John Peel's Record Box, part 3: Bill Oddie to Cat Power

Another re-jigged instalment from John Peel's Record Box, complete with clips. Four rare and varied choices this time, I'm sure you will agree.

10. Bill Oddie - Harry krishna + on ilkla moor baht'at (DANDELION) 1970


A few firsts here - the first comedy record in the list, the first on Peel's own Dandelion records and the first to feature John Peel himself - on 'tapes, reels and vocal'!
The excellent site www.goodiesruleok.com has all the info you need. This is from it...

For those unfamiliar with the single, it's one of Bill's 1960's comedy releases. This one was released on John Peel's record label (Dandelion). The traditional song is done in the style of Joe Cocker's "With A Little Help From My Friends". Surprisingly, whoever compiled the recent media reports failed to notice that Peel is listed in the credits on the B side (a song called "Harry Krishna") - he's credited with "tape, reels, and vocal". I've put a scan of both sides of the single on my Goodies Illustrated Guide website (it can be seen about halfway down the page at http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7yes3/illustratedguides/id7.html).

Incidentally, those scans mentioned also show up that the 'technical consultant' was Sheila Gilhooly, John's future wife!
As for the record, it's a fairly daft run through of the Hare Krishna chant including some names of the day like "Harry Secombe" and "Harry Corbett, sweep and sooty". This would probably run up against the wrath of music publishers and those policing religious offence laws, but this is a reminder of a time when entertainment was altogether more innocent. The version of 'Ilkla Moor' is indeed in the style of Joe Cocker, and features Henry McCullough of Wings and Jim Capadi of Traffic (and many other bands).
Parochial note: I've just realised that Henry's contribution makes this the first record of the list to feature someone from Northern Ireland!

11. Boards of Canada - Aquarius + Chinook (SKAM) 1998


'Music Has The Right to Children'. The Boards were one of the acts I got into through the John Peel show, and this is their first release I think. 'Aquarius' is on the album of course, but this Ep release backed with 'Chinook' was limited to 500 copies so it's hard to find now.
If you aren't familiar with their music they are a Scottish duo who play chilled-out electronica. A bit spacey, trippy and sometimes funky. The album always evokes memories of 70's informational films. 'Aquarius' is one of the most beautiful pieces, lovely sweeping harmonies and a subdued funky beat, complete children laughing, someone counting and someone saying "Orange" over and over. Very hypnotic, as is the rarer 'Chinook' which is built around syncopated rhythms and layed with an atmospheric drone, just like the helicopter sound with a melody line added.
The longest tunes so far and the first real departure from standard pop formats, this is genuinely refreshing.

12. Bobby Lee Trammell - If you ever get it once + Don't you know I love you (ALLEY RECORDS) 1966


Another act a bit before my time I'm afraid. Lots of info on Bobby Lee on this site (scroll down). This is a relatively late release from him as he had been around since 1958, and this is dated as 1966 or later. This is standard uptempo rockabilly with a more romantic bside. He became a member of the Arkansas house of representatives in the 90s!

13. Cat Power - Headlights + Darling said sir (THE MAKING OF AMERICANS) 1995


I think this is Chan Marshall's first recording, please correct me if I'm wrong! It's bleaker and more droning than what she does now and reminds me a lot of early Smog. 'Headlights' is on the first album 'Dear Sir' and is relatively easy to find. 'Darling Said Sir' is only available on the 7" and is the tale of an abusive relationship accompanied by droning Sonic Youth style guitars and a solitary drum. I hadn't heard it until I went on a search for this material and it is quite stunning to be left as a Bside for so long.

John Peel's Record Box, part two

It is a total coincidence that this re-exploration of John Peel's Record Box comes at the same time as the exciting announcement that John's record collection is to be made available as a digital archive.
Arts Council England and the BBC will add his tens of thousands of LPs, singles and CDs to a new digital service called The Space. The full news story is here

Meanwhile here are the next five 7" singles....

5.Anemic Boyfriends - Guys Are Not Proud + Bad Girls in Love (RED SWEATER RECORDS) 1980

Female punk/ new wave group from Alaska who made two singles then vanished. This is their debut single, and there's a pic of the sleeve on this collector's site.
This has a Slits-style punk/ reggae feel to it and the best refrain yet - "Guys are such creeps/ They'll even do it with sheep". Only five records in and I'm already discovering hidden gems like this. The Bside is more punky like Johnny Thunders or something which changes the bad guys for the bad girls - "I got a tight little body/ and I wanna get naughty". This was the hardest one to find so far (I've just got mp3s), but well worth hearing!

6. Ann Peebles - I can't stand the rain + i've been there before (LONDON) 1972

After Alan Price, this is only the second A-side in the list so far that I can sing along with. I'm pretty ignorant about 70s soul and RnB but most of that material in this list stands up incredibly well, especially when compared to some of the ropey punk bands around (see next!). I never realised how evocative that little pizzicato guitar at the start of 'I Can't Stand the Rain' was, the arrangement is just about the perfect accompaniment to her voice. The Bside is even more melancholy and has some nice gospel touches. Solid gold and one of the best so far.

7. Anti-Social - Traffic lights + teacher, teacher (DYNAMITE RECORDS) 1977

As far as I know this 7" contains their entire recorded output and we can be thankful for that. This is dull dull punk rock from the self-styled "most violent band in the world" as this biography tells us. Skip this one.

8. Arthur K Adams - Wildwood flower + It's a wild, wild, wild, wild wildwood flower (JETSTAR)

LISTEN
Arthur K Adams- Wildwood Flower
Initially this was one that I couldn't track down, but since I first explored the record box in 2006, I have come across an mp3 of 'Wildwood Flower'. It's a lively rockabilly tune, perhaps traditional?
An initial google search for info on Arthur Adams back then was similarly fruitless, but now we have wikipedia! He's not as obscure as I initially though, he is mates with BB King too.

9. Big Stick - Drag racing + Hell on earth (RECESS RECORDS) 1985

I love this. I can remember Peel playing this quite a bit over the years. 90s listeners may remember the Festive 50 fave 'Broadcast booth' which was credited to Drag Racing Underground; well, that was Big Stick as well. Official biography is here. This is basically cut-up samples and distorted drum machine, think Colourbox meets Big Black and you're in the right area. The right era too. While you might believe the Aside is slightly sinister, the Bside takes the same backing track and gets even darker. Short, thrilling and plenty creepy.

Part one of this series is here

John Peel's Record Box, part one

A few years ago I flirted with the contents of John Peel's Record Box after I watched a Channel 4 documentary about it. This was the box of 142 singles and EPs that John kept with him most of the time, which reputedly contained what he considered to be his favourite singles. The full list is here. I began to write about the releases that I was able to find, but this was circa 2006, so it was before the birth of Wikipedia and You Tube and it got harder and harder as I went deeper into the list. Some of the reference links I added went to geocities (RIP) and both the original list and definitive piece are now hidden behind the Times's paywall. I figured it was time to revisit and update my journey into the box.
As for my personal collection I only have a battered copy of Laurie Anderson's 'O Superman' (an 8 minute A-side for starters!) and Pavement's rare 'Demolition Plot J-7' (a six track EP), although I have some of the tunes on CDs. It was exciting that even as a long-term listener of Peel's show there were a lot of titles in the box that I didn't recognise. So, eyes down for a Peel box A-Z...

1. Al Casey – Surfin’ Hootenanny + Easy Pickin (Pie International records, 1963)

This single was a huge Billboard hit in 1963 so it may even be possible to track down some vinyl copies.
This isn’t your typically Trashmen/ Dick Dale surf guitar tune, it is lighter than that, with female vocals and a very wide stereo sound, courtesy of the production by the legendary Lee Hazlewood. I think he also wrote it. They pay homage to a lot of the other surf acts (like Dick Dale) in the song. The B-side is more throwaway, but then that was half the idea with b-sides I guess.

2. Al Ferrier - I'm Not Drinking More + Don't Play Blue Eyes' (Master Trak records, 1980)
LISTEN: Al Ferrier- Don't Play Blue Eyes
Originally a Louisiana rockabilly/ cajun artist who was on Goldband from the mid-1950s, this is a much later recording and is pure country. I had assumed it was a 1980 reissue, but this interview shows that he was recording at Goldband in the early '80s so it probably is a 1980 release.
This is very hard to find nowadays, I have a dull sounding mp3 of the A-side which was transferred from vinyl, and the B-side is an mp3 taped off the radio which I have uploaded above, complete with Peel back anno! The best thing about submerging myself in this list is that I feel like I have entered an epic lost Peel show, full of surprises, songs you love and songs you would fast forward if you had taped the 2-hour broadcast. As this reminds me too much of the country n western I was brought up with, I would have wind it on past this, but a few listens later I'm kind of impressed by Ferrier's slightly off-centre delivery. It is country but not (quite) as we know it.

3. Alan Price Set - I Put a Spell on You (Decca, 1966)

A big hit in the '60s and relatively easy to get your hands on as it is on a few compilations. This is the first artist in the list I’ve heard of and the first track I recognised as well. Things I know about Alan Price - he was in the Animals, he wrote the music for the 70s movie 'O Lucky Man' and he appeared in DA Pennebaker's Don't Look Back alongside Dylan. The A-side is a busy organ-dominated British blues take on the classic song, and it does have a similar arrangement to 'House of the Rising Sun'. B-side "Iechyd Da" is a standard jazzy blues instrumental, dominated by the organ and horns. First Welsh language title in the list, although Price was from the North East and this has no words!

4. Andy Capp - Popatop + Reco - The Lion Speaks (Treasure Island, 1969)

Now that I'm old I'm supposed to know a lot about jazz and reggae and the like, and I do know a bit, but not an awful lot, so feel free to correct me by leaving a comment.
This is early dub reggae dating from 1969, Andy Capp was engineer Lynford Anderson, who helped a lot of Lee Perry's early dub experiments happen. This was actually siting in my iTunes under Lee 'Scratch' Perry as it was on his Battle Axe compilation. This sits nicely with the Perry material of the same period, and they although do experiment with a stop/start dubby rhythm it's actually infectiously catchy.
I didn't know much about Rico and the Rudies, except that Rico was a trombone player and had releases on Trojan records, but via Wikipedia I found out that he has recently been playing with Jools Holland and was awarded the MBE in 2007. This song sits eccentrically amongst all the other reggae in the box as it has Rico's trombone all over it!

John Peel's Record Box 36-37, introducing G.L. Crockett

John Peel's Record Box 36-37, introducing G.L. Crockett

36. G L Crockett - It's a man down there + Every hour, every day (4 BROTHERS) 1965
37. G L Crockett - Look out Mabel + Did you ever love somebody (CHECKER) 1965
On the evidence of these four songs GL is equally at home with rockabilly or soul. All of these songs are available on various compilations, check out this discography for more info. In fact the 7" of "It's a Man Down there" is currently available here.
I've also found some info on the 4 Brothers label although little about GL himself.
The Killing Floor Blues blog has 'It's Man Down There' online at the moment, and this useful info...
"Bluesman G.L. Crockett is known mainly for his Chess rockabilly 'Look Out Mabel' and today's selection, a mid-'60s blues hit on the Four Brothers label. 'It's a Man Down There' borrowed lyrics from Sonny Boy Williamson's 'One Way Out' and aped Jimmy Reed's backporch boogie beat and boozy vocals to create an engaging tune."
It's probably my favourite of the four songs here, although its soulful flipside 'Every Hour, Every Day' runs it close.
A curious fact about 'Look out Mabel' is that the songs were recorded in 1957 and released under the name G. 'Davy' Crockett, yet different takes of these songs from the same session were released 8 years later as GL. There ends my knowledge of GL, although he is well worth checking out.

John Peel's Record Box 33-35, Elmore James to the Freshmen

John Peel's Record Box 33-35, Elmore James to the Freshmen

33. Elmore james - The Sky is Crying + Standing at the crossroads (FLASHBACK RECORDS)
Classic Delta blues which I'm sure a lot of people will recognise. There's a good Elmore James discography here. He was one of the most influential blues musicians and a contemporary of Robert Johnson, although he seems to have gone unrecorded until the early 1950s. Much covered and much respected.

34. TRACKS MISSING: Firemen - Old smokie + Louie's theme (LE CAM)
Another blank I'm afraid. Not even a year this time! Any help gratefully appreciated.

35. Freshmen - You never heard anything like it + Bombing run (RELEASE RECORDS) 1979
I have heard something like it, i just can't make up my mind whether it's Ian Dury, Sham 69 or Chas n Dave. The Freshmen were an Irish showband (!) trying their hand at Cockney punk and if you like the sound of that, it's on ebay at the moment. Personally I recommend that you avoid this at all costs, this is the worst one yet. It is strange how the blues and soul and experimental releases have held up well, but the pop/punk stuff hasn't. That's the common theme of the box so far for me.

John Peel's Record Box - now where was I?

John Peel's Record Box - now where was I?
Inexplicably I have become distracted from this worthy pursuit, but it's very much back on again. Elmore James kicks off the next lot and he's coming soon! Here is a recap of the other posts as they were made over a month ago.
Intro
John Peel's Record Box, 1-4 Al Casey to Andy Capp
John Peel's Record Box, 5-9. Anemic Boyfriends to Big Stick
John Peel's Record Box, 10-13 Bill Oddie to Cat Power
John Peel's Record Box 14-19, a Charlie Feathers special!
John Peel's Record Box 20-23, Cheeze to Cleveland Crochet
John Peel's Record Box 24-28, cracks start to appear!
John Peel's Record Box 29-33, an Eddie and Ernie special
John Peel's Record Box: Electro Hippies

John Peel's Record Box: Electro Hippies

John Peel's Record Box: Electro Hippies

34. Electro Hippies 'Mega Armageddon Death' Peel Session 1987

[band biog] | [session info]
The 7" record with the most tracks on it, at least so far, and the first complete Peel session to be included. The title track is a single second burst, a short sharp exclamation mark, and all 9 tracks total just over 8 minutes. Electro Hippies were (the less well known) contemporaries of Napalm Death, the Stupids, and Extreme Noise Terror. This kind of punk/ metal was popular in the late 80s, it kind of blends 'Land Speed Record' Husker Du with speed metal, and it always reminds me of school and the first times I became really attached to the Peel programme. I had taped a Stupids session from the same year as this, and someone at school was so appalled by it they took it out of our communal tape player and flushed it down the loo.
Nearly 20 years later this sounds tamer than it did at the time, but it still has an edge to it. I enjoyed rediscovering this one.

John Peel's Record Box 29-33, an Eddie and Ernie special

John Peel's Record Box 29-33, an Eddie and Ernie special

29. Eddie & Ernie - I believe she will + We try harder (CHESS)
30. Eddie & Ernie - I'm gonna always love you + Outcast (EASTERN)
31. Eddie & Ernie - Time waits for no one + That's the way it is (EASTERN)

More than anything this is box is proving to be a treasure trove of forgotten soul and rockabilly performers. Eddie and Ernie were an RnB duo from the '60s (biographical info here), and some of their material on these 7 inch singles is just beautiful. Sweet voices in the vein of Sam Cooke or Sam and Dave, I have to admit that I had never heard of them before. Some of their material occasionally pops up on Northern Soul collections, while all the B-sides are now found on the Lost Friends collection on Kent/ Ace records. No throwaway material here, all of these songs are worth hearing, adn in fact the B sides are more uptempo and immediate than some of the A-sides. It makes you think how much material like this has been forgotten. Eddie and Ernie's era is now represented by those acts that stayed in the mainstream, and acts like them remain unknown, even to music obsessives like me. It's a shame, but at the same time, a pleasure to discover them.

John Peel's Record Box 24-28, cracks start to appear!

24. Don Covay - It's better to have (and don't need) + Leave him (MERCURY) 1973
I always knew the A-side as a Northern Soul tune, a really catchy piece of gospel and soul, and again this is another one that I have from a Peel broadcast, probably mid-90s. Happily, this was a UK top 30 hit in 1974 and both sides of this are freely available on albums like these.

25. Don French - Lonely saturday night + Goldilocks (QUALITY) (LANCER) 1960 2x copies
Yet another one that John kept two copies of, this was used in the Channel 4 documentary about the box. You can hear a snatch of it at the excellent Oldies Museum, and the A-side is available on many compilations including this one. Where would we be without Ace records?!
The B-side is an energetic rockabilly tune, the lyrics of which haven't dated terribly well (!) but the A-side is a great melancholy trek into Roy Orbison territory, and actually not a million miles away from what Richard Hawley was doing on last year's 'Coles Corner'. A great vocal performance, and just the right amount of twangy guitar to satisfy me.

27. TRACKS MISSING: Dreamland Express - Groovy + u.f.o (EMI)
I've been searching for this for about three weeks, and I have drawn a complete blank, which is strange as this was on a big label. Google only offers lists of the Peel box tracks, or the best of John Denver! Any info greatfully received - I don't even know the year!

28. TRACK MISSING: Easy Teeth - Car noise + Her blade (DENTAL RECORDS) 1980
Well the only Easy Teeth I know is this one. Easy Teeth was the nickname for one of Beefheart's tour managers I think, though I don't think this has any other Beefheart connection other than the name.
I would've drawn a blank here except I found the B side on a compilation - frustratingly I can't remember which one! It's a reasonably intriguing slice of post-punk/ funk not unilke Caberet Voltaire and co. Again, I would like to hear more, and I would like to know more!

John Peel's Record Box 20-23, Cheeze to Cleveland Crochet

20. Cheeze - Dancin With The Dead - Dancin queen + Direwolf 1989 (BOB RECORDS) 1989I remember this as Peel used to play it a lot over the years. I actually have it on one of the shows I taped in the early 1990s. I'm actually a bit surprised to find that it is as early as '89. Anyway, there is precious little info on Cheeze anywhere, so I'll just try to add the little facts that I know. The A side IS the Abba tune,. Although on my returning to this version I was surprised how tame and well, even how tuneful it sounds nowadays, I always imagined it as a bold attempt to destroy the glossiness of the original. It works too, with some very abrasive guitar and a fuzzy production courtesy of Mr. Steve Albini. I guess this is collectable for being a fairly early Albini recording. B side 'Dire Wolf' is bleak post-hardcore with a unusually catchy chorus of "don't murder me, please don't murder me" and could easily pass for a less-metallic Therapy?

21. Clague - The stride + I wonder where (DANDELION) 1969
An odd one this, mainly because Clague isn't really what the band where known as. All their subsequent material was recorded under the name Siren, and this has appeared on a few compilations credited to Siren, or even more confusingly Clague (Siren). This is the second inclusion on John's own Dandelion label, and features (amongst others) Kevin Coyne and Dave Clague (ex-Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band). All the facts you need are on this excellent website. 'Stride' strikes me a fairly ordinary uptempo 60s blues/ boogie effort, and 'I Wonder Where' is a strange acoustic blues ballad which ends up with the narrator's wife being attacked. Another eccentric but very welcome inclusion which shows what John would have committed his time and money to.

22. Clefs of Lavender Hill - Stop! - Get a ticket + First tell me why (DATE) 1966
The A side is easy to find because it's on the excellent Nuggets box set. The only info I can find on the band is on Yahoo Music, but it's pretty conclusive. It seems the A + B sides were originally the other way, the slower 'First Tell Me Why' losing out to the catchier 'Stop Get A Ticket'. Think early psychedelic pop meets the British invasion sound and you'll have a good idea where this is coming from. Fans of Guided By Voices should enjoy it - although it is a bit light and fluffy. They were from Florida, and not Brixton by the way!

23. Cleveland Crochet - Sugar bee + Drunkards dream (GOLDBAND) 1961
I'm not hugely aware of Cajun music, but this sounds pretty typical of the genre. You can judge for yourself as the mp3 is streamed on this site - good biog on that page too. Yet another inclusion from the Goldband label. Cleveland Crochet was his real name which is kinda cool I guess.

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.

John Peel's Record Box, 10-13 Bill Oddie to Cat Power

10. Bill Oddie - Harry krishna + on ilkla moor baht'at (DANDELION) 1970
A few firsts here - the first comedy record in the list, the first on Peel's own Dandelion records and the first to feature John Peel himself - on 'tapes, reels and vocal'!
The excellent site www.goodiesruleok.com has all the info you need. This is from it...

For those unfamiliar with the single, it's one of Bill's 1960's comedy releases. This one was released on John Peel's record label (Dandelion). The traditional song is done in the style of Joe Cocker's "With A Little Help From My Friends". Surprisingly, whoever compiled the recent media reports failed to notice that Peel is listed in the credits on the B side (a song called "Harry Krishna") - he's credited with "tape, reels, and vocal". I've put a scan of both sides of the single on my Goodies Illustrated Guide website (it can be seen about halfway down the page at http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7yes3/illustratedguides/id7.html).

Incidentally, those scans mentioned also show up that the 'technical consultant' was Sheila Gilhooly, John's future wife!
As for the record, it's a fairly daft run through of the Hare Krishna chant including some names of the day like "Harry Secombe" and "Harry Corbett, sweep and sooty". This would probably run up against the wrath of music publishers and those policing religious offence laws, but this is a reminder of a time when entertainment was altogether more innocent. The version of 'Ilka Moor' is indeed in the style of Joe Cocker, and features Henry McCullough of Wings and Jim Capadi of Traffic (and many other bands).
Parochial note: I've just realised that Henry's contribution makes this the first record of the list to feature someone from Northern Ireland!

11. Boards of Canada - Aquarius + Chinook (SKAM) 1998
'Music Has The Right to Children'. The Boards were one of the acts I got into through the John Peel show, and this is their first release I think. 'Aquarius' is on the album of course, but this Ep release backed with 'Chinook' was limited to 500 copies so it's hard to find now.
If you aren't familiar with their music they are a Scottish duo who play chilled-out electronica. A bit spacey, trippy and sometimes funky. The album always evokes memories of 70's informational films. 'Aquarius' is one of the most beautiful pieces, lovely sweeping harmonies and a subdued funky beat, complete children laughing, someone counting and someone saying "Orange" over and over. Very hypnotic, as is the rarer 'Chinook' which is built around syncopated rhythms and layed with an atmospheric drone, just like the helicopter sound with a melody line added.
The longest tunes so far and the first real departure from standard pop formats, this is genuinely refreshing.

12. Bobby Lee Trammell - If you ever get it once + Don't you know I love you (ALLEY RECORDS) 1966
Another act a bit before my time I'm afraid. Lots of info on Bobby Lee on this site (scroll down). This is a relatively late release from him as he had been around since 1958, and this is dated as 1966 or later. This is standard uptempo rockabilly with a more romantic bside. He became a member of the Arkansas house of representatives in the 90s!

13. Cat Power - Headlights + Darling said sir (THE MAKING OF AMERICANS) 1995
I think this is Chan Marshall's first recording, please correct me if I'm wrong! It's bleaker and more droning than what she does now and reminds me a lot of early Smog. 'Headlights' is on the first album 'Dear Sir' and is relatively easy to find. 'Darling Said Sir' is only available on the 7" and is the tale of an abusive relationship accompanied by droning Sonic Youth style guitars and a solitary drum. I hadn't heard it until I went on a search for this material and it is quite stunning to be left as a Bside for so long.

John Peel's Record Box, 5-9. Anemic Boyfriends to Big Stick

5.Anemic Boyfriends - Guys Are Not Proud + Bad Girls in Love (RED SWEATER RECORDS) 1980
Female punk/ new wave group from Alaska who made two singles then vanished. This is their debut single, and there's a pic of the sleeve on this collector's site.
This has a Slits-style punk/ reggae feel to it and the best refrain yet - "Guys are such creeps/ They'll even do it with sheep". Only five records in and I'm already discovering hidden gems like this. The Bside is more punky like Johnny Thunders or something which changes the bad guys for the bad girls - "I got a tight little body/ and I wanna get naughty". This was the hardest one to find so far (I've just got mp3s), but well worth hearing!

6. Ann Peebles - I can't stand the rain + i've been there before (LONDON) 1972
After Alan Price, this is only the second A-side in the list so far that I can sing along with. I'm pretty ignorant about 70s soul and RnB but most of that material in this list stands up incredibly well, especially when compared to some of the ropey punk bands around (see next!). I never realised how evocative that little pizzicato guitar at the start of 'I Can't Stand the Rain' was, the arrangement is just about the perfect accompaniment to her voice. The Bside is even more melancholy and has some nice gospel touches. Solid gold and one of the best so far.

7. Anti-Social - Traffic lights + teacher, teacher (DYNAMITE RECORDS) 1977
As far as I know this 7" contains their entire recorded output and we can be thankful for that. This is dull dull punk rock from the self-styled "most violent band in the world" as this biography tells us. Skip this one.

8. MISSING TRACK: Arthur K Adams - Wildwood flower + It's a wild, wild, wild, wild wildwood flower (JETSTAR)

This is the first (of a few) that I have been unable to track down. A google search for info on Arthur Adams is similarly fruitless, but a link to this useful biog page came up on the second page. He sounds interesting, maybe I'll hear him someday.

9. Big Stick - Drag racing + Hell on earth (RECESS RECORDS) 1985 (listen or download- official site)
I love this. I can remember Peel playing this quite a bit over the years. 90s listeners may remember the Festive 50 fave 'Broadcast booth' which was credited to Drag Racing Underground; well, that was Big Stick as well. Official biography is here. This is basically cut-up samples and distorted drum machine, think Colourbox meets Big Black and you're in the right area. The right era too. While you might believe the Aside is slightly sinister, the Bside takes the same backing track and gets even darker. Short, thrilling and plenty creepy.

John Peel's Record Box, 1-4 Al Casey to Andy Capp

A lot of blogs have already tried to collect these releases but this is the first chance I've had, so I thought I would try and get through some of the tracks while the music scene is still pretty quiet. There are still a few holes in my list, but hopefully they will be filled by the time I get around to writing about them. I am working with the (mainly alphabeticised) order of the Times list. I've heard the As and Bs of 1-4 so here we go...

1. Al Casey - Surfin Hootenanny + Easy Pickin (Pie International records, 1963)
This single was a huge Billboard hit in 1963 so it may even be possible to track down some vinyl copies. Nowadays it is quite easy to find on this compilation on Ace Records.
This isnt your typically Trashmen/ Dick Dale surf guitar tune, it's lighter than that, with female vocals and a very wide stereo sound, courtesy of the production by the legendary Lee Hazlewood. I think he also wrote it. They pay homage to a lot of the other surf acts (like Dick Dale) in the song. The Bside is more throwaway, but then that was half the idea with bsides I guess.

2. Al Ferrier - I'm Not Drinking More + Don't Play Blue Eyes' (Master Trak records, 1980)
Originally a Louisiana rockabilly/ cajun artist who was on Goldband from the mid-1950s, this is a much later recording and is pure country. I had assumed it was a 1980 reissue, but this interview shows that he was recording at Goldband in the early '80s so it probably is a 1980 release.
This is very hard to find nowadays, I have a dull sounding mp3 of the A-side which was transferred from vinyl, and the B-side is an mp3 taped off the radio, complete with Peel back anno! The best thing about submerging myself in this list is that I feel like I have entered an epic lost Peel show, full of surprises, songs you love and songs you would fast forward if you had taped the 2-hour broadcast. As this reminds me too much of the country n western I was brought up with, I would have wind it on past this, but a few listens later I'm kinda impressed by Ferrier's slightly off-centre delivery. Country but not (quite) as we know it.

3. Alan Price Set - I Put a Spell on You (Decca, 1966)
A big hit in the '60s and relatively easy to get your hands on as it is on a few compilations. The first artist in the list I had heard and the first track I recognised as well. Things I know about Alan Price - he was in the Animals, he wrote the music for the 70s movie 'O Lucky Man' and he appeared in DA Pennebaker's Don't Look Back alongside Dylan. The A-side is a busy organ-dominated British blues take on the classic song, and it does have a similar arrangement to 'House of the Rising Sun'. B-side "Iechyd Da" is a standard jazzy blues instrumental, dominated by the organ and horns. First Welsh language title in the list, although Price was from the North East and this has no words!

4. Andy Capp - Popatop + Reco - The Lion Speaks (Treasure Island, 1969)
Now that I'm old I'm supposed to know a lot about jazz and reggae and the like, and I do know a bit, but not an awful lot, so feel free to correct me by leaving a comment.
This is early dub reggae dating from 1969, Andy Capp was engineer Lynford Anderson, who helped a lot of Lee Perry's early dub experiments happen. This was actually siting in my iTunes under Lee 'Scratch' Perry as it was on his Battle Axe compilation. This sits nicely with the Perry material of the same period, and they although do experiment with a stop/start dubby rhythm it's actually infectiously catchy.
I didn't know much about Rico and the Rudies, except that Rico was a trombone player and had releases on Trojan records, but i found this great website which tells you all about him. This sits eccentrically amongst all the other reggae in the box as it has Rico's trombone all over it! Just great really.

Going inside John Peel's Record Box....

Well January is always a quiet month so now is the time for me to finally get to grips with John Peel's Record Box. This was the box of 142 singles and EPs that John kept with him most of the time, reputedly these were his favourite singles. This Christmas felt strange without his festive 50 (yes, I know there was a OneMusic festive 50 but it wasn't the same) and this list gives us Peel fans something to dig our teeth into.
The full list is here. I wouldn't go as far as describing the box as 142 slices of 3minute pop songs - you don't have to look too hard to find singles that disprove that!
As for my personal collection I only have a battered copy of Laurie Anderson's 'O Superman' (an 8 minute A-side for starters!) and Pavement's rare 'Demolition Plot J-7' (a six track EP), although I have a lot of the tunes on CDs. It was exciting that even as a long-term listener of Peel's show there were a lot of titles here I didn't recognise. Consequently they could be hard to track down. Time to delve headlong and get searching for some of these songs.....