21 Songs for John: 11 - JD Meatyard

JD Meatyard – Taking Over the Asylum

Following Calvin Party's split, John Donaldson quickly re-emerged with this project, which proved to at least as good as anything he's done before while to some, including me, it's produced some of his very best work.   JD Meatyard contributed the brilliantly evocative 'Olive Tree', perhaps the most poignant comment ever on the plight of the Palestine people, to Dandelion Radio's fifth anniversary compilation in 2011 and that became the first of three tracks to make the festive fifty.  They've recorded two excellent albums for Probe Plus and have another one due for release late in 2014, which will feature a version of this track, available for the first time here. 

https://www.facebook.com/jdmeatyard

21 Songs for John

21 Songs for John: 10. Christ.

Christ. – Zeroth Law (Dandelion Radio Session)

When Christ., aka Christopher Horne, performed his only Peel session live at Maida Vale in December 2003, Peel awarded it the rare plaudit of requesting an encore.  Sadly, he would pass away before being able to engage Christ. for another set, although Horne would go on to record a memorable session for my Dandelion Radio show in January 2013.  The session included this track, a reworking of a tune from his Cathexis: Motion Picture Soundtrack album, released the previous year by the excellent Parallax Sounds label.  This version is available for the first time here.

 www.facebook.com/christhyperact

http://parallaxsounds.com

21 Songs for John

21 Songs for John: 9 - Half Man Half Biscuit

Half Man Half Biscuit – Bob Wilson – Anchorman

When Half Man Half Biscuit released Back In the DHSS in 1985, the immediate injection of freshness it brought to a mid-eighties indie scene that was often too inclined to take itself too seriously predictably delighted John Peel.  The first of their thirteen appearances in session for the show came later that year and, despite splitting temporarily in the late eighties, they've gone from strength to strength and have, in recent years, produced arguably their best work.  Their new album, Urge For Offal will be released this autumn, as always for Probe Plus.  This much-loved track comes from their 2001 EP Editor's Recommendation and featured in that year's festive fifty. 

http://cobweb.businesscollaborator.com/hmhb

www.probeplus.co.uk

21 Songs for John: 8 - Talisman

Talisman – Dole Age (7" mix)

Hailing from Bristol, Talisman were one of the finest British roots reggae bands in the late seventies and early eighties.  Eagerly sought as a support band for reggae and non-reggae artists alike, they supported numerous punk and post-punk bands including The Clash, The Damned and Killing Joke along with reggae legends like Burning Spear.  Talisman recorded their only Peel session in 1981 and in the same year released this track as a single.  The band's early work has since been made available by Bristol Archive Records and the band, featuring two of the original members, have reformed, releasing the excellent  I-Surrection album in 2013 via the Sugar Shack label and gaining further acclaim for some stunning live performances.

http://talismanreggae.com

www.sugarshackrecords.co.uk

Get the album here.

21 Songs for John: 7 - Grandmaster Gareth

Grandmaster Gareth – Garethcetamol

Gareth's quirky 'One Minute Melodies' were a much loved fixture in the later years of the John Peel show.  He recorded a  session in September 2003 and also snuck into the festive fifty of that year, the final chart to be revealed by John Peel, with the engaging 'Dr Dre Buys a Pint of Milk'.  Peel's naming of Gareth as 'the new God' may have been tongue in cheek, but it still revealed the high level of appeal Gareth's musical adventures held for him.  He'd go on to make the festive fifty twice more with his band Misty's Big Adventure.  His most recent solo album Magical Sound Shower came out on Dandelion Radio DJ Gareth Main's GM Sounds label and did much to further enhance his reputation for oddball yet intelligent tunes.  'Garethcetamol' is a new tune exclusive to this album.

http://grandmastergareth.bandcamp.com

www.gmsounds.com

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21 Songs for John: 6. The Cravats

The Cravats – Triplex Zone

One of my most treasured early John Peel memories was catching this band's session in 1979 and wondering how my life had ever seemed complete without them.  It was the first of four the band recorded for the show and mainman The Shend would go on to record two more with the Very Things.  A version of this track appeared in The Cravats' second in 1980 and this version was originally released on the Small Wonder LP The Cravats in Toytown that year.  It's currently available on the double CD of that album, released by Overground Records in 2012, which also contains all the Small Wonder A and B sides and a bonus CD featuring the LP tracks re-imagined by Penny Rimbaud using the original 8 track master. 

www.thecravats.com

Get your copy of this free compilation here.

21 Songs for John: 5. Jack Hayter

Jack Hayter – Horsemeat for Dogs

In the years either side of the turn of the millennium, Hefner might justifiably lay claim to the title of ultimate Peel band.  In a little over three years, between 1998 and 2001, they appeared in session nine times, with four appearances in 2000 alone, including a live set broadcast from what became a regular January John Peel show beamed from Groningen.   Jack Hayter was their multi-instrumentalist, joining them from their second session, the memorable 'gospel covers' session, onwards and, in future outings, making a range of musical contributions, including violin, mellotron, lap steel and moog synthesiser.  Recently, Hayter has made a memorable series of solo recordings for the excellent Audio Antihero label, to whom thanks for helping secure his contribution to this album.  'Horsemeat For Dogs' is a new song recorded exclusively for this compilation.

www.jackhayter.com

www.audioantihero.com



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