The John Peel Sessions

For 37 years John Peel hosted the John Peel Show on the BBC station Radio 1. His show was home to some of the most influential music of the past 40 years, Peel was at the forefront of almost every musical movement. Considered the first radio DJ to spin punk and reggae, Peel often broke the rules of broadcasting as well. One of his most recent and infamous incidents occurred in 2003 when he played 3 tracks off the White Stripes album, Elephant before it was officially released to the press.

But the more lasting legacy of The John Peel Show is his instudio sessions, which played host to almost every influential artist of the past 40 years. On each show, Peel would have a band in. Each time they would play 4 songs. The songs would be mixed down shortly after and aired later that night on the show. The versions of the songs proved to be very intimate, and almost more passionate than the album versions. Last Friday, we took a look at The John Peel show and played some of these very exclusive tracks. Although Peel's show covered a wide variety of music, I focused mostly on the punk and post-punk era in the late Seventies and early Eighties.


Playlist
Gang Of Four - At Home He's A Tourist
The Buzzcocks - Promises
The Jam - In The City
The Only Ones - Flaming Torch