27 April 1969

Show[]

(Duff Paddy) This first show in the bunch features sessions from, as stated above, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, Eclection and (The) Family. There's only a slight glitch in Mr. Apollo, as indicated below, but otherwise this is a full two-hour show in very reasonable nick for its age. Manna for Peeliacs.
The first Top Gear to be produced by John Walters, after Bernie Andrews had been taken off the show, much to Peel's annoyance. Radio Times billed it as "John Peel in Top Gear with groups and records we would like you to hear"[1]
The show was pre-recorded, since John was attending a Pink Floyd gig at the time it was due to go out (the new time of 7-9 p.m. on Sunday evening).
While recording the show on Friday, Peel doesn't know the result of the following day's FA Cup final - he has promised to play the Family album in full if Leicester beat Manchester City. As revealed in the news, Man City won 1-0.
Eclection, with a much-changed line-up after what turned out to be their only LP, include a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" in their session. Family's session includes a version of J.B. Lenoir's "I Sing 'Um The Way I Feel", but Peel isn't impressed by it. He's more taken with Chicken Shack's version of Etta James' "I'd Rather Go Blind", which took them into the UK singles charts.

Eclection, #4. Recorded 1969-04-21. No known commercial release.
Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, #2 (rpt). Recorded 1969-02-24. No known commercial release.
Family, #5 (rpt). Recorded 1969-03-11. All except 'Bring It On Home' available on BBC Radio Volume 1 1968 - 69 (Hux). Full session to be re-released in December 2018 on "Family At The BBC".

(Courtesy Duff Paddy) File b begins

File b ends

Eclection: Both Sides Now (session)
Chicken Shack: I'd Rather Go Blind (single) Blue Horizon 57-3153
Family: A Song For Me (session)
Bonzo Dog Band: Mr. Apollo [skips back to end of the Family track, then continues and jumps a bit further into Mr. Apollo] (single) Liberty LBF 15201

News at 7:30

Eclection: Restitution (session)
Bob Dylan: Country Pie (LP - Nashville Skyline) Columbia KCS 9825
Principal Edwards Magic Theatre: Lament For The Earth (session)
Family: Bring It On Home (session)
Pentangle: Once I Had A Sweetheart (7") Big T BIG 124
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Proud Mary (LP - Bayou County) Fantasy 8387
Principal Edwards Magic Theatre: Ballad of a Big Girl Now (session)
Eclection: Charity (session)
Leonard Cohen: Seems So Long Ago Nancy (album - Songs From A Room) CBS M 63587
BB King: Sweet Little Angel (LP - From The Beginning) Kent KST-533
Family: Love Is A Sleeper (session)
Colosseum: Those About To Die (LP - Those Who Are About To Die Salute You) Fontana ST5510
Principal Edwards Magic Theatre: Third Sonnet To Sundry Notes Of Music (session)
Eclection: Earth (session)
Moody Blues: Send Me No Wine (LP - On The Threshold Of A Dream) Deram DML 1035
Gordon Smith: Instrumental No. 2 (LP - Long Overdue) Blue Horizon 7-63211 [Interrupted by a motoring flash]
Family: I Sing 'Um The Way I Feel (session)
Principal Edwards Magic Theatre: Pinky: A Mystery Cycle (session)
Dr. John: The Lonesome Guitar Strangler (LP - Babylon) Atco 228 018
Eclection: Put On Your Face (session)
Top Gear Theme

(Duff Paddy) This torrent is a re-upload of the 8 classic Top Gear shows that appeared on my Peel blog Kat's Karavan and have now expired. Most of them are full (or nearly full) shows, encoded as 320K MP3s from 7-inch reel-to-reel tapes.
Many thanks to hills1902 for supplying the tapes, to John for ripping and encoding them and to Phil for originally hosting the MP3s on his server.
b) (gooner02uk) I just found a 6 minute Top Gear clip from the 27th of April 1969,it was on the end of a Pick of the Pops show that i recently got in a trade.Might be of interest !