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The Peel Sessions: A Story of Teenage Dreams and One Man's Love of New Music
 
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The Peel Sessions: A Story of Teenage Dreams and One Man's Love of New Music (Paperback)

by Ken Garner (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: BBC Books; illustrated edition edition (4 Oct 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1846072824
  • ISBN-13: 978-1846072826
  • Product Dimensions: 24.4 x 18.8 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 52,657 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #2 in  Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Radio > History & Criticism
    #16 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Communication Studies > Media & Communication Industries > Radio

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Product Description

Review

"There is no better book about Peel available . . . combines rigour and precision with style and accessibility . . . a compelling tale about music on the airwaves." "--Glasgow Herald"


Product Description

This is a story of teenage dreams, which, as any Peel fan knows, are hard to beat. Between 1967 and 2004 John Peel picked over 2000 bands to come and record over 4000 sessions to be played on his radio show. Many were young and had never been in a recording studio before, for some it was the start of an illustrious career, for others it was the only recognition their musical talent ever got. For over 35 years the cream of British musical talent made the journey to the BBC's studio in Maida Vale, from Pink Floyd to Pulp, the Small Faces to the Smiths. And because John Peel was so respected his sessions took on a legendary status - they were a rite of passage that every new band wanted to go through. Unfettered by commerical pressure the Peel Sessions were a unique British institution - an archive of music that reflects one man's passion for finding and encouraging new music. This book includes a full sessionography listing songs, band members and broadcast dates. Jarvis Cocker writing about his first Peel Session aged 18 (Wayne the drummer was 15): 'We travelled down to Maida Vale in a van driven by a very strange man we'd contacted via a card pinned to the Virgin record shop noticeboard. We'd had to borrow lots of equipment from a band called The Naughtiest Girl Was a Monitor 'cause we didn't have enough stuff of our own. The session was to be produced by Dale Griffin, who used to be the drummer in Mott the Hoople; I seem to remember that he was wearing cowboy boots. I think the crisis point came when Wayne was attempting to get a home-made synth-drum to work that a friend of his at school had made out of a rubber burglar-alarm mat and an old electronic calculator - Dale Griffin looked at this 15-year-old kid crouching on the floor bashing what looked like a doormat with some wires coming out of it and just put his head in his hands. But to his credit, the session did get finished and after it, everything else started for me...'
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Peeling back the years, 11 Oct 2007
By Simon F. (Hertfordshire, England) - See all my reviews
Back in 1992 Ken Garner published a fascinating account of the history of the BBC
Radio One session called "In Session Tonight". Long out of print and still much
sought after, the book tied in with BBC Radio One's 25th anniversary and along with
telling the story of the station and it's commitment to live music, the book also
contained an almost complete list of sessions recorded and broadcast from when the
station opened in September 1967 to September 1992. The lion's share of these were
recorded for the legendary John Peel, and now with Radio One celebrating forty years
on air, Garner has bought the story up to date with the publication of "The Peel
Sessions".
Unlike his previous book, this one concentrates solely on the work of the late great
John Peel, and is without doubt one of the finest tributes to him that has yet appeared.

Using material published in the original book, but altered where necessary for
obvious reasons, Garner traces the rise of the Peel programme and it's hosts never-
ending quest to find and champion new music. The Peel Session became a mark of
respect, and there have been few bands outside of the pop mainstream that have not
recorded at least one for the programme.
The first half of the book is littered with stories and anecdotes from various classic
sessions and even a few memories supplied by listeners, not to mention some
wonderful photos of both Peel and various bands. One should also not forget the
programme's many producers from the irreplaceable John Walters (R.I.P.) to Alison
Howe, Anita Kamath and Louise Kattenhorn, plus of course Bernie Andrews who did
so much to support Peel in his early days at Radio One when a lot of the BBC management wanted him out.
Garner continues the story from it's original signing-off point in 1992 up to it's sad
conclusion with the death of John Peel in October 2004 and the end of an
extraordinary era of British radio history.
The second half of the book is a trainspotters delight; a full A-Z list of every Peel
Session from 1967-2004, and a full list of every Radio One programme Peel hosted to
show where the session's fitted in. Garner admits that he did this list originally to help
in his research and then decided to include it in the book. That's not all; there is also a
full list of the legendary Festive Fifty's including the `missing' list from 1977 and the
Peelenium list from 1999/2000.
This exhaustive but never less than fascinating book is going to become an essential
reference work and surely must be the last word on John Peel the broadcaster and
"teenager's friend"! If you own the original "In Session Tonight" then "The Peel
Sessions" is an essential companion piece.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive guide to your shoebox of C90s, 13 Oct 2007
By John Bravin (Brussels, Belgium) - See all my reviews
Much, much more than a book of lists, The Peel Sessions blends forensic attention to detail with a deft lightness of touch. Ken Garner shows a genuine love of music, and much warmth towards the people who create it. Fascinating to read, with a clear narrative and a keen sense of musical trends, the layout also rewards those who wish to pick and mix at random.

It is easy to see why the "Session' remained at the heart of the Peel programme. They provided help to a myriad of new, often unrecorded, artists, and offered an enduring platform for those talents not cursed with the trappings of conventional stardom. Each session was lovingly (and in some cases grudgingly) crafted by a procession of engineers and producers, with John Peel providing a blend of fatherly advice and boyish excitement that spanned 5 decades.

Some might argue that John Peel would not have welcomed this backward looking introspection. I think not. At its heart, it is a celebration: a celebration of those who simply love to listen to new music, of musicians who love to create it, and above all those few unique individuals exemplified by Peel whose passion and skill bring the two together.

Open up the shoebox, take out a C90 at random, and spend an hour or two immersed in this book. Trust me, it will be time and money very well spent.
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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite the whole story..., 12 Nov 2007
By John A. Atkins "jaatkins" (Lancaster) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This book is generally authoritive and fascinating. However, without wishing to question Ken Garner's dedicated and skillful authorship I would like to state a few facts that are somehow not properly reflected in the text:

(1) Peel was almost singlehandedly giving airtime to dozens of acts who were part of the roots reggae movement during its heyday of the mid-to-late 1970s. This was a significant musical force that was almost contemporary with the punk revolution. Peel loved reggae much more than many of the dour indie bands he featured.

(2) Peel's favourite album of this era was Misty In Roots "Live At The Counter Eurovision" - this was featured heavily on the Peel show, and reflected the man's real love far more than the more retro trendy Joy Division's and Smiths...

(3) Almost written out of the Radio One story of this era was the much less hip Alan Freeman. Yet Freeman too played the early punk on his Saturday afternoon show, and was equally enthusiastic by the new sounds - I first heard the Ramones and the Damned in 1976 from Freeman, not Peel. There was a real synergy between Peel and Freeman; they shared sessions and in-jokes through this period. Point is, Peel was not quite the lone voice in Radio One that is suggested.

These three points are hardly, if at all, given any reference in the book, yet they are vital to an understanding of the true significance of the Peel show. I accept that the emphasis has been placed on the sessions, and reggae artists were less available, but the main overview history of the Peel show in the firtst part of Garner's text could have brought more balance in this way.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Meticulous Detail
Fascinating book. Aside from the detailed annexes on every session etc there is a section setting out the background to broadcasting popular music on the radio, long before John... Read more
Published 22 months ago by P. N. I. Jeffrey

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond essential for Peel Show fans
Nothing I write here could do justice to Ken's monumental effort of meticulously documenting the greatest music radio show ever made. Read more
Published 24 months ago by RichardF

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