BBC Radio One Sessions

John Peel sessions are something of an institution in Europe. Beginning in the Late Sixties when he hosted the Saturday afternoon show, Top Gear, to the arrival of Punk Rock and the four-nights-a-week, John Peel Show, and to the present day, just about everybody who loves music that is left of norm has taped the specially recorded versions of their fave artists.

Some sessions have been released on record, many by Strange Fruit who bought sole rights (the first was a 1982 New Order session, released in 1986), but the Pixies' sessions are only available, so far, on bootlegs.

1988

Here Come Your Man / Down to the Well / Break My Body / Subbacultcha

First broadcast: 08.03.89; recorded: 03.97; producer:Gary Smith; engineer:Paul Kolderie; studio:Fort Apache, Boston, USA.

These were broadcast on The Simon Mayo Show, the slot now occupied by The Evening Session, and I feel kind of betrayed by this session - I think it is a direct lift from ‘87’s Purple Tape, but I think it’s because I came into possession of both tapes around the time I was compiling the first issue of RAMS. Here Comes Your Man sticks out like a sore thumb here because of the different arrangement and the highlight is Subbacultcha.

Levitate Me / Hey / In Heaven (The Lady in the Radiator Song) / Wild Honey Pie / Caribou

First broadcast: 16.05.88; recorded:03.05.88; producer:Dale Griffin (in his letter to me he denies doing this session, but I got these facts from a department within Radio One); engineer:Mike Robinson; studio:Madevale 4.

Broadcast on The John Peel Show.

Neither Wild Honey Pie nor In Heaven have been released as studio versions, except for the bootleg, and are bawled out in usual Pixie fashion. It’s funny how the band didn’t do any material from the Surfer Rosa album. However, Hey is previewed, and Joey’s use of wah-wah in the song has fooled me into believing I’ve been having problems with my tape deck.

Tame / There Goes My Gun / Manta Ray / Dead

First broadcast: 19.10.88; recorded: 09.10.88; producer:Dale Griffin; engineer: James Birstwistle; studio:Hippodrome.

1989

Down to the Well / Into the White / Wave of Mutilation

First broadcast:02.05.89; recorded:16.04.89; producer:Dale Griffin; engineer: Mike Walter; studio:Madevale 3.

Broadcast on The John Peel Show, this session was a kind of preview of the Here Comes Your Man b-sides. It was recorded prior to this years tour and broadcast midway through, encapsulating the slow version of Mutilation and show closer/opener Into the White. Was the appearance of Down to the Well (not as good here as The Purple Tape, but far superior to Bossanova) the spark that got it onto their next album?

1990

Monkey Gone to Heaven / Ana / Allison / Wave of Mutilation

First broadcast: 20.08.90; recorded:18.08.90; producer:Kenton Allan; engineer:Miti Adhikari; studio:Madevale 5.

Recorded for Mark Goodier’s Evening Session for a change, this session sounds very polished - perhaps a little over-produced.

At the point in Monkey where Black usually says “Rock me Joe,” on this recording he announced what I presume is Joey’s full name!

This session, to my mind, has not been repeated yet - unlike the Peel stuff. Does the fact that half of the session consists of songs from Doolittle mean the band had become bored playing the new stuff already?

1991

Palace of the Brine / Letter to Memphis / Subbacultcha / Motorway to Roswell

First broadcast: 04.08.91; recorded: 23.06.91; producer:Dale Griffin; engineer:James Birstwistle; studio:Madevale 3; mixed:Mike Robinson at Madevale 5 on 16.07.91

This session was real disappointing for its content. The performances were amazing, and the songs selected are a few of my faves from Trompe le Monde, but I was hoping that they would preview tracks from the album that hadn’t already been played live. Though having said that, perhaps these tracks were the only ones that had been completed at this stage (Black completed the album lyrics in late July). Motorway to Roswell and Subbacultcha sound much better here to me than on the album.

Black Francis - 1990

Allison / Velouria / Hang on to Your Ego / Is She Weird?

First broadcast: .90; recording date, producer, engineer and studio:unknown (presumably Black’s own demos).

I heard this broadcast accidentally - I was on an urgent junk-food mission and just happened to have the car radio on. It wasn’t until maybe a year and a half later that I found someone else who heard it!

These songs sound more like demos that Charles let Peel hear rather than an actual session.

The recordings consist mostly of rhythm guitar and voice (just like his Borderline shows later that year), assisted on occasion by bass, and were broadcast as Bossanova was in its final recording stages.

They sound like songwriters’ demos in that not all the parts had been worked out, and Hold on to Your Ego (a Beach Boys cover) eventually ended up on the first Frank Black album.

Breeders - 1990

Iris / When I was a Painter / Fortunately Gone / Hellbound

First broadcast: 20.01.90; recorded: 01.90; producer:Steve Albini; studio:Palladium Studios, Edinburgh.

Broadcast by John Peel and recording during the Pod sessions, it is difficult to say whether they were specially recorded, or merely alternative takes. When I was a Painter is the only track to differ from the album, through the absence of violin. When broadcast, soon after recording, it previewed two songs previously shown on BBC2’s Snub TV show.

Can anybody update me on Breeders/Amps/Frank Black sessions?