John Peel - FABRICLIVE 07

For 37 years, John Peel effectively ran a pirate radio station from inside BBC Radio 1. His broadcasting technique consistently broke convention: he was the first DJ to give out titles, distribution details, and label information; he played tracks in their entirety, without talking over them; instead of a playlist, he employed an 'arbitrary, childish, and unfair' system; and he was first to play the same record twice in a row. Born John Parker Ravenscroft in Heswall near Liverpool, he was educated as a boarder at Shrewsbury School. John's life was changed by rock 'n' roll; he devoured the music throughout the fifties and, after serving National Service and moving to America, put his encyclopaedic knowledge to use by guesting on local radio. Soon after, he was to host his own shows in Oklahoma and California, and in 1967 he returned to the UK, where a brief stint on Radio London preceded his joining the BBC. In his time at the station, John became a pioneer of new genres, bands, and DJs. From 1998, he hosted Home Truths for Radio 4, and in addition syndicated a weekly show to Radio Eine in Germany.

At fabric we have the pleasure of releasing John's first-ever DJ mix CD. The compilation captures the spirit of his appearances at our nightclub, the first of which - on February 1st, 2002 - he described as 'one of the greatest nights of my life'. An eight-month-pregnant woman sat on the stairs listening, and the crowd were singing 'Teenage Kicks' and chanting his name a full fifteen minutes after his set (he was still attempting to leave the room at that point).

John won a multitude of industry awards, garnered seven honorary degrees, and was appointed an O.B.E in 1998. He is survived by his wife, Sheila, their two sons, and two daughters. fabric will donate a percentage of proceeds from every copy sold, to Médecins Sans Frontières, which was a cause close to John's heart.

"This CD isn't supposed to be mood-establishing. If anything, it's mood-demolishing. These are some of my favourite songs... there's a real risk I'll listen to nothing else ever again." John Peel 1939 - 2004

John Peel was undoubtedly Britain's most risk-taking DJ. After his spectacular soundclash at the 2000 Sonar Festival, he was invited to host a 'Peel Session' room at FABRICLIVE. This is his only mix CD and it captures his all-out approach to club DJing.

TRACKLIST:

1a Asa-Chang & Junray – Hana (Excerpt)
1b Peter Jones – BBC Commentary, 1981 European Cup Final - Liverpool v Real Madrid (Excerpt)
2 The Soledad Brothers – Break 'Em Down
3 Don Carlos – Late Night Blues
4 MC Det – Hipsteppin'
5 The Velvelettes – Needle In A Haystack
6 The Bad Livers – Lust For Life
7 Trouble Funk – Let's Get Small
8 The Capris – There's A Moon Out Tonight
9 The Fall – Mr. Pharmacist
10 Christian Smith & John Selway – 15.5 Remake
11 Jimmy Reed – Too Much
12 Maloko – In The Midnight Hour
13 Derrick Morgan – Moon Hop
14 The Datsuns – In Love
15 The Kingswoods – Purty Vacant
16 Sinthetix – Liar
17 Culture – Lion Rock (Peel Session)
18 Act 1 – Tom The Peeper
19a Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
19b Alan Parry – BBC Commentary, 1978 European Cup Final - Liverpool v FC
20 Elementz Of Noize – Clock
21 The Cheviot Ranters – Corn Rigs Tunes
22 Marc Smith vs. Safe n' Sound – Identify The Beat
23 The Kop Choir – You'll Never Walk Alone
24 The Undertones – Teenage Kicks