The Boo Radleys were an English indie band who were associated with the shoegazing and Britpop movements. They were formed in Wallasey, Merseyside, England in 1988, with Rob Harrison on drums, singer/guitarist Sice Rowbottom, guitarist/songwriter Martin Carr, bassist Timothy Brown. Their name is taken from the character Boo Radley in Harper Lee's 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Shortly after the release of their first album, Hewitt replaced Rob Harrison on drums and he was in turn replaced by Rob Cieka. The band split up in 1999. In their decade long career, the band could only generate one UK top ten single; the 1995 single "Wake Up Boo!", which charted at number nine.
Links To Peel[]
The band caught the attention of John Peel when they released their first album Ichobod and I in 1990 on a small label called Action Records. They were quickly signed up by Rough Trade, which subsequently collapsed, and the band found a home at Creation Records in the early 90s. Peel was an avid fan of their music when they started out as a shoegazing outfit, but he was less keen on their output in the mid-90s, when they were producing Britpop material, and did not play Wake Up Boo!, the band's big hit. After three sessions and four festive fifty entries in their early years, he rarely gave airtime to their later releases.
Following the breakup of the Boo Radleys, Peel played early tracks from Martin Carr's solo project Brave Captain, who would record one session for the programme.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 1990 Festive Fifty: Kaleidoscope #21
- 1991 Festive Fifty: Finest Kiss #19
- 1992 Festive Fifty: Lazarus #39
- 1993 Festive Fifty: Barney & Me #35
Sessions[]
1. Recorded: 1990-07-12. Broadcast: 30 July 1990. Repeated: 13 October 1990
- Aldous / How I Feel / Bluebird
2. Recorded: 1991-03-12. Broadcast: 07 April 1991. Repeated: 09 June 1991
- Alone Again Or / Something Soon She Said / Foster's Van / Eleanor Everything
3. Recorded: 1991-09-05. Broadcast: 26 October 1991. Repeated: 28 December 1991
- Smile Fades Fast / Towards The Light / Lazy Day / Boo Faith
"Alone Again Or" from #2 and "Boo Faith" from #3 were released on LP Learning To Walk (Rough Trade), though the liner notes mistakenly credit both as coming from the 7 April session.
- Brave Captain
1. Recorded 2000-12-03. Broadcast 12 December 2000. Repeated
- Zizou / Better Living Through Reckless Experimentation / The Sound Of Nichita
Other Shows Played[]
(The following list was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is certainly incomplete. Please add further details if known.)
The Boo Radleys "kaleidoscope"
'Kaledidoscope', #21 in the 1990 Festive Fifty
- 1990
- 04 June 1990: 'Kaleidoscope (LP-Ichabod And I)' (Action)
- 05 June 1990: Catweazle (album - Ichabod And I ) Action
- 07 June 1990: Bodenheim Jr. (album - Ichabod And I) Action
- 14 June 1990: Catweazle (album - Ichabod And I) Action TAKE4
- 16 June 1990 (BFBS): Catweazle (album - Ichabod And I) Action TAKE4
- Mostly Peel June 1990: Catweazle (album - Ichabod And I ) Action
- 19 June 1990: Kaleidoscope (album - Ichabod And I ) Action TAKE4
- 23 June 1990 (BFBS): Kaleidoscope (album - Ichabod And I ) Action TAKE4
- 03 July 1990 (BFBS): Catweazle (album - Ichabod And I) Action TAKE4
- 04 July 1990: Catweazle (LP - Ichabod And I) Action
- 12 July 1990: Kaleidoscope (album - Ichabod And I) Action TAKE4
- 24 July 1990: Catweazle (album - Ichabod And I) Action TAKE4
- 31 August 1990 (BFBS): Eleanor Everthing (album - Ichabod And I) Action TAKE4
- 08 September 1990 (BFBS) (Peel 157 (BFBS)): Hip Clown Rag (LP - Ichabod And I) Action
- 21 September 1990 (BFBS): Hip Clown Rag (LP - Ichabod And I) Action
- 28 October 1990: Aldous (12" - Kaleidoscope) Rough Trade RTT 241
- 04 November 1990: Kaleidoscope (12") Rough Trade
- 16 November 1990 (BFBS): Kaleidoscope (12" - Kaleidoscope) Rough Trade RTT 241
- 17 November 1990: 'How I Feel (12 inch-Kaleidoscope)' (Rough Trade)
- 23 November 1990 (BFBS): Aldous (12" - Kaleidoscope) Rough Trade RTT 241
- 01 December 1990: Aldous (12" - Kaleidoscope) Rough Trade RTT 241
- 14 December 1990 (BFBS): Swansong (12" - Kaleidoscope) Rough Trade RTT 241
- 29 December 1990: 'Kaleidoscope (EP-Kaleidoscope)' (Rough Trade) FF #21
- 30 December 1990: 'Catweazle (LP-Ichabod And I)' (Action) (JP: 'Oddly enough, Eric Clapton did a song called 'Catweazle' when he was a member of Cream, but it wasn't that one.')
- Peel Festive Period 1990 Part 2: Kaleidoscope (EP-Kaleidoscope) Rough Trade
The Boo Radleys - The finest kiss (HD)
'The Finest Kiss', #19 in the 1991 Festive Fifty
- 1991
- 17 March 1991: Tortoiseshell (12" - Every Heaven E.P.) Rough Trade
- 23 March 1991: Blue Bird (EP - Every Heaven) Rough Trade
- Mainly Peel March 1991: Bluebird (EP - Every Heaven) Rough Trade
- 30 March 1991: Naomi (12" - Every Heaven E.P.) Rough Trade
- 06 April 1991 (BFBS) (Peel 180 (BFBS)): 'Naomi (12"-Every Heaven E.P.)' (Rough Trade)
- 13 April 1991: Tortoiseshell (12" - Every Heaven EP) Rough Trade
- 13 April 1991 (BFBS) (Peel 180 (BFBS)): 'Bluebird (12"-Every Heaven E.P.)' (Rough Trade)
- 18 April 1991 (Radio Mafia): Tortoiseshell (EP - Every Heaven) Rough Trade
- 26 April 1991 (BFBS): Tortoiseshell (EP - Every Heaven) Rough Trade
- 28 April 1991: Bluebird (12" - Every Heaven E.P.) Rough Trade R20112710
- 04 May 1991 (BFBS): 'The Finest Kiss (12"-Every Heaven E.P.)' (Rough Trade)
- 18 May 1991: Blue Bird (EP - Every Heaven) Rough Trade
- 21 September 1991: Sometime Soon She Said (12" - Boo Up! EP) Rough Trade R2570
- 22 September 1991: Everybird (7" - Boo Up! EP) Rough Trade
- October 1991 (2) (BBC World Service): Sometime Soon She Said (12" - Boo Up! EP) Rough Trade R2570
- 04 October 1991 (BFBS): Foster's Van (12" - Boo Up! EP) Rough Trade R2570
- 04 October 1991 (BFBS): Song For Up! (12" - Boo Up! EP) Rough Trade R2570
- 05 October 1991: Foster's Van (12" - Boo Up! EP) Rough Trade R2570
- 07 October 1991 (Ö3): 'Sometime Soon She Said (12" - Boo Up! EP) Rough Trade R2570
- 12 October 1991: 'Sometime Soon She Said (12" - Boo Up! EP) Rough Trade R2570
- 22 December 1991: Sometime Soon She Said (12" - Boo Up! EP) Rough Trade R2570
The Boo Radleys - Lazarus
'Lazarus', #39 in the 1992 Festive Fifty
- 1992
- 09 February 1992: Vegas (EP - Adrenalin) Creation
- 20 February 1992 (Radio Mafia): Feels Like Tomorrow ( EP: Adrenaline, Creation Records, 1992)
- 22 February 1992: 'Feels Like Tomorrow (CD Single – Adrenalin EP)' (Creation)
- 22 February 1992 (BFBS): Vegas (EP - Adrenalin) Creation
- 07 March 1992: 'Lazy Day (12 inch EP- Adrenaline)' (Creation)
- 13 March 1992: 'Memory Babe (LP – Everything’s Alright For Ever)' (Creation)
- 14 March 1992: Skyscraper (CD – Everything’s Alright Forever) Creation
- 21 March 1992: Room At The Top (album - Everything's Alright Forever) Creation
- 22 March 1992 (BFBS): Memory Babe (LP - Everything's Alright Forever) Creation
- 22 March 1992 (BFBS): Skyscraper (LP -Everything's Alright Forever) Creation (JP: 'Some of that guitar playing is a bit progressive rock')
- 29 March 1992 (BFBS): Room At The Top (LP - Everything's Alright Forever) Creation
- 10 April 1992: I Feel Nothing (CD - Everything's Alright Forever) Creation
- Peel Spring 1992: Lazy Day (12" - Adrenalin EP) Creation
- Mainly Peel Late Autumn 1992: Lazarus (12") Creation
- 18 December 1992: 'Lazarus (12 inch)' (Creation) FF #39
The Boo Radleys - Barney (...And Me)
'Barney (...And Me), #35 in the 1993 Festive Fifty
- 1993
- 30 April 1993: 'The Finest Kiss (EP-Every Heaven)' (Rough Trade) 1991 Festive Fifty #19
- 03 July 1993: 'I Hang Suspended (Single)' (Creation)
- 10 July 1993 (BFBS): I Hang Suspended (single) Creation
- 06 August 1993: ‘Leaves And Sand (2xLP-Giant Steps)’ (Creation Records)
- 14 August 1993: 'Thinking Of Ways (2xLP-Giant Steps)' (Creation)
- 14 August 1993 (BFBS): Leaves And Sand (album - Giant Steps) Creation
- 21 August 1993 (BFBS): Butterfly McQueen (album - Giant Steps) Creation
- 04 September 1993: ‘Run My Way Runway (2xLP – Giant Steps)’ (Creation)
- John Peel In Scandinavia: Peachy Keen (12" - Wish I Was Skinny) Creation
- 25 December 1993: 'Barney (...And Me) (CD-Giant Steps)' (Creation) FF #35
- Peel December 1993: 'Barney (...And Me) (CD-Giant Steps)' (Creation)
- 1994
- 23 April 1994: 'Lazarus (Kris Needs Remix)' (12" 'Lazarus (Remixes)') Creation
- Peel April 1994: 'Lazarus (Kris Needs Remix)' (12" 'Lazarus (Remixes)') Creation
- 1996
- 24 June 1996: Smile Fades Fast (session) (John Peel's Classic Sessions)
- 14 October 1996: C'Mon Kids (single) Creation
1997
- 06 January 1997: Alone Again Or (session) (John Peel's Classic Sessions)
- 1999
- 06 January 1999: The Old Newsstand At Hamilton Square (LP - Kingsize) Creation
- 07 January 1999: 'Heaven's At The Bottom Of This Glass (CD-Kingsize)' (Creation)
- 07 January 1999 (Radio Eins): The Old Newsstand At Hamilton Square (album - Kingsize) Creation
- 11 March 1999: Kingsize (LP - Kingsize) Creation (Mary Ann Hobbs Show)
- Others
- Computer Music 1993-1996: Lazarus (Chris Needs Remix)
- Now 26 (1998-99) (Mixtape): The Old Newsstand At Hamilton Square (CD-Kingsize) Creation
- Peel Out In The States: Leaves And Sand (album - Giant Steps) Creation
- Brave Captain
- 03 October 2000: Assembly Of The Unrepresented (Wichita)
- 04 April 2001 Better Living Through Reckless Experimentation (Wichita)
- 19 April 2001: Better Living Through Reckless Experimentation (2x7 inch EP-Better Living Through Reckless Experimentation) (Wichita)
- 22 April 2001 (BBC World Service): Better Living Through Reckless Experimentation (single) Wichita
- 03 May 2001: Better Living Through Reckless Experimentation (Cd Single - Better Living Through Reckless Experimentation) Wichita