28 December 1977

Show[]

(Adapted from the writeup at Fades in Slowly). This Peel show is an absolute gem for many obvious reasons (look at the songs he plays), but for those obsessed with the annual Festive Fifty, it provides invaluable info regarding the near-mythical 1977 Festive Fifty. Very little was known about this chart, apart from rumours that one existed, until the publication of Ken Garner's book The Peel Sessions.
Well, the end-of-year show you're about to be dazzled by confirms categorically that Peel did indeed broadcast a full festive chart at the end of 1977, although from what he says in this show, he seems merely to have chosen his favourite sixty tracks for that year.
This show isn't Peel's festive 60 for the year; it is the show broadcast the night after he'd completed the list. It is, however, an absolute belter, as Peel showcases his favourite session tracks of the year. This was quite an eye-opener: despite Peel’s later admission that he had tended to let punk dominate his shows during this period, there are many other genres represented, although I can’t imagine why that would surprise me to much.
(Please note: Many mp3 copies of this show incorrectly label it as taking place on 30 December 1977, when there was no Peel programme. This is the date of the show given in Ken Garner's authoritative The Peel Sessions book.)

(Best sessions of 1977)

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

Part One

(JP confirms the existence of a festive chart, a festive 60 which he appears to have chosen himself, and that this track was his number one.)

(Begs for tickets for the Chelsea v. Liverpool cup match)

Part Two

Lone Star: From All Of Us To All Of You
Steel Pulse: Bad Man
Boomtown Rats: Mary Of The Fourth Form (Bob Gelding?)
Slits: New Town
Fabulous Poodles: Mr. Mic
Lurkers: Total War
June Tabor: No Man's Land
Stranglers: No More Heroes
Frankie Miller: Be Good To Yourself
Elvis Costello & the Attractions: Red Shoes
Colosseum II: Lament
Motors: You Beat The Hell Out Of Me
Frankie Miller: Be Good To Yourself (yes, for the second time in the space of 15 minutes)