John Peel's Record Box 14-19, a Charlie Feathers special!

John Peel's Record Box 14-19, a Charlie Feathers special!

In the box that omits seemingly certain contenders like Captain Beefheart, The Fall (they had their own special place in John's house, according to the documentary), Altered Images, Ivor Cutler, etc, there is a space for FIVE releases by Charlie Feathers. The only other artist to beat this is the White Stripes, and given that they were John's current faves this is hardly surprising. Charlie Feathers deserves some kind of special mention because his oldest release here dates from 1956. For some info on Charlie visit the excellent Rockabilly hall of fame.

14. Charlie Feathers - Deep elm blues + Nobody's darling' (HOLIDAY INN RECORDS)
15. Charlie Feathers - Nobody's women + When you decide (KING) 2x copies
17. Charlie Feathers - Today and tomorrow + Wild wild party' (MEMPHIS RECORDINGS)
18. Charlie Feathers - Tongue-tied Jill + Get with it' (METEOR RECORDS)
19. Charlie Feathers - When you come around + Too much alike' (KING)

'Nobody's Women' is the first 7" to get a double entry as Peel had two copies in the box, and the A-side is a great example of early rockabilly, as is the even earlier 'Tongue Tied Jill'. These are contemporaries of the much more well known Elvis Presley's Sun recordings and they have that same fire and edginess to them. 'When You Come Around' is from the same recording session as 'Nobody's Women' and features those close harmony male vocals so popular at the time. Some great guitar playing too! Charlie's voice seems to have risen in pitch for the later 'Today and Tomorrow' which has a great riff, you can almost hear the Fall having a bash at it! 'Deep Elm Blues' is more of a mid-paced blues tune (surprise surprise) and is dominated by organ rather than guitar, though Charlie's vocal is once again extraordinary.
These records meant something to John for over 40 years, and you can actually hear the influence on some of the bands he has played over those subsequent years. I had never consciously heard Charlie Feathers before this project, and he is yet another act that makes this worthwhile.