NME Singles Reviews

NME Singles Reviews were a regular part of the NME, in which its writers and others passed judgement on the latest singles. On many occasions, celebrities linked to music would review singles for the weekly music paper. In October 1991, Stuart Maconie of the NME asked Peel to review singles for the paper. It is not known whether Peel did more NME singles reviews, although in 1988 he did select records of the week as part of Hitlist.
== Singles Reviewed By Peel ==
The following singles were reviewed by John Peel at Peel Acres and published on 5th October 1991
* PJ Harvey: Dress (12") Too Pure ("What do I like about it? I like the urgency of it, the way it keeps pushing along. I can't describe this guitar solo accurately but I think it's spot on. Gratifyingly genre-free. Everything about it is good right down to this. My only fear is that the success of this record will depend on whether she is cute and, even in these avowedly non-sexist times, will get those sort of reviews which, when, boiled down to their essence, say I want to shag her")
* Erectus Monotone: Cathode Gumshoe (7") Merge ("It just sounds like something they had to get out of their system")
* Morrissey: My Love Life (12") His Master's Voice ("The best one he's made in a long time, I'd say. I've not cared for the last few at all but this one I would definitely play on the radio. I mean, it sounds like a Smiths song, which is no bad thing")
* 70 Gwen Party: Auto Killer UK (7" - Helier Party + Auto Killer UK) Snape ("Sometimes I'm not sure whether this stuff is good or not and I like that. It's good for a so called expert to be thrown into confusion. I like being able to give people like this sessions which finance further records. That strikes me as more healthy than giving Eric Clapton yet more money, decent bloke though I'm sure he is. It makes me feel like an 18th century patron of their arts with the crucial bonus of not having to use my own money to finance these loonies.")
* Gallon Drunk: Some Fool's Mess (7") Clawfist ("I went to see these a few months ago. They played for 20 minutes and then admitted that they were too pissed to carry on. I quite like that as an antidote to these impossibly slick stadium shows where nothing short of the sudden death of one of the major participants will interrupt the outcome.")
* Big Country: Beautiful People (7") Phonogram ("It sounds like Mungo Jerry. My dad would have described it as half-baked piffle and he'd have been right.")
* Family Cat: Colour Me Grey (12") Bad Girl ("Yes, The Family Cat. Very good at Reading. He seems to be trying to sing, which is welcome. Good to see singing back, back to the old days of Microdisney, Teardrop Explodes, The Bunnymen and Wah! Although, I'm entirely in favour of shrieking and muttering as well.")
* Stereolab: Super-Electric (10") Too Pure ("I always like records that sound as if they've got stuck.")
* Vinyl Vandals: Don't Be So Serious (12") Warrior ("Don't be so fucking serious is what she's saying, in case you can't figure it out... which is a pity, since it means I can't play this very good record on the radio. Sadly there is a class of person who sits up late at night listening to my show hoping to be offended.")
* World Of Twist: Sweets (7") Circa ("A pop record, which is always nice to see. I can't see the government falling but I can see the unmitigated pain of existence being leavened for three minutes.")
* Wir: So And Slow It Goes (12") Mute ("This is like New Order with singing. I can see that it would be very catchy. It'd sound good on the radio.")
* Wendys: (12" - I Instruct EP) Factory ("Well, it doesn't set the pulses racing, which is a pity because I'm sure they're not wicked people.")
* 25th Of May: Fuck The Right To Vote (12" - Fuck The Right To Vote / Made In The U.S.A.) ("These are the people who wanted to say Fuck on our session. They had to change it to Say Boo To The Right To Vote or something. Sounds slightly dated. Not hard enough at all.")
* Union Featuring England Rugby World Cup Squad: Swing Low (Run With The Ball) (7") Columbia ("Sport records are always crap, aren't they?")
* Chapterhouse: Mesmerise (12") RCA ("We keep trying to book Chapterhouse for a session but it's the Mark Goodier session or nothing, apparently. Disappointing at Reading, and I don't say that because I'm sulking, I think they must know it themselves. My son, Thomas, would like me to retract the statement that they're his favourite band. Hmm, bit tepid, isn't it.")
* Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band: The Real Love (7") Capitol ("I used to like him. Used to have a tour jacket. I gave it to my mum. If you ever see a woman in her 70s walking round Notting Hill in a Bob Seger tour jacket, that's almost certainly my mum. Well if Bob Harris played this whilst I was driving home, I wouldn't switch it off. That's about as positive as I can get, I'm afraid.")
* Heart Throbs: (7" - Total Abandon EP) One Little Indian ("Erm... well, that was quite nice. Terrible thing to say, really. Talk about damning them with faint praise. It was interesting... but then so is being beaten up, I suppose.")
== See Also ==
* New Singles
* Singles Reviews
Category:Lists
Category:Discography