John Peel's Hidden Gems No. 27 - 100% Pure Poison 'Coming Right At You' Featured
Written by Alex BlackArtist: 100% Pure Poison
LP: Coming Right At You
Catalogue Number: A 6309
After a bit of a break we’re now settling into our new home, the independent lands of www.johnpeelarchive.com, and we return to bring you another glimpse of John’s astonishing collection.
In this week’s blog we’re looking at an LP which we have no record of John playing on air and perhaps is not a record people would immediately associate with John on first listen (if anyone could ever associate a particular style with John!) However it is exactly the kind of record that deserves a place in this historic collection and more than that it deserves taking out of it’s sleeve, blowing the dust off and playing loud!
John Peel's Hidden Gems No. 26: 'Odessey and Oracle'
Written by Alex BlackArtist: The Zombies
LP: Odessey and Oracle
Catalogue Number: A 1530
As the current stage of the archive draws to a close it’s time for the last of our ‘Hidden Gems’ and the Z’s have thrown us a real treat just in time for Halloween! The Zombies 1968 classic ‘Odessey and Oracle’ is beautiful slice of psychedelic pop rock from the end of the ‘Perfumed Garden’ era of John’s broadcasting. Released in the fall out of ‘Sgt. Peppers…’ and also recorded at Abbey Road, the album is a masterpiece of exquisitely complex, layered instrumentation, soaring harmonies and infectious melodies. Although available in a variety of re-mastered and re-issued forms, the original press, mono mix of the album still fetches over £1000!
John Peel's Hidden Gems No. 25: 'Volume 1' Featured
Written by Alex BlackLP: 'Volume 1'
Artist: The Yellow Payges
Catalogue Number: A5958
For this week’s ‘Hidden Gem’ we’re looking at garage/ psych rockers The Yellow Payges and their 1969 LP ‘Volume 1’. There is no record of John playing any of their tracks on air, however most of the track listings or details about John’s shows from this era (his early days at the BBC) have been lost forever so we will probably never know. ‘The Yellow Payges’ emerged from the surf rock/garage band scene of mid 60s California to become well known fixtures on the local circuit, supporting everyone from the Animals to the Doors.
Behind the Scenes at the Archive: Steve Lodge, John Peel Wiki Featured
Written by Alex BlackWith only one more week of the archive in it's current form, it's time we highlighted a few more of the characters behind the scenes. We've been chatting to Steve Lodge, one of the administrators of the amazing John Peel Wiki (http://peel.wikia.com/wiki/John_Peel_Wiki) via skype from his home in Seoul, South Korea.