Galactic Symposium

John Peel started playing music from The Galactic Symposium from the time of their 1979 single release "Y.M.C.A./ Money" - and he continued playing it up until his death, and would often reference the band and the two cover versions on the record, which was subsequently found in John Peel's Record Box.
Little is known of the band, except that they originated in Nottingham, UK, and were active for 3 or 4 years, playing occasional shows locally.
This is taken from the band's own publicity at the time:
"The Galactic Symposium was formed mid-way through 1978 by David Price and some other people in a pub. They performed their first gig at the Nottingham Boat Club billed as 'The Extraordinary David Price and the Galactic Symposium featuring David Price'. David Price was ill in bed that night. The gig consisted of one number, was such a success that they plaed at a private party, playing 'Hey Jude'. This was so popular that they did an encore. It was not until the end of the number that the vocalist found out which song they had just sung. The band now specialises in performing rock classics, such as 'All Right Now', 'Hey Jude', and 'Y.M.C.A', giving each its own personal stamp of destruction."
The band members were:
*David Price: lead guitar - Has played in no other band, has classical piano experience, a fervent desire to be a star, and no guitar experience at all.*
*Ben Ross: keyboards - Has played in local bands since he was 16 when his parents bought him his first drum kit. Has ambitions to become a star and to play the keyboards (of which he has no experience) with both hands.
*Tim Minnitt: vocals - has done nothing. Has ambitions to do something one day, as long as it doesn't involve singing.
*Sy Husbands: drums. Has played in local bands since Ben Ross's parents bought Ben his first drum kit. Has ambitions to be better than Rick Wakeman. Has no drumming experience whatsoever.
*Dave Kerry: bass - lives in Mansfield. No other ambitions. One day hopes to own a bass guitar. Has no bass guitar experience at all.
Guest musicians on the album were Paddy Flynn (drums on 'Love Like a Man'); Peter Shepherd (backing vocals) and Michael Cosman who played the amazing sax solos on 'Y.M.C.A. and 'Money'.
The original vinyl single was released on Vague Records, no. VOG 002. The album 'The Galactic Symposium Play the Rock Classsics' was only released on cassette. The tracks were:
*1. Money  2. Alright Now  3. Hey Jude   4. Y.M.C.A.  5. House of the Rising Sun  6. Albatross  7. Sunshine of Your Love  8. Paranoid  9. Whole Lotta Love  10. Love Like a Man
In the mid-2000's an album of previously unreleased songs was released in limited edition form on the 'Low Down Kids' label - the music on that vinyl release apparently collected from an old cassette tape that came to light around the same time.
John Peel described the sax solo on 'Money' as the 'finest of its kind' and described the songs as having a 'joyous sound'. Copies of the original 7" vinyl are very rare.
Some more quotes from the John Peel radio show of 06 July 1999, where John describes the band:
"This next record is one of those things which comes up every year or so, and people write in and request it on a fairly regular basis. Every once in a while, I go and look on the shelves for it, and bring it in and play it. From 1978, Galactic Symposium. Now they were from Nottingham, and the way I understand it was that they decided, perhaps in the pub one night, that they would go away and make a record, and the fact that none of them had ever played any instruments at all in their lives, they didn't see it being an obstacle at all. That's a spirit which I admire, I wish there was more of it. They did, on one side of the single their version of Pink Floyd's 'Money', and on the B side their version of 'YMCA.' I wish there had been more, and I have heard rumours that there were more tracks, but I've never been able to track anybody down from the band in order to confirm this, and possibly get my hands on 'em. But 'YMCA' is an absolute gem, and if you've not heard it before, you're going to enjoy the next three and a half minutes enormously. Particularly, I would suggest that you pay attention to the first horrible squeakings of the saxophone when that comes in. Not to be missed."
== Festive Fifty Entries ==
None
== Sessions ==
None
== Other Shows Played ==
This list is researched only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is incomplete. Please add further details if known.
*12 February 1980: Money (7") (Vague)
*14 February 1980: Money (7") Vague
:(JP: "This next is a little gem from 1978. I'd like to pretend that somebody had requested it: I could say, "This one's for Lance-Bombardier Johnson", I'd be making it up, let's be honest, but nevertheless, it's a record which is well worth hearing every once in a while.")
*20 February 1980 (BFBS): Money (7") Vague
*08 April 1986: Y.M.C.A. (7" - Money) Vague
*09 April 1986: Money (7") Vague VOG 2
*07 May 1997: Y.M.C.A. (7" - Money) Vague
*16 May 1997 (BFBS): YMCA (7") (Vague)
:("(They)'ve disappeared without trace, and who can blame them.")
*06 July 1999: YMCA (7 inch)' (Vague) JP then plays the start of the record again, in order to hear the sax entry, which he deems to be "one of the finest moments in all recorded history."
*08 July 1999: Money (7") (Vague)
*15 July 1999 (Radio Eins): Y.M.C.A. (7” - Money) Vague 
*22 March 2001: YMCA (7") Vague
*April 2003 (FSK): Y.M.C.A. (7" - Money) Vague
*28 August 2003: YMCA (7") (Vague Records)
== External Links ==
*WFMU's Beware Of The Blog: The Galactic Symposium Play The Rock Classics
*Low Down Kids (blog): Galactic Symposium
Category:Artists
Category:John Peel's Record Box