DJ legend John Peel's regular appearances at London's Fabric nightclub have never been any more predictable than the last 35 years of his BBC radio show. On air or in person, Peel has pursued a musical eclecticism that defies boundaries even as it, so inadvertently, has defined the "underground" for great swathes of his audience. It is no surprise whatsoever, then, to discover that his contribution to the FabricLive series of mix CDs is essentially a template for everything that his radio show offers. For 73 minutes, FabricLive.07 takes listeners on a journey through punk, reggae, soul, hip-hop, blues, garage -- pretty much any genre you can name, in fact -- with diversions via the odd musical hybrids that Peel alone seems able to sniff out and which his patronage alone lifts out of the novelty bracket: the Kingswoods' country-billy version of the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" and the Bad Livers' bluegrass "Lust for Life" both subdue their innate absurdity with gravity-defying authenticity. Retaining another long-cherished Peel trademark, there are few tricks of the DJ trade on board -- beyond slapping some brutal echo onto the end of the Fall's "Mr Pharmacist" and the occasional inserted snatches of soccer commentary, he has made no attempt at remixing, preferring to allow the individual songs' own juxtapositions to speak for themselves. So, a Peel session cut of Culture's "Lion Rock" leads into the Northern soul classic "Tom the Peeper," which slips in turn into Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," and suddenly it's hard to imagine hearing them in any other way. With the music so firmly stamped with Peel's personality, longtime listeners could probably identify this collection's compiler without even glancing at the credits. Just in case there's any confusion, though, a handful of intrusions do confirm Peel's presence at the controls: the aforementioned soccer commentaries, of course; the roar of the Kop Choir, fellow supporters of his hometown Liverpool F.C club, bellowing out "You'll Never Walk Alone"; and, wrapping up the CD, the effervescent dynamism of the Undertones' "Teenage Kicks," a song that Peel himself has declared among the greatest ever made. One does wonder how he was able to decide, though.
Kats Karavan is a splendid 4-CD set charting the history of John Peel’s iconoclastic shows spanning 5 decades from the late 1960s until his sad and untimely death in 2004. Champion of the obscure and unheard, he introduced whole Generations of teenagers to new music and gave hundreds of bands their first mainstream broadcasts.
Incredibly, 5 years have already passed since John’s death and a whole new generation is already growing up without knowing what it’s like to listen to a DJ who would play Bloc Party, followed by Ivor Cutler, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, then Bong-Ra, Linton Kwesi Johnson followed by The Misunderstood. Universal Music, with the full approval of John’s family, has undertaken the unenviable task of trying to recreate one of John’s shows on this 4 cd Box set.
It has been a mammoth and difficult challenge. How could anyone fit generations of listeners’ favourite sessions, singles or anecdotes onto 4 discs? There is no Undertones, no Joy Division, no Chameleons, to name but three Peel favourites who don’t appear here but all have already appeared extensively on previous Peel compilations. So wide-reaching and eclectic was John’s passion for music that this compilation could have been made ten times over without even touching the sides of his shows.
Drawing material right up until John’s last ever Festive Fifty, Kats Karavan includes big players, one-hit wonders, chart toppers and those who stayed at the lower reaches. It includes tracks from the likes of Small Faces, Thin Lizzy, Aswad, The Damned, Medicine Head, The Jam, The Slits, Funboy Five, The Cure, Linton Kwesi Johnson, That Petrol Emotion, Extreme Noise Terror, Ivor Cutler, Mercury Rev, Milo, Bloc Party and many, many more.
The set also includes some rarities and curiosities. The Free track, Walk In My Shadow, was considered ‘lost’ by the BBC until it was recently discovered on some old reel to reel tapes. This is the first time it has ever been available and the first time it’s been heard since the original broadcast.
There is also track from The Misunderstood, the only band that John ever managed and who performed one of John’s all-time favourite gigs:
“If I had to list the ten great performances I’ve seen in my life, one would be The Misunderstood at Pandora’s Box, Hollywood, 1966. My god, they were a great band!” (John Peel)
John supplies backing vocals on the Altered Images track, their cover of Neil Diamond’s Song Sung Blue, his only appearance on record. [This is slightly incorrect, as I've let them know. It's almost certainly Peelie's only singing performance on record, mind.]
To further recreate the spirit and mood of one of John’s shows, some clips of John’s own links appear from time to time. None of his ‘chat’ has been kept by the BBC so the record label used extracts of the best of what they were able to find on old cassette tapes, cleaning them up for the CD set, where they work to great effect.
Kats Karavan comes complete with artwork featuring rare and unseen photographs alongside personal recollections from many of the featured artists, who were only too delighted to contribute and be involved in this homage to the late, great John Peel.
This tribute album encompasses thirty-eight tracks by bands championed by the late great John Peel; largely focussing on the punk, indie and post-punk genres with which his work was most associated, but including a wide range of bands and styles. Some of the bands and songs featured here, such as the Buzzcocks' 'What Do I Get' and Joy Division's 'Atmosphere', are well-known classics and likely to already feature in many music-lovers' collections, but the knowledge of others, such as 'O Superman' by Laurie Anderson is less widespread. 'Right Time Wrong Speed' offers something for everyone, whether it be an existing favourite or a previously undiscovered gem.
CD1 opens with 'What Do I Get' by the Buzzcocks, a safe choice given its enduring popularity at indie clubs and the bands status as being one of the finest of their genre. It is a wise choice nevertheless, and induces a sense of excitement and anticipation for the rest of the album through it's bouncy beat and catchy tune. Although more typically "punk", the second track 'Alternative Ulster' by the Stiff Little Fingers prolongs the mood initiated by the previous track and leads nicely into (the original version not found on later 'Best Of' compilations of) 'A Forest' by The Cure, one of the band's finest early tracks and a pleasure to hear any time, any mood, anywhere.
The remainder of the CD contains many, many good songs too many for each to be described individually. Notable highlights include The Slits' 'Typical Girls', a treat for anyone with an interest in riot grrrl and/or female bands in general; and 'Pasi Pano Pane Zviedozo' by The Four Brothers, which manages to conjure a Jamaican vibe even in the coldest of Scottish living rooms. Laurie Anderson's 'O Superman' is the most intriguing track on the album, an experimental piece that makes an early use of electronic effects. There are a few well-known classics on here that will appeal to even the most rookie observer of John's work, such as The Only One's 'Another Girl Another Planet' (which was recently featured on a mobile phone advert) and the sumptuous 'Just Like Honey' by The Jesus and Mary Chain, which features on the 'Lost In Translation' soundtrack and hence is likely to be already loved by indie kids everywhere.
Upon switching to CD2 one is immediately greeted by the sound of Joy Division's 'Atmosphere', not one of the band's most well-known songs (such as 'She's Lost Control' or the anthemic 'Love Will Tear Us Apart') but a favourite of many fans and an ideal, if not obvious, choice to open the second disc. 'Musette and Drums' by the Cocteau Twins follows, again not one of the band's best-known or catchiest songs, but still a track that follows on well from 'Atmosphere' and one that may well win the band new fans and greater awareness there certainly isn't anything like it in today's indie mainstream. The Smiths' 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out' rounds off the opening threesome, a track that, unlike its predecessors, is known and loved by all Smiths fans and most indie fans. It's hard not to wonder whether such a popular track was chosen in order to increase interest in the compilation and encourage sales, but The Smiths are such a brilliant and unique band, and this is one of their best songs, that it's hard to stay suspicious or annoyed for long.
Although for the most part CD2 consists of indie music, with frequent nods to reggae (such as Poet And The Roots' 'All Wi Doin' Is Defending') and new wave ('Just Fascination' by Cabaret Voltaire for example) there are a few cheesy pop tunes too such as Grandmaster Flash's 'The Message' which are guaranteed to raise a smile or liven up a party. Bjork fans will appreciate the inclusion of 'Birthday' by the Sugarcubes, arguably one of their best tracks despite its slightly sinister lyrics. Goths are likely to find amusement in The Birthday Party's 'Release The Bats' which combines old style rock'n'roll with heavier modern day ROCK (the capital letters are necessary to convey the true sense in which the word is meant here) and lyrics about vampires. Gang Of Four's 'Damaged Goods' is also a noteworthy inclusion, combining a jaunty beat with poisonous lyrics to produce a track that manages to be both cheering and sinister.
'Right Time, Wrong Speed' is one of the best compilations to be released this year. Although different tracks will appeal more to some listeners than others, there isn't a single bad or unoriginal track on either disc. By not always choosing the most well-known song by each band we are reminded by the compilers that every band has to start somewhere, and by not only including the most famous artists to feature on Peel's show we are introduced to new tracks and artists as well as old favourites. Perhaps the only downside of such an outstanding collection is that it shows up the majority of modern mainstream indie for the repetitive trite that it really is.
