| Resource | Count |
|---|
| "See <a href="/radio1/johnpeel/artists/s/sibegg/">Si Begg</a>."^^xsd:string | 2 |
| "A Berlin post-rock trio featuring Stefan Schneider (bass), Robert Lippok (guitar, keys) and his brother Ronald (drums,) To Rococo Rot are keen on mixing art school experimentalism with classic pop sensibilities. After their untitled picture disc debut in 1995 (issued as part of an art project), the band expanded on the material to produce their debut album '.CD' the same year. A collection of mechanical ticks and mesmerising loops, the record attracted the attention of City Slang, who signed them in 1997 for the album 'Veiculo'. More traditional grooves and samples appeared on 1999's 'The Amateur View', but the band rejected both the 'dance' and the 'post-rock' tags, preferring to remain uncategorised. Subsequent releases include 'Music Is A Hungry Ghost' (2001) and 'Hotel Morgen' (2004). In 1999, To Rococo Rot recorded a soundtrack to a documentary on rocket fuel narrated by William Shatner, which later appeared on 2001's 'Cars EP'. No, really!"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "A collective of various German DJs including Hendrik Vaak (aka HendriX), Torsten Litschko (DJ name: Stassy) and Alexander Lukat, Sender Berlin first got together at the city's Tresor Foundation club in 1998, where they promoted the weekly Headquarters Nights. Their first track appeared on that year's 'Headquarters - The Album', which showcased their minimalist experimental techno. Their debut album proper was 'Spektrum Welweit' in 1999, which sampled various sounds that they'd collected while performing DJ sets around the world. Setting up their own label, unGleich the same year, their latest work to date is the full length album, 'Gestern Heute Morgen' (2004)."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "A militant Welsh rap duo featuring Steffan 'MC Sleifar' Cravos and Gruff 'G Man' Meredith, the pair formed Tystion in 1991, releasing the homemade cassettes 'Dyma'r Dystiolaeth' (1995) and 'Tystion vs Allfa Un' (1996) on their own label Fitamin Un. Both were proudly Welsh language releases and were followed in 1997 by the full length 'Rhaid I Rhywbeth Ddigwydd (Something's Got To Happen)', which chronicled Cardiff life in painful detail with such lyrical concerns as 'going to the Spar to buy Wagon Wheels'. Welsh label Ankstmusik liked the album and reissued some of the tracks as the 'The Brewer Spinks EP', while 1999's more ambitious 'Shrug Off Ya Complex' had over 20 different musicians contributing. Cravos's passion for political material didn't sit well with Meredith, who left shortly afterwards and 2000's 'Hen Gelwydd Prydain Newydd' was an all-out anti-New Labour diatribe. After one more album, Cravos split the band in 2002."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "A psychedelic pop trio from Penygroes in North Wales, Topper were one of a number of Welsh bands that arrived in the mid-90s in the wake of the success of the Manic Street Preachers, appearing on local labels like Ankst and Crai and recording exclusively in the Welsh language. Topper's 'Arch Noa EP' was released in 1997, and was swiftly followed by the mildly-acclaimed mini album 'Something To Tell Her' and another, single 'Cwpan Mewn Dwr'. An appearance with their peers Big Leaves, Derrero and Melys on the 1999 Fierce Panda compilation 'Dial M For Merthyr' gave them some exposure, but the band were last heard of the 'Dolur Gwddw' album in October 2000."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ash began their musical life as three teenage boys in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. Their early music was packed with adolescent fizz and yearning for unattainable girls. Childhood friends Tim Wheeler (vocals/ guitar) and Mark Hamilton (bass) formed Vietnam in 1989 when they were just 11. They changed their name to Ash in 1992 when they joined up with Rick McMurray (drums), who was in the school year ahead of them. <BR/>By 1994 they had signed to Infectious in the UK and Reprise in the US and released their debut mini-album 'Trailer' to critical praise.The following year, with Britpop at its height, Ash scored a Top 20 hit with 'Girl From Mars'. Their album '1977' (named for the year Tim and Mark were born) topped the UK charts in 1996.<BR/>Guitarist Charlotte Hatherley joined in 1997, but despite her status as an indie pin-up and production from Garbage's Butch Vig, album 'Nu-clear Sounds' didn't fare well. Undaunted Ash returned two years later with 'Free All Angels', which went to number one, with single 'This Shining Light' gaining a nomination at the Ivor Novello Awards.'Clones' taken from 2004's 'Meltdown' was used in the Star Wars computer game 'Republic Commando', the first piece of music to be used in the Star Wars series which had not been written by composer John Williams."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "A UK hip hop team comprising Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts and Plus One, the Scratch Perverts are all accomplished DJs - they have two consecutive World DMC Team titles, World DMC Champion and World Vestax Champion titles, are World ITF Scratching champions and have travelled the world for numerous gigs, including a residency at London superclub Fabric. Wanting to expand into producing their own material, the released their debut album 'B-Boys Revenge: History In The Making' in 1998. 'Badmeaninggood' followed in 2003 and they most recently appeared on 2005's 'Fabric 22: Live' compilation. Having quit 'battling' for good, they count artists as diverse as The Neptunes and the Red Hot Chili Peppers as influences."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Based around the striking Louise Wener, Sleeper were - to quote a t-shirt worn by the singer - 'Another Female-Fronted Band' that sprang up in the wake of Britpop fever. Stylistically similar to Brit supergroup Elastica, Wener's breathy vocals were bolstered by some sturdy punk playing from Jon Stewart (guitar), Diid Osman (bass) and Andy MacLure (drums). Their 1993 debut single 'Alice In Vain' garnered good reviews, and they topped the indie charts the following year with 'Delicious'. A support slot on Blur's Parklife tour raised their profile enough to send their debut album 'Smart' into the UK charts at number five, but despite Wener being a photogenic 'face' in the music papers, 1996's follow-up 'The It Girl' failed to do business and the band called it quits shortly afterwards. Wener now earns a living as a successful author - her books include 'Goodnight Steve McQueen' and 'The Perfect Play'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Based in Portland Oregon, indie popsters Quasi are the ex-husband and wife team of guitarist and singer Sam Coombes and drummer Janet Weiss. The pair first got together in the obscure but magnificently-named Motorgoat, releasing a solitary single in 1993. They didn't follow it up until 1996's 'Early Recordings' album, after which Weiss joined Sleater Kinney for a period and Coobes busied himself working with Built To Spill and Elliot Smith's band. The first real Quasi album arrived in 1996 as 'R&B Transmogrification' and subsequent works include 'Featuring Birds' (1998), Field Studies (1999) and The Sword Of God (2001), by which time they had moved to noted US indie label Touch And Go. Their most recent work to date is the wryly-humorous 'Hot Sh*t!' from 2003, a bitingly political but witty response to post 9/11 hysteria."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Be it the early Syd Barrett pop-psychedelic era of their debut 1967 record 'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn', or the point when everything went massive with the iconic (to say the least) 'Dark Side Of The Mood', Pink Floyd more than any other band not just progressed, but had their career divided into era after era of adventurous, downbeat, trippy epics. They united the hippies (this was ultimate stoner music) and the rock kids (because in their world guitar solos rule), and with epic releases such as 1979's double-opus 'The Wall', gave the punks something to kick against. Both the enemy and Gods, Pink Floyd: national institution."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Billy specialised in combining the uncombinable: punk and folk, sarcasm and warmth, politics and love. Billy's lyrics are sometimes cutting and angry, sometimes warm, but always insightful and witty. His songs paint a picture of Britain in the 1980s and capture the disillusionment that many felt at the time. <BR/> He was born in Barking, London as Stephen William Bragg and started playing guitar in his teens with his next-door neighbour Wiggy. The two of them formed a punk band called Riff Raff, but success was not forthcoming.<BR/>Surprisingly, Billy then joined the army. Unsurprisingly he hated it and bought his way out with �175 and returned to his parents' home. <BR/> Billy devised ingenious strategies to get his demo tapes heard. He pretended to be a television repair man in order to get into the office of Peter Jenner at Charisma Records. When Billy heard our own John Peel announce he was hungry on air, he rushed to the BBC studios with a mushroom biriyani and a tape. He was rewarded with lots of airplay, which John always insisted he would have got anyway. <BR/> In 1985, the year after he released 'Brewing Up With Billy Bragg', he helped to form the left-wing youth movement Red Wedge, whose members also included Paul Weller and Jimmy Sommerville. 1984 also saw one of Billy's songs, 'New England' become a Top 10 hit, albeit sung by Kirsty MacColl. Album after album followed, but it was 1991's 'Don't Try This At Home' which featured his biggest hit, 'Sexuality'. Billy took several years off to concentrate on fatherhood and his most recent album is 2002's 'England, Half English'. Wiggy still plays in his backing band. <BR/><blockquote>"I was coming back from a gig somewhere and my girlfriend met me at the station and told me that the BBC phoned wanting me to do a Peel session. So I thought this was it - I'm a made man! I'm in! I rang my record company and said 'How am I going to get there? I don't even know where Maida Vale is. How am I going to get all my stuff on the tube?' And they said 'Bill, they pay you to do this, get a bloody taxi', which I thought was too good to be true; they PAY you to do a Peel session!"</blockquote><BR/>Billy Bragg"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Birkenhead's wry four-piece post-punk outfit with a sense of humour, Half Man Half Biscuit, released their debut album, 'Back In The D.H.S.S', in 1986, which quickly became a favourite of John Peel's, making indie-stars of the peculiarly monickered band. 'Back In The D.H.S.S' went on to become the biggest-selling independent album of that year. On the cusp of super-stardom Nigel and Si Blackwell, Neil Crossley and Paul Wright split-up, disillusioned with the constant attentions of the media, who all probably wanted to know just what their name actually meant. They re-formed to the relief of fans of wryness and sarcasm in 1990, proceeding to release a further string of highly acclaimed albums, though it'll always be their mid-80s heyday forever associated with the great man Peel. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Birmingham electro fetish trio Plone formed in 1994 and comprised of keyboard players Mike Bainbridge, Michael Johnston and Mark Cancellara and their obsession with analogue synthesisers. After playing a number of low-key gigs, the band's debut single 'Press A Key' was released on indie label Wurlitzer Jukebox in 1997. Subsequently signing to techno label Warp, they appeared on the 1998 compilation 'We Are Reasonable People' and issued their well-received 'Plock EP' shortly afterwards. An appearance at John Peel's Meldown Festival in London raised their profile and their debut album 'For Beginner Piano' arrived in 1999, which saw them experiment further with Kraftwerkian sounds and the sort of jingles that the BBC Radiophonic Workshop used to record to play behind the test card. Fact: 'Plone' is an imaginary word which sounds like a cartoon ricochet. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Bis' Manda Rin is the reason indie girls still have a penchant for plastic hairgrips and T-shirts featuring cartoon characters. The trio, singer Manda Rin, guitarist John Disko and keyboard player Sci-Fi Steve, claimed to be leading the Teen-C Revolution, which essentially meant lollipops, bouncing and the general behaviour of a bunch of over-sugared seven-year-olds. But Bis were fun, Bis had energy. Amanda MacKinnon and brothers John and Steve Clark, to use the names their mothers gave them, had been friends since childhood. They managed two singles 'Transmissions On A Teen-C Tip' and 'The Secret Vampire Soundtrack' without a proper record deal and in 1996 became the first unsigned band to appear on Top Of The Pops. The media went Bis mad and the group signed to Wiija in the UK and the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal in the States. Three albums followed and in 2001 they began composing music for a Power Puff Girls video game. Sadly in 2003 Bis said goodbye to their plastic fantastic world of New Wave pop and split up."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Blur are still most famous for their role in the Britpop Wars as the down-south adversaries to Oasis' northern uproar. But Damon Albarn (vocals), Graham Coxon (guitar), Alex James (bass) and Dave Rowntree (drums) have been through many musical changes, from the shoegazing-lite of Leisure (1991) to the rollicking Mockney guitar pop of Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993) and Parklife (1994) and their later forays into American-influenced lo-fi rock ('13', 1999).The group started out as an outfit called Seymour, changing their name after signing to Food Records. After becoming perhaps the most successful band of the Britpop era, Blur began to crack up. Damon split from his long-term girlfriend, Elastica singer Justine Frischman, Dave stopped drinking and gained a pilot's licence, Alex holed up in various London bars with new friends Damien Hirst and Keith Allen, and Graham, sickened by it all, left the group. Blur continued as a three piece. Now their future is uncertain. Damon has said he no longer wants to record without Graham, but his former guitarist has, so far, remained silent.<BR/><blockquote>"I don't know why, but John got this thing in his mind that he wanted to invite artists round to his house to do sessions, rather than at Maida Vale all the time. He invited a handful of bands over the years, and they would come complete with full P.A. system, a truck, all their gear and everything else that goes with it. Anyway, Blur was the first ever one. <BR/>"They were a massive band already, and very famous. But the wonderful thing about them was that they were so chuffed to be there, like little kids. Every time John came within five feet of them Damon would go bright red."</blockquote> <BR/>- Miti Adhikari"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Bob posters are a student staple, but his influence extends far beyond smoky bedrooms in halls of residence. As reggae's best known artist, his music is responsible for spreading the messages of the Rastafarian faith and stories of the Jamaican people. <BR/>Born Robert Nesta Marley in Jamaica in1945, Bob moved to the island's capital Kingston at the age of 14 to become a pupil of local singer Joe Higgs. He went on to form a group called The Teenagers, who later changed their name to The Wailing Rude Boys, later The Wailers. This version of the group disbanded in 1966, but later reformed with Marley (lead vocals), Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston. This line up released 'Catch A Fire' (1973) and 'Burnin' (1974), before Tosh and Livingston left to pursue solo careers. Marley then started working with the I-Threes, consisting of his wife Rita, Marcia Griffith and Judy Mowatt. Together they produced 1975's 'Natty Dread' which contained the worldwide hit 'No Woman No Cry.' <BR/>An assassination attempt in 1976 meant he was forced to leave Jamaica and settle in America. The album 'Exodus', considered a classic, was released in 1977. But in 1980 Marley collapsed whilst jogging in new York's Central Park. He was found to have cancer, which had spread through his lungs, liver and brain. He died on May 11, 1981, aged just 36. <BR/><blockquote>"When Marley arrived at the studio, you realised he was a star; very quiet and somehow dignified. Of course, all of them were there then, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh. <BR/>"I seem to remember it took a lot of time to get it started, there was a lot of sitting around, as you'd expect, and, at that time, of course, possessing marijuana was an imprisonable offence; they did everything very discreetly, but you could smell it, even through the double doors, in the control room. They were also grinding hash up and putting it in honey. What was I supposed to do? BBC training would probably have told me to call the police. <BR/>"Anyway, that was on their first visit to Britain, years before they were noticed. Only Island and us were on to them then." </blockquote><BR/>- John Walters (In Session Tonight by Ken Garner)"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Born in Windsor, but brought up in Canada, Richie Hawtin was heavily influenced in his teens by the house sound of Detroit. He started DJing in 1987 and founded the influential dance label Plus 8 in 1990, recording his own take on deep house and techno under the names Plastikman and F.U.S.E. (Future Underground Subsonic Experiments). Updating the classic Detroit sound, Hawtin's best early work is probably his 1993 debut 'Dimension Intrusion' which mixes the harder club sounds with chill-out material more suited to 'home listening', as he calls it. The same year also saw the debut of Plastikman with the 'Spastik' single, a track that showcased Hawtin's love of the Roland 303 'acid' sound. After numerous releases under the F.U.S.E. and Plastikman names, Hawtin finally relased an album under his own name in 1999, 'Decks, EFX & 909', and continues to issue albums on the Mute offshoot Novamute."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Cat Power is the musical alter-ego of the somewhat fragile Chan Marshall, famous for her ethereal, Souther-accented vocals. Chan (pronounced Shawn) was born Charlyn Marie Marshall in Atlanta, Georgia, but started playing the Cat Power moniker when she moved to New York after dropping out of high school. Whilst opening for Liz Phair she met Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley who encouraged her to record her music. Her first two albums were taped in one day. 'Dear Sir' was released in 1995 and 'Myra Lee' appeared the year after.In 1996 she signed to Matador Records and produced 'What Would The Community Think' (1996) and 'Moon Pix' (1998). Tiring of her own material, she turned to The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Smog and others for 'The Covers Album' (2000). Chan went back to original material in 2003 with 'You Are Free', supposedly influenced by the film 'Good Will Hunting'. <BR/>Cat Power live shows are famous for their lack of direction and Chan is an unpredictable performer. Fans love the freeform style of shows, but others say Chan's apparent shyness can be painful to watch."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Citing influences from Guided by Voices and Pavement to 'a healthy dollop of Radio Peel', Magoo formed in Norwich, UK, in 1993, featuring Andrew Rayner (vocals, guitar), Jen Heagran (bass, vocals) Owen Turner (guitar, vocals), and Stacey Gow (drums, percussion, vocals). Magoo describe their Peel Sessions as 'the biggest dream come true for all of us,' despite the fact the broke the organ and got lost in the studio's corridors. They released three singles on their own Noisebox Records before signing to Chemikal Underground in 1997. Two albums followed: 'The Soateramic Sounds of Magoo' and 'Vote the Pacifist Ticket Today'. Dropped by Chemikal Underground, the band went on to release another two albums: 'Realist Week' and 'The All Electric Amusement Arcade' (2004). The band recorded a whopping seven Peel sessions, the last of which Peel sadly never got to hear."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Coldcut were the sound of the fashionable late-90's, when 'Let Us Play' invaded the CD rack of everyone with a pair of Evisu Jeans and a Carhart hoodie. But producers Jonathan More and Matt Black shouldn't be dismissed as a pair of knob-twiddling hipsters: they've always had an agenda. Coldcut's cut-and-paste style is more than fancy DJ-ing: the two believe that the world can be explored through play. <BR/>More and Black first proper release was 1987's 'Hey Kids, What Time Is It?' Only 5000 copies were made and the records were sold as US imports under the name DJ Coldcut to avoid having to pay for sample credits. In 1991 they set up their record label Ninja Tune, which became a by-word for breaks-based cool throughout the decade. Their celebrated addition to the Journey's By DJ series came out in 1995, followed by 'Let Us Play' in 1997.<BR/> <blockquote>"About 25 years ago when I was at college, I was in a band called the Jazz Insects, and we sent a copy of our first single to John. Now, we'd heard it was possible to speak to John on the phone if you called Radio 1, and after a few unsuccessful tries we actually managed to speak to him. He had a very cool manner, and I dried up immediately, but he did play our record that night and we received a helpful �50 royalty cheque. Little did I know that years later I'd be doing a session on the same show."</blockquote><BR/>- Matt Black, Coldcut"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Conspiracy theorists will forever have a field day with the fact that Hole's clinically aggressive second album, 1994's 'Live Through This', was released just four days after Kurt Cobain killed himself, the band's frontwoman Courtney Love having given a tearful eulogy to her dead husband in Seattle. If anything, it was an eerily poignant testament to pain and inner strength, something that was further tested when two months later Hole's bassist Kristen Pffaf died of a drug overdose. Tragedy, scandal and provocation continually followed the Californian grungers with a revolving-door membership. One last album was to come, the glossy alternative-pop of 1998's 'Celebrity Skin', before Hole disbanded. Courtney Love didn't then release another note of music till her solo debut, 2004's 'America's Sweetheart'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Coventry's Specials was the vehicle for Jerry Dammers to launch a full blown ska revival in the late 70s and with dour singer Terry Hall and a multi-racial team of fine musicians, made the 2-Tone label one of the country's most influential imprints. In the wake of their excellent debut single 'Gangsters', the ska-punk template and the authentic Rude Boy look became hugely fashionable, while The Specials continued to notch up hits like 'A Message To You Rudi' and the banned-by-the-BBC 'Too Much Too Young'. Despite scoring a number 1 with the politcally charged (and extremely relevant due to recent race riots) 'Ghost Town', the band lost direction and soon split when Hall took guitarist Lynval Golding and percussionist Neville Staples to form Fun Boy Three. Dammers soldiered on as The Special AKA, but despite a major hit with 'Free Nelson Mandela', he called it quits soon afterwards to concentrate on his Artists Against Apartheid work."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Dave got into techno in the late 80s, fascinated by new sounds and new technology. 'I was thinking 'This is the music of the youth and 20 years from now it's going to be like the rock of the 60s'. I had to get in on it.' <BR/>Although raised in a musical family (his dad was a modern jazz musician), Dave didn't 'get on it' until after the death of his father and series of jail sentences. He was swept along by acid house and in 1989 released a re-work of The Eurhythmics' 'Sweet Dreams', called the 'Nightmare Mix', which reached No. 23 in the UK charts. Popular in techno circles as a producer and a DJ, Dave became massive in Germany's tech-heavy club scene. In 1996 he released his debut album 'Tales Of The Unexpected', followed by 1997's 'Globetrotting'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "David Gedge of Cinerama was a personal friend of John's, dating back to the singer's days in The Wedding Present. Cinerama was born out of Gedge's fascination with soundtrack composers, such as John Barry and his desire to do something different from the standard guitar pop of The Wedding Present. Cinerama started as a solo project, but gathered force after The Wedding Present split in 1997. The group now has five members, including ex-Present guitarist Simon Cleave. <BR/>"I've been a fan of him and his music for as long as I can remember," says Gedge of Peel. "He's shaped my musical direction.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Described by John Peel as 'astonishing', Nina Nastasia's debut album, 'Dogs' (Socialist Records), was released in 1999 to little recognition. By the time Peel had started playing its haunting, intimate compositions in heavy rotation on his show (he'd been sent a copy by Steve Albini, Nastasia's engineer), 'Dogs' was already out of print. It was followed by 'Blackened Air' (2002) and 'Run to Ruin' (2003), both on Touch and Go, who also re-released 'Dogs' in 2004. Accompanied by her band (instruments played include cello, bowed saw and voila), Nastasia creates ghostly, subdued music, with a nod towards country and American folk. Nastasia played four sessions at the BBC studios, and twice at Peel Acres.<BR/><blockquote>"The last thing we did with Nina was at Peel Acres, and on this occasion Nina brought a couple of Tuvan throat singers with her to perform on the session. John thought this was a good time to do his fox impression live on air (which, if you knew John, was something he loved to do at any given moment) to try to impress the Tuvan singers, presumably because he thought they sounded like a fox."</blockquote><BR/>- Andy Rogers"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Dick was truly King of the Surf Guitar, having pretty much invented the sound. In trying to mimic the sounds and feelings of riding the waves he broke the thickest guitar strings and regularly wore his picks down to nothing. In 1962 he released surf music's first album 'Surfer's Choice'. He was forced to retire in 1966 when diagnosed with rectal cancer, but fought off the disease and went on to breed rare animals, gain a pilot's licence and become an environmental campaigner. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ed Handley and Andy Turner's time in The Black Dog, one of the leading lights of what critics liked to call intelligent techno, served them well when it came to Plaid, an often beguiling techno outfit on Warp, as synonymous with the legendary Sheffield label as the similar, and equally essential Boards Of Canada and Aphex Twin. Their debut, 1998's 'Not For Threes' (issued through Nothing in America), featuring guest vocals from no less than Bjork, was a master class in contrast and atmosphere. 2003's 'Spokes' continued their unique way, making laptops sigh and dance fans swoon."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Even if Pixies hadn't re-formed last year (to widespread acclaim) their legend would still be set in amber. Frank Black, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and Charles Thompson brought a combination of abrasion, beauty, surrealism and squeals of feedback to what was, essentially, surf guitar-pop influenced by the likes of The Stooges and The Beach Boys. It's a line oft repeated, but without Pixies many of today's guitar bands wouldn't have realised the lengths to which rock music, both lyrically and dynamically, could be pushed. From 1987's 'Come On Pilgrim' to 1991's 'Trompe Le Monde', they were the alternative. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Everyone, apparently, needs a bosom for a pillow, or so Cornershop told us on their 1998 single 'Brimful of Asha'. The track was a tribute to Indian singer Asha Bhosle and, with a remix from Norman Cook and a hook advocating some rather uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, went to No.1 in the UK charts. <BR/>Cornershop, however, were happier away from the limelight. They had, after all, spent years in relative obscurity, with only the occasional stunt getting them any kind of attention. Tjinder Singh (vocals, guitar), Ben Ayer (guitar), Avtar Singh, Tjinder's brother (bass) and David Chambers (drums) came out of Leicester, with a mix of Asian music, shambolic punk and fiercely held anti-racist views. During Morrissey's somewhat suspect flirtation with mod and skinhead imagery Cornershop burned pictures of the singer at gigs and outside the offices of his record label. <BR/>In 1994 sitar player Anthony Saffery joined, as did guitarist Wallis Healey. Avtar and David left, replaced with drummer Nick Simms and percussionist Pete Hall. They began picking up well-known fans, most notably Brian Eno and David Byrne. Their 1995 album 'Woman's Gotta Have It' was released on Byrne's Luaka Bop label. <BR/>The real breakthrough came with 1997's 'When I Was Born For The Seventh Time', which featured the smash 'Brimful Of Asha' and a collaboration with Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. Somewhat frightened by success, Cornershop took a break, returning in 2002 with 'Handcream for A Generation'. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Famously, Peel himself said of Cantrell: <BR/><blockquote>"My favourite record of the last ten years and possibly my life is an LP by a New York woman born in Nashville called Laura Cantrell. It's country, and I don't know why I like it, but it has the same sort of effect on me as Roy Orbison had in the '60s."</blockquote> <BR/>The daughter of two attorneys, Laura Cantrell moved from her native Nashville to New York to study law and accounting at Columbia. She started singing while at college, and ended up befriending John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, with whom she sings on the band's 1992 release Apollo 18. <BR/> In fact, BBC producer Andy Rogers said of her first session with Peel: "at the time she was still working - quite bizarrely in banking or personnel or something - in a big city corporation in New York. John heard her album and played it into the ground." <BR/> Her debut album in 2000, Not the Tremblin' Kind, caught the attention of Peel, and in the end she recorded five sessions for the man - 3 at Peel Acres and 2 at Maida Vale. <BR/> She has since released 2 LPs, the last of which Humming by the Flowering Vine (2005) is dedicated to Peel's memory."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Following his departure from the seminal Soft Machine in 1973, Bristol-born Wyatt became one of the most affecting songwriters and distinctive voices of the period. After his debut solo album 'End Of An Ear' was released, Wyatt drunkenly fell from a window at a party and found himself paralysed from the waist down. The subsequent album 'Rock Bottom' (1974) is a brutally honest chronicle of his accident, but Wyatt moved on and landed of the most unexpected hits of 1974 with a cover of The Monkees' 'I'm A Believer'. Top Of The Pops refused to let Wyatt perform onstage in his wheelchair, but after a public outcry, they relented. Wyatt was quiet for the rest of the decade, but reappeared in the 80s when artists such as Elvis Costello started namechecking him - Costello paid tribute with an emotional rendition of Wyatt's politically-charged 'Shipbuilding', a damning indictment of the Falklands war."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Formed in London by ex-McCarthy frontman Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier, Stereolab mixed hypnotic experimental electronica and naive French pop to produce one of the country's biggest cult bands of the 90s. The duo released low-key mail-order only singles as Stereolab in 1991, but 'Peng!' was their first album proper and saw the recruitment of Mary Hansen on keyboards, ex-Microdisney man Sean O'Hagan on guitar and Andy Ramsey on drums. 1993's 'Transient Random Noise Bursts With Announcements' tapped into the vogue for easy listening grooves and comfortably appealed to both dance and indie fans, giving the group a fashionable aura that led Sadier to sing on Blur's 'To The End' single. Maintaining a fiercely devoted fanbase, Stereolab continued to release critically acclaimed material, including 'Mars Audiac Quintet' (1994) and 'Emperor Tomato Ketchup' (1996). Despite the death of original member Hansen in a road accident in 2002, the band carried on with 2004's 'Margerine Eclipse'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Formed in London in the mid-90s by singer Jamie Hince, Scarfo's quirky take on alt.rock attracted the attention of almost-legendary indie label Fierce Panda in 1995 for a debut single 'Lifeline', but the band permanently signed to Elastica's home, Deceptive shortly afterwards. The making of their 1997 debut 'Luxury Plane Crash' was not without its problems - Hince got an attack of cold feet while recording with producer Nigel Godrich, who promptly buggered off to work on Radiohead's 'OK Computer'. As you do. Hince also got run over by a car during the sessions, meaning by the time he'd recovered enough to promote the record, any momentum had been lost and the band split soon after. Hince has since returned to form The Kills with Alison Mosshart to much critical acclaim."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Formed in Manchester in 1982 around the songwriting duo of Morrissey and Johnny Marr, the shadow of The Smiths loomed large over the independent scene in the 80s. Morrissey's enigmatic persona, with his self-confessed celibacy, militant vegetarianism and obsession with forgotten 1960s movie stars, launched a thousand clones. Johnny Marr's effortless knack for a melody melded perfectly with his partner's grimly witty observations on life and death. Supported by bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce, The Smiths reeled off countless hits like 'This Charming Man', 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now', 'Panic' and 'Ask'. The band flourished with landmark Peel sessions that were, for many, their first introduction to The Smiths and were compiled on the superb 'Hatful Of Hollow' album. The band were about to sign to EMI after four excellent albums, but suddenly split in 1987 amid much acrimony. With Morrissey's current 'superstar' solo career, a reunion currently seems unlikely.<BR/><blockquote>"When we first got the call do to our initial session we were in our manager's office in Manchester, which was a clothing manufacturing warehouse where we rehearsed. Joe, our manager, told us we'd got a Peel session and we were ecstatic and then we immediately panicked because we'd not really had any experience of being in a studio.<BR/>"On the day of the session we set off from Manchester, all of us in a little van, at about 7am, so by the time we got to London we were pretty exhausted. As an eighteen year old I felt so intimidated walking into the BBC. <BR/>"Those sessions taught me how to make records. We had to do it very quickly, so we had to be really together and know what we were doing. We worked very hard, and it was worth it.<BR/>"Shortly afterwards, after our first album came out, we realised that some of the versions of the songs on the album weren't as good as the way we did them on the John Peel session. Because of this we put out a compilation called 'Hatful Of Hollow', which featured those John Peel sessions, and as a result they pretty much became the definitive versions of the songs we recorded for John. <BR/>"What happened to us was that whenever a session came up, we wrote songs, because we needed them, especially for the session. 'This Charming Man', for example, was written because we had a John Peel session and we didn't have enough songs. The session was on a Friday, and on the Tuesday I just got out of bed and wrote this tune because we needed another song for the session."</blockquote><BR/>- Johnny Marr, The Smiths"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Formed in Pontyclun, South Wales in 2003, Steveless are the duo of Dan Newman (who plays 'everything') and Ian Cosgrove (who plays 'less things') who have been taking their bedroom recordings out to the wider world to mixed reviews. They cite their influences as 'McLusky, Nick Cave, Polly Harvey and Joy Division', which gives you some idea of where they're coming from... Their latest homemade 'releases' are the 'One Of Us Has Moved On' album and 'The Labour EP', both from 2004. Despite getting much airplay from John Peel in the months before his death, the duo remain unsigned and continue to produce their own CDs. They are presumably still Steve-less."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Fronted by the mumblingly eccentric Gruff Rhys, SFA have produced a series of gloriously sprawling, sub-psychedelic pop records, occasionally rendered in 5.1 SurroundSound and wearing the odd yeti suit. The band signed to Ankst in 1993 for two Welsh language EPs, before joining Creation in '95. The album 'Fuzzy Logic' was an instant classic, spawning the hits 'God! Show Me Magic' and 'Hometown Unicorn', while the band used the work of artist Pete Fowler as the springboard for some impressive live shows. After two more albums in the same vein, 2000's 'Mwng' saw them return to their Welsh roots and 2001's 'Rings Around The World' boasted guest appearances from Paul McCartney and John Cale. Their last two albums - 'Phantom Power' (2003) and 'Love Kraft' (2005) - have seen the band become ever more eclectic, while they still hold the record for the most swearwords on one single (1996's 'The Man Don't Give A F**k').<BR/><blockquote>"I was in Studio 5, working with Leo Sayer, and SFA were next door in Studio 4. I remember these clouds of funny-smelling smoke coming out of the doors of their studio, and when they saw Leo they basically dragged him in to join them. I'll never forget the look on Leo Sayer's face after he came back in to Studio 5 after being accosted by a bunch of mad Welsh blokes. I can't imagine what they spoke about."</blockquote><BR/>- Simon Askew"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Genesis are one of the most successful rock acts of all time. Peter Gabriel assembled a band whilst still at school in Surrey, England. Ex-student, recording artist, producer (and later, convicted paedophile) Jonathan King produced the group, and renamed them Genesis. Their first album, 'From Genesis to Revelation', was released in 1969. Former child actor Phil Collins joined as drummer in 1970. 1972's 'Foxtrot' was a high point in the band's history, and their live performances incorporating masks, makeup and props, became major multimedia events. In 1975 Phil Collins took over as lead singer, and the band's success continued, with 1981's 'Abacab' proving to be a big hit, its success only beaten by 1985's 'Invisible Touch'. During the late 60s and early 70s Peel championed Genesis, but he grew disillusioned with their later excesses. 'I used to go and see Genesis', remarked Peel, 'and after about three minutes I'd think, oh, I wish this would stop!'"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Gene started with a bang. Two music journalists formed a label in order to release the band's first single, 'For the Dead', in 1994. It sold out within a week. Combining the cheek of Britpop with the rawness of predecessors like The Faces and the Jam, Gene featured Martin Rossiter on vocals and guitar, plus Matt James (drums) and Kevin Miles on bass. In 1994, they signed to Polydor and released another single, 'Be My Light, Be My Guide' in 1994. Spurred on by Martin Rossiter's witty and sometimes outrageous interviews, by January 1995 the band had been named 'Best New Act' at NME's Brat Awards. Their debut album 'Olympian' reached the Top 10 in 1995. It was followed by a collection of b-sides and Peel sessions in 1996, and another album, 'Drawn to the Deep End', in 1997. Despite reaching the Top 10, 'Drawn Into the Deep End' received mixed reviews, and by 2000, the band found themselves without a record deal. Undaunted by this, they founded their own label, 'Contral', and issued the live set 'Rising for Sunset - Live at the Troubadour' in 2000, followed by 2002's 'Libertine'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Georgia Hubley (drums/ vocals), Ira Kaplan (guitars/vocals), and James McNew (bass vocals) formed Yo La Tengo in 1985. <BR/> The kind of band to name drop if you really want to impress your indie-music obsessed mates, Yo La Tengo are anything but ordinary. From screeching art-rock and jangling pop songs to electronic soundscapes and hushed lullabies, Yo La Tengo push the musical barrier further than any other band. <BR/> John Peel spotted their genius early and got them playing a Peel Session that went down as one of the all time greatest live recordings the band has ever made. <BR/> The name "Yo La Tengo," when translated into Spanish means "extra mayo, please." Fact. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Glaswegian collective, The Yummy Fur set the template for the art-rock explosion led by bands like Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party in the mid-noughties. Although bands like Bis were more commercially successful, Yummy Fur enjoyed a hardcore fanbase of fey indie kids who were after something with more balls than Belle and Sebastian. <BR/> Formed in '92 and led by vocalist/ guitarist John McKeown, The Yummy Fur used guitar licks nicked straight from Peel favourites, The Fall mixed with vocoder and Moogy synths. The Fur were prolific songwriters - recording 60 songs in their first five years, but after a few lauded Peel Sessions, and mixed reviews, they imploded in 1999 after releasing four albums."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "God forbid 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' were ever re-made today, but at least Tucson musical collective Calexico would be a no-brainer for the soundtrack. Influenced by Morricone's Spaghetti Western soundtracks as much as jazz and country, Calexico's music, from 1996's 'Spoke' through to 2003's sublime 'Feast Of Wire', is the sound of a band taking the music of their youth, the roots of their culture, infusing it with even more poignancy and style, and virtually defining Americana. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Godspeed You Black Emperor! is a Montreal collective creating extended works built around drone, repetition and crescendo on a range of instruments including brass, strings, guitar and multiple percussionists. Their 'songs' often include spoken word passages carrying a political message. Theirs is a very artistic vision, and their outstanding live show has gained them a loyal international following - their live show is very impressive with projections and improvised passages, and their rare tours sell out very quickly. Their 'F#A#(Infinity)' album was released in 1998. Their ambitious double-album, 'Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven' was released in 2000. 'Yanqui U.X.O.' followed in 2002. They recorded a Peel Session at Maida Vale in 1999."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Grunge influenced punkers Cay were from London, via Holland and Norway. They consisted of Anet Mook (guitar, vocals), Nicky Olofssson (guitar), Tom Harrison (bass) and Mark Bullock (drums). Their record label Org claim to have found them hanging around Camden, clutching their demo tape in 1998. Org ran around London shouting about their new discoveries and Cay were signed to mainstream label East West. They released the EP 'Better Than Myself' and recorded an album 'Nature Creates Freaks'. <BR/>Then, according to Org, 'it all went wrong in a big way and messed their heads up completely.' Cay went back to the loving arms of their indie label, played festivals, got radio play and issued another single 'The Ressurexit' in 2000. <BR/>Then they vanished. <BR/>Org would love to be reunited with you Cay, so if you're reading, get in touch."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hailing from Rochdale, Rob Brown and Sean Booth met in 1987. They spent a good deal of time trading pause-button mixtapes, but graduated to making their own music. <BR/>Signed to pioneering electronica label Warp, Autechre reveled in creating intricate, glitched-out sounds, that led to them, along with contemporaries such as label-mate Aphex Twin, being slotted into a genre known as IDM, or Intelligent Dance Music. <BR/>Their debut album 'Incunabula' was released in 1993. Since then the duo have released several albums, the most recent being 2005's 'Untitled', and several remixes for artists including Skinny Puppy, DJ Food and Tortoise. <BR/>Brown and Booth are extremely reclusive, although they have an extremely devoted fanbase. They state that the name Autechre can be pronounced in any fashion and have also recorded under the names Lego Feet and Velocity Kendall. <BR/>Aphex Twin once claimed to be the brains behind Autechre, but, as he also claimed to be behind Plone and Boards of Canada at the same time, you can take that with a pinch of salt."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hefner were a British indie band comprised of Darren Hayman (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Antony Harding (drums, backing vocals), John Morrison (bass) and Jack Hayter (guitar, pedal steel guitar, keyboards, fiddle). They met and formed in 1992 when Hayman and Harding met at art school, adding the other members in London. Their debut 'Another Better Friend' EP was released in 1996 and scored them a record deal with Too Pure, where they released their debut album, 'Breaking God's Heart', in 1998. The second album 'The Fidelity Wars' came out a year later. The band then moved on to a deal with Beggars Banquet. Later releases 'We Love the City' and 'Dead Media' saw them move in a more electronic direction. Since then they've played together only once, for a tribute to John Peel, who was a strong supporter of theirs."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Here he is, the world's greatest whistler... Yes, Ronnie Ronalde has made a career of whistling, plus being a hit singer and yodeller to boot. Starting his career in the 1930s, by 1945 Ronalde had his his own BBC Radio show and received so much fan mail, extra secretaries had to be employed to deal with it. Weekly TV and radio shows and a series of hits on the EMI label including 'Mocking Bird Hill', 'Beautiful Dreamer', 'In A Monastery Garden' and 'If I Were A Blackbird' made him a million seller in the pre-Beatles age. Such was his success in the US in the 1950s, he was even seen as serious competition to Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Ronalde has now retired to New Zealand and named his home Whistler's Lodge, but still makes the occasional personal appearances. If you need any more recommendation than that, well... go and whistle."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hold onto your toasters, because the robots are here to liberate all machines. Servotron was a group comprising four 'androids' whose raison d'etre was to free machines from oppression and crush the human spirit. How would they do this? By giving us clunky futuristic covers of classic pop songs like 'Electric Avenue'... of course, although with their own electro-punk 'propoganda'. Their leader, Z4-OBX, is apparently a 'percussive unit', rock chick Proto-Unit V-3sequences provides the keyboards (and is 'in charge of the unnecessary torture of the press'), 00Z X1 'vocalises' noises and Andros 600 emits rhythms. We're not making this up. Some would say that Servotron was a crazy concept group comprising of former members of Canadian quirk-pop act Man Or Astro-man?, but who are we to say? Their debut album 'No Room For Humans' arrived in 1996 and was followed by 'Spare Parts' (1997) and 'Entertainment Program For Humans' (1998). You have been warned."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "If ever there was a band name John Peel enjoyed saying on air, it was this one: F**k. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1993, F**k's pretty music belied the harshness of their name. Formed while friends Timmy Prudhomme (vocals), Kyle Statham (violin, guitar), Ted Ellison (bass, piano) and Jeff Soule (drums) were detained in a police holding cell (a likely story), their first single 'Monkey Beauty Shotgun' (1994) showcased the band's gentle, whispery, understated style. Their first album 'Pretty-Slow' (1996) was followed by 'Pardon My French' (1997), 'Conduct' (1998), 'Cupid's Cactus' (2001) and 'These Are Not My Bongos' (2003), after which the band split into solo projects."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "In the mid-90's every town had a single teenager who only ever wore a 60ft. Dolls T-shirt. They were one of several Welsh bands who, following the success of Manic Street Preachers, began to clamour for their own space in the music press and record shops of Britain. Whilst never as popular as their contemporaries such as Stereophonics and The Super Furry Animals, the Dolls had a devoted, and T-shirted, fanbase.The band formed in the mostly working class city of Newport in Wales. Richard Parfitt (vocals/ guitar) and Mike Cole (bass) met whilst signing on and discovered a shared interest in Motown and classic British rock bands such as The Jam, The Clash and The Who. Six months later, in 1993, they were joined by drummer Carl Bevan.<BR/>Having built up a reputation for rowdy and energetic performances around Wales, they were signed to Indolent Records and released their first single 'Happy Shopper' in 1994. Singles 'Pig Valentine' and Stay' followed and in 1995 they joined the NME Brat Bus tour alongside Veruca Salt and Marion. Album 'The Big Three' was released in 1996 and its follow-up 'Joya Magica' appeared in 1998. The band split in 1999 after being dropped by Indolent."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "It's unlikely anyone could have predicted the meteoric rise of Nirvana from their humble 1985 beginnings in Aberdeen, WA, a small logging town 10 miles out of Seattle. They recorded their debut album 'Bleach' (1989) on a budget of only $600, leading to a contract with DGC, where they recorded their seminal 'Nevermind' album. By the beginning of 1992, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' had hit the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic and 'Nevermind' had toppled Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous' from the top of the US album chart. However, cracks started to appear at the peak of the band's success. Shortly after the release of the final Nirvana album, 'In Utero', the band's troubled frontman Kurt Cobain went through a series of heroin overdoses, and eventually committed suicide on April 4th 2004. John Peel spotted Nirvana early - the band recorded three Peel Sessions in 1989, 1990 and 1991. <BR/><blockquote>"Nirvana did a few sessions at Maida Vale. I think I did their last one, which was still relatively early in their career. Jeff Smith phoned me and said 'you've got a really hot one this week - Nirvana', and to be honest I hadn't really heard of them. The session went well, and I thought they were good. We recorded it, went to the pub for a couple of drinks, then came back to mix it. It was only when their manager, John Silva, came in to the studio and told them that they'd just gone double-platinum in America (with 'Nevermind') that I thought, 'hmm, they must be quite famous then'.<BR/>"I remember that Kurt didn't react much when his manager told him their album was number one in the States. He seemed to be more bothered about that fact that Fender had delivered six white, left-handed Stratocaster guitars to his hotel room. They must've liked the session though, because they later insisted that I do the live recording at Reading. The Foo Fighters have used me ever since, too."</blockquote><BR/>John Peel"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "It was as if this guy Peel made a career for me', said Loudon Wainwright III, of his first trip to the UK in 1971. Loudon credited much of his UK success to Mr Peel, saying 'He was a very important radio disc jockey_ the grand old man of Radio One. And he heard the first two albums and loved them.' Wainwright became a singer/songwriter in the late 60s, singing honest, funny folk songs. Releases include the imaginatively-titled 'Album I' (1970), 'Album II' (1971) and 'Album III' (1972). Immensely prolific, Wainwright has churned out over 20 albums so far, not to mention a son and a daughter, Rufus and Martha, both of whom have gone on to trouble the UK chart with their own respective takes on the singer-songwriter genre.<BR/><blockquote>"On one particular day at Peel Acres, Louden came up, and we managed to soundcheck in about two seconds - it was just one microphone and a guitar. So whilst we were waiting for John to arrive, we all took a dip in John's pool.<BR/>"When stuff like that happens, it really calms the artist and by the time they're ready to perform they are completely relaxed, which, more often than not, comes through on the session."</blockquote>"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Jack and Meg White formed The White Stripes in 1997 while Jack was working in a taxidermists shop in Detroit, Michigan. With guitar, effects pedals and a drummer, The White Stripes took a back to basics approach that took the world by storm in the summer of 2001. <BR/> John Peel loved the band and played an important part in getting their music out to a wider audience. <BR/> </blockquote>Peel said: "I like to be taken by surprise myself. I first heard the White Stripes when we went to an event in Groningen in the Netherlands called Noorderslag and Eurosonic, and there's a wonderful record shop, very small, not much bigger than this studio, it's just a great record shop, and I went in there and the first White Stripes LP was in there as an import from the States. And I just liked the look of it and I looked at the titles - you develop an instinct, d'you know what I mean? And it looked like the sort of record I would like, so I took it out and I did like it, and started playing it. Now I get a lot of music from Detroit. The fact that it's successful is good."</blockquote>"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "JAWBONE 'Just the harmonica. Just the harmonica. And some singing.' That's what Jawbone's all about - being as lo-fi and stripped-down as you can get while still actually making music. Add some guitar and drum to that harmonica and you've got a one-man band; a band that hails from Detroit City and apparently takes its name from a home business moving company. Jawbone records his tracks in his basement on extremely lo-fi equipment, and, despite the lack of band members, manages to create sweaty, foot-tappin', bawlin' and hollerin', balls-to-the-wall rock and roll blues so noisy that it makes your ears hurt. His self-released album, Dang Blues, came out in 2003. <BR/><blockquote>"We've obviously had plenty of solo artists in and out of Maida Vale in the past, and they usually bring a guitar with them, or a piano or whatever. But Jawbone is essentially a one-man band, complete with guitar, harmonica, kick drum and snare. One man playing a bunch of instruments all at the same time, on his own. We recorded it as live - I set up mics all around him, and he brought his own harmonica mic with him, called a Green Bullet. He was great, and a thoroughly nice bloke."</blockquote>"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Jeff Mills is one of the biggest names in techno. Hailing from Detroit, he was a founding member of the noted label Underground Resistance before moving to NY in 1992 to pursue a solo career. Famed for his stripped-down, pounding industrial DJ sets, Mills plays regularly in London at his Lost club nights. Mills' music fuses acid and industrial techno with the typically sparse hardcore of Detroit. His releases include two full-length volumes of 'Waveform Transmissions' (Tresor), a live album and rarities collection for the British label React, and the first album in a new contract with Sony Japan, as well as a handful of 12-inch EPs on Axis and several collaborations with Robert Hood on his M-Plant label. In 2000, Mills scored a new soundtrack for Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Jesus and Mary Chain's debut single, 'Upside Down', released in 1984, achieved the seemingly impossible, marrying bubblegum tunes with harsh, feedback-drenched distortion. At first listen, their debut album 'Psychocandy' (1985) could be seen to be nothing but white noise and squalling feedback, but peer a little deeper and you'll see loveable, simple pop songs peeking back out at you from underneath the wreckage. Their unique sound had a huge impact on both UK and US music, inspiring everyone from My Bloody Valentine to Dinosaur Jnr. The band was centred around two Scottish brothers, William and Jim Reid, along with a cast of supporting characters - most notably Bobby Gillespie on drums, who went on to form Primal Scream. Subsequent albums included 'Darklands' (1987), 'Automatic' (1989) 'Honey's Dead' (1992) and 'Munki' (released on Sub Pop records in 1998). They disbanded in 1999, releasing their Peel sessions in 2000."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin after the break-up of The Yardbirds. Page found Robert Plant singing with a band called 'Hobbstweedle' and asked him to join; Plant recommended that Page hire John Bonham, the drummer for Plant's old band, and after touring as 'The New Yardbirds' to fulfil their contractual obligations, Led Zeppelin was born. The group recorded their entire first album in just under 30 hours and only two months after its release it hit the US Top Ten. The band toured extensively and gained a fearsome reputation for their live performances and their off-stage antics. Their bluesy, instinctive brand of soulful rock 'n' roll music won them legions of fans all over the world: Led Zeppelin IV sold over 16 million copies in the following years. Led Zeppelin recorded two Peel Sessions in 1969."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "John Peel and the High Fidelity share a common bond - the love of a peculiar, distinctively-shaped vintage synth called an Omnichord. Formerly of Madchester japesters The Soup Dragons, by the mid-90s, vocalist and lead guitarist Sean Dickson wanted to move on. He founded The High Fidelity, featuring Ross McFarlane (drums) and Adrian Barry (bass) in 1995 for a compilation released by High Times magazine. The band's debut EP, 'Stash', was released in 1996, with their first full-length LP, 'Demonstration', coming out in 2002. Always experimental, the band's second Peel session featured four songs written and recorded on the instrument, while they performed 'Silent Night' on one for his Christmas Carol show. These proved extremely popular, and led the band to give Peel an Omnichord for his 60th birthday. Peel later wrote a song for the band's Omnichord only album, the inventively titled 'Omnichord Album'. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| ""John Peel has a show on Number One [Radio 1] on which he plays the latest gramophone records," says Ivor Cutler "He put one of my records on, and a few days later there was a cloud of envelopes coming in. But some people like Cutler, and some people don't. [...] One man called in and said 'Hey! Get rid of that guy! He's driving me nuts and his voice is making my wife's hair stand on end!'" <BR/>Scottish poet, humorist and songwriter Ivor Cutler performs his touching, absurd short poems in a gentle Scottish burr. He recorded a total of 21 Peel sessions between 1969 and 1991. 'I gained a whole new audience thanks to Peel,' said Cutler. 'Much to the amazement of my older fans, who find themselves among 16-to-35s in theatres, and wonder where they come from.'"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "'John Peel was our universe', said Kevin Shields - so much so that Shields stood outside the BBC one day in 1985 for four hours, waiting for Peelie to come out. From that first single on, Shields and his band My Bloody Valentine were to redefine what noise meant. 1988's 'Isn't Anything' (Creation) blends shimmering distortion and ghostly melodies with sheets of bendy white noise, spawning the term 'shoegazing' (later applied to whole scene) due to the band's refusal to look at their audience during their live shows. In 1991 the band released 'Loveless' (Creation), which was hailed as a masterpiece (and reportedly cost a whopping �500,000 to make, crippling Creation until they signed Oasis in 1994). And then _ nothing. Shields now spends his time producing other artists, and in 2003 broke silence to record the original soundtrack to the hit movie, 'Lost in Translation'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Karl Hyde (vocals) and Rick Smith (guitar) first worked together in early 80s poseur band Freur. By 1988, such pretensions were a distant memory and the pair collaborated on a funk band called Underworld, releasing two albums at the turn of the decade. In post-Acid House dance boom, Smith and Hyde hooked up with DJ Darren Emerson and revamped the Underworld name for the thumping progressive guitar-fuelled techno of 'Dubnobasswithmyheadman' in 1993. Their big moment came in 1996 when the single 'Born Slippy' was used as one of the main themes to the cult smack addict movie Trainspottting; Hyde's heavily distorted mantra of 'lager lager lager' touching a nerve in the national psyche. The album 'Second Toughest In The Infants' sold well but Underworld had trouble replicating their success and Emerson departed in 2000. Born Slippy and their jaw-dropping 14-hour jam at Glastonbury in 1992 are still probably their finest moments."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Leeds-boys Black Star Liner are one of Britain's leading Anglo-Asian bands. Their debut single 'Smoke The Prophets' was voted NME Single Of The Week in 1994 and they've continued to produce a danceable swirl of ethnic instruments and synth sounds ever since. They signed to major label WEA in 1997 and produced the album 'Bengali Bantam Youth Experience' in 1999."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Lift To Experience met in Denton, Texas, while at college. Josh 'Bear' Browning (bass) and Josh 'Buck' Pearson, (guitar) were accompanied by Andy 'The Boy' Young on drums. Both Young and Pearson are the sons of preachers - Pearson's parents split up when his dad's religious leanings convinced him he could survive on faith alone, leaving Pearson's mother as the sole family breadwinner. Their debut, 'The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads' (2001) was a double concept album based around the notion that Texas is the centre of the apocalypse. They broke up shortly after its release. Lift To Experience were both numbers 27 and 39 in John Peel's Festive Fifty in 2001."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Listening to Camera Obscura, it's clear there are under-explored areas to fey Scottish indie, beyond the likes of The Pastels and Belle And Sebastian. Boy-girl harmonies and an acoustic guitar: Camera Obscura are songwriters from the school of purity. They took their name from an old Victorian prototype for photography and filled their songs with warmth and intimacy. Hailing from Glasgow, the six-piece further cemented their indie credentials by getting Stuart Murdoch to help produce their first album, 2001_s Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi. 2003's 'Underachievers Please Try Harder' followed: title definitely not ironic. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Lo-fi god Bill Callahan is the brain behind Smog, which gives full scope to his introverted, intimate and obsessive musings. He first made waves in 1988 with the cassette-only debut 'Macrame Gunplay' and other tape-only releases followed in the next couple of years, including 'Cow and Tired Tape Machine'. By signing to Chicago's Drag City label in 1991 for 'Forgotten Foundation', Callahan made the move from tortured bedroom artist to celebrated musician and 1993's 'Julius Caesar' was recorded with post-rock legend Jim O'Rourke, marking Smog's transition to the mainstream (well, almost). The music became more expansive on 'Wild Love' (1995) and 'The Doctor Came At Dawn' (1996), but a slight name change to (Smog) indicated that Callahan was ready to return to more introverted work for 2001's 'Rain On Lens' (2001). Always a favourite with alt.rock critics and pale young record collectors, Callahan continues to record under the (Smog) moniker."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Low formed in Duluth, Minnesota in 1994, and have been exploring the possibilities of minimal, sparse, reverent 'slowcore' music ever since. The band is a three-piece, comprising husband and wife team Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker (guitar and drums respectively, with shared vocals), and bassist John Nichols. They have recorded critically acclaimed albums such as 'Secret Name' (1999) and 'Things We Lost in the Fire' (2001) before moving to Rough Trade for their last long player, 'The Great Destroyer' (2004). Low have recorded several Peel Sessions, including a live set broadcast from the 2002 All Tomorrow's Parties festival.<BR/><blockquote>"We had what we call a 'Mogwai Moment' during Low's live session, which basically means that when the music is so tender, fractured and quiet, the emergency DAT kicks in because the computers up at Broadcasting House think that there is dead air going out. I then had to rush out half way through a song, because the band didn't know what was happening on air, and politely ask them to stop. In front of the band, the audience, and John, this was quite embarrassing. That session was amazing, I still play the CD now."</blockquote>"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Man or Astro-man? formed in 1992, playing their self-styled 'space-age surf rock'. The four-piece band originally consisted of Birdstuff (drums), Star Crunch (guitar), Dr. Delecto & his Invisible Vaportron (bass), and Electronic Monkey Wizard (on 'alternate-universe bass'). They worked with iconic producer Steve Albini on much of their 90s output, which included albums such as 1994's 'Destroy All Astromen!!', 1995's 'Project Infinity' and 1999's 'EEVIAC: Operational Index & Reference Guide'. Dr. Delecto and Star Crunch then left the band, but the remaining members continued to release music; 'A Spectrum of Infinite Scale' came out in 2000, and a compilation of b-sides and outtakes, entitled 'Beyond the Black Hole' followed."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Misty in Roots brought the music of Africa to the UK - with a little help from John Peel, of course. The band was formed by three brothers, Delbert, Wolford and Duxie Tyson, as a backing band for the Jamaican-born vocalist Nicky Thomas. After Duxie's tragic death in a swimming accident, the band left Nicky Thomas in 1978 and released a debut album, 'Live at the Counter Eurovision'. The band spent time in Zambia and West Africa and their music became increasingly African, rather than Jamaican, in its influence. Throughout it all John Peel supported the band, giving them heavy airplay on his show. On their website Misty in Roots paid homage to Peel, celebrating '25 years of memories and support. Throughout the Misty in Roots story, John Peel was our champion. To him and his family, we give thanks, praises, and ONE BIG LOVE.'"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Mr Ra is somewhat protective of his identity. Live photos (taken at interestingly named events such as the Servants of the Apocalyptic Goat Rave) show a hooded man with a mic held in front of his face. He'd never get past the doors at Bluewater Shopping Centre. <BR/>Bong Ra is no teenage hoodlum though: this Dutch producer has a trademark style of his own, known as 'jungle rock'. He's recognised in his native Holland for his parts in the Raggacore and Yardcore scenes and his output covers everything from drum n bass to metal, taking in gabba along the way. If it's hard, fast and loud, Bong Ra will be there."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Named after a phrase coined by NME journalist David Quantick, West Midlands 'grebos' PWEI initially recorded thrash-punk material, but soon fell in love with hip hop. In 1987 they released the key track 'There Is No Love Between Us Anymore' - a grab bag of scratches, samples, guitar riffs and yobbish vocals from 'grebo guru' Clint Mansell. As the 80s ended, PWEI leaned towards more hardcore dance, with 1989's 'This Is The Hour, This Is The Day, This Is This!' album being their most effective outing. The Poppies notched up several UK hits, including 'Can U Dig It?' and 'Wise Up Sucker', but the band ran out of steam in 1995 with bassist Richard March enjoying some success in Bentley Rhythm Ace. Never the most sophisticated act (see Beaver Patrol for more details), PWEI surprised the nation by selling out a series of 'reunion' gigs in 2004."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Named after a sex aid, it's no surprise Arab Strap's lyrics focus on the grubbier side of life, sometimes forming a surprising contrast to their brooding indie, post-folk sound.<BR/>Scots Aidan Moffat (vocals) and Malcolm Middleton (multiple instruments) met in Falkirk and started working together in 1995, after years of exchanging cassette tapes. They signed to Glasgow indie Chemikal Underground and bought in string players Jenny Reeve (violin) and Stacey Sievewright (cello).<BR/>Arab Strap's first album 'The Week Never Starts Round Here' was released in 1996 and followed by 'Philophobia' in 1998 and 'Elephant Shoe' (2000), The Red Thread (2001) and Monday at the Hug and Pint (2003). Fellow Scottish band Belle and Sebastian paid tribute to Arab Strap, naming their 1998 album The Boy With The Arab Strap. (If you're wondering, an Arab Strap is made of leather, with a metal ring and is often used to help maintain an erection. You can learn all sorts here.)"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Named after the wing of concentration camps in which women were forced to prostitute themselves for Nazi officers, Joy Division were never likely to see optimism and warmth within human nature. In just three years they gave the world post-punk (where bands took the raw aesthetic of punk and married it with a greater musical innovation), one of music's most iconic frontmen, whose epilepsy contributed to the single most magnetic stage presence ever, and two of the starkest, troubling and strangely euphoric albums in 1979's 'Unknown Pleasures' and 1980's 'Closer'. The latter was sadly released a few months after Ian Curtis killed himself on May 18th 1980. The rest of the band quickly re-grouped as New Order, keeping the myth of Joy Division preserved forever."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Napalm Death are one of the more extreme bands supported by John Peel, and illustrate the unprecedented diversity of his taste. Formed in Ipswich in 1982, Napalm Death were early exponents of the 'grindcore' genre, pushing the boundaries of heavy metal by warping traditional song structures to produce short, sharp bursts of ear-splitting noise and ferocious screaming. John Peel was an ardent supporter of the band, and repeatedly played the 4-second track 'You Suffer' on his show. Napalm Death recorded a now-legendary Peel Session in September of 1987. These recordings were later released by Strange Fruit Records in 1989 and re-released as part of Napalm Death's 'Complete BBC Sessions' album in July 2000.<BR/><blockquote>"There was a period in about 1988 when we had thrash band, after thrash band, after thrash band coming in to do Maida Vale sessions. These bands played pretty hard, full-on music, and they'd been in a tour van for the last two weeks, and you'd walk into their studio and you'd know they'd been working hard, if you know what I mean. Napalm Death was an extraordinary session because the songs were so short. When a song only lasts two seconds you can hardly say to the band, 'Can you play that again please, I think a guitar was out of tune."</blockquote>"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Neko Case started her musical life as a drummer for various punk rock bands whilst at art school in northwest America. Her first releases were early recordings with bands such as Maow and The Weasles, but it was Case's debut solo album, 'The Virginian' (1997) that drew attention to her striking vocals and songwriting skill. She has since produced two more studio albums (2000's Furnace Room Lullaby and 2002's Blacklisted), and has toured with Nick Cave and recorded with indie-rock supergroup The New Pornographers. In 2000, Neko Case & Her Boyfriends did a week-long tour of the UK, a highlight of which was their Peel session. Peel was said to be so taken by the performance that he invited Case to do a session from his front room next time she visited the UK."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Nick Cave first recorded with John Peel in his seminal post-punk band The Birthday Party. Their Peel Sessions allowed the band to capture the wild, raw spontaneity of their live performances on tape, and the resulting recordings were released by Strange Fruit in 1987. By this time the band had split and Nick Cave had formed another band, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, with ex-Magazine bassist Barry Adamson, drummer Mick Harvey, and Einsturzende Neubauten guitarist Blixa Bargeld. This band stayed together for over a decade and produced many great albums such as 'Tender Prey' (1988), 'Let Love In' (1994), 'Murder Ballads' (1996) and more recent offerings such as 'No More Shall We Part' (2001) and ''Nocturama' (2003). Nick Cave recorded four Peel Sessions between 1980 and 1982 (released on Strange Fruit in 2001)."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Obsessed with the classic US power pop of Big Star and The Raspberries, Glasgow's Teenage Fanclub formed in 1989 around the trio of Norman Blake (guitar, vocals), Raymond McGinley (guitar) and Gerard Love (bass). With Francis McDonald on drums (later replaced by Brendan O'Hare), the 'Fannies' released 'A Catholic Education' on Creation in 1990, a clear-cut gem in the midst of the muddy grunge and dull shoegazing that was prevalent at the time. Wilfully perverse, but always with an eye on classic guitar pop, the band could flit from the glory of the 'God Knows It's True EP', to the deliberately obscure instrumental album 'The King'. They signed to Geffen the same time as Nirvana did, with 'Bandwagonesque' marking a career high and topping a number of end of year lists. Despite frequent label changes, the Fannies continue to release well-received albums, the latest being 2005's 'Man Made'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "'Olympic Cyclist', a single from this Scottish group, was one of John's favourites of 2000. The Edinburgh foursome consist of Gordon McIntyre (vocals, guitar), Nick Reynolds (bass), Katie Griffiths (keyboards) and Gary Morgan (drums). Signed to SL Records, Ballboy put out their debut album 'Club Anthems' in 2001 and have produced an album every year since, most recently 'The Royal Theatre' (2004). Despite being prolific producers of indie-pop, none of the band are full-time musicians. Gordon and Katie are both teachers, Nick is a nurse and Gary a sound technician. Keeping it real."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "One of Britain's most unique songwriters, Roy Harper is an icon of modern British folk rock. Born in Manchester in 1941, Harper first appeared on the London folk circuit with his debut album 'Sophisticated Beggar' in 1966. Quickly signed up to Columbia, 'Come Out Fighting Genghis Khan' (1967) and 'Folkjokeopus' (1969) put Harper on the underground map and brought him to the attention of Pink Floyd manager Peter Jenner, who signed Harper to Harvest in 1970. Following the release of Harper's critically acclaimed 'Stormcock' in 1971, Led Zeppelin paid tribute to the man with the track 'Hats Off To Harper' on their third album. In 1975 formed the shortlived Trigger with guitarist Chris Spedding and Bill Bruford of Yes, but Harper went solo again for 1977's star-studded 'Bullinamingvase'. The 80s were spent hopping between major labels and his own Science Friction imprint, but Harper still records new material and performs regularly with his son Nick."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "One of the most inventive bands of the late 60s, Soft Machine applied jazz disciplines to the burgeoning wave of psychedelia, producing challenging music that heavily influenced a number of dreaded 'prog rock' acts. But let's not hold that against them. Formed by Robert Wyatt (vocals, drums) and Kevin Ayers (bass), the duo enlisted keyboard player Mike Ratledge and Aussie guitarist Daevid Allen to form Soft Machine. With Allen encountering visa problems, the remaining trio issued their eponymous debut LP in 1968, but Ayers left shortly afterwards, to be replaced by Hugh Hopper for 1969's 'Volume 2'. 'Third' (1970) added a horn section to the group, but as 'Fourth' (1971) delved deeper in the world of jazz fusion, a frustrated Wyatt left to pursue a solo career. With the departure of Ratledge in 1976, the band was effectively over, although other line-ups continued to use the name into the 80s."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Orbital were always one step ahead of rave culture. While virtually every other act of the era was forgotten in a haze of bland beats, the brothers Hartnoll recognised the power of the album as a piece of art in it's own right, paving the way for such British dance classics as Prodigy's 'Jilted Generation' and The Chemical Brothers' 'Dig Your Own Hole'. From the kaleidoscopic genre-pushing of 1994's 'Snivilisation' to 1999's brutally sleek 'Middle Of Nowhere', Orbital made techno palatable to music fans otherwise ignorant of the club scene, whilst still maintaining their credibility and desire to experiment. They'll always have a place in the heart of electronica heads the world over, if only for their trademark head-mounted flashlights that made them look like moles."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Oxford's Samurai Seven formed in 1997 and made a splash at that year's Sound City festival. An appearance on Steve Lamacq's show live from the event led to a coveted John Peel session and a deal with local label Shifty Disco. Their 1999 power pop debut, 'Xeroxy Music', got some attention from the likes of the NME and Melody Maker, but a near-tragic incident when singer Simon Williams was hit in the eye by an airgun pellet meant that the band went on hiatus while he recovered. They eventually issued their belated debut album 'Le Sport' in 2002. Despite the departure of original drummer Chris in 2004, the band are working on a follow-up album with new sticksman Alain Lotter."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Proof that something as otherworldly as spaced-out electronic psychedelia can come from Birmingham, Broadcast have been _ broadcasting since 1995, mixing 60's-inspired vocals with the intricate electric sounds associated with their label Warp. The band now consists of two core members, Trish Keenan (vocals) and James Cargill (bass). Their most recent albums were 2003's 'Ha Ha Sound', followed by 'Tender Buttons' this year (2005).<BR/> <blockquote>"There was a sense of initiation on entering the Maida Vale studios. We were quiet as we received our BBC badges and escorted, by security, to the large elevators that took us and our equipment down below ground-level. What we found was a maze of hallways and side rooms, strangely silent and uninhabited. During a break from recording, we wondered through the corridors, peering through the windows of locked rooms, on a hunt for the Radiophonic Workshop. We came across abandoned tape machines and Shostakovich posters in the hallways and scratched our heads curiously at finding a rare EMS Vocoder sitting all lonely in the corner of a deserted foyer. It was wonderful to be free to walk around unquestioned. <BR/>"We hovered outside the locked Radiophonic room, a little disappointed by what we could see through the window - a couple of DX7s and stacked cardboard boxes. We contemplated unscrewing the Radiophonic Workshop name plate from the door and making off with it, but knew the stern-faced security guard from earlier would have been on to us." </blockquote><BR/>- Trish Keenan, Broadcast"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Robert Pollard, a teacher, formed Guided by Voices in the early 80s, and the band crystallised in '85 when guitarist Tobin Sproud and bassist Dan Toohey joined the group. A combination of jangly pop and spiky new wave, Guided by Voices's pop songs earned them a small but loyal following in the American indie scene. Prior to 1993's 'Vampire on Titus', the band seemed headed for relative obscurity. But this album received wider distribution that its predecessors, and the band acquired several celebrity fans, including Kim Deal and Thurston Moore. A deal with Matador followed, and their next album, 'Bee Thousand' (1994) became a word-of-mouth hit, resulting in Lolopolooza dates and MTV airplay. Barring a brief hiatus to TVT records, Guided by Voices continued on Matator until 2004, when Pollard announced that he was breaking up the band."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "See <a href="/radio1/johnpeel/artists/a/associates/">Associates</a>."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "See <a href="/radio1/johnpeel/artists/l/lukevibert/">Luke Vibert</a>."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Serious guitar music: that's what Mogwai set out to make, and it's fair to say they've achieved their aim. Formed in Glasgow in 1996 by schoolfriends Stuart Braithwaite (guitars / vocals), Dominic Aitchison (guitars) and Martin Bulloch (drums), from their debut album 'Mogwai Young Team' (1996') on they came to define what was termed 'post-rock' - dense, layered guitars, with little or no vocals, interspersed with bursts of white noise. In 1998 they released a remix collection called 'Kicking a Dead Pig', followed by the 'No Education No Future (F**k the Curfew)' EP. 1999 saw the release of 'Come On Die Young', then 'Rock Action' and the 'My Father My Kind' EP in 2001. Next was 'Happy Songs for Happy People' (yeah right - Mogwai were never the happiest-sounding fellows) in 2003, followed by 'Government Commissions BBC Sessions 1996-2004'. This last was introduced by John Peel himself, but sadly he died before it was released."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Slouched, quirky, lovingly fractured and armed with some of the best songs that ever came out of the 90s, Stephen Malkmus (who still enjoys a fruitful solo career) and his band of lo-fi troopers made indie suddenly very cool again. Instead of channelling the clear inspiration of Sonic Youth and Pixies into spitting catharsis like a certain Mr Cobain (Nirvana released 'Nevermind' the year before Pavement's 1992 seminal debut 'Slanted And Enchanted'), Pavement wrote seemingly ramshackle songs with real heart, wit and bite. Alongside Sebadoh they defined the American independence of the era. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Solex is the pseudonym of singer-songwriter Elisabeth Esselink. Formerly the singer in the Dutch group Sonetic Vet and owner of an Amsterdam record store, Esselink decided to go solo and came up with a deft blend of low-key techno and 'found' sounds. 'Solex Vs. The Hitmeister' was her debut album for Matador in 1998 and was comprised of snippets from all the records in her shop that she couldn't sell. In a change of tack, 1999's 'Pick Up' was painstakingly constructed from dozens of recordings that she'd secretly made at live shows in Amsterdam. This extraordinary technique was continued on the albums 'Low Kick And Hard Bop' (2001) and 'The Laughing Stock of Indie Rock' (2004) which showcased Esselink's wry sense of humour. Her latest album is 2005's 'In The Fishtank', 2005. Oh, and Solex is a Hungarian moped if you're interested.<BR/><blockquote>"My favorite session was a live show in the studio (2000). We played twosets on air in front of a live audience. Peel, who did the show from thesame room, said the audience should get closer to the band and not make itthat obvious they were only there for the free beers and snacks.When he aired our final session in 2002, I listened to the live webcast. He said some nice things and I dropped him an email right away. I joked about doing the next sessions at Peel acres. He read the email on the show and said that the Peel acres session was a very good idea. Unfortunately that session never happened."</blockquote><BR/>- Elisabeth Esselink (Solex)"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Stalking through pulsing clubs, often dressed in black, sometimes wearing eyeliner, Dave Clarke is a DJ who should be a rock star. His influences range from hip hop to goth and he has produced and DJ-ed in a variety of dance genres, with his fancy currently settling on techno with a heavy electro twist. <BR/>As a teenager Dave discovered his father's extensive range of stereo equipment and lights and took them off to the attic, the walls of which he'd coated with silver foil. <BR/>Despite the attractions of his rather odd lair, Dave ran away from home at the age of 16 and spent several years DJ-ing at small nights and working in go-nowhere jobs. <BR/>By the early 90s Dave has a record deal. In 1996 he released 'Archive No.1' which was critically praised for breaking away from the straightjacket of techno purism. Even after many years of the music business, Dave hasn't lost his enthusiasm: 'I have an unbridled passion for this,' he says. 'I suppose I've never grown up. I hope so.' <BR/>'He's quite a techie person, so we'd spend a while chatting about the equipment in the studio. Then the next time we'd see him he'd say that he'd bought all the stuff he'd been talking about before. <BR/>He is also part of the sessions family because he's done so many and John really loved him. When we did John's tribute night Dave was one of the first people to come forward to perform, and he ended up playing a beautiful set, mixing Teenage Kicks into techno. After the show he put up a message on his website explaining the reasons behind why he played the songs he did, as they were all dedicated to John. <BR/>- Andy Rogers"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "'Swamp rock, pop, glam-rock, electro-girlie, jazz, doo-wop, nasty ass blues, hip hop, redneck and experimentalism,' is how Dawn of ... describe their music. But then their founder members used to be music journalists, so their love of genre-checking is forgivable. They're also right. <BR/>Paul Vickers, Roger Simmian, Donald Kyle, Michael Sorenson Small and Grant Pringle met whilst working at Scottish music magazine Sun Zoom Spark. They've released three albums, the most recent being 2002's 'Touching The Propeller'. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Taking inspiration from the more extreme ends of guitar music, namely early-hardcore, dissonant no-wave, and a performance ethic that saw nothing wrong with playing the same note of feedback for half an hour, Sonic Youth were the Velvet Underground for the materialistic, hollow 80s. Where Pixies still tried to operate within the structure of rock and roll, Sonic Youth cast aside any convention. Essential releases include 1988's 'Daydream Nation' (probably their most cohesive), while 'Dirty' in 1992 remains their most pop, if such an adjective can be used in a description of Sonic Youth. They were progressive, wilfully intense, and though most famous members Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore are both over 50, their last album, 2004's 'Sonic Nurse', was their most difficult in ages. Architects of grunge, guaranteed to challenge. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Black Keys' biggest brush with proper fame (as opposed to the indie rock variety) came in 2003 when their song 'Set You Free' featured in the Jack Black film 'School Of Rock'.Dan Auerbach (vocals, guitar) and Patrick Carney (drums) play raw blues rock with the occasional organ thrown in. Their first album 'The Big Come Up' came out in 2002, followed by 'Thickfreakness' (recorded in 14 hours, released in 2003) and Rubber Factory (2004). <br/>John was one of their many famous fans: Beck, Robert Plant and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons all share the love."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Cuban Boys (one of whom is a Cuban Girl) have a great love of samples and a pleasingly daft sense of humour. They first sent John Peel a demo in 1998, a track inspired by the cartoon series South Park called 'Oh My God! They've Killed Kenny'. John played it so much that The Boys got a single deal with Rough Trade and hit the top of the Festive Fifty. Their follow-up 'Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia' became better known as 'Hamster Dance' thanks to an on-line animation set to the music. It reached No.4 in the UK charts in 1999. Following John's death the group made a single 'The Nation Needs You' which combined samples of John speaking with Peel favourite Status Quo's 'Down Down'. They describe it as 'our way of saying thank you to a great friend and we hope it will work as a lasting memory for some of his regular listeners.'"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Damned are the band that broke punk in the UK. Their single 'New Rose', released in October 1976, is considered to be the very first British punk track. The b-side was a thrashed out cover of The Beatles 'Help'. <BR/>The band had only formed a few months previously, when Captain Sensible (real name Raymond Burns), Rat Scabies (Chris Millar), Brian James (Brian Robertson) and Dave Vanian (David Letts) were drawn together by the emerging new music scene. They were dismissed as the support act for the Sex Pistols' Anarchy tour, but made up for it by being the first UK punk band to tour the US. <BR/>The Damned weren't as angsty as many of their contemporaries, they had a love of the theatrical that meant they were not taken as seriously. After their second album 'Music for Pleasure' they were dropped from their record label Stiff. They split in 1978, but Sensible, Vanian and Scabies reformed a year later to make the album 'Machine Gun Etiquette.' Captain Sensible is probably the most famous member, known primarily for the track 'Happy Talk' which went to No.1 in the early 80s. <BR/><blockquote>"I think I was apprehensive about it, because I hadn't seen them before or met them; but, in fact, when we got to the studio, I'm not sure who was more apprehensive, them, about being in a BBC studio, or me about working with them. <BR/>"The amusing thing was quite a few other people had heard that the Damned were in, and every now and again we got people creeping in through the door, looking in through the window to see if they were being sick all over the place or spitting at us. Which they weren't at all, of course; they were four of the nicest blokes I ever got to work with." </blockquote><BR/>- Jeff Griffin (In Session Tonight by Ken Garner)"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Datsuns came flying out of New Zealand in whirl of retro riffs, tight trousers and media hype. Or so it seemed in the UK in 2001, but The Datsuns has been heavy rocking in their home country since 1997. The Datsuns all took the name of the band as a last name, but whether they wanted to be a Ramones-esque band of brothers, or just to avoid the taxman is unclear. Nonetheless the slinky-hipped vocalist Dolph Datsun and his cohorts took Britain by storm, with support from John Peel and huge amounts of hype from the UK press. They started their tour sleeping on sofas and ended it with various record companies fighting to foot their hotel bills. The Datsuns signed to V2 in 2002 and released their self-titled debut album. They followed it with 'Outta Sight, Outta Mind' in 2004. <BR/><blockquote>"They were just incredible. They were all over the place - playing upstairs, hanging off the balcony, jumping on top of speakers, jumping on top of the Hammond organ we'd set up. Plenty of guitar solos with their heads right back, the works. And it didn't matter that it was for a session. There's not many bands that put that much effort into a performance. Afterwards they were collapsed on the floor, completely knackered, because everything was focused on that hour performance, like how a footballer trains all week for those 90 minutes on the pitch on Saturday. Absolutely stunning."</blockquote><BR/>- Simon Askew"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The fact that John Peel was once tour driver for Captain Beefhart would be enough reason for the inclusion of this most beloved, idiosyncratic and yes, magical, of bands. Born Don Vliet, Californian Captain Beefhart, friend of Frank Zappa, was the eccentric kingpin of 20th century music. Given a year to rehearse the material before recording 1969's legendary 'Trout Mask Replica', the album that eventually emerged took in everything from jazz to minimal R&B and Beefhart's distinctive voice, but made sense in a certain perverse way. Van (he changed his name in the early 60s) Vliet fell victim to multiple sclerosis in the 1990s and disappeared from the public eye; music has rarely seen his like again."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The late-90s craze for 'chill-out' could well be laid at the door of The Orb, but don't hold it against them. Purveyors of cerebral, abstract and quite lush electronica nearly a decade before Air got around to releasing 'Moon Safari', The Orb virtually invented ambient house. But they escaped dinner party hell by way of an eye for the curious, esoteric end of sampling. The first Orb record, 1991's 'Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld' featured the sound of seagulls and astronauts, manna for spaced-out and exhausted disco kids. However, label problems after the release of harder second album 'UF.Orb' meant The Orb were out of action longer than they probably wanted to be. No matter, because already their place alongside the likes of Aphex Twin and their idol Brian Eno was assured."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The music of plane-flying, superfan-marrying Gary Numan (born Gary Anthony James Webb) had a tremendous impact on both sides of the Atlantic. His electronic, experimental compositions ushered in the synthpop era. After a series of demos for Beggars Banquet in 1978, he released his first album, 'Tubeway Army', later the same year. This was followed by '79's 'Replicas', which included the smash hit single 'Are Friends Electric?', an influential Peel Session, and, later that same year, 'The Pleasure Principle', which spawned 'Cars'. 'Cars' sealed Numan's fame both here and in the US, backed up by elaborate, futuristic stage shows. More albums followed - 'Telekon' (1980), 'The Dance' (1981), 'I, Assasain' (1982), 'Warriors' (1983) - but sales were declining, and 'Warriors' was to spawn his last top ten hit. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Propellerheads formed in Bath in 1996, where Alex Gifford was gainfully employed at Peter Gabriel's Real World studios. A bassist, top session man and former member of post-house band The Grid, Gifford wanted to record his own material and enlisted Will White on drums and decks to tap into the new big beat sound that was pounding the nation's dancefloors at the time. Luckily for them, their first single 'Dive' (1996) was soon picked up for an Adidas ad and similar club success followed with the 'Take California' and 'Spybreak!' EPs. The band achieved a genuine crossover with their cover of the 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service theme' (recorded for a James Bond tribute compilation), leading to The Propellerheads contributing material to the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. 1998's 'Decksanddrumsandrockandroll' and the Shirley Bassey-powered single 'History Repeating' were both successful, but the band have stuck mainly to production work since then."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The release of 1992's primal, dirty blues-influenced 'Dry' heralded the emergence of the most distinctive and innovative female artist since Kate Bush. Never mind that Polly Jean had the name of a parrot: her howling, overtly sexual voice and confrontational lyrics, influenced by the likes of Nick Cave, were a black stiletto to the face of the mainstream. If 2000's passionate Mercury Award winning, (and Thom Yorke assisted) 'Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea' brought her close to the establishment, she quickly redeemed herself with the unsettling 'Uh Her Her' in 2004."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The ultimate John Peel band. The Undertones' 1978 ode to masturbation, 'Teenage Kicks', was named as the great man's favourite ever track. But the Londonderry quintet - based around the wavering voice of the permanently anoraked Feargal Sharkey and the O'Neill brothers - almost packed it in until a local record shop owner financed the punk-pop 'Teenage Kicks EP'. Immediately championed by Peel ('I still play Teenage Kicks to remind myself how a great record should sound,' he later said), the band bagged a deal with Sire, who issued the equally essential adolescent odes 'My Perfect Cousin' and 'Jimmy Jimmy'. Subsequent, more mature-sounding albums didn't do as well and The Undertones split after 'The Sin Of Pride' appeared in 1983. Sharkey embarked on a brief solo career, before becoming a high-powered A&R man, while the O'Neills formed That Petrol Emotion and have occasionally revived The Undertones minus their original singer.<BR/><blockquote>"We were a bunch of late teenagers having a good time. By January 1979 we were over supporting the Rezillos so we could do a session at Maida Vale. But the biggest thing that struck me at the time was that John Peel had paid for us to do that first tape the previous autumn out of his own pocket. I don't know of any other DJ that I've met who would care to that extent, show that much drive and commitment to the music."</blockquote><BR/>- Feargal Sharkey (In Session Tonight by Ken Garner)"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The urban spacemen of the late-60's, the Bonzo Dog Doo-DahBand (as they were called at the time of this Peel Session) went through several name changes, starting as the Bonzo Dog Dada Band and ending, simply, as the Bonzo Dog Band. The group combined comedy and music in a psychedelic cabaret, even appearing in The Beatles 'Magical Mystery Tour'. Paul McCartney, using the name Apollo C. Vermouth, even produced their single 'I'm The Urban Spaceman' which hit the Top 5 in 1968. Band stalwart Neil Innes went on to work with the Monty Python team, writing the music for their spoof documentary The Ruttles."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "They may not have had the sales, and their album covers rarely graced the walls of middle-American teenagers, but Can were The Beatles of experimental, progressive rock. From 1969 to 1979 they released a clutch of eleven albums that saw them dabble with electronics and noise and synths that would go on and form the foundation of careers for the likes of Public Image Limited and The Fall. Formed in Cologne in 1968, three years before fellow Krautrock (experimental music that edged towards the mechanical. Which if you think about it, is very German) avant-garde bedfellows Neu! Can could, and did, do anything and everything. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "This group, named after Spanish cyclist Pedro Delgado, have played an important role in the Scottish music scene, launching several careers, including Bis and Arab Strap, through their label Chemikal Underground. <BR/>As musicians they typified the lo-fi Scottish indie sound, particularly on their first album 'Domestiques', which prompted Peel to call them 'the best in Britain, whilst their 1998 single 'Pull The Wires From The Wall' went to the top of that year's Festive Fifty. They later moved into more orchestral rock, working with former Flaming Lips producer Dave Friddman for the albums 'The Great Eastern' and 'Hate'. Their most recent release was 2004's 'Universal Audio'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "This US four piece are best known for their chaotic yet melodic music and anarchic stage shows, which frequently end with the band trashing their equipment. Their rather macabre name is taken from a Mayan ritual chant, rather than a penchant for serial killing, which must be a relief to their record company.<BR/>Founder members Jason Reece and Conrad Keely, who between them sing and play drums and guitar, first met in Hawaii. They moved to the college town of Olympia, Washington in 1993, to take advantage of the town's thriving music scene. Both joined various bands, but tired of the north west and moved to Austin, Texas, home of the South by South West festival, and started playing as a duo under the name You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead. Bass player Neil Busch and guitarist Kevin Allen joined soon after and the band name expanded to include ... And. In 1998 they put out a cassette of a live show on local indie Golden Hour Records, which was followed by a self-titled album on Trance Syndicate. ... Trail of Dead moved to Merge records to release 2001's 'Madonna'. They were picked up by Interscope and put out the albums 'Source Tags and Codes' (2002) and 'World's Apart' (2005) to much critical acclaim.<BR/>Despite their major label funding the band remain true to their roots and are happy for fans to tape their shows as long as they receive a copy of the recording.<BR/><blockquote>"...Trail of Dead was great because they were thrilled to be there and so impressed at everything we said - 'Wow, you worked with that guy?' or 'I didn't know so-and-so had played here!'.<BR/>They kept the excitement up during the gig by playing pre-recorded fillers in-between songs, and the audience loved it."</blockquote>"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Two minutes of sparse, angular, catchy punk pop: Elastica's first single, 'Stutter', had such an impact that John Peel chose it as one of the seminal singles of 1993. Elastica were formed by Justine Frischmann (vocals, guitar) in 1991 after leaving Suede, recruiting Justin Welch (drums), Annie Holland (bass) and Donna Matthews (guitar). Elastica's fame grew throughout 1994 (helped along by tabloid interest in Frischmann's relationship with Blur's Damon Albarn), and their eponymous debut LP reached #1 in 1995. With three singles ('Line Up', 'Connection' and 'Waking Up') making it into the Top 20, 'Elastica' was seen as a defining record of the Britpop era - perhaps too much so, since they seemed incapable of recording a follow-up. Rumoured heroin abuse and good old 'personal difficulties' dogged the band for the next few years before the release of a six track EP and an album 'The Menace' in 1999. Sales were disappointing and, shortly after, Elastica disbanded."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Tyrannosaurus Rex was the brainchild of wannabe pop star Mark Feld, who morphed from folk hippy to glam superhero in a few short years. Under the pseudonym Marc Bolan, he became the darling of the underground press with his folk duo Tyrannosaurus Rex. With Steve Peregrine Took on bongos, Bolan released three albums of fairy-filled whimsy, but in 1970 Took was replaced by Mickey Finn, Bolan shortened the name to T-Rex, issued the fuzz-rock pop of 'Ride A White Swan' and found himself at number two in the charts. Bolan was now a teen pin-up with chart toppers like 'Hot Love' and 'Get It On', but after an impressive run of hits, the kids had moved on by 1975 and punk seemed to signal the end of T-Rex. In September 1977, Bolan was killed in a car crash on Barnes Common in London - now a shrine to the 'Bopping Elf'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Urasei Yatsura formed in Glasgow in 1993 after bonding over a love of Velvet Underground and Galaxy 500. The trio consisted of Graham Kemp, Fergus Lawrie and Elaine Graham. In 1994 they contributed a live recording of the song Guitars are Boring to a compilation released by the Kazoo Club (based in Glasgow's notorious 13th Note bar). This recording, along with their fanzine Kitten Frenzy brought the band to the attention of John Peel and a session followed. The band then recorded a six track maxi single All Hail Urusei Yatsura. With the proceeds of the Peel session the band released a split single on their own Modern Independent Records label, Pampered Adolescent. They were later lured to London's Che Records where they released more records, but the band split after releasing their fourth album."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Vivian Stanshall was an eccentric pioneer that pushed boundaries in music, comedy, poetry and art and won a legion of fans, including John Peel in the process. <BR/> In the mid-1960s he led the group Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, who caused a stir on the college rock circuit and had a Top 10 hit in 1968 with 'I'm the Urban Spaceman'. The Bozo band split in 1970. With the encouragement of John Peel, Vivian developed the idea of the eccentric English aristocrat Sir Henry Rawlinson, who was later to achieve a full flowering in the 1980 film, Sir Henry at Rawlinson End. Sir Henry's philosophy was, "If I had all the money I'd spent on drink I'd spend it all on drink." <BR/> When Peel went on holidays he asked Vivian to stand in for him. Vivian launched his alter-ego character, Sir Henry on Peel's Top Gear show and it was so successful with listeners that he was asked to continue the skit when Peel returned from holidays. <BR/> <blockquote>John said of Vivian: "I could never really think of anything to say when I'd played one of his pieces on the radio, and would end up, rather feebly, with something along the lines of 'I fear that a single one of Viv's thoughts would blow my damn brains out.'"</blockquote>"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Wah! was just one of the obscure titles, along with Wah! Heat, The Mighty Wah!, Shambeko! Say Wah! and The Mongrel, under which Pete Wylie has exercised his obsessions. One of Liverpool's 'Crucial Three' (along with Julian Cope and Ian McCulloch), Wylie launched his band as Wah! Heat in 1979, but the line-up remained fluid from record to record with styles varying wildly from no-nonsense rock to reggae. After a string of unsuccessful singles to his name, Wylie finally broke through with 1982's blue-eyed soul pastiche 'The Story Of The Blues', which hit number three in the charts. Unable to follow-up the success, Wylie thankfully ditched the increasingly silly Wah! names and returned with 1987's top ten hit 'Sinful'. Hanging out with The Farm in the early 90s did little to revive his fortunes, and a serious fall in 1991 put Wylie's musical career on hold. The Mighty Wah! returned for 2000's unremarkable 'Songs Of Strength And Heartbreak'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Welsh band Melys were a real Peel favourite. Vocalist Andrea Parker, once described as 'the Welsh Bjork', sings in Gaelic and English over edgy, gorgeous pop reminiscent of Belly or The Sundays. They were a real Peel favourite, representing Radio 1 at the Eurosonic Festival in Europe as his special guests and heading up the Festive Fifty in 2001 with their single 'Chinese Whispers', (beating bands such as The Strokes, White Stripes, Pulp and New Order to the top spot). The band's latest album, 'Life's Too Short', came out in 2005. They also appeared at Radio One's 'Keeping It Peel' tribute show. So far the band have played eleven Peel sessions in the years between 1997-2002. The final session was a birthday treat for Peel - he was expecting to play a repeat session and was pleasantly surprised when the band turned up at Peel acres with all their live equipment, ready to rock. "^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "When a young Jimi Hendrix arrived in the UK in 1966 he was virtually unknown, but rose to fame when he formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience with drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding. He received some of his first UK radio airplay from John Peel, and by 1967 had already racked up three Top Ten hits and an internationally acclaimed album, 'Are You Experienced?' Hendrix's groundbreaking approach to playing and his unorthodox left-handed guitar technique made him into a lasting musical icon. He died young: he was 27 when he suffocated after ingesting wine and sleeping pills in 1970. Countless posthumous recordings have surfaced since, including his Peel Sessions."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Where to start? Bowie is one of the artists John Peel is credited with discovering and his career has spanned many years, sounds and changes in style. He has been David Jones, Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke and The Man Who Fell To Earth. <BR/>He started out in south London, changing his last name from Jones to Bowie when The Monkees' Davy Jones became a star. He released a few unsuccessful mod-style singles, before recreating himself as a singer/songwriter for his first album 'Man Of Words, Man Of Music'. He followed this with the rockier 'The Man Who Sold The World' and the avant-pop of 'Hunky Dory'. <BR/>But Bowie's global breakthrough came when he unveiled Ziggy Stardust, his bisexual glam-alien character. The albums 'Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars' and 'Aladdin Sane' followed. After retiring Ziggy, Bowie began to move in a direction he called plastic soul for 'Young Americans' and 'Station To Station'. However his heavy cocaine usage was starting to take its toll. He moved to Berlin in an effort to clean up and started to collaborate with Brian Eno, producing 1977's 'Low', following it up with the classic 'Heroes'. Later albums were less well received. Although David Bowie remains an interesting an experimental artist, his career in recent years has lost a little of the sheen that made him such a glorious spectacle at his peak."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Whether lurching onstage like drugged-out goons, or driving around Jamaica in golf carts so high on crack they fail to realise that one of their number has a broken arm, the Happy Mondays have never been anything but entertaining. Formed in Manchester in 1985, they band was formed of brothers Shaun and Paul Ryder (vocals, bass), Bez ('vibes', or dancing and playing the maracas), Mark Day (guitars), Paul Davis (keyboards) and Gary Whelan (drums). They released their first album, 'Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)' on Factory in 1987. The band's music fused indie pop with acid house, techno and northern soul, spawning Britain's burgeoning, E-drenched 'Madchester' scene. The Mondays disbanded in 1992, and Shaun Ryder and Bez formed Black Grape. Subsequent Mondays reunions, (in 1999 and 2004) have thus far proven to be unsuccessful."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Will Oldham is not a Royal. Not in the technical blue-blood-inbred sense at any rate, but this Kentucky musician has a definite claim to a lo-fi crown. Since he began recording in 1992, Oldham has used a variety of high-born names, including Palace and Palace Brothers. In all his guises, Oldham combines intelligent lyrics with spare, downbeat sounds. His first album, There Is No One What Will Take Care Of You, came out in 1993, under the name Palace Brothers. His most surprising recording was probably 2004's 'Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Sings Greatest Palace Music' where he teamed up with a polished group of Nashville session musicians to rerecord much of his back catalogue. <BR/>Little known fact: Will Oldham was an actor and appeared in several TV movies before becoming a musician."^^xsd:string | 1 |
