25 December 1973

Show

Name

• Top Gear

Station

• BBC Radio One

YYYY-MM-DD

• 1973-12-25

Comments

• Full tracklisting from the PasB of the BBC Written Archives Centre.
• Peel plays a Christmas "pub piano" medley session from Elton John. According to Ken Garner's The Peel Sessions (p.82), the idea for this session came from show producer John Walters and Elton John was happy to agree to it. "Walters got some light ales into Langham 1, dragged along Peel and various other Radio 1 producers and managers to get the atmosphere going around the specially hired upright pub piano, and Elton kicked off with a plinky-plonky medley of Christmas tunes..."
• Peel plays a prog rock track by a Swedish band called Panta Rei, from an LP released on Harvest Records.
• There is a session by the Shadows, not usually thought of as being among Peel's favourites (though he played tracks by them at least 31 times), and a track from George Melly, but only a few of the tracks played have Christmas themes. The show as a whole unusually plays three debut sessions (normally at least one would have been a repeat).

Sessions

• Elton John, #2. Recorded: 1973-12-18. No known commercial release.
• Shadows, one and only. Recorded: 1973-12-10. No known commercial release.
• Bob Marley & The Wailers, #2. Recorded: 1973-11-26. No known commercial release.

Tracklisting

• Shadows: Nivram (Peel Session)
• Leon Russell: Slipping Into Christmas (7") A&M
• Elton John: Christmas Medley (Away In A Manger/Rudolf The Red-Nose Reindeer/White Christmas/Jingle Bells) (Peel Session)
• Ollie Nightingale: May The Best Man Win (LP - Sweet Surrender) Pride
• Phil Everly: Snowflake Bombardier (LP - Star Spangled Springer) RCA
• Bob Marley & The Wailers: Kinky Reggae (Peel Session)
• The Who: Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (7") Brunswick
• Faces: Pool Hall Richard (7") Warner Bros.
• Panta Rei: Five Steps (LP - Panta Rei) Harvest
• Shadows: Jungle Jam (Peel Session)
• Tim Hardin: Shiloh Town (LP - Nine) GM
• Stealers Wheel: Good Businessman (LP - Ferguslie Park) A&M
• Elton John: Dylan Medley (Blowin' In The Wind/She Belongs To Me/Mr.Tambourine Man)
• Jimi Hendrix: Like A Rolling Stone (2xLP - Sound Track Recordings From The Film "Jimi Hendrix") Reprise
• Bill Oddie: On Ilkla Moor Baht’at (7") Dandelion
• Bob Marley & The Wailers: Can't Blame The Youths (Peel Session)
• Michael Chapman: Wellington The Skellington (LP - Millstone Grit) Deram
• Idle Race: Skeleton And The Roundabout (LP - The Birthday Party) Liberty
• George Melly And The Feetwarmers: Buddy Bolden's Blues (LP - Son Of Nuts) Warner Bros.
• Shadows: Turn Around And Touch Me (Peel Session)
• Blue: Timi's Black Arrow (LP - Blue) RSO
• Elton John: Pub Medley (Don't Dilly Dally On The Way/Lilly Of Laguna/Down At The Old Bull And Bush/Knees Up Mother Brown/Hokey Kokey) (session)
• Free: My Brother Jake (7") Island
• Allman Brothers Band: Southbound (LP - Brothers And Sisters) Capricorn
• Bob Marley & The Wailers: Get Up Stand Up (Peel Session)
• Shadows: Wonderful Land (Peel Session)
• Elton John: Medley: Daniel / Your Song (Peel Session)

File

Name

Length

Other

Available

• Tracklisting only

Footnotes