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John Peel Wiki
in: 1977, Peel shows, Available online

29 August 1977

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Show[]

Name
Station
YYYY-MM-DD
  • 1977-08-29
Comments
  • Show is billed in Ken Garner's The Peel Sessions as a "2nd punk special" (following the first one on 10 December 1976). Only the Damned appear in both, with 'Neat Neat Neat' turning up in the first as a session track and here as a single.
  • Notable differences compared with the original punk special nine months earlier include the number of sessions (four rather than one, including the first broadcast of Squeeze's debut), as well as the emphasis on British rather than US artists. In addition, the 10 December 1976 show was only one hour long; this one was two hours. Peel stresses that he is concentrating on music from 1977.
  • Among the records, three from the Clash (plus one from Joe Strummer's former band, the 101ers), as well as two each by the Sex Pistols (starting and ending the show) and Stranglers. Peel names Rezillos single 'I Can't Stand My Baby' as his favourite of the year so far.
  • Several of the tracks in the show, including those by the Damned, Boys and Users, would also subsequently feature in Peel's 1977 Festive Fifty, when he made the selections himself. The Users' single also turned up in John Peel's Record Box.
  • Peel manages to play The Cortinas track by mistake instead of the Generation X one that immediately follows it.
  • He does not fail to mention that the following day is his birthday, although it may be a little late to send a card. To celebrate, he is planning to go to the Vortex after the end of the show to see Chelsea.
  • Also mentions his recent visit to the Reading Festival, which he says he enjoyed and where "Capital Radio In Tune With Nothing" stickers where apparently to be seen. "Most unfair," claims Peel.
  • Lead story on the news at the end of the show is violence at the Notting Hill Carnival.
  • Around 90 minutes of the show was available as of February 2009, thanks to Peel Mailing List member "thebarguest", with gaps and fadeouts fixed by "billfromnorthwales". Additional tracklisting information is courtesy of Ken Garner. Many thanks to Ken, Bill and thebarguest!
  • From January 2010 an almost complete recording was uploaded from Peel Mailing List member Kevin -
    - "A few seconds missing in the middle of Squeeze: Model and Slaughter & The Dogs: The Bitch, where the tape got chewed. - A fade out at the end of Generation X: Youth Youth Youth, before I turned the tape over. - Perhaps a minute missing at the end, when the tape ran out."
  • In March 2012 Peel Mailing List member LeicesterJim supplied a complete version of the show. It runs slightly slowly so comes in at a little over two hours.
  • JP refers to Tony Blackburn as Timmy Bannockburn before playing Gary Gilmore's Eyes.

Sessions[]

Tracklisting[]

  • JP: 'Whereas you and me on the other hand have not been Ferrari drivers for the last four years and tonight we have a special bank holiday program to celebrate the fact that this is 1977 and that rock is alive and well in Britain even if it's suffering from senile dementia in America and elsewhere and to help prove the point we have sessions from Squeeze, XTC, Generation X and the Cortinas and any number of fine records.'
  • Sex Pistols: Pretty Vacant (7", Single: Pretty Vacant) Virgin Records
  • JP: 'Well, the Sex Pistols getting us underway is only fitting and actually while that was going on I was counting how many records we've got and there are 21 at least between now and midnight and I shall try to talk as little as possible and play as many records as possible too. These are the Vibrators.'
  • Vibrators: London Girls - Live (7", Single: London Girls) Epic
  • Stranglers: London Lady (7", Single: Grip) United Artists Records
  • JP: 'London Girls and London Lady - The Vibrators and the Stranglers and here's something else which occurs in London one way or another.'
  • Clash: Capital Radio (7", EP: Capital Radio E.P.) NME
  • JP: "Well of course I spent the last weekend at the Reading Festival and very good it was too. Thoroughly enjoyed it despite the weather and somebody had been going around there sticking up Capital Radio in tune with Nothing stickers which I thought was very unfair. Those are the Clash and that's from the EP which was distributed by the NME and it's called Capital Radio. This is the first from Squeeze and this is their debut session for us in fact and it's called Model."
  • Squeeze: Model (Peel Session)
  • Models: Man Of The Year (7", Single: Man Of The Year) Step Forward
  • JP: 'The Models and that's Man Of The Year and before that you heard Squeeze and they did a tune called Model, one of John Walters's deft programming touches. And the Squeeze of course are Deptford fund city recording artistes. This is the first from XTC and when we recorded this session and broadcast it first, the band were without a recording contract but now they have one with as far as I can recall, Virgin Records and should have a record out shortly. This is Crosswires.'
  • XTC: Cross Wires (Peel Session)
  • JP: 'And those are XTC and that's my favourite of the numbers that they do in fact it's called Crosswires and one of me favourite bands are Generation X perhaps because I've seen them more than I've seen any of the others and this is their first and it's also our studio version of it of course but another version of it is also the band's current and first single. Your Generation.'
  • Cortinas: Television Families (Peel Session)
  • JP: 'Well, you may easily have spotted there one of those tiny little mistakes that made me one of the most despised persons on Radio. And of course that wasn't Generation X or indeed Your Generation. Rather was it the Cortinas and Television Family, Television Families. Actually this could easily turn out to be Generation X, though.'
  • Generation X: Your Generation (Peel Session)
  • JP: 'Well, there are two versions of that around on record. Those are Generation X and Your Generation of course. One of them being the official single release on Chrysalis and the other one being a bootleg of suspiciously high quality which is nearly as good as the official release. Here are the Desperate Bicycles.'
  • Desperate Bicycles: Smokescreen (7", Single: Smokescreen) Refill Records
  • Buzzcocks: Boredom (7", EP: Spiral Scratch) New Hormones
  • JP: 'And that written by Howard Devoto who's in his own way becoming a bit of a legendary figure and also by Pete Shelley who you may have seen on that Brass Tacks programme from Manchester about Punk Rock talking rather more sense than most of the other people you were on there. And those were the Buzzcocks from their EP on the New Hormones label and Boredom. Before that the Desperate Bicycles on their own Refill Records and their first of two records and that was called Smokescreen. Another now from the Squeeze and this has the intriguing title of Sex Master.'
  • Squeeze: Sex Master (Peel Session)
  • JP: 'Ends very suddenly, that one, you know. Catch an unwary DJ completely off guard. Those are Squeeze and that's called Sex Master and this next one's for Paddy and Davey and Co from Bev and Val of Belfast. And it's a record which is actually in the BBC charts and yet curiously enough my daytime chums don't seem to be playing it. Perhaps as much as they do some of the other records that are in the charts, but I live and hope. I wonder these days Timmy Bannockburn will play the thing. These are The Adverts, of course.'
  • Adverts: Gary Gilmore's Eyes (7", Single: Gary Gilmore's Eyes) Anchor Records
  • JP: 'And those are The Adverts of course. Gary Gilmore's Eyes and as I say that's somewhere in the BBC charts at this very moment. An amazing feat, I think. And now another from the band who I hope suppose to focus attention on a bewildered cosmos on Swindon. XTC.'
  • XTC: Radios In Motion (Peel Session)
  • JP' Well, one hopes that they don't mean that in quite the same way that Matron, bless her would have meant it. Those are XTC and it's called Radios In Motion.'
  • Damned: Neat Neat Neat (7", Single: Neat Neat Neat) Stiff Records
  • JP: 'Ah, a fine record indeed. And those are The Damned and of course Neat Neat Neat. And I forgot to mention earlier on when I played that one by the Adverts that we have a session from them on tomorrow's night programme. This next one actually comes from 1976 but when they start doing the Joe Strummer story on Radio 1 when they get to Episode 1: the Early Years, this is the record they'll be playing to illustrate that.'
  • 101ers: Keys To Your Heart (12", Comp.: Submarine Tracks & Fool's Gold) Chiswick Records
  • Clash: Career Opportunities (12", Album: The Clash) CBS
  • JP: 'And that letter for all of those who do make tea at the BBC. Those are the Clash from their indispensable LP, I think, also called The Clash. Career Opportunities. And before that Joe Strummer, take one as it were with the 101ers from the LP, Fool's Gold on Chiswick. And Keys To Your Heart. Perhaps the answer to it all is Further Education.'
  • Cortinas: Further Education (Peel Session)
  • JP: 'Bristol's finest. The Cortinas and that's Further Education. Well, that was playing actually I opened a letter from a Mick Alcott of Aldrich in Staffordshire which includes a poem. He's only been listening to the programme for six months. And he says: Keep up the good work, Mr John Peel. You might sound dead but your music is real. Thanks a lot, Mick.'
  • Generation X: Youth Youth Youth (Peel Session)
  • JP:' Generation X and that's Youth Youth Youth. And these are the Users.'
  • Users: Sick Of You (7", Single: Sick Of You) Raw Records
  • Nosebleeds: Ain't Bin To No Music School (7", Single: Ain't Bin To No Music School) Rabid Records
  • JP: 'Oh, they sound like a real fun bunch of guys, don't they? The Nosebleeds. Ed Banger and the Nosebleeds formerly and that's on the Rabid Records label from Manchester. Ain't Bin To No Music School. Before that from Cambridge, at least the record label's from Cambridge on Raw Records. The Users and Sick Of You. Another one now from Squeeze. This is All Fed Up.'
  • Squeeze: All Fed Up (Peel Session)
  • JP: 'Just five ??? chaps. Those are Squeeze and that's called All Fed Up from their session for us tonight. Here's one that you will have heard before, in fact.'
  • Jam: All Around The World (7", Single: All Around The World) Polydor
  • Table: Do The Standing Still (7", Single: Do The Standing Still (Classics Illustrated)) Virgin Records
  • JP: 'A special dance for those of you who got weary of doing the lying down. That's Do The Standing Still which was subtitled for reasons which never became apparent. Classics Illustrated and those were Table. The single on Virgin. Before that of course The Jam and All Around The World. Here's another from XTC.'
  • XTC: She's So Square (Peel Session)
  • Cortinas: Defiant Pose (Peel Session)
  • JP: 'Well, a Defiant Pose works for some and not for others. It didn't work terribly affectively for West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, I'm afraid but there you are. Those are the Cortinas and that's Defiant Pose before that XTC and She's So Square.'
  • Chelsea: Right To Work (7", Single: Right To Work) Step-Forward Records
  • JP: 'And I just saw that Chelsea are playing at Vortex in London after the programme actually so I think I should go down and celebrate because of course after midnight it's my birthday. If you haven't sent a card it's too late, I'm afraid. My feelings have already been rather badly damaged. That was Right To Work, of course. Chelsea and that's on the Step-Forward record label. This is the first from the Adverts, who as I mentioned earlier are our guests on tomorrow's night programme. This is the one that came out on Stiff, of course. One Chord Wonders.'
  • Adverts: One Chord Wonders (7", Single: One Chord Wonders) Stiff Records
  • JP: 'Good tune, that, actually. It has to be said. And with the band with a record in the charts perhaps, because I think that's the one Stiff record from last year. It was last year wasn't it? I'm sorry I should have sorted all this out before I started talking really because I never bother to do that. Well, anyway I think that's one of the early Stiff records that's still actually available. One Chord Wonders. The Adverts. And here's another from Generation X. I wish I never got involved in all of that, really.'
  • Generation X: Day By Day (Peel Session)
  • Stranglers: Straighten Out (7", Single: Something Better Change) United Artists Records
  • Clash: White Riot (12", Album: The Clash) CBS
  • JP: 'Well, there you had Generation X, the first of the three with Day By Day followed by the Stranglers and Straighten Out and finally of course The Clash from the album and White Riot and when I tried to play that at Reading, a copy of the record jumped rather seriously and in a shocking display of bad temper I threw out into the congregation and almost beheaded a youth. So, Youth. I'm awfully sorry. I didn't meant to hit you. These are Squeeze and this track is also the A-side of the current single. In a different version, of course. It's Cat On The Wall.'
  • Squeeze: Cat On A Wall (Peel Session)
  • JP: 'Bet you thought you were going to be catch me with that, didn't you? Aren't you glad you don't live next to them? Those are Squeeze and Cat On The Wall and the last from them and their debut session for Radio 1 for this. And I hope - I'm fading meself out. And I'm going mad. This is also the last from XTC, as well and it's Science Friction.'
  • XTC: Science Friction (Peel Session)
  • JP: 'And there you had XTC. And the last from them on their session for us tonight and that's called Science Friction. And do you realise that I've only got fifteen and a half minutes left of being 37? Can you imagine how that feels? The inexorable march of time. Mind you, Fluff must feel a lot worse. Here are Slaughter & The Dogs and this is the other record that's been released on the Rabid label. And this is appropriately the Bitch.'
  • Slaughter & The Dogs: The Bitch (7", Single: Cranked Up Really High) Rabid Records
  • Cortinas: Having It (Peel Session)
  • JP: 'And one feels fairly certain doesn't one that what they're talking about is Afternoon Tea with Cucumber Sandwiches with all the crusts cut off. And those are the Cortinas and Having It. It's hardly that. And before that Slaughter & The Dogs and their only single to date, The Bitch on Rabid Records and because I've been talking so little. I have as I suspected had enough time to put in one extra record. And I'm going to play it for you now. It's the best track from the debut LP by The Boys.'
  • Boys: Box Number (12", Album: The Boys) NEMS
  • Rezillos: I Can't Stand My Baby (7", Single: I Can't Stand My Baby) Sensible Records
  • JP: 'Oh, that's a great record. And I've already lost many friends. Well, one or two for the persistent for which I walk around singing I can't stand up/let me sit down. And those are the Rezillos on Sensible Records and I Can't Stand My Baby and we'll going to end as we started and rightly so with The Sex Pistols.'
  • Sex Pistols: Anarchy In The UK (7", Single: Anarchy In The UK) EMI
  • (Pickin' The Blues plays)
  • JP: 'And if you were asked which you were looking forward to hearing most, the new Stones double live album or the Pistols album. How would you respond to that? I know what my answer would be. Those were the Sex Pistols ending tonight's programme with Anarchy In The UK from 1976 actually but basically we've been concentrating on '77 with sessions from Squeeze, XTC, Generation X and the Cortinas. Tomorrow night, The Adverts and the Fabulous Poodles. And I hope you listen to that programme. I'll let you enjoy this one. Thanks very much for listening. And more on the Reading Festival perhaps tomorrow too. Good night.'

File[]

Name
  • (1) RADIO 1 29 08 77 JOHN PEEL.MP3
  • (2) Peel 770829 - pt1.mp3
  • (3) Peel 770829 - pt2.mp3
  • (4) Peel 770829 - pt3.mp3
  • (5) 1977-08-29 John Peel Radio 1 (Incomplete).mp3
  • (6) John Peel New Wave Prog 770829.mp3
  • (7) 1977-08-29.mp3
Length
  • (1) 00:30:01 - from very end of first track, ends during "Boredom" (Buzzcocks)
  • (2) 00:42:31 - from very end of first track, ends during "Neat, Neat, Neat" (Damned)
  • (3) 00:19:01 - from "All Fed Up" (Squeeze), ends during "Right To Work" (Chelsea)
  • (4) 00:20:01 - from "Science Friction" (XTC), ends at start of news
  • (5) 01:28:56 Single file joining up (2), (3) and (4), with fades and gaps fixed.
  • (6) 01:56:57 almost complete show, cuts out near end of last track
  • (7) 01:28:55
Other
  • First shared version consists only of (1). Additional material shared in February 2009 via the Peel Mailing List on files (2), (3) and (4). Both versions start at the very end of the first track. Many thanks to "thebarguest"! Latest version (5) joins up (2), (3) and (4), fixing fades and filling in gaps. Many thanks to Bill!
  • Many thanks to Ken Garner for additional tracklisting information, shared via Peel Mailing List.
Available
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