Newsgroup: it.arti.musica.rock
Titolo: E' passato un anno

13 Ottobre 2004: Moriva J. Peel 
Domani si celebra il triste momento con una serie di manifestazioni. SOno
previsti concerti in tutta l'Inghiletrra che ricordano il leggendario DJ e
dell'album commemorativo gia' Stanz ne ha parlato.
Questo che vi propongo e' la sua scelta dei 20 album principali del rock.
E' il resonto di un'intervista fatta nel 1997 dal Guardian.
15 di questi Cd sono anche miei CD..ed e' un piacere vedere che i gusti
con il grande DJ non sono tanto diversi...;-)
Buona lettura.
 
In 1997 the Guardian asked John Peel to list his top 20 albums. Though he
freely regarded these kinds of lists as "terribly self-indulgent" - and
may well have chosen a completely different 20 if you'd asked him a week
later - he was nonetheless happy to oblige.
Yet he wasn't asked to provide any comment as to why he'd made the
selection, a tantalising silence that got me wondering: why were these
albums significant to Peel? What is it about these tracks in particular
that touched him the most?
So I trawled my record collection, the internet - and in the case of track
number 10, the memories of his close friend Andy Kershaw - to provide some
answers. Here's what I came up with.
1. Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica
"If there has been anything in the history of popular music which could be
described as a work of art in a way that people who are involved in other
areas of art would understand, then Trout Mask Replica is probably that
work," said Peel in 1995. He first heard Beefheart in California, and it
was a revelation: "It was like hearing Elvis for the first time," he once
told Saga magazine. "I reeled out into the Hollywood night just knowing
that nothing would ever be the same again." Back in England, Peel was an
early champion of Beefheart, even chauffeuring the group on a provincial
tour. He continued playing them to the last, and traces of Beefheart can
be heard in latter-day Peel favourites such as PJ Harvey and the White
Stripes. "It's always irritated me that people label him as weird - it was
a kind of super-reality," he said.
2. The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground and Nico
Brian Eno once said that only about 250 people bought the first Velvet
Underground album, but everyone who did went out and formed a band.
Including Eno himself, who heard them for the first time on the Peel show
in 1968. Peel played them in the very early days of BBC Radio 1 even
before he had his own show. He can be heard here singing the praises of
the group in a slot on the Pete Murray show.
3. The Ramones: The Ramones
Billy Doherty of the Undertones remembers hearing the Ramones for the
first time on Peel: "He played the full side of the first Ramones record -
we suddenly felt we weren't alone. We may have been stuck in Derry with
seemingly no future (man!) but the world suddenly got smaller, friendlier
and full of possibilities. That's what music does for you and that was
exactly what it continually did for John Peel. He recognised that the
essential ingredient of the best music, and in particular to the best rock
and roll, is passion."
4. Pulp: Different Class
Peel gave Pulp their first session in 1981, when Jarvis Cocker was still
at school. It took more than a decade for Pulp to reach a wider audience,
but Peel remained a fan throughout their career. Cocker reciprocated,
narrating Radio 1's tribute show after Peel's death. For the Observer, he
wrote movingly of listening to Peel: "No matter how far-out and downright
scary some of the music was, The Voice was always there to let you know
everything was all right. 'Hey,' it seemed to be saying, 'just let it
happen. You don't have to like all of this: just give it a chance.'"
5. Misty In Roots: Live At Counter Eurovision
Peel's championing of reggae was criticised by hippies and then punks. But
the more hostile the reaction, the more Peel would play it, and the
juxtaposition of different genres of music on his show inspired groups
such as the Clash to experiment with different styles. Misty were not even
popular among some reggae purists, as they were based in Britain and not
Jamaica. A quote from Live at the Counter Eurovision was included on the
order of service at Peel's funeral: "When we trod this land, we walk for
one reason ... to try to help another man think for himself. The music of
our hearts is roots music, music which recalls history, because without
the knowledge of your history, you cannot turn in your destiny: the music
about the present, because if you are not conscious about the present,
you're like a cabbage in this society."
6. Nirvana: Nevermind
Peel championed all the Seattle bands years before Nevermind broke them
into the mainstream. Nirvana recorded their first session with Peel in
October 1989, and went on to record two more. Peel broadcast all three
consecutively in 1994 after Kurt Cobain's death. He did not, as has
sometimes been suggested, always disdain acts who later became successful,
and always regarded Nirvana as "one of my bands".
7. The Smiths: The Smiths The sessions the Smiths recorded for Peel were
better than those that became their first album. Guitarist Johnny Marr was
quick to realise this, and so the band's Peel sessions formed the basis of
the Smiths' second album, Hatful of Hollow. "We would try out new songs on
the [Peel] sessions and these often were the definitive version," said
Marr.
8. Neil Young: Arc Weld
The major record labels gave up sending Peel any records or CDs long ago,
so he would have to go and buy them himself. Each week he could be seen
rummaging through the record racks of Berwick Street in Soho, London. This
1991 live album included a whole disc of feedback, a montage of guitar
squall from various live shows that underlined Young's place as the
granddaddy of grunge. Asked whether rock stars should call it a day when
they get to a certain age, a 56-year-old Peel said in 1995: "There are
some rather good old rock stars around, though they are in a minority. It
would be a shame if Neil Young retired, for instance - he's virtually
unique."
9. The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?
Hendrix was one of the earliest artists to benefit from Peel's patronage,
his album of BBC sessions providing an enthralling snapshot of the
excitement he generated in Britain in the mid-60s. The only autographs
Peel ever requested were those of Hendrix, blues singer Lightnin' Hopkins
.. and Liverpool legends Billy Liddell and Bill Shankly.
10. Enzenzé: Wawali Bonané Generation Soukouss
Zairian Wawali Bonané sang for many years in a band led by Tabu Ley
Rochereau. In 1992, he recorded the album Enzenzé backed by members of
Rochereau's group. Peel's long-time friend and fellow DJ Andy Kershaw
recalls: "We got sent very little African music, but we would go to
Stern's record shop near Warren Street tube station in London. Hearing
Enzenzé was one of those perfect moments. It would send John daft. One
track in particular, Bayanaya [Kershaw pauses to cue up the record and
give me a blast down the phone] had this guitar solo by Popolipo, who was
Congolese ... When I had my little lad in September 97, John played
Bayanaya for Sonny on his programme and said it was 'the best start he
could have in life'."
11. Pink Floyd: Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Peel and "the Pink Floyd" were regulars at the Roundhouse, and the band's
first airplay came on the Perfumed Garden show in September 1967, where
they performed tracks from their debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
They performed a series of classic sessions for Peel in the late 60s and
Peel clearly retained affection for the band. Dave Gilmour performs on the
forthcoming all-star tribute single.
12. Dreadzone: Second Light
Peel first saw Dreadzone in June 94 when they opened at Glastonbury.
Crusty dance Dreadzone were signed to Alan McGee's Creation label at its
zenith, and their featured vocalists included Alison Goldfrapp and Melanie
Blatt, later of All Saints. Second Light dominated the 1995 Festive 50.
13 The Four Brothers: Makorokoto
With a cover photograph taken by Andy Kershaw, this album represents a
greatest hits by Zimbabwe's premier musical export. Sweet, uplifting
guitars interweave with one another over rapid-fire beats to rapturous
effect. The Four Brothers, who Peel regarded as "the best live band in the
world", once performed in his back garden.
14. Dave Clarke: Dave Archive 1
One of the few DJs to have played a live session on the Peel show, Dave
Clarke was also a huge fan of Peel's. Archive 1, his debut album, contains
the house anthem Red - one of three tracks of that name released by Clarke.
15. Big Black: Songs About Fucking
Steve Albini's late 80s band's ear-shreddingly brutal, mechanical garage
rock contains a gripping version of Kraftwerk's The Model. Peel
enthusiastically embraced all Albini's later incarnations, notably
Shellac. But he is best known as a producer - his credits, which include
Nirvana, Pixies, Wedding Present, read like a Peel alumni. Albini strips
down his artists' sound to the bare minimum, eschewing studio effects in
favour of revealing the band as they actually are. An aesthetic he shared
with Peel, as he recalled in a recent interview: "John Peel said something
that I thought was really profound. He said when he gets a record from
somebody and he doesn't like it, he assumes that it's his problem and that
the band would not have made that record if there wasn't something
valuable about it."
16. PJ Harvey: Dry
Harvey was championed by Peel from her first single Dress to last album Uh
Huh Her. She recorded many sessions for the programme and was one of the
few artists to have broadcast live from Peel Acres.
17. Richard and Linda Thompson: I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
Richard Thompson had played with Fairport Convention, part of the
alternative folk scene of the late 60s. "Folk ballads provide the history
of people traditionally without a voice," Thompson told the Guardian in
2003 - precisely what appealed to Peel. I Want to See the Bright Lights
Tonight became a staple of the Festive 50 until the advent of punk, but
Peel continued to book Thompson for sessions.
18. Elastica: Elastica
"Stutter" was one of the best tracks of 1993, according to Peel's
"Peelennium" - a guide to the best tracks of the century. Peel avoided
association with the notion of Britpop, remarking at the height of the
Blur v Oasis hoo-hah that he'd not even heard Oasis - but in fact he
admired several of the bands.
19. Hole: Live Through This
The album that carried Courtney Love into the mainstream, a harrowing but
confident work that came out in the wake of husband Kurt Cobain's death.
Peel championed both Nirvana and Hole from the first singles in the late
80s. In 1994 Peel hailed Hole's set at Reading thus: "The band teetered on
the edge of chaos, generating a tension which I cannot remember having
felt before from any stage." As a teenager, Peel's daughter Alexandra was
a big fan of Love, which caused Peel some fatherly consternation.
20. The Rolling Stones: The Rolling Stones
The Stones' 1964 debut album, consisting solely of the R&B cover versions
that comprised the band's stage set before Lennon and McCartney's success
convinced Jagger and Richards to start writing their own songs. Standout
tracks include I'm a King Bee - the basis for King Wasp, a homage by 1990s
Peel favourites Add N to X. In a 1978 radio show, after playing the
Stones' current single Miss You, Peel remarked that he wished they'd split
up after (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction in 1965!
-- 
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 dell'album commemorativo 
John Peel era un esploratore instancabile, compilare
brani abbastanza ovvi non gli rende molto giustizia.
A chi serve una raccolta in cui appare Beefheart e gli Elastica? 
Chi non li conosce? Ci sono gli album in tutti i negozi.
Per rendere "vero omaggio" a John Peel dovremmo essere
tutti alla scoperta di dischi *di cui non sappiamo nulla*
Come del resto faceva lui.
Omaggiamo lo spirito, non i banali dischi.
Cambiamo i nostri gusti, come faceva lui.
Max, spegni quei CD di pop prevedibile e ascolta cose più 
sostanziose.
Dai retta ai tuoi critici, fai il John Peel anche tu stasera.
bye
s

 Dai retta ai tuoi critici, fai il John Peel anche tu stasera.
Io sono uno che i gusti gli ha variati tanto negli anni... uno (come J.
peel) che non si nascondeva dietro lo snobbismo se c'era un brano pop che
gli piaceva... 
Sono stato un progressive fans p[er anni e anni... poi le cose sono
variate in base alla mia crescita e alla mia conoscenza... diciamo che
tutta la musica mi ha semrpe appassionato. Mi piace proprio il movimento
musica. Non so se mi capisci...
Tranne la canzonetta e il Metal (che per me pari sono...) ho sempre
cercato di ascoltare di tutto... negli ultimi anni sono un appassionato
della elettronica accompagnata al jazz, al soul e adoro quei dischi che
non si riesce a classificare.... mal sopporto (ma dipende certamente
dall'eta' e dall'esperienza..) i gruppi che fanno "casino" (ch ecazzo di
descrizione..ma..insomma..;-P)...
Io non ne ho dischi di pop prevedibile (pensavo fosse chiaro..), se sento
pop prevedibile lo sento alla radio... solo che ne parlo perche' ne
conosco e non mi vergogno(come fanno in tanti...)se certe "pop
prevedibili" alle volte li fischietto. 
Detto questo, se vuoi, proviamo pure (domani..) a celebrare Peel
compilando una lista di 20 dischi di musica poco frequente nelle
discussioni dei giornali o dei NG...
io ci sto, se vuoi... domani la posto.
ciao
Max


 Io non ne ho dischi di pop prevedibile
vuoi dire di non avere dischi di coldplay, radiohead, travis, keane, ecc in
casa?
ma fammi il piacere...

hooookerrrr! ha scritto:



I RAdiohed gli ho tutti e ne vado pure orgoglioso... dei Coldplay ho il
primo e dei travis ne ho due (i primi due..).... contento?
Comuqnue il tuo odio verso i RAdioheda raggiunge la subblime pazzia... ti
rende ridicolo... i travis ti farebbero pure bene (se avessi un anima,
ovviamente...)


 rende ridicolo... 
mai quanto il tuo analfabetismo, tranquillo.

hooookerrrr! ha scritto:




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bene. Sono contento. Spero che ora ti asciughi la schiuma che hai nel
bordo delle labbra e chiudiamo qua il discorso. OK?


 discussioni dei giornali o dei NG...
Il discorso era un altro.
Peel non lo celebri neanche con una lista, lo potresti 
(potenzialmente parlando) celebrare solo con l'azione.
bye
s

 bordo delle labbra e chiudiamo qua il discorso. OK?
assolutamente no. prima spiegami per quale motivo prima affermi di non
possedere dischi di pop prevedibile, poi dopo pochi minuti ammetti
orgogliosamente di averne un tot.

 io ci sto, se vuoi... domani la posto.
Postala, va', ché son curioso :)
In qualsiasi lista omaggiante Peel, cmq, i Fall non possono mancare!!! :)

"stanz" <st...@altrove.mai> ha scritto nel messaggio 
news:434d773d$0$24644$4faf...@reader3.news.tin.it...

 Strano e per certi versi emblematico che se ne sia andato proprio mentre 
era a Cusco, da molti definito (anche dal sottoscritto)  il vero ombellico 
del mondo.
Per quanto riguarda la compilation non saprei proprio, credo sia meglio 
celebrarlo nei fatti piů che nelle classifiche, come da te intelligentemente 
suggerito.
Proporre classifiche non farebbe altro che alimentare altre inutili 
discussioni, per non parlare poi di chi si permette di paragonarsi a Peel 
stesso. Siamo tutti piccoli ai suoi occhi ed in questi giorni ancora di piů. 

 stesso. Siamo tutti piccoli ai suoi occhi ed in questi giorni ancora di più.
secondo me stai fraintendo non poco. Chiaramente ti riferisci a me sul
paragone con Peel e mi dispaice che abbia girato la cosa in questa
maniera. Mi riferivo a ben altra cosa e lo stesso Stanz e' uno (da quello
che ho capito) che non si e' fermato a un tipo di musica ed ha chiuso la
porta. Questa non e' cosa frequente nel mondo degli appassionati rock. Ed
anche qua e' pieno di gente che ascolta la stessa cosa da anni (e non e'
un male ma solo una constatazione -visto che bisogan sempre specificare).
Inoltre a Peel le classifiche piacevano... e le compilation tanto pure... 
Quindi? dove sta il problema? Alle volte faceva anche il DJ nei club... e
dire che gli Undertones sono canzonetta mi pare che sia poco chiaro il
termine di essa stessa, sinceramente...


 stessa cosa da anni
chi, tu? Ah no scusa, sei passato dal progressive all'elettronica
macchiata di jazz e soul... :)
--
I count three, four and we start to slow
because a song has got to stop somewhere

 macchiata di jazz e soul... :)
ascolta..seriamente...mandami la tua e-mail privata...ti "faccio un
disegnino", magari lo capisci...
ciao


 Chi non li conosce?
C'è un mondo, fuori da IAMR.
-- 
fB < 
http://blameit.net/
 >

 C'è un mondo, fuori da IAMR.
Ma non il mondo di John Peel.
Quello era un po' meno limitato.
bye
s

:

Beh, ma per chi conosce bene John Peel non c'è antologia che tenga,
tanto vale non provarci neppure.
-- 
fB < 
http://blameit.net/
 >