The Undertones - Teenage Kicks

Just realized John Peel died 10 years ago.  In honor of the man who played the song twice in a row...

Keeping It Peel - 458 John Peel Show (Tracklists)

458 John Peel radio show.  You can find tracklists here.  

John Peel's Record Collection

Just in case you missed it, a portion of John Peel's record collection has been slowly and steadily uploaded to be shared to everyone online.  Over the next six months, 2,600 albums will be uploaded including

Check it out here. 

From The Guardian:

John Peel's record collection is about to go online. Starting on Tuesday, the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts will begin uploading details of the late DJ's cherished vinyl, unveiling 2,600 albums over the next six months.

Every week, the Centre will expand the scope of its virtual museum, adding another 100 records, covering everything from Appalachian mountain music to zouk. "It's a very personal look at John's collection," producer Charlie Gauvain said. According to Sheila Ravenscroft, Peel's widow, curators will highlight one artist from each batch, picking through more than 65,000 items in his archive. Peel kept meticulous files about his records: each sleeve was given a typed filing card, with all sorts of information.

"There'll be information about the record sleeve, front and back, all the information about the record itself, as well as whether John rated the album or not," Ravenscroft explained. Although copyright prevents the centre from streaming the records, links will be included, when available, to purchase or stream the music on Spotify and iTunes. "I think people are going to be very interested as to what's in the collection," Ravenscroft said. "They will be amused and intrigued by it."

Besides the details of Peel's records, the virtual museum will also include videos, and incorporate Peel's own home movies. Producers discovered 30 hours of footage at his home in Suffolk, with everything from clips of bands to footage from Liverpool's Anfield stadium. The website will apparently launch with John Peel's Suffolk Comforts, a 1989 film "that's never been broadcast before", Gauvain said. "It's a real gem … [with] some really personal things in it."

Peel died in 2004, after almost 40 years as a BBC radio DJ. He was 65.

As previously reported, Peel's virtual museum is part of the Space, a digital arts service funded by the British Arts Council and the BBC.

The Fall - Reformation T

One of John Peel's favorite bands...The Fall:

Grinderswitch - Pickin' The Blues

Used as the theme tune for the late, great John Peel's BBC radio show, it was also included in the 1976 Festive 50 compilation.

Because you think that poor is cool...

Through John Peel, I discovered the song "Common People" by Pulp. It is a track on the full-length album "Different Class" (1995).

Some of you out there must've been like "What?!? You never heard that track until recently?" (The flipside is that hopefully I've turned on a few people to this song...or maybe reminded you of its existence and reintroduced it into your life at this moment in time.) I'll admit, I know nothing. But that is what keeps me going...discovering new bands, new songs, new food, new people, new feelings. In regards to music, that's what dj's do. They play other people's music (durrrr...hahaha). So any fucking way, I'm listening to John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (2000) (I will definitely be writing a lot about John Peel in the very near future, as he is my favorite disc jockey of all time) and this song just grabs me by the balls. I literally had in on repeat for at least an hour. I don't know why it struck such a chord with me, and invariably with thousands of other people. It might be something I may ponder over sometime later in the future, but as for now, all I know is that I love the song. And you know how when you love something...and then something else about it comes down the line and makes you love it even more? Well, that's like the performance of this song I found a few weeks after having discovered the song.

So read the lyrics I've copied below...then check out the video and see how the song's performed as opposed to how you envisioned it if you're reading the lyrics for the first time. Or, fuck that and just watch the fucking video and read along (edit: how the fuck are you going to watch the video and read the lyrics at the same time??). Or fuck it altogether and twist one out. In any case...the lyrics and video of "Common People" by Pulp:


Lyrics (from pulpwiki.com):

She came from Greece, she had a thirst for knowledge
She studied sculpture at St. Martin's College
That's where I
caught her eye

She told me that her dad was loaded
I said, "In that case I'll have a rum and Coca Cola"
She said "fine"
And then in thirty seconds' time - she said:
"I want to live like common people
I want to do whatever common people do
I want to sleep with common people
I want to sleep with common people like you"

Well what else could I do?
I said "I'll see what I can do"

I took her to a supermarket
I don't know why, but I had to start it somewhere
So it started there
I said "Pretend you've got no money"
She just laughed and said "Oh you're so funny"
I said "Yeah? (heh)
Well, I can't see anyone else smiling in here
Are you sure?
You want to live like common people
You want to see whatever common people see
You want to sleep with common people
You want to sleep with common people like me"

But she didn't understand
And she just smiled and held my hand

Rent a flat above a shop, cut your hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and play some pool
Pretend you never went to school
But still you'll never get it right
'Cos when you're laid in bed at night
watching roaches climb the wall
If you called your dad he could stop it all, yeah

You'll never live like common people
You'll never do what common people do
You'll never fail like common people
You'll never watch your life slide out of view
and then dance and drink and screw
because there's nothing else to do

Sing along with the common people
Sing along and it might just get you through
Laugh along with the common people
Laugh along even though they're laughing at you
and the stupid things that you do
Because you think that poor is cool

Like a dog lying in the corner
They will bite you and never warn you: look out
They'll tear your insides out

'Cos everybody hates a tourist
Especially one who thinks it's all such a laugh - yeah
And the chip stains and grease
will come out in the bath

You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
with no meaning or control
and with nowhere left to go
You are amazed that they exist
And they burn so bright whilst you can only wonder why

Rent a flat above a shop
Cut your hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and play some pool
Pretend you never went to school
And still you'll never get it right
'Cos when you're laying in bed at night
Watching roaches climb the wall
If you called your dad he could stop it all, yeah

Never live like common people
Never do what common people do
Never fail like common people
Never watch your life slide out of view
And then dance and drink and screw
Because there's nothing else to do

I wanna live with common people like you
I wanna live with common people like you
I wanna live with common people like you
I wanna live with common people like you
I wanna live with common people like you
I wanna live with common people like you
I wanna live with common people like you, la la la la
Oh, la la la la
Oh, la la la la
Oh, la la la la lala
Oh yeah

Now check this out:



...


Something about Jarvis Cocker's voice...the frailty...the quivering...the balls out. The 'uh' he throws in. The everything.

Tell me this performance is not hot. I dare you. (And there's a whole story about the set...about how they weren't even supposed to perform and they were filling in for another band (which escapes me right now))...and yeah...history is made.



To sum up, I've heard that Jarvis Cocker's last album is pretty nice (which I'm excited about to find and buy)...which gets me thinking about how much awesomeness is out there and how it gets me high knowing how much there is to consume and share and that is what's keeping me going...