The Peel Sessions : a story of teenage dreams and one man's love of new music

This is a story of teenage dreams, which, as any Peel fan knows, are hard to beat. Between 1967 and 2004 John Peel picked over 2000 bands to come and record over 4000 sessions to be played on his radio show. Many were young and had never been in a recording studio before, for some it was the start of an illustrious career, for others it was the only recognition their musical talent ever got. For over 35 years the cream of British musical talent made the journey to the BBC's studio in Maida Vale, from Pink Floyd to Pulp, the Small Faces to the Smiths. And because John Peel was so respected his sessions took on a legendary status - they were a rite of passage that every new band wanted to go through. Unfettered by commerical pressure the Peel Sessions were a unique British institution - an archive of music that reflects one man's passion for finding and encouraging new music. Includes a full sessionography listing songs, band members and broadcast dates. Jarvis Cocker writing about his first Peel Session aged 18 (Wayne the drummer was 15): 'We travelled down to Maida Vale in a van driven by a very strange man we'd contacted via a card pinned to the Virgin record shop noticeboard. We'd had to borrow lots of equipment from a band called The Naughtiest Girl Was a Monitor 'cause we didn't have enough stuff of our own. The session was to be produced by Dale Griffin, who used to be the drummer in Mott the Hoople; I seem to remember that he was wearing cowboy boots. I think the crisis point came when Wayne was attempting to get a home-made synth-drum to work that a friend of his at school had made out of a rubber burglar-alarm mat and an old electronic calculator - Dale Griffin looked at this 15-year-old kid crouching on the floor bashing what looked like a doormat with some wires coming out of it and just put his head in his hands. But to his credit, the session did get finished and after it, everything else started for me...' This "everyday story of country folk" is the most listened to Radio 4 programme. Well established title, now in its ninth edition, has established a loyal readership that buys it every year. The book will be supported by the well-established official Archers fan club Archers Addicts in their magazine and on their website The recent 15000th edition was front page news. The ninth edition of the indispensable companion to Britain's longest-running radio drama. For the new and established listener alike, Who's Who in the Archers 2008 is the essential A to Z companion to this renowned radio drama - now in its 57th year - giving an insight into the characters and the tangled lives of the villagers of Ambridge. The book includes a detailed Archers family tree. It has been a busy year... Who's Who in the Archers 2008 covers everything from the historic 15000th edition to Trudy Porter, who spoke after 34 years of silence when a fan paid 17,000 to Children in Need to play the part. The 2008 edition, in A-format size, has been completely updated and is the perfect gift for Archers addicts. Unfettered by commercial pressure the Peel Sessions were a unique British institution - an archive of music that reflects one man's passion for finding and encouraging new music. This title includes a full sessionography listing songs, band members and broadcast dates. An A-Z companion to the radio drama that gives an insight into the characters and the tangled lives of the villagers of Ambridge.