The Birthday Party - The John Peel Sessions

Though a couple of Peel Session EPs had snuck out in the late eighties, it wasn't until this long overdue and utterly worthwhile collection surfaced that all the various recordings the Birthday Party had made over the years for John Peel finally saw official release. Combining both familiar numbers and a fair share of rarities or oddities, The John Peel Sessions contains four sessions recorded over the space of two years, conveniently documenting the band's England based career. The obvious debt owed to Iggy Pop and the Stooges gets repaid in full with a scorching take on "Loose", making for a reasonable studio alternate to the equally gone live version on the Drunk on the Pope's Blood EP. Another track that appeared on Drunk got its only released studio take here, "(Sometimes) Pleasure Heads Must Burn", a jazzy jump blues noir not far off from the work of fellow Aussie Foetus; while the same session produced a fierce one-off, "Roland Around in That Stuff." Whether or not the title's a bizarre dig at guitarist Howard, the whole combination of brisk drums, Howard's agreeably crazed work and Cave's practically barked vocals makes for an excitingly ridiculous vamp. Other obscure material includes "Bully Bones," which only appeared on the Live '81-'82 compilation, and "Pleasure Avalanche." Elsewhere, sessions focus on material from the main or upcoming releases of the time; the first four songs are all versions of Prayers on Fire songs, including fantastic versions of "Yard" and "King Ink," the latter of which is pure threat and drama set to music. Other great takes on familiar songs include "She's Hit," Howard's slashing guitar line in the chorus particularly vicious, "Release the Bats" and "Deep In the Woods."

Ripped for that special occasion when you’re trying to clear a room MP3 @ 320kbps

The Birthday Party; The John Peel Sessions

1.      Cry  (Session 25/09/1980)

2.      Yard  (Session 25/09/1980)

3.      Figure Of Fun  (Session 25/09/1980)

4.      King Ink  (Session 25/09/1980)

5.      Release The Bats  (Session 28/04/1981)

6.      Rowland Around In That Stuff  (Session 28/04/1981)

7.      (Sometimes) Pleasure Heads Must Burn  (Session 28/04/1981)

8.      Loose  (Session 28/04/1981)

9.      Big Jesus Trash Can  (Session 10/12/1981)

10.   She's Hit  (Session 10/12/1981)

11.   Bully Bones  (Session 10/12/1981)

12.   Six Inch Gold Blade  (Session 10/12/1981)

13.   Pleasure Avalanche  (Session 22/11/1982)

14.   Deep In The Woods  (Session 22/11/1982)

15.   Sonny's Burning  (Session 22/11/1982)

16.   Marry Me (Lie! Lie!)  (Session 22/11/1982)

Hands Up if you want more from The Birthday Party... here