Mike Maran

Mike Maran started his musical career in 1970, when he left his home town of Edinburgh, Scotland, to join the folk scene in London hanging out with Al Stewart in Bunjies, Colin Scot at The Troubadour, Roy Harper at Les Cousins, and Ralph McTell and John Martyn at The Hanging Lamp in Richmond...In 1973, he released his debut album, ‘Fair Warning’, for Bronze Records, opening the way to support slots for rock acts such as Uriah Heep, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Captain Beefheart and ELO, alongside continuing sessions for John Peel on late-night Radio One.

In 1977 Maran opened a show at the Edinburgh Fringe about the life and work of Robert Louis Stevenson, which was bought and shown by BBC TV. A stream of plays with music followed over subsequent decades.

(Adapted from mikemaran.com.)

Links to Peel[]

Mike Maran only recorded one album and one single for Bronze records, but made a big enough impression on John Peel to be booked for five sessions between 1972 and 1974. The DJ spoke appreciatively of Maran, as if he was a Peel favourite of that time, and contributed sleevenotes to the singer's LP[2]. Yet despite the live and radio exposure mentioned above, there was no commercial success and Mike Maran returned to Edinburgh to begin what his website suggests was the major part of his career ("...and maybe this is where the story really starts").

However, it also meant that there were no more Peel sessions, as the plays with music in which Maran and his production company specialised were far removed from the changing playlists of Peel's post-1976 shows and appealed to a different audience. ^[1]

Festive Fifty Entries[]

None

Sessions[]

Five sessions. No known commercial release.

1. Recorded 1972-01-18. First broadcast 11 February 1972. Repeated 07 April 1972.

Please Come In We Know You’re Out There / Tiger’s Looking Back / The Life And Death Of Arthur Perkins / Fair Warning / Red School Uniform (first FX 07 April 1972 repeat)

2. Recorded 1972-07-18. First broadcast 18 August 1972. Repeated 29 September 1972.

Please Keep The Rain Away / Lady In Black / Fool's Castle / Magic Moon / Hell Bent (first FX 29 September 1972 repeat).

3. Recorded 1972-11-06. First broadcast 30 November 1972.

All Goes To Show / Tiger’s Looking Back / Daughter Of Time / Monday Boy

4. Recorded: 1973-07-23. First broadcast 16 August 1973. Repeated 11 October 1973.

Wouldn't It Be Nice / Crazy Days / Brave New World / Unchained / Ducks And Snowmen

5. Recorded: 1974-02-21. First broadcast 28 February 1974. Repeated 02 May 1974.

Crovie / Crazy Days / Goodbye Horseshoes And Black Cats / Eyes Like Steve McQueen (first FX 02 May 1974 repeat)

Other Shows Played[]

13 March 1973: Tiger Looking Back (LP – Fair Warning) Bronze

External Links[]

References[]

↑ Mike Maran is not to be confused with Mike Moran[1], who wrote the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest entry "Rock Bottom" with Lynsey De Paul and has had a successful career as a songwriter and producer. He worked with Queen, but otherwise little of his output appealed to Peel

[1] Mike Maran is not to be confused with Mike Moran[1], who wrote the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest entry "Rock Bottom" with Lynsey De Paul and has had a successful career as a songwriter and producer. He worked with Queen, but otherwise little of his output appealed to Peel

[1]