My Peel tapes

[arclight2525]

I've spent the last month converting my old John Peel tapes to MP3/CD 
(the best I can, I've used the Audacity programme, which is good as 
you can slow down any old recordings that have speeded up over time.

I don't know if I have anything that's not already out there, but if 
I do I would be happy to share it with you and the Peel fans 
websites. I don't have any full show (the nearest to that is 90 
minutes of the Black Keys at Peel Acres in 2003). 

I started listening to the great man's show around about 1981 after 
it was recommended to me by my older punk/student sister (and never 
stopped listening, I was tuned in to his last ever show) From the mid 
1980's I used to tape his shows all the time. This was because I knew 
I'd hear groups and tracks on there that I'd possibly never hear 
again, so left his voice on the ones I saved so I knew who they were. 
Alas I taped over most of them with another show when I bought the 
records, not everything though. I've now 11, 80-minute compilation 
CD's with tracks/sessions from the mid 1980's onwards with Peels 
voice on.

The earliest and possibly the most important recording I have is the 
1st Jesus and Mary Chain session (Never Understand, You Trip Me Up, 
In A Hole and Taste The Floor) from 1984, with Peelie's voice 
introducing and commenting on the tracks `I suspect you're going to 
hear more from these people.'

I loved the JAMC since the day John Peel played debut single Upside 
Down (hence being paused over the pause button when they were in 
session) and it's because of him that I saw them live twice before 
Psychocandy came out. They only played for about 25 mins, William 
Reid had his back to the crowd and a certain Bobby Gillespie was 
banging away on one base drum.

3 years on from his passing and I still miss John Peel a great deal 
(it's only this year that I've been able to bring myself to listen to 
the radio between 10 pm and 12.00 again) It's great that people are 
unearthing their tape recordings and making them available to 
everyone.

Best wishes
Tony Hill