"Peel Sessions Plus" is a 16-track compilation album by the British post-punk and neo-psychedelic band The Teardrop Explodes, released on 15 October 2007 by Universal Music. Fronted by singer Julian Cope, the album brings together the band’s live-in-the-studio recordings for BBC Radio 1 broadcast between October 1979 and July 1982. These sessions include their legendary performances for DJ John Peel, alongside recordings for radio hosts David Jensen, Mike Read, and Richard Skinner, capturing the group at the height of their creative power.
The compilation offers a raw, energetic alternative history to the band's polished studio albums, Kilimanjaro and Wilder. It tracks their musical evolution from a frantic, art-rock outfit heavily influenced by Talking Heads into a driving, horn-infused pop force. The tracklist features alternative versions of signature hits like "Reward" and "When I Dream," alongside deep cuts and a praised cover of Wah! Heat’s "Better Scream," making it an essential document of the early 1980s Liverpool music scene.
Peel Sessions Plus (2007) stands as a vital, alternative monument to The Teardrop Explodes, a band whose brilliant studio output was often compromised by internal friction and over-polished production. Collecting 16 tracks recorded for BBC Radio 1 between 1979 and 1982, this compilation peels away the glossy layers of their commercial releases. It exposes the raw, frantic nerve endings of a group caught between the angular paranoia of post-punk and the euphoric, brass-heavy heights of neo-psychedelia. Frontman Julian Cope’s eccentric genius is on full display here, unbothered by the commercial pressures of the music industry.
The compilation’s greatest triumph is how it captures the band's rapid, dizzying musical evolution. The earliest 1979 sessions showcase a jittery, art-rock outfit heavily indebted to the hyperactive rhythms of Talking Heads, driven by Gary Dwyer’s kinetic drumming and David Balfe’s piercing keyboards. As the tracklist moves into their commercial peak of 1981, listeners can hear the embryonic, fiercer blueprints for hits like "Reward" and "When I Dream." Stripped of their studio sheen, these radio versions pulse with a live wire urgency that makes their official album counterparts sound almost safe by comparison.
What truly elevates this package for collectors is the inclusion of rare material and explosive covers that defined their legendary live sets. A ferocious, high-energy rendition of Wah! Heat’s "Better Scream" serves as a thrilling nod to their friendly rivals in the tight-knit Liverpool scene. Meanwhile, later tracks like "Log Cabin" and "You Disappear From View" document a band beautifully unravelling, leaning into darker, more experimental textures just months before their eventual 1982 breakup. It highlights the tragedy of their short lifespan, showing a band still overflowing with ideas even as they fell apart.
Ultimately, Peel Sessions Plus is more than just a nostalgic archive; it is arguably the most authentic testament to the band’s legacy. It captures the fleeting, chaotic magic of the early 1980s Liverpool post-punk explosion in its purest form. For casual fans, it provides a thrilling companion piece to their studio albums, while for devotees, it offers the definitive proof that The Teardrop Explodes were one of the most exciting, volatile live acts of their generation.
Ripped to MP3
The complete 16-track listing for Peel Sessions Plus spans six different recording sessions broadcast on BBC Radio 1.
The John Peel Session (Recorded: 2 October 1979)
Captured during the band's energetic early art-rock era:
1. Ha Ha I'm Drowning (3:43)
2. Went Crazy (2:53)
3. Brave Boys Keep Their Promises (2:24)
4. Chance (2:03)
The John Peel Session (Recorded: 16 April 1980)
Featuring early, stripped-back drafts of their breakthrough Kilimanjaro material:
5. Thief Of Baghdad (3:14)
6. When I Dream (4:21)
7. The Poppies In The Field (4:47)
The Mike Read Session (Recorded: 16 October 1980)
Recorded right as the band was exploding into mainstream UK chart success:
8. Reward (3:01)
BBC Session (Show Unknown / Date Unconfirmed: 1981)
Atmospheric tracks transitioning toward the darker Wilder album soundscapes:
9. Like Leila Khaled Said (3:02)
10. The Culture Bunker (3:24)
11. Pure Joy Wins Out Again (1:52)
The Richard Skinner Session (Recorded: 13 August 1981)
Includes their ferocious, famously live-tested post-punk cover medley:
12. Better Scream / Make That Move (3:51)
13. Bent Out Of Shape (2:59)
The David Jensen Session (Recorded: 27 June 1982)
The final session tracks documenting a band creatively expanding but personally fracturing:
14. Log Cabin (3:11)
15. Buchanan (3:51)
16. You Disappear From View (2:57)
No comments:
Post a Comment