My Peel Tapes: Part 22

Hello nice people,

in his comment on My Peel Tapes Pt. 21 Duncandonut said that he had thrown his tape deck away and regrets this very fact. Well, believe it or not, today I finally found the time to connect my old tape deck to my computer, which means that I now have the chance to choose from a greater variety of tracks (some 300 tapes of John Peel's Music on BFBS in fact). Of course I will keep the chronological order, but now I could play each of the ~ 25 songs of the specific tape instead of having to choose from the ones I have on vinyl or CD. This of course means as well that the sound quality might be worse on a few tracks, but - as Peel always said - 'life has surface noise as well'. So there you are ..... with:

(201) Revolver - 'Venice' (mp3). A 7" on Hut Records from 1991, their third release. There ain't much I can tell you about Revolver, but this track really rocks, I always thought! Very much in the tradition of the '91-'92 area, quite typical for what British bands did back then .... and there's nothing wrong with that, I would think! Have a look at the Wikipedia entry for them, if you like. Here it is ...

(202) Adorable - 'Sunshine Smile' (mp3). In a similar vein here come Adorable. I think one can tell that the main difference between them and - for example - Revolver is that they recorded for Creation Records, the single was released in 1992 although it was written a year earlier for another label who refused to release it. Quite why is a mystery to me, because I think it's one of the great records out of all this 'Shoegazing' - nonsense - time. I've said this before but I'll say it again: 'labelling' bands - as people did back then - when a band was either 'Shoegazing' or not - is never a good thing to do, I think. It helps noone apart from the self-important bastards who can show their female friends how fucking clever they are when they drop lines like 'you know, when I first heard them, they were really shoegazing!' Stupid nonsense, if you ask me, just like being Grunge or not being Grunge ....

(203) The Jam - 'And Your Bird Can Sing' (mp3). A very nice version of the old Beatles - favourite and recorded for a demo session at Polydor Studios in London in April 1980. You can find it, amongst other goodies, on a CD called 'Extras', released in 1992 on Polydor Records. Nice fan site here ....

(204) Little Annie - 'I Think Of You' (mp3). Well, she used to be 'Little Annie Anxiety Bandez' or 'Annie Anxiety' and perhaps you'll know her from her collaboration with the industrial band Coil. Here, on this 12" on On-U Sound Productions from 1992, she's decided to abbreviate herself to 'Little Annie' .... and it's entirely up to her, isn't it? Rather a nice track and good to hear again after quite a few years ....

(205) DAF - 'Goldenes Spielzeug' (mp3). Virgin Records 1981: the grandfathers of techno, if you like. I have a book about the German Punk/wave scene in the very early 80's, where the author lets bands out of that area speak and they tell the reader about what 'really happened', you know. One bloke out of DAF, or 'Deutsch-Amerikanische-Freundschaft', if you'd rather, tells in lengthy detail about the time when they went to London (after having had no success whatever here in Germany) and under which circumstances they lived and worked there. Even if this is only halfway true, they must have had a fucking hard time indeed over there, that's for sure!

(206) The Oblivion Seekers - 'No Depression' (mp3). I'm sure you all will know the song by heart, at least the Carter Family fans of you - which, I'm willing to have a small bet, should be the majority of you - will do. From a very fine LP (self-titled) from 1992 on T/K Records from Portland, Oregon. I don't know whether they are still alive or whatever became of them and I can't find any information on the internet alas.

(207) A House - 'More Endless Art' (mp3). In 'Endless Art', which preceeded this one here, they listed blokes who had done constructive things for the planet over the years. In order to set the balance straight again, they continued with women. On Parlophone from 1992.

[upon request:
Ride - 'Chrome Waves']

(208) Blood On The Saddle - 'Baptist Church Blues' (mp3). From their 1987 'Fresh Blood' - LP on SST. Again a killer track (but now I really do honestly mean it!!) from one of the finest bands in the States. Especially their even earlier stuff is brilliant (e.g. 'I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again'). Turn it up good and loud, people!

(209) The 5, 6, 7 & 8's - 'Motor Cycle Go-Go-Go!' (mp3). From a compilation CD of theirs on Rockville called 'Can't Help It!!', released in 1992, although the track itself derives from 1989. Three women and one bloke from Tokyo and again: especially fine, if you ask me! And should you wish to catch them live: they're rocking the Shibuya Ax in Tokyo tomorrow, September 20th! Now those of you how moan about me being not up to date should keep quiet forever!

(210) X-Mal Deutschland - 'Incubus Succubus' (mp3). A goth classic and in fact the second release from X-Mal Deutschland for Alfred Hilsberg's legendary Zick Zack Label back in 1982. Not very much later they went to 4AD and opened for The Stranglers, if memory serves correctly ...

(211) Sonic Youth - '100%' (mp3). A 1992 7" on Geffen Records and a very fine release in my view. I think I mentioned that before, but I was (and still am, in fact) never quite sure whether to love or to hate Sonic Youth. But this record is okay and therefore you'll even get the B-Side as well:

(212) Sonic Youth - 'Crème Brûlée' (mp3). Equally good. I think. Both tracks can be found on the LP 'Dirty', by the way.

(213) Bulkhead - 'Virginia Plain' (mp3). Another old song, as a matter of fact, but done in a more modern style. Bulkhead's reading of the Roxy Music favourite and a real corker, that's for sure, so better watch out, Bryan Ferry! Alas I can only tell you very little about them apart from the fact that they came from Melrose, Massachusetts, I suppose it was some kind of a throwaway track on a single of theirs on Homestead Records from 1992.

(214) Billy Bragg - 'Accident Waiting To Happen' (mp3). Okay, I'll leave you today with this one from good old Billy Bragg, who played in Cologne again one week ago, but I'm ashamed to say I didn't go to see him. Next time, Billy, promised! From his seminal 'Don't Try This At Home' album on Cooking Vinyl Records from 1991. One of his finest recordings ever!

I hope you were pleased with what I selected for you, dear friends. Just tell me what you thought of it, please, as you might imagine your responses keep this blog running ... or not, eventually.

Have fun,

Dirk