Which are John Peel's 140 fave albums?

most of them are before my time, to be fair. and from genres i have no enthusiasm for.

ha ha. i have this on tape from one of his shows in the late 80s (?). it's various songs from the wizard of oz done in a 'Stars on 45' style.

the cat power single he chose is from her 1st album. the only one i don't have!

the buzzcocks are the only punk band on there i know. excellent band and song choice for that genre that's for sure.

i am surprised not to find any joy div, the fall and the smiths on there. didn't he like the smiths?

said certain band makes two appearances on his Fabric cd (ok, 1 and a half) which i think is more representative of his live sets.

might have the Golinksi Brothers thing somewhere as well. and the YMCA thing.

I'm wondering why you are feeling disapointment over the musical choices of a man whose tastes are obviously completely unknown to you?

Peel is not famous for inventing student discos. Even in the mid-80s he was more likely to play the Bhundu Boys than the Smiths. He was no more a champion of Joy Division than he was of Charlie Feathers. And dozens of his favourite bands like Bogshed, Marc Riley and the Creepers and Half Man Half Biscuit easily surpassed the Smiths in terms of airplay and sessions recorded.

As for saying it's like a "collectors" list. Errrrr. Well, firstly he WAS a collector. Secondly, "Danger -High Voltage", "9 to 5", "Down Down", "Happening Ten Years Time Ago", "Without You", "Everybody's Talking", "My Friend Jack" and lots of others on this list are familiar top 40 hits in the UK.

Ann Peebles - I can't stand the rain
http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0CB2I2NKE3CO227I6PYLQEMTJE

The Misunderstood - I can take you to the sun
http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1AUXZEX3IC62V16UCCOI66AAJ1

Yardbirds - Happenings ten years time ago
http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0HLWUPSZL2HI80MO553AE4PQHD

The Upsetters - Bucky skank
http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=12MMFIFYUQARU1ZJI5LB9NCK9S

Don Covay - It's better to have
http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3UWKNVKTQ555F33D56VT92IHWO

The Quads - There must be thousands
http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1YOI7FECKSE1J1UZU76DFNYQ7H
(Contrary to the list in The Times, this was the actual A-side.)

Some Chicken - New religion
http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=22ZJHKNAJN9LJ2MQ960POLMMFA

Stanley Winston - No more ghettos in America
http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1LL6TN4LO1I7Z21OP7RD1S7GOA
(Taped off an early 1980s Peel Show. History does not record precisely how JP finished the sentence at the end, but I think it might have been something to do with how the song never failed to make him cry.)

The Freshmen - You never heard anything like it
http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=09C48W852XJOA2UK23BM7MNA26
(Taped off a 1979 Peel show on a knackered cassette recorder, hence even rougher quality than Stanley Winston. When listening, bear in mind that The Freshmen were a middle aged Irish showband "doing punk".)

Mel and Tim - Starting all over again
http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3JZ8NPR3LNCOK09NDPCPFHHEVN

The only one I'm surprised with is Nilsson's "Without You". It was number one for ages at the time, and I hated it as much as "Everything I do". Now, I can appreciate it more, without necessarily liking it. (The other Nilsson on is fant. btw)

Oh, and I am so "YEAH!" for the YSI's. THAKNS!

Golinsky Brothers:
http://s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3NGITRP1UY8I43T00VESKDP2GS

Galactic Symposium:
http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0ATGKR0A2GO8711EPN7L7K1TH9

i only found the squirrels track this morning so that'll have to wait...

What do you mean predates Augustus Pablo? I mean what's the significance?

alex... you hate most of these records because you've never heard of them? insane. the reason why the cult of peel is so swollen, and why people mourn his passing so much, is because he would probably have greeted a carton of 140 records he'd never heard of as a reason for celebration, because he was always interested in that which he wasn't already familiar.

the person who pointed out Peel didn't invent indie discos is my new favourite poster.

that's a weird list. the 9 white stripes singles seem too many. recently i asked someone where to start with them (5 albums yet) and that person said, they are all essential. i immediately thought fuck them then. i mean what i heard of them was ok but i'll never get 5 cds by them. if all is equally good it is also equally bad.

yeah, that doesn't make any sense to me either. but i'd say start with 'die stihl' (the 'songwriting' album) or 'get behind me satan' (my favourite, their most unhiged and also their most crafted), or track down a copy of 'handsprings', which might be the best thing they've ever done.

White Stripes, Hand Springs:
http://s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=11N6E2EVBV6ES07N8XF2K56CD2

concerning the white stripes. i like them in theory. that hand springs song is great but i think i prefer the blues originals. e.g. i was glad to see lightnin hopkins and elmore james on the list. all this probably doesn't make sense but why should it? john peel' record box doesn't make sense to me neither. there are too many blind spots in it when it concerns my favourites. some artists i couldn't not imagine in my record box: joni mitchell, nick drake, the velvet underground, joy division, the smiths, the cure, giant sand, yo la tengo, talk talk, neil young, the field mice, lambchop, brian eno, roxy music, bob dylan, keith jarrett, pere ubu, wipers, lloyd cole, mary margaret o'hara, pixies, sonic youth, idaho, swell, red house painters, cowboy junkies, robert wyatt, pinback, aimee mann, radiohead, my bloody valentine, meat puppets, feelies, gun club, catherine wheel, new order, nirvana, smashing pumpkins, the chills, american analog set, cocteau twins, talking heads and many more.

My box would also be different. Some from Peels, Some from yours, and a lot of stuff not so.

Still, I'm keen to hear the stuff I haven't heard, so let them roll.

Hey, if this thread eventually contains 140 YSI's then that will be the best.

yes, completely. sorry if that wasn't clear!

http://s20.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3TN4P4ZNJ3M2I20WFYZP2WM42Q

"Dreamland Express" is not "Dream Express", a euro-disco outfit from 1974 or thereabouts.

We Shall Never Know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-asHmCt-is

John Plays "Tickey Dopies"

Hello folks.

I am just about finished with this project.

Let's summarise what I don't have (or you might not have)

27. Dreamland Express - Groovy + u.f.o (EMI) - This I have had no luck on finding, but I have found some possible leads as to who they were....
32 Electro Hippies - Mega-armageddon Death (Peel session) - This is a Strange Fruit promo, it has "You Sexy Thing" by Cud on the other side!
34 Firemen - Old Smokie / Louie's theme - This I have got via ebay, might take a month to get here.
70 Nice - The thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (IMMEDIATE) - This is a one sided promo, with JPeel commantary. I do have this from a broadcast, with latter day Peel talking over it.
86 Sasha Caro - Grade 3 section 2 + Little maid's song (DECCA) 1967 - I lost out on ebay last week, this is somewhat pricey and hard to find. The side 2 here is anthologised, not found side 1.
90. Sipho Bhengu - Tickey dopies + I saluti (INKONKONI) 1971 - Found it!
141. Yami Bolo - Richer than Cory (JAMAICA INTERNATIONAL) - On its way.

Note that the three Nilsson singles are actually just one record, a "hits" e.p. with three tracks on it.

Yeah, possibly no-one's interested but hey.

(i would love a good copy of the sipho bengu.)

pm me, can sort it.

Is the Nilsson EP thing confirmed as existing? It's not apparently on Discogs. I have an EP of Without You but the tracklisting is different (and it's also not on Discogs).

http://www.discogs.com/Nilsson-Without-You/release/778212

(have eventually sent email, mark. was waiting until i was back in front of proper computer)

look now.

Just found my "Pop a top" b-side "The Lion Speaks" Rico, cuts at one minute in.

Does anyone have the full version?

probably, somewhere.

those sipho bhengu tracks are both from a compilation mentioned here: http://electricjive.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/thala-thala-1971.html

Yes, I think that's where I got the tracks from.

http://danger-man.co.uk/rickminas.asp

I can't try it here, but it seems to be a link to the Sasha Caro tracks...

Yes, links are live. I think we had at least one of those before.

Well, that's the lot either accounted for or on its way!

Except for Dreamland Express...

Aside from the Dreamland Express tracks and the Firemen, "Old Smokie", I know have an mp3 of everything on the list.

Mark G, were you able to track down Firemen, "Old Smokie"?

Yes I did. I actually managed to get a decent copy off Ebay.

Funny, this is the single that JP managed to destroy by dropping it down the back of a fridge, or some such, and all he could do was to ask his listeners to track him down a new one.

So, drop me a line..

He never did, you know..

What's the deal with Dreamland Express? Any leads on whether it's real or just a total mystery?

I found a gig flyer with Fairport Convention and Dreamland Express, but more than that, no.

...which also had John Peel on the bill, right?

http://www.marmalade-skies.co.uk/middleearth3sep67.jpg

One of these days, I'll get Tom Ravenscroft back on the case...

Hi all,
My Covid lockdown project has been John Peel's record box. I've come pretty close to getting them all. I need I'm not Drinking More - Al Ferrier and Ticky Dopies/ I Saluti - Sipho Bhengu, and , of course, Dreamland Express - I think I saw somewhere that John Peel may have played the Dreamland Express tunes on his show. Is that true? Mark G, I see from a post about 5 years ago that you got hold of the Sipho Bhengu. I would dearly love to have copies of these tracks (and the rest of the Thala Thala compilation album)

If Mark G or anyone else can help me with these last few tunes that would be great. Does anyone else need any from the list?

Just sent you a Webmail with a link to the Al Ferrier song.

And..

city worker - thank you so much. I had kind of resigned myself to failure, or at the very least a long long wait to find that. Do you have any gaps in your collection? Who knows, I moght have something you're after. You're welocme to any music I have.

Mark G, Hi. Did you send a weblink as well? It hasn't come through to me....
I have to say, I'm amazed and delighted to get these responses.

Hi,

Not as yet, but.

Listening to Peel's intro to a 1973 Be Bop Deluxe session and it's striking how different his on-air voice is from later years. He's even more lugubrious and deep-voiced in 1973. Anyone know if the change was intentional or just something that gradually happened?

He definitely tried his hardest to distance himself from his fluty-voiced public school hippy persona of the late 60s, I didn't know he was doing it as early as '73 though.

I think Marc Bolan broke his hippy heart tbh.

coulda been bowie

I have a theory that when he was in the process of trying to lose his hippy trappings he based a lot of his vocal mannerisms on John Walters, his producer, they could sound very similar.