Track of the Day: 'Past Tense' by Golden Grrrls

With their début album due out at the end of February, Glasgow's Golden Grrrls are ready to make a big impact. With great harmonies and an effortlessly lo-fi 80s indie sound they sound exactly like the sort of band that John Peel used to play back in that much-maligned decade. Have a listen to Past Tense below and then head over to Nightschool Records to order the album, which is available on limited clear vinyl or cd.

Recommended music: Movement - BBC Radio 1 Peel Sessions 1977-1979

The fruits of a new partnership with the BBC, 'Movement' is the first cd in a planned series of Peel Session compilations. This album gathers up 41 seminal tracks from one of the most influential periods of music - you can't really say that it was from Peel's peak, as he was constantly riding the crest of a wave of new music, but just look at the years covered and you know you're in for a treat.

All of the bands that defined this era are here, and then some. New wave, post punk, Two Tone, the genesis of electronica & new romanticism - you name it, this album's got it covered. Things were moving so quickly that the range of bands feels like it covers a much wider span of time - who'd have thought that Dr. Feelgood & John Cooper Clarke were only 2 years apart from OMD & Simple Minds.

It will be interesting to see how future cds are themed, and whether they'll cover such a short span of time. For now though, this is definitely one of the best compilation cds of the year - an essential purchase.

CD1:

1. The Jam - In The City
2. Buzzcocks - What Do I Get?
3. Generation X - Youth Youth Youth
4. The Stranglers - No More Heroes
5. The Adverts - Gary Gilmour's Eyes
6. The Slits - Love and Romance
7. XTC - Science Friction
8. Dr. Feelgood - She's A Windup
9. Tom Robinson - Don't Take No For An Answer
10. Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Sex, Drugs & Rock'n'Roll
11. Adam & The Ants - Deutscher Girls
12. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Hong Kong Garden
13. The Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet
14. The Undertones - Get Over You
15. The Rezillos - Top of the Pops
16. The Flys - Love and a Molotov Cocktail
17. The Members - Sound of the Suburbs
18. Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster
19. The Skids - The Saints Are Coming
20. The Angelic Upstarts - We Are The People
21. The Ruts - S.U.S
22. 999 - Homocide
23. John Cooper Clarke - Reader's Wives

CD2:

1. Penetration - Movement
2. The Monochrome Set - Goodbye Joe / Strange Boutique
3. Wire - The Other Window
4. Magazine - Light Pours Out Of Me
5. Joy Division - Transmission
6. Killing Joke - Wardance
7. The Human League - Being Boiled
8. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Messages
9. The Psychedelic Furs - Sister Europe
10. Simple Minds - Premonition
11. Public Image Ltd. - Poptones
12. Steel Pulse - Jah Pickney (Rock Against Racism)
13. Aswad - It's Not Our Wish
14. UB40 - Food For Thought
15. The Specials - Gangsters
16. Madness - The Prince
17. The Selecter - Street Feeling
18. The Beat - Ranking Full Stop

Keeping It Peel

Keeping It Peel - a playlist for John Peel Day by Dj Cull on Mixcloud

Today is the anniversary of John Peel's Death, and the day we celebrate his life. Press play to listen to 20 of the tracks/artists that I most associate with the Peel programme, and raise a glass of red (his preferred tiple) to the memory of the man. Tracks featured:

1. PJ Harvey - Sheela-Na-Gig
2. Billy Bragg - A New England
3. The Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
4. The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl
5. Cocteau Twins - Pearly Dewdrops' Drops
6. The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet
7. Half Man Half Biscuit - All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
8. The Wedding Present - Kennedy
9. The Fall - Hit The North Part 1
10. Ivor Cutler - Squeeze Bees
11. The Buzzcocks - What Do I Get?
12. Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster
13. Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding
14. Jonathan Richman - That Summer Feeling
15. The Cure - A Forest
16. Julian Cope -Out Of My Mind On Dope & Speed
17. Mogwai - New Paths To Helicon Pt 1
18. Arab Strap - The First Big Weekend
19. The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
20. The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?