I live my life by several different creedos. Arguably, the one which gives me most pleasure when I’m able to do it guiltlessly is, “Life’s great! I’ve got somewhere to sit, I’ve got something to drink and other people are doing things.” So this is one of the rare occasions in which I can claim to know precisely how John Peel felt when he related how much he and his BFBS producer were enjoying watching a triathlon on television while they recorded the programme. “It’s quite reassuring sitting here with a cup of tea and a sandwich watching them running and cycling and swimming, because they do need to sort of feel superior so they can point at people and say, ‘Well at least I look better than that bloke sitting in the corner’ and I’m happy to be that bloke sat in the corner. It’s a public service really.”
The programme featured a lot of cover versions and older records, as you’ll see if you read through most of the selections I made from the show. One of the covers which didn’t make my cut was Gallon Drunk’s version of Ruby originally recorded by Silver Apples. Peel had been an enthusiastic supporter of Gallon Drunk up to this point, but admitted that he was starting to go off them, “Their moves toward Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are not something I enthuse about...I’m sure their career prospects will lie in ashes as a result.” However, this appears to have been a passing disenchantment. I’m currently listening to Peel shows from February 1993 as part of prepping selections alongside Equus by Peter Shaffer and he’s been enthusiastically championing tracks from their From the Heart of Town album.
Another oldie which turned up on the playlist for this show was Alamein Train, a 1980 track by the brilliantly named Pete Best Beatles.
From my original selections, there was 1 choice I couldn’t share and 2 which fell from favour. I would have liked to share:
I, Ludicrous - Bloody Proud - Taken from their album, Idiots Savants, this is a wonderfully entertaining account of their adventures while supporting The Fall on a tour, something they would have the pleasure of doing on a number of occasions. Peel received a letter from his friend, Robert Lawson who was based in Taiwan, but was occasionally to be found, “...buying me Indian meals in London.” Lawson asked Peel what he thought of the I, Ludicrous album, but Peel was in such a hurry to play something from it, he didn’t venture an opinion. (UPDATE - The track can now be heard on the blog.)
As for the two tracks which fell from favour:
The Groove Corporation - Hypnotherapy - played by Peel because “I always like to have something relaxing to play you near the start of the programme to get you in the late night mood. Of course, it may not be late night where you are...” Unfortunately, when I listened to this a few times, it went from relaxing to soporific. A shame.
Jimmy Reed - I Know It’s a Sin - Now I said at the start of this post that myself and Peel appeared to be of one mind when it came to relaxing with a cup of tea and letting others get on with doing stuff. However, the realisation I came to while listening to I Know It’s a Sin, recorded by Reed in 1959, would have had Peel cursing me as someone who shouldn’t even share a planet with him, let alone a mindset. And yet, I’m afraid it cannot be avoided. Come closer so I can whisper it to you. But I learnt the undeniable fact: all Jimmy Reed songs sound the same. And once you’ve learnt that, it cannot be unlearnt.
Before the next edition of John Peel’s Music, Peel reported that he would be undertaking some driving around mainland Europe over the course of the next week and that he hoped to meet up with the Austrian folk-music/hip-hop duo, Attwenger. As we would discover, it did not go well...
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