All roads lead to John Peel

[MARK LUETCHFORD]

In Cambridge last week rifling a reggae vinyl bin and came across an album by a band unknown to me by Blue Rivers and the Maroons - seemed to be UK ska/blue beat. I bought it largely because of the great name, and it was on a label I hadn't heard of that was based in the town next to mine - Bold Reprieve Records - and has sleeve notes by Siggy jackson who was the man behind the famous Blue Beat label.
Don't regret it a mix of ska and soul ... played by a tight band. can imagine them playing in late 60s crowds of mods and jamaican rude boys as in Absolute Beginners.

Very little on line about them or the label and then I found a blog about a band called Demon Fuzz that revealed that they came from said Maroons and lo and behold they did a Peel session/concert! They (apparently) moved away from ska towards jazz/arabic/world (before it existed) music and produced one album called Afreaka

http://www.waxpoetics.com/blog/features/articles/demon-fuzz/
Based on an interview with one of the bands members called Paddy Corea:
"By 1970, racism in the UK was less obvious, but still clear and present in the music industry. “There was and probably still is difference based on race in the music business in England,” says Corea. “It wasn’t blatant but it was there. Black bands were paid less by club owners and were asked to work twice as long. We found that local Black musicians in England at that time were not taken seriously and just simply taken for granted. We wanted to change the style, sound, image, and attitude of Black music and Black musicians in England.”
Thankfully, there was John Peel, a forward-looking DJ at the BBC. “We did his Sunday, repeated Wednesday [show],” recalls Crosdale. “We played lived at the Paris Studios. We played about four numbers. I think we played ‘I Put a Spell On You.’ I remember when we did the Hollywood Festival, [Peel] used to write for the Melody Maker, or one of those. I used to have the article, and he said, ‘Superb, superb, superb.’ Now if John Peel says that…”
So there was John again demonstrating his support for they are listed on the 1971 Concert page but there is a stern notice asking me not to add info about band - so I haven't!

now if anyone can tell me why this was re-release in 1988 by a label based in Hythe Kent I would be grateful... they also released Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, reg Kray and some Canadian heavy metal ... a mystery. The address of the label is a chemists and it appears to have been formed by someone called Miki Dallon who appears to have had an interesting careeer

http://www.verygoodplus.co.uk/showthread.php/5118-MIKI-DALLON-my-hero-and-veteran-of-underground-uk-music-recordings/page2?s=c0debad590483bdcb259e652ae5bb512 

Anyway - as I said all roads lead to Mr Peel.

Cheers
M