My Peel Tapes - Part 29

Hello my brave boys and girls in the trenches, time for another episode of 'My Peel Tapes', the penultimate one in fact. So enjoy this one before it's all over:

(304) Prolapse - 'Autocade' (mp3). From Leicester and on Radarscope Records. 'Autocade' (mp3) is one of four tracks on a CD-Single from 1997 .... and rather a nice tune for all of that! Prolapse released quite a lot of stuff to my surprise, I just know this one and their 'Killing The Bland', featured in a previous edition of 'My Peel Tapes'. More on Prolapse: here.

(305) The King - 'No Woman, No Cry' (mp3). Now, this is from one of my all time-favourite albums ever, people! The King is but one of too many Elvis - impersonators, the difference between him and the others is a) he doesn't do Elvis - songs and b) he's simply outstanding! If memory serves correctly, he's a postman from Ireland who finally managed to have a CD released back in 1998, which he - cleverly - titled 'Gravelands' (EMI Records). The thing is: on it he only does songs by people who are actually dead, and - believe it or not - you can listen to it in one go and there isn't a single bad track on it!! Please do yourself a favour and click here for the tracklisting. You will see he chose a great variety of cool tunes. This is a record that shouldn't miss in any decent collection, folks .... take my advice and go out and get it somewhere!!

(306) Belle & Sebastian - 'A Century Of Fakers' (mp3). Well, they did do so many brilliant songs, didn't they? I find it always rather hard to decide which ones I like best, but this is most surely one of them: a masterpiece, taken from their '3 .. 6 .. 9 .. Seconds Of Light' - 7" on Jeepster from 1997. More on this record: here.

(307) Anorak Girl - 'Plastic Supermodel' (mp3). Right on the heels of Helen Love's departure from the Damaged Goods Label came Anorak Girl! Totally in the casio-pop vein a-la Helen Love, but without Joey Ramone references for miles around. A very cute funky colored 7" (sort of this swampy green with pink swirls) from 1997 .... and well worth listening to again these days!

(308) Clinic - 'IPC Subeditors Dictate Our Youth' (mp3). The title track from the band's very first EP, released on their own Aladdin's Cave of Golf Record Label in 1997. I have no idea what it might possibly be all about, but all in all it is an excellent song, I always thought. And it led me to buy their 'Internal Wrangler' - album some three years later ... either way: here's their official site.

(309) Golinski Brothers - 'Bloody' (mp3). Championed by Peel all the time since it's release in 1980 on Badge Records. A wonderful song, but be warned: if you never heard this before you will most likely not be able to get it out of your head for quite some time .... it has a nifty sax riff and everything, but it's the first verse of the lyric that really stood the test of time:

"I'm gonna go where they've never seen snow, send my giro to Cairo. I cant stand another day, I gotta get away. I'm not impressed, my life's in a mess. I get so depressed, still you gotta have a laugh: ha ha ha ha. Chorus: What am I bloody well s'posed to do - got my bloody well self bloody stuck on you ..."

(310) The Dodgems - 'Lord Lucan Is Missing' (mp3). A 7" on Criminal Records from 1980. Well, what shall I say about this record? A total classic. Again. More on the mysterious disappearance of Lord Lucan: here.

(311) Let's Get The Replicants - 'Skullcrusher' (mp3). From one of the rarer formats in the wonderful world of vinyl pressing, a one-sided 10", on Eastwest Records from 1998. Let's Get The Replicants are no other than the wonderful Dawn Of The Replicants and what you find here, my friends, is the David Holmes & Tim Goldsworthy remix. A great tune and worth a download, if you ask me. And: the record actually starts like that - it's not me having made another stupid mistake!

(312) The High Fidelity - 'Addicted To A TV' (mp3). A great stomper from former Soup Dragon Sean Dickson ... really a pretty neat return of him on a 12" on Plastique Records from 1997. I can't really imagine that The High Fidelity are still alive and kicking these days, at least I haven't heard new stuff from the band for ages .....

(313) Selwyn - 'Easy For You' (mp3). Perhaps you young people are more clever than me and can ascertain any information about Selwyn on the internet .... I can't. But what I can tell you is that I have their limited edition 7" here on Cripperty Records from 1997 ... and you don't. A shame, really, because the tune is very fine indeed. So have a listen ....

(314) The Jesus & Mary Chain - 'Rocket' (mp3). I still regard 'Psychocandy', the band's 1985 debut as a milestone, full of outstanding songs, which were way ahead of their time back then. I listened to some of the stuff they recorded after 'Psychocandy', but a lot of it I missed, you know how these things work. But regardless of the sheer brilliance of 'Psychocandy', 'Rocket' is, I think, the best song The Jesus & Mary Chain have ever done. Hidden away as one of four tracks on the 'Cracking Up' - CD on Creation Records from 1998, this track shows again how outstandingly awesome they were ... some 13 years after their start!

(315) Sonic Youth - 'Sunday' (mp3). Perhaps this is my favourite Sonic Youth - tune ... and yes, I know very well that this will upset Sonic Youth - fans quite a lot. But I've listened to most of the 'old' stuff of theirs, and most of it I can well cope with, don't get me wrong here, please. But this track has something special that I like keep coming back to, don't know what it is exactly though.

'Sunday' was the first and only single Sonic Youth released from their 1998 album 'A Thousand Leaves' on Polydor.

(316) Grandaddy - 'Summer Here Kids' (mp3). On V2 Records from 1998, again a great song from Grandaddy. Taken from their 'Under The Western Freeway' - album, which, I must admit, I don't have, but, upon the evidence of this track alone (and of 'Everything Beautiful Is Far Away', posted previously) I certainly should have. Perhaps one of these days I find it in a bargain bin in a little record shop, who knows?

(317) Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - 'Spanish Dance Troupe' (mp3). The title track from their 1999 album on Mantra, although I assume that Peelie - again - played a pre-release. Otherwise a whole year slipped without me even having noticed it! Then again: perhaps I was rather short on money in 1998 and didn't buy many records. Or too much envolved in sexual activities to find the time to record the Peel Show once a week. Who knows? Anyway, a great band they were, alas they disbanded in 2006. And, mind you, 'Spanish Dance Troupe' was their sixth album! Strange, isn't it, how many many really good bands came from Wales (bearing in mind how small Wales is) over the years .....

(318) New Order - 'Lonesome Tonight' (mp3). Finally, dearest friends and followers, after years and years of contemplating, I've made my mind up about what is the best song New Order have ever done: it's this one, the B-Side of their 'Thieves Like Us' - 12" from 1984 on Factory Records. Enjoy it!

(319) Speeder - 'Hey! What Do I Know?' (mp3). "Not very much!", I hear you shout, and of course you're absolutely right. All I can tell you about Speeder that this here is a 7" on Creeping Bent Records from 1999 ...

(320) Princess Kaiulani - 'Alamoana Fade Away' (mp3). A great song, again!!! One of many unfulfilled wishes of mine is to get hold of a copy of this 7" on Motorway Records from Japan. I remember sending cash to Darla Records in the States back in '99, because they had the record on mailorder, alas the money got lost somewhere on it's way to the USA ... at least so Darla claimed. Bastards! The tune itself is hard to describe, it sounds a bit like Fantastic Plastic Machine playing a song based on a Hawaiian version of the 'E-I-E-I-O' at the end of "Old McDonald's Farm", with a touch of Trio's 'Da Da Da'. Most importantly, it works! Again, and I know I said this before: download this if you want to do yourself a favour!

(321) Half Man Half Biscuit - 'It's Clichéd To Be Cynical At Christmas' (mp3). From their eighth full-length release, 'Trouble Over Bridgwater', on, of course, Probe Plus Records. Christmas is over, I'm afraid, but I'm willing to have a small bet that this is a most enjoyable tune also in January or February ...

(322) Elastica & Mark E. Smith - 'How He Wrote Elastica Man' (mp3). From a 6-track-EP called, as far as I can tell, '6-Track-EP' ... and why not? Released in 1999 on Deceptive Records and a nice follow-up to their fantastic debut album. Together with Smith himself grumbling away in the background they have a go at The Fall classic 'How I Wrote Elastic Man' from 1980. And a neat one at that!

(323) The Quads - 'There's Never Been A Night' (mp3). An oldie again, and yes, I know that you like to listen to these things from time to time ... nothing wrong with that, if you ask me. A 7" on Big Bear Records from 1979. Also scroll down to listen to The Quads' absolutely brilliant 'There Must Be Thousands' .... you'll find it somewhere at the bottom of this site. Better use some 'search' - function, if such a thing exists ... it's worth the effort, believe me!

(324) Culture - 'Two Sevens Clash' (mp3). 'Two Sevens Clash' is - without any doubt - one of the great reggae albums of our time, it was recorded in 1976 and released in 1977 on Joe Gibbs' label in Jamaica. The title was based on a prediction by Marcus Garvey, who said there would be chaos on July 7, 1977, when the "sevens" met. With its apocalyptic message, the song created a stir on the island and many Jamaican businesses and schools shuttered their doors for the day. I'll play you the 1982 Peel Session version of the title track, not because it's superior to the original release, but I like it a lot .... and I rule!

(325) Murry The Hump - 'Colouring Book' (mp3). The title track from an EP on Malthouse from 1999 and it's incredible: they've a shit name, they're from Aberystwyth, the B-side's called 'Kebab Or Shag'... How can something so wrong be so right?

(326) Melys - 'Porn Myself' (mp3). Will I ever get tired of listening to Melys in my life? Most probably not. Their songs are by and large not really 'catchy', neverteless I have always enjoyed what they did over the years. 'Porn Myself' is one out of four tracks (all equally good in my humble opinion) on a CD-EP on Sylem from 1999. Melys homepage: here.

(327) Baxendale - 'An American Friend' (mp3). I remember picking this item up in a London superstore, shortly after it's release ... and again, a much treasured item it is: a 7" on 180 g vinyl from the Czech Republic in fact, on Evil World Records. The inspiration for the band's name comes from Leo Baxendale, who was a famous british comic illustrator.

Enough for today, pop-pickers. Watch out for the final episode of 'My Peel Tapes', which you'll find here in - more or less - due course. Comments - as usual - are highly appreciated ...

Stay in tune!

Dirk