Reaction

ReactionReaction was also the name of a short-lived record label, affiliated to Polydor Records and run by music executive Robert Stigwood. It ran from 1966 to 1967 and its most successful releases were the first two albums by Cream, three hit singles by the Who, and the latter band's LP A Quick One - all of them played by Peel on his shows of 1966 and 1967, on KMEN, Radio London and the BBC
 was a section in the Melody Maker, where celebrities from the world of pop music were asked to give their reactions to various people or topics, some related to music and current affairs. The first Reaction section was published on 14th November 1970. It is not known how long Reaction lasted for in the Melody Maker. It was the successor to a similar feature, called "Pop Think-In" or simply "Think", which the paper ran in the mid-1960s, a time when a new generation of pop stars were keen to show they had opinions of their own and weren't just show-business figures. Many stars of the era featured in Pop Think-In, but Reaction seemed a less important part of the paper than its predecessor and doesn't seem to have lasted as long. Nevertheless, Vivian Stanshall and Ian Matthews, of Matthews Southern Comfort, were among the other names asked to give their opinions.
== Links to Peel ==
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Peel was the first person on Reaction, published in the Melody Maker on 14th November 1970 and was asked for his reactions to the following topics:
* Edward HeathPrime Minister of the UK between 1970 and 1974.: ('out of touch with reality')
* Dustmen Strike: ('they should find out where the GLC representatives live and dump it (the rubbish) on them - if they can get pass the lodge gates')
* Spiro AgnewVice President of America between 1969 and 1973.: ('The whole Nixon administration fulfills the role of Enoch Powell here in that he came along and said what everybody privately thought. He serves as a rallying point for the loonies.')
* Monty Python: ('Only programme on TV worth watching. That - and Opportunity Knocks and Stars On Sunday which are almost Monty Python sketches.')
* Deep Purple: ('A lot of groups play formula rock and Deep Purple do it admirably. I just happen to be one of those jaded people who like to hear the unexpected. That's why I like Led Zeppelin and not Deep Purple.')
* Black Panthers1960s-1980s African-American revolutionary left-wing organization working for the self-defense for black people.: ('The most powerful record I heard this year was by the Black PoetsPeel was probably referring to the group Last Poets. which was frankly unplayable on the BBC. They actually haven't banned it, but it would be off the air immediately. The black people's legitimate complaints have been completely ignored and they aren't sitting back and letting it happen to them any more. They have been forced to take violent action.')
* Money: ('I'm a great believer in acquiring money - as a means of existence universally accepted. The important point is what you do with the money when you achieve it. My dearest wish is that Dandelion (Peel's label) had a hit record and acquired huge sums of money. Then I could go out and record all the half-baked groups I like! I'd like to make really good documentary albums in the sense that "Wild Man Fischer" was a documentary. In 25 years time it will be "Fischer" more than "Abbey Road" that will tell them what last year was like.')
* Dandelion: ('The best seller we have had has been Gene Vincent who sold about 5,000 and didn' come anywhere near covering the costs. Everybody thinks Dandelion was basically designed to provide me with Ferraris. I made the mistake of playing down the commercial thing and people got the impression I didn't want to sell records and if dealers hear that, they are not going to leap about. We want a group to get established and sell lots of records.')
* Edgar Broughton: ('They seem - very genuine. They are not jumping on the revolutionary bandwagon, because that's what they have been saying along.')
* Sex: ('Hmm - I suppose I should have expected that one. It's something that has caused me a certain amount of trouble in the past. Talking about it caused me a certain amount of trouble in the past. Talking about it caused trouble. When I mentioned I'd had VD and stuff, people objected. When I was a kid I was very shy and didn't go out with a girl until I was 21. And I didn't go out with fellows either. It's nice when sex is integrated into your normal life.')
== See Also ==
* Blind Date
* Me
* Rebellious Jukebox
== External Links ==
* Wikipedia (Melody Maker)
Category:Lists
== References ==