F50 of 1977

[dunelm61]

Hello again, Ken.

Unfortunately I can't remember whether any of those specific records 
were in the fifty or not. But here's a bit of old-fashioned 
conjecture for you (for what it's worth) . . .

1. The NME Capital Radio freebie was made available in April 1977 and 
so was certainly not played as a current, new or forthcoming release. 
And Peel had already flagged it as one of his favourite records of 
the year by including it in the 29/08/77 punk special. So if not a 
Festive Fifty cert, it was certainly a contender.

2. Jocko Homo/Mongoloid was not officially released in the UK until 
February 1978. So in a sense it was ineligible for the 1977 chart. 
But the US release had been selling well on import since March 1977, 
so it could have been included on that basis. So mark that one down 
as a "possible".

3. African/Stepping Razor (from the Equal Rights LP) was released in 
April 1977, so again would not have been played as a current, new or 
forthcoming release. Which means there is a good chance that it was 
played as part of the Festive Fifty.

4. Time Loves A Hero was released in May 1977 (I'm not sure it's a 
live LP, though), so again we're not talking about a current, new or 
forthcoming release. And of course Peel adored Little Feat, so Rocket 
In My Pocket may well have appeared in his personal Festive Fifty.

The fact that all four records date back to the early part of 1977 
suggests to me that the schedule was part of a structured review of 
the year as a whole – the tracks are not interspersed with old 
favourites or current/new/forthcoming releases – and my guess is that 
we're looking at consecutive selections in Peel's 1977 Festive Fifty.

As regards Green Onions (from Loading Zone, I believe), this is 
certainly a 1977 release. However, when it comes to the Festive 
Fifty, fifty has always meant fifty. So I'm not sure we need worry 
about a number 61!

I'm not sure if the above analysis is of any assistance to you or 
not. If there are any sections of the scripts which remain ambiguous, 
please post them here – there may be someone who can light the way!

Regards.

Adrian Barber.