Released back in March 2007, this 6 x CD box-set traces the history of The Wedding Present as much as it does the group's close relationship with John Peel who always enthusiastically supported and championed the group.
Commencing with their first session from February 1986, it typified the Wedding Present in the early stages of their career when they were releasing records on their own Reception label. The Wedding Present went on to do 12 sessions for John Peel, the last recorded on the 21st September 2004 and previewing songs from the then, forthcoming Take Fountain album.
David Gedge has been the one constant member of the group. When the Wedding Present took time out between 1998 and 2004, he also racked up a further 10 John Peel sessions with Cinerama. This puts David Gedge on a par with Ivor Cutler's 22 and two behind The Fall, whose 24 Peel Sessions were also released by Sanctuary in 2005.
The 6 x CDs covering the groups sessions for John Peel fall neatly into three CDs of studio sessions and three representing live performances. Highlights include their third session from May 1987, previewing songs from the George Best album, six months before release, followed by two Ukranians sessions. Initiated by guitarist Pete Solowka, the group did two full sessions embracing their radical interpretation of Ukranian folk music. The sessions would make up their unlikely first album for a major label, RCA: Ukrainski Vistupi V Johna Peela which sold a remarkable 40,000 copies.
Via John Peel's show, The Wedding Present would also unveil songs from their Bizzarro, Sea Monsters and Watusi albums and a number of the songs from their Hit Parade series, when they assaulted the singles charts with 12 consecutive monthly singles throughout 1992, all chart hits, and earning them an entry in the Guinness Book Of Records. The live sessions include their performance for John Peel's 50th Birthday Party at Subterrania in August 1989 plus sparkling sets from The Phoenix Festival in 1995 and the Reading Festival in 1996.
And with such a vast choice on offer it was really difficult to pick out one particular session. But in the end its the one recorded on 14 October 1990 and transmitted exactly two weeks later, the eighth Peel Session by The Wedding Present that previewed tracks from Sea Monsters:-
mp3 : The Wedding Present - Dalliance (Peel Session)
mp3 : The Wedding Present - Heather (Peel Session)
mp3 : The Wedding Present - Blonde (Peel Session)
mp3 : The Wedding Present - Niagara (Peel Session)
And finally, a clip from a telly programme:-
5 comments:
Lovely stuff from the boy Gedge there...
Love the Weddoes. Were it not for Peel, we might never have enjoyed Gedge's skewed love songs, Yorkshire accent and all.
Great post mate.
I almost chose some Wedding Present myself. Glad I didn't now, I couldn't have lived up to this post. The This Is Your Life clip made it for me. I bet Michael Aspel didn't have a clue what was going on that day.
I was watching the This Is Your Life on Peel the other night for the first time in years. Not your usual set of guests for Aspel to contend with. Great Weddoes session for Peel Day.
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