John Peel: music first heard on his shows

The Frank Chickens.

Growing up a bored teenager in boring Tunbridge Wells, Peel's R1 show comprised 90% of my musical education (the other 10% being Fluff Freeman).

Thanks to the great man, I first heard:

Can
The Fall
The Smiths
Buzzcocks
Cabaret Voltaire
Durutti Column
Blur
The Undertones
John Cooper Clarke
Human League
Sex Pistols
Ramones
Pulp
Magazine
Lee Perry
A Certain Ratio
Siouxsie & The Banshees
(and dozens of others)

and, most importantly for me personally, Joy Division

Kevin

(BBC Radio 4: Front Row special on JP)

From very distant memory (I must have been 12), I recall 'Germ Free Adolescence' by X-Ray Spex on a show that came on after 10pm on Radio 1 - that had to be Peel. Certainly a break from the usual where I was from.

More recently, Asa-Chang ('Hana').

Dan

One thing I loved about Peel's shows during punk was the way he'd drop in a non-punk stone-cold classic made all of 10 or 15 years earlier and immediately made you realise you were wrong for believing 1977 was Year Zero for music.

Captain Beefheart is the best example for me. No doubt I'd have heard (and loved) Beefheart eventually without Peel playing him, but because of him I heard Beefheart at a tender and impressionable age, and realised early on that not all the greatest music ever made had only been recorded in the previous 2 weeks (even though in 1977 and 1978 it was easy to believe it had been). I've been listening to Beefheart ever since.

-- Ian

I remember listening to his show, The Perfumed Garden, on Radio London in 1967-68. I was 12 and trying to impress a girl at Hornchurch Grammar School by name-checking all the cool new bands. I don't recall how impressed she was; my relationship with Peelie lasted a lot longer than the one with her.

For me, like Kevin, the most important music he introduced me to was Joy Division. And Althea & Donna, of course.

The Slits, X-Ray Spex & The Ruts. Being late for school as I'd been up listening waaay past my proscribed bedtime.

Later on, The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Smiths and being introduced to Dub reggae.

Kev.

Loudon Wainright III was a biggie for me, hearing Jilted John for the first time cracked me up so much I woke the rest of the house (I was about 13 at the time).

Undertones, Billy Bragg and Reggae, I don't know how I would have survived in rural Norfolk without Peelie.

Andy

Ivor Cutler

My earliest memories of Peel are of the likes of Donovan, Bridget St John, Roy Harper and Sam Apple Pie, which is perhaps why I found his switch to punk in 1977 so difficult to credit. (He was still playing Poco at the end of 1976, by the way).

My favourite memory of Peel is of sitting on a sunny beach in Cornwall in August 1968 and hearing Hey Jude on Top Gear for only the 3rd time - all the other Beatles fans on Radio 1 didn't get it, but Peel was knocked out.

All of the above plus Half Man Half Biscuit.

Many of us have memories of the great man, mine is from 1969 of him kicking a make-shift paper football about the floor at a Keef Hartley gig in Old Town, Swindon. About 10 of us turned up to this as there was another gig in the town where all the other local musos had gone. Despite this both the band and John put on a great show. John played his records and spoke us to his in his honest, no-bullshit fashion. I can't remember what he played and probably disliked some of it (much like his radio show), but that didn't matter.

In a world where everything is getting increasingly bland and homogenised John will be much missed.

Andy

I remember one night in my youth listening to the Perfumed Garden show on wonderful Radio London (Big L), and from midnight, the start of the show, he played the whole of Bob Dylan's 'Sad Eyed Lady of The Lowlands'from Blonde on Blonde. I was just transfixed. It was one of those moments I will always remember. How could John Peel be gone? How could he die at 65? For those of us in our mid fifties it's very upsetting to lose such an old friend.

I was a regular listener for about 15 years from the early 70’s to late 80’s and 1 minute of John Peel’s self depreciation was worth 10 minutes of the mindless drivel from the “Smashy and Nicey’s”, and that was usually what you got between songs.
A short and certainly not full list of what I can remember him introducing me to:
Folk – June Tabor, Nic Jones, Dick Gaughan,
World – King Sunny Ade, Bhundu Boys
Reggae – Gregory Isaacs, Althea and Donna
Weird – Ivor Cutler, Viv Stanshall’s – Rawlinson’s End, Larry Wildman Fischer.
Other – Little Feat, Wah, The Only Ones, The Dead Kennedy’s, Echo and the Bunnymen, Billy Bragg,
And not forgetting – “Siouxie and the Banshees” the only four words that I can repeat in Chon Pee-ull’s inimitable accent.

A one off.

CNC

Ride - Chelsey girl (Yes, I really liked that)

This Heat

P

The Captain

P

This Heat. Good call. Awesome group.

-- Ian

I definitely remember hearing Elvis Costello for the first time on Peely. I was in a caravan at the seaside in the summer of 1977 with my Mum and young sisters (I was 15 and they were 4 - twins) and being a distinctly miserable tennager the only bit of the holiday I enjoyed was listening to Peely via a little radio that had a one piece earplug. This night he played Costello's first session (Less Than Zero, Mystery Dance, Blame It On Cain and Alison - I think) and I was very impressed. As soon as I got home I bought My Aim Is True - and every thing he's released since (despite some quality issues in recent years!) - so Costello owes him a few bob at least!

Rich

Frantically taping the latest from New Order, especially "Blue Monday" and then playing it as loud as possible over and over until the single hit the shops.

Who says home taping is killing music? More like keeping it alive.

Jono

Little Feat for me.

I also remember being really impressed when he was being quizzed during the punk era about 'standards, behaviour, morality' and all that.

If my memory hasn't deserted me completely he was asked something along the lines of 'why do you support this filth by playing it etc' and his response was something along the lines of 'I'll always defend THEIR right to make their music and express themselves just as I will always defend MY right not to like what they do or play."

He was a great guy, one of my heroes, blessed with many admireable attributes, and a consummate broadcaster.

Teenage Kicks

Anyone remember a single he used to play by "The Chords"

It was called "There Must be Thousands" (or millions? or something similar?

circa 1980

Millions Like Us - with tunnel vision, making indecisions!

Cheers

Rich

No one mentioned The Mighty Wah, once I got back into listening to music properly 5 years ago and tracked it down it didn't sound the same somehow as when he used to play it on the show.

Yep, those glorious days in the seventies - taping the peel show was the only way to get all those songs at the time.

Jeremy