John Peel
I’ve just finished listening to Peel’s Radio 1 show from 18 June 1993, which featured a second session from Huggy Bear. On this 26/3/93 show, Peel was sent a review of their show at the 1 in 12 Club, Bradford by listener, Mark Anthony. He called them “Gods of the stage.” I would have been in full agreement at the time, but I have to report that I found their second Peel Session less impressive than their other work. More on that in a year or two’s time….
During a phone call in the week to his friend, Hameesh, Peel had been asked if knew what had happened to the band, Slint. With exquisite timing, the following day’s post brought a record by The Palace Brothers which featured three members of Slint as part of its lineup. Peel duly played Ohio River Boat Song to celebrate.
The programme also featured a reminder of the days before mobile phones in that Peel had to read out a message on the off-chance that a listener called Nigel Stevens may be tuned in and would contact Hayes Police Station.
The selections were taken from a 90 minute section of the show. Two of my original choices fell from favour:
PJ Harvey - 50ft Queenie - I do have other selections from her Rid of Me period down for appraisal as we move through 1993, and I remember this track as the one which first gained her widespread exposure as it crept in the Top 30 of the UK Singles Chart. However, I have an uneasy feeling that most of those choices will go through the same second thoughts as this one. The problem for me is I dislike the way Polly Jean sounds in this era. Someone, maybe Steve Albini who produced Rid of Me, clearly told her, “Hey, you know Sheela-Na-Gig? Well, sing it like that but with a Somerset meets Louisiana vibe”. It sounds fake, grating and too much like the sound of people trying to fit a unique artist into the prevailing sound of the time. Once she dumped all of that, Harvey went back, at least to my ears, to being the compelling musical presence she had been two years earlier.
Stereolab - Avant Garde M.O.R - Yet again, this lot come up with something which catches my attention, but which fails to stick. Their Bossa nova phase can’t come soon enough.
Me
Long time readers of this blog will know what a John Peel/Me split in one of these posts means. I was back on stage. Tonight was the first of a two night run for Equus at Falmouth Poly. I will provide more details on this when we round up the 27/3/93 show.
Hi David, I must have missed many of your previous entries but I'm glad I've caught up with this one. I'm touched and heartened that you keep John's memory alive. It seems scarcely believable that he would have been 85 this year. I think about him and miss him terribly every single day.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what he'd make of today's music; I think he'd have liked The Lovely Eggs and Sleaford Mods ,(though I suspect he'd have been quite scared of the latter, especially in Jason's more uncompromising and robust days). Anyway my friend, keep on keeping on, kind regards from Ian McFee in Nottingham.