrong speed by Peel. That version can be found on this link. The normal version can be seen on this link.

Sessions[]

  • Mekons #6. First broadcast. Recorded 10th February 1987
  • Dub Sex #1. Repeat of session first broadcast 04 February 1987. Recorded 20th January 1987

(Please add details of any commercial release of these sessions)

Tracklisting[]

JP: "Another religious experience with a Manchester area band."

Tape flip

JP: "I'm not on skid row yet, although people do laugh and snicker at my clothes already."
JP: "At our house we have a new favourite record. It's not a new one at all, actually, it's old, but it's been growing on us over a long period of time and now we can't get through the day without hearing it several times. In fact the Pig sings it and rather well without knowing the words at all. Here it is."
  • Bhundu Boys: Hupenyu Hwangu (LP - Shabini) Discafrique
  • Birthday Party: Release the Bats (The Peel Sessions EP 12") Strange Fruit
  • Aburadako (あぶらだこ): 29 (LP - あぶらだこ) ABURA 1 (Played at the wrong speed and of course Peel didn't notice it, as the vocals were in Japanese)
JP: "As I say, we don't know the name of the artist, nor the name of the track, nor the record label, nor indeed anything about it, beyond the fact that it's Japanese and on blue vinyl."

File[]

Name
  • 1987-02-23 Tape 407.mp3
Length
  • 1:01:22
Other
Available