My Peel Tapes: Part 15

Dear friends,

please enjoy the next episode of 'My Peel Tapes', again some fine stuff for you, some of which you might not know and won't find all too easy these days, I would think .... if you're pleased with what I chose, I would be happy if you could leave a comment. Requests are of course also more than welcome!

Enough said, enjoy:

(109) Nirvana - 'Love Buzz' (mp3). Well, finally there you are: something by Nirvana. Sounds strange today, but when Peel played this track (and others) from the 'Bleach' - LP back in 1989, it didn't really fill me with great exitement. Nevertheless I thought that there is something in it I had never heard before and therefore went out and bought the album. I remember playing it to a mate of mine and he wasn't totally convinced either. None of us had expected Nirvana to become worldwide megastars and cult figures for a whole generation: we thought that Mudhoney or Soundgarden were way better. So I forgot about the LP basically.

But, as usually, we were wrong and perhaps this is why this LP is - as far as I know - the most valuable one in my collection. So should you be interested in a near mint/mint copy of the green-marbled vinyl, still originally shrink-wrapped and with the sticker (Sub Pop USA SP 34 that is), just let me know. Serious bids only, please.

[upon request:

Wedding Present - 'It's Not Unusual'

King Of The Slums - 'Full Speed Ahead']

(110) Faron's Flamingos - 'Let's Stomp' (mp3). Something completely different now and why not? From a very fine compilation, called 'Let's Stomp' as well, which features Derry Wilkie & The Pressmen, Earl Preston & The TT's, Ian & The Zodiacs, Mark Peters & The Silhouettes, Rory Strom & The Hurricanes, Sonny Webb & The Cascades and - obviously - Faron's Flamingos and it's their contribution I like most. On the Edsel Record Label, released in 1982, although the track was originally recorded back in (or around) 1963.

[upon request:

Trotsky Ice Pick - 'The Light Pours Out Of Me'

Nirvana - 'School']

(111) The Perfect Disaster - 'Hey Now' (mp3). Another fine band that did their own thing when everybody else was into Grunge and I really do wonder what ever became of them. From their 1989 - LP 'Up' on Fire/Rough Trade Records ...

[upon request:

King Of The Slums - 'Up To The Fells'

Pale Saints - 'She Rides The Wave']

(112) The Pixies - 'Wave Of Mutilation' (mp3). From their seminal 'Doolittle' - LP on 4AD Records from 1989. A great tune from a great album done by a great combo! I wish I could have played to you the 'UK Surf' - version of this, which is on the 'Here Come Your Man' - 12", but I just recognised it has a serious scratch on it. Bugger!!

[upon request:

Morbid Angel - 'Chapel Of Ghouls'

Terrorizer - 'Dead Shall Rise'

Napalm Death - 'The Missing Link'

Bolt Thrower - 'Through The Eye Of Terror']

(113) In December '89 Sub Pop Records released a very fine compilation called 'Sub Pop 200' (as a follow-up to their '86 'Sub Pop 100' (5000 copies made ... and I only wish I had one)), which brought together all the 'big' names, which were then ruling the Seattle Grunge scene: Blood Circus, Cat Butt, Fluid, Green River, Mudhoney, Nights & Days, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Swallow, Tad, Thrown Ups. Don't be irritated by the link above: it refers to the CD re-release, which has some more tracks on it than the original vinyl. Mudhoney decided to have a go at Bette Middler's 'The Rose' (mp3) ... and they managed to solve the problem neatly, I would think!

[upon request:

Only Ones - 'City Of Fun']

(114) Bunker Hill & The Raymen - 'The Girl Can't Dance' (mp3). Now this describes this unbelievable record much better than I ever could:

"God's sake, what a fella! If you've ever heard "The Girl Can't Dance" by Bunker Hill, you've got an idea what kind of incredible capacities a human voice can have. The song altogether, with Bunker's mind-blowin' caveman-alike hollering is so way beyond belief, that there ain't just enough superlative words to describe its invincibility. Bring it together with Bunker's other early sixties novelty masterpieces, and you've got there a load of the most powerful black rock'n'roll ever made!"

The above is just the beginning of a most brilliant discography of Bunker's stuff which is continued here. As described in the article: from a 7" on Norton Records, released in the very early 90's, albeit recorded in 1963.

[upon request:

Altered Images - 'Idols'

Carcass - 'Slash Dimensia'

Primal Scream - 'You're Just Too Dark To Care']

(115) The Only Ones - 'Trouble In The World' (mp3). The Only Ones were best known for their awesome 'Another Girl, Another Planet', which, I admit, is another one of my all-time favourites. If you know it and like it as much as I do, you might perhaps be interested in hearing this tune, which was recorded in June 1977 at the Speakeasy in London and later (in 1989) released on a nice LP on Skyclad Records called 'Live In London': quite a couple of great songs on it, that's for sure!

(116) Stack Waddy - 'I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter' (mp3). From their second album, released in 1972, called 'Bugger Off'. The copy I have is a Canadian one on BSF/Toad Stool Records. Here's what John Peel had to say upon Stack Waddy:

"On stage they were loud, aggressive, fairly pissed and remarkably unsubtle - as befitted musicians who where often forced to supplement their meagre gig money by working days on construction sites. Their frustrations and energies were poured into music that it was impossible to ignore. In fact you were better off not to try to ignore it because one of the many Stack Waddy atrocity stories has John Knail jumping off-stage to beat to the floor a man who was paying more attention to his lady than to the band. Even if the story is untrue, it sums up the band's attitude to their music."

And if you liked the track and are indeed interested in more of the aforementioned 'atrocity stories' Peel mentions above, just let me know: I once spent an entire afternoon with Peel listening to him telling me about what a brutal bunch Stack Waddy were back in those days ....

[upon request:

Adverts - 'No Time To Be 21']

(117) Bridewell Taxis - 'Just Good Friends' (mp3). As perfectly described here, The Bridewell Taxis from Leeds, as fantastic as they were in 1989, nearly were swallowed by what was going on in Manchester at the same time. 'Just Good Friends' was their debut single and I took the track from their one and only LP, 'Invisible To You', which was released not before 1991 on Stolen Records. If you see the cover anywhere in a discount bin: get hold of it if you want to do yourself a favour!

[upon request:

Napalm Death - 'Rise Above'

Wedding Present - 'Kennedy']

(118) The Creamers - 'I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick' (mp3). 'Love, Honour And Obey' was the title of the LP this is taken from, a very fine record on the very fine Sympathy For The Records Industry - record label from the USA (check out their site here ... for male visitors to Sexyloser the starter page will do ... simply great!!). Released in 1989 and it has some mighty tracks on it. Originally issued on the backside of their 'Sunday Head' - 7" ....

[upon request:

Verlaines - 'Slow Sad Love Song'

Napalm Death - 'Walls Of Confinement']

(119) Dinosaur Jr. - 'Just Like Heaven' (mp3). Dinosaur Jr. covers the Cure? Yeah, but where the Cure did the original 'Just Like Heaven' as an eighties pop piece more suited to sparkle on John Hughes movie soundtracks, J Mascis and company tear it up and put it back together as a true masterpiece of anger and grunge. The bass growls, the screamed "YOUUUUUU" of the chorus, and the way the song ends abruptly in a crash of guitars and feedback all contribute to a fine reinterpretation of a surprisingly emotional piece. A 12" on Normal Records from 1989.

[upon request:

Even As We Speak - 'Goes So Slow']

I hope you had fun, nice people. See you next time. Hopefully ....

Dirk