Various Artists - Kats Karavan: The History Of John Peel On The Radio [Album]

Universal

November 9, 2009, 11:04 PM

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by catshoe [More from this Author]

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Bewildering is the best way to describe the songs on this 4 CD compilation. But that's just what John Peel's shows were to me. Utterly bewildering and slightly wonderful. This isn't a view of the life of the man born John Ravenscroft. Or perhaps it is in some way, given that his music WAS his life in large part. Of course there have been other John Peel compilation records, I've got a very decent one already here, so what's the deal now, apart from celebrating the anniversary of a life I'd always wished for my own? The intent, with the full encouragement and participation of John's family, was to try and re-create one of John's shows. They've failed miserably of course as I don't recall any of the shows spanning quite such a period of history, but I think we can let that go with as artistic licence.

The promo blurb talks about the fact that they were hardly likely to even touch the sides and I think we know that. I for one am mighty glad to see no teenage kicks on this particular night. It was far too simplistic to ever suggest that John ever had one favourite record despite what he said. I think they were actually all his favourites. I'm glad to see some of the wonders in there that he turned me onto - from Polly Jean Harvey to the much less obvious but just as loved-by-me Laura Cantrell. Speaking of Polly it gives me slight goosebumps to think of her playing at John's birthday party, and speaking of Laura, well there's a lady that would be still be working in corporate banking and gigging on the side if it wasn't for the Peel effect. Writing this I can't remove myself from the emotion and affection I still feel for John. Of course I never met him, although an acquaintance of mine, an old running pal, was his friend, one of the handful of decent people John met at school. My friend, Sparrow, spoke to me eloquently of what a nice bloke John was.

As for the music I have no real intention of reviewing it as such. What I can say is how much I enjoyed listening to it. Some of it is atrocious to me, but then it always was. No names, no pack drill. I actually found brilliant, years old stuff on the compilation that I'd never heard before - well that's not much of a surprise I suppose. And some of it, I just had to keep playing. Step up The Bodies as just one example. And I'm ashamed to say I'd never properly listened to the Linton Kwesi Johnson track. All I can say is that I have now and I was knocked sideways after all these years by the power of it. What I'd always remembered as fantastic driving rock - Thin Lizzy's version of a traditional Irish song 'Whiskey In The Jar,' today sounds faintly and quaintly rockabilly, but still fantastic. You just can't remove this from the legends within - have you all seen Phil Lynott's statue in Dublin? You should, just for the fact they bloody well put it there! 'Slip and Slide' by Medicine Head now sounds strangely experimental - they would never have got there via the X-Factor that's for sure. Gosh, does anyone remember his touching concern about bands that everyone could see were about to be HUGE, his worry that nobody had heard of them.

This comes with a pretty damn decent 64 page book and all the trimmings. If you decide not to stump up for the package, do yourself a favour, pick something random off the tracklist that you've never heard of and just find it and play it. That is how I found Ballboy and countless others.

You can buy it at
The John Peel store

Disc: 1
1. I Can Take You To The Sun - The Misunderstood
2. Coloured Rain - Traffic
3. If I Were A Carpenter - Tim Hardin
4. Lazy Sunday - Small Faces
5. Walk In My Shadow - Free
6. Whiskey In The Jar - Thin Lizzy
7. Listen, Listen - Sandy Denny
8. Fear Is A Man's Best Friend - John Cale
9. Dry Land - Joan Armatrading
10. Back To Africa - Aswad
11. What A Way To End It All - Deaf School
12. New Rose - The Damned
13. Africa - Rico
14. Slip And Slide - Medicine Head
15. In The City - The Jam
16. When The Summer's Thru - The Fabulous Poodles
17. Looking After Number One - The Boomtown Rats
18. Love And Romance - The Slits
19. Ku Klux Klan - Steel Pulse
20. Life After Death - Funboy Five

Disc: 2
1. There Goes Concorde Again - ...and the Native Hipsters
2. High Fidelity - Elvis Costello
3. Art Nouveau - The Bodies
4. A Forest - The Cure
5. I'm In Love With A German Film Star - The Passions
6. C 'n' C Hassle Schmuk - The Fall
7. Reggae Fi Peach - Linton Kwesi Johnson
8. Turkey Mambo Momma - Pulp
9. Pass The Dutchie - Musical Youth
10. Song Sung Blue - Altered Images
11. Sunspots - Julian Cope
12. Blue Canary - The Frank Chickens
13. Don't Be Late - Nick Haeffner
14. Big Decision - That Petrol Emotion
15. You Sexy Thing - Cud
16. Convenience - Bob
17. System Enslavement - Extreme Noise Terror
18. The Big E - A Certain Ratio
19. Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except Me And My Monkey) - Soundgarden

Disc: 3
1. Back Side Of The Moon - The Orb
2. Sheela-Na-Gig - PJ Harvey
3. Fascist Boom - Marxman
4. Olympia - Hole
5. Raindrops - Tindersticks
6. Protective Custody - Dave Clarke
7. Ping Pong - Stereolab
8. Monica Webster - The Delgados
9. Icicle - The Tiger
10. Why? - The Sweeney
11. Sun Moon And Stars - Thievery Corporation
12. IPC Sub Editors Dictate Our Youth - Clinic
13. Hawaiian Island Wranglers - Grandaddy
14. Real Action - Justin Berkovi
15. Jam - Ivor Cutler
16. Oh My God! They Killed Kenny - Cuban Boys
17. Freckles - Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
18. Xeroxy Music - The Samurai Seven

Disc: 4
1. Not The Tremblin' Kind - Laura Cantrell
2. Little Rhymes - Mercury Rev
3. Taking On The Sides - Spare Snare
4. She'll Break Your Heart - The Loves
5. All The Records On The Radio Are Shite - Ballboy
6. Another Morning Stoner - ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
7. Archie Bunker Disciples - Bong Ra
8. Fink For The Man - The Datsuns
9. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
10. By The Grace Of God - The Hellacopters
11. Tulips - Bloc Party
12. Itsuko Got Married - Bearsuit
13. John Peel Is Not Enough - CLSM
14. I Am Connecting Flight - YOURCODENAMEIS:MILO
15. Tulips - Bloc Party
16. Bored - Steveless
17. Does This Train Stop On Merseyside? - Amsterdam