John Peel

**John Peel** (b. John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, 30 August 1939) was a British radio presenter, DJ and music journalist famous for his long-running show on BBC Radio One which highlighted alternative and underground music. He is particularly noted for his switch from more traditional rock to punk and post-punk music after 1977 and in particular for championing post-punk and new wave bands such as Joy Division, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Undertones, New Order and countless more. Prior to that he had also been an early supporter of other major artists such as David Bowie, Queen, Mike Oldfield and Marc Bolan.

His shows were also noted for the eclectic mix of styles and also for the regular 'sessions' in which bands and artists were invited to BBC studios to showcase their material with 'live in the studio' recordings of usually three to four tracks.

Ever the anti-conformist, he became one of the most senior and respected DJs on radio and one of BBC Radio 1's longest-serving members. He also became a regular presenter of *Top of the Pops* between 1982 and 1986.[1]

Peel continued to broadcast up until his death. He died from heart failure whilst on a working holiday in Peru on 25 October 2004.

## Connections

* Like OMD, Peel was from the Wirral, on the other side of the Mersey from Liverpool.
* OMD were among the bands Peel was pleased to showcase and champion during their early years. During a visit to Manchester for TV work in May 1979, he was given copies (possibly by Tony Wilson) of two new singles on Factory records, one of them was FAC 5, All Night Party by A Certain Ratio and the other was FAC 6.
* His first known play of Electricity was on his Rock Today show for BFBS on 09 June 1979, where he recounts the above mentioned event. He comments that 'Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark is "..a silly name for a band..." but "..it's quite a good record..".[2]
* His first known play of Electricity on his national Radio 1 show was on 27 June 1979.[3]
* In his regular column for *Sounds*, dtd 21 July 1979, Peel mentions "..Factory stalwarts A Certain Ratio Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark." while discussing the future of BBC Radio Manchester show *Saturday Rock*. In the same column he also reports how he is late in submitting the sleeve notes for the *Street to Street* compilation LP. (@SoundsClips)
* OMD recorded a total of four BBC sessions for John Peel between August 1979 and January 1983, including two in 1980. (Only the *Architecture & Morality* period was not covered by a BBC session). During these sessions many tracks such as Bunker Soldiers, Enola Gay, Motion and Heart, Genetic Engineering and ABC Auto-Industry were heard for the first time on national radio.
* Peel also played The Id's version of Julia's Song on 14 August 1979, taken from the *Street to Street* LP, highlighting that the group had become OMD.[4]
* The DJ regularly featured tracks from the group's first two albums during 1980, although, aside from the 1983 session, does not seem to have featured the group's recorded output after that year. He did however play both Maid of Orleans and Stanlow as late as 2002 (see below).
* OMD featured on Peel's first regular *TOTP* on 04 February 1982, albeit a repeat performance of Maid of Orleans.[5] A year later he presented the group in the studio for their first and only performance of Genetic Engineering on 03 March 1983, declaring, "*a right bunch of wools if you ask me*".[6]

### Tracks played by Peel

*other than session tracks*

* Electricity (FAC 6 , 1979)
* Julia's Song (The Id, 1979)
* Red Frame/White Light (1980)
* Messages (album version, 1980)
* Dancing (1980)
* Electricity (re-release, 1980)
* Messages (7", 1980)
* Enola Gay (7", 1980)
* Stanlow, The Misunderstanding, VCL XI, Promise (*Organisation* album, 1980)
* Maid of Orleans (2002 - *"Not quite sure why I played that, but I was looking for something else and came across it and thought I'd like to hear it. And I thought you might like to hear it as well.")*
* Stanlow (2002 - the track had been selected from *Organisation*, the sleeve of which had featured in Tim Brennan's *Vinylarium* exhibition in Sunderland - link)

## External links

* John Peel Wiki
* Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark page on Peel Wiki