h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Young Eek seems to be going out further and further on his own particular limb. That's Eek-a-Mouse on Volcano Records and For Hire and Removal. And I must ask DLT to get these cans of his fixed because they're most peculiar tonight. I sound like a castrati to myself. I hope I don't at your end. Catch 22 have been on the phone to tell me that they're playing at the Wellington on Shepherds Bush Green, London, tomorrow, information which I pass on to you without comment. From New Order, the first of their new session for us, this is called Too Late.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et30QakRbCE

*Although John announced it as Too Late it's actually Turn the Heater On

Well, not as you might imagine that New Order were going to sound. That's Too Late, the first from the band from our session from them tonight, and this next record's for my mate O'Kelly with whom I had a drink earlier on this evening and recommended the record to him then, and it's, er, one of the many records which I got recently from Black Grape, for which I was extremely grateful. Terrific stuff this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wBrbb8jUVk

That was a profoundly wonderful record I think, and the bloke's got a marvellous voice, and I've never heard any records by him before and I'll probably never hear any more. I should like to hear a great many more I must say. Stanley Winston the bloke's name, and er, it comes from Jewel Records of Shreveport Louisiana and it's called No More Ghettos in America. The first from Vice Squad, Propaganda.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulANgNY1Vw4

(Beginning - 3m 55s)

That's Vice Squad and Propaganda. I'm feeling curiously tentative tonight, I hope you'll bear with me, just one of those nights when you feel sort of hesitant, as though things are going to go dreadfully wrong, as they easily might, actually. The Inflatable Boy Clams are a San Francisco band, an occasional band as far as I can tell, and their names are Carol Dettweiler, Jojo Planteen, Judy Gittelsohn and Genvieve Boutet De Monvel, which is a fine name I think, and the track I'm going to play you by the Inflatable Boy Clams is Skeletons, and er, it's a double single this particular record, on Subterranean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M21JaCxWe9A

The Inflatable Boy Clams on Subterranean Records, and I'm just about as sure as I can possibly be that that is called Skeletons. I say that because I've got New Order's manager on the phone at the moment and the New Order track which we played for you earlier on in the programme, which I described as being called Too Late wasn't Too Late at all it was Turn the Heater On which is a Keith Hudson song, and I should have spotted that but failed to do so. I apologise for that but hopefully we'll get the rest of them right though. Rip Rig and Panic, You're My Kind of Climate. Starts... it'll start at some stage of the programme some time between now and midnight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZriUtyyyY-0

A chart-bound sound. Be very nice if it was. Rip Rig and Panic on Virgin Records, You're My Kind of Climate, and an LP to follow shortly called I Am Cold, and er, the band working with Don Cherry as well because, well, his daughter's a member of the ensemble, and Don Cherry in 1969, at least, used to go like this. This is programming for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax9eEGR_Q7c

That was recorded back in 1969 when, as I say, records were given such titles as... Total Vibration, and that was... Total Vibration, from an LP from Don Cherry on Byg Records, B-Y-G. Ah, those were the days, eh? Noah House of Dread, and this is a 10", another one produced by Adrian Sherwood, it's called Murder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLqkErs--WM

An all-new sound 10" disco plate it says firmly on the back of the sleeve, Noah House of Dread and that was Murder, produced by Adrian Sherwood, and rather good as well, I think. When I was playing that in the office earlier on one of the Radio 1 secretaries actually stuck her head in through the door and said "Hey, that's pretty good.", and that's not something that happens a great deal I must admit. From New Order, this could be, pfff, ha, anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZyZtM9h-3k

We very hastily convened a panel of teenage experts here and we were all of the opinion that that is 5-8-6. If we're wrong, Rob, phone us again. It's certainly New Order, and this is certainly Vice Squad. Sterile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulANgNY1Vw4#t=3m56s

(3m 56s - 6m 43s)

That's Vice Squad and it's called Sterile, and there's a feature in the Melody Maker these days called Playback which is a review of cassettes, which I think is a very valuable addition to the newspaper, and in the last issue, or the current issue I suppose, there was yet another Ipswich band to add to The Addicts, Reasonable Strollers, and a reggae band which I've not heard yet which people say are very good indeed, Jah Warrior, or possibly Warriors, I can't remember exactly which one it is, but a band called Await Us Somewhere, which is a good name for a band I think, so if any members of Await Us Somewhere are listening I should be very grateful to receive a copy of this cassette meself. I'd like to hear it. From the Blue Orchids this is Hanging Man, taken of course from their LP The Greatest Hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdTZdUd-Un8

This LP is unquestionably a grower, The Blue Orchids and A Reasonable Hit the LP, actually, no, Reasonable Hit, what am I saying, The Greatest Hit it's called and it has an alternative, er, alternative title, Money Mountain in brackets, it says, all on Rough Trade Records, and that was Hanging Man. I was also pleased to see in Melody Maker an interview... well, a piece about Schlaflose Nächte and news that they've got more records coming out shortly, and it'd be quite nice to get them in for another session if we can do that, you may recall their session of last year, and this is their only single to date, Flüstern.

*There isn't a video of Flüstern on YouTube, not that I can find, but there is one of the other side of the single.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh9noPwm6E4

Flüstern, and that's Schlaflose Nächte from er, last year I suppose it must have been, and I look forward to hearing more records from the band. Yellowman, How You Keep a Dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBO9YRf4Q7g

From the Nightingales and er... Nightingales? I suddenly seem to on the verge of becoming... not fashionable... I wouldn't dare say that, but, You know... not acclaimed either... what's the word I'm looking for? People are beginning to take notice of them after a few years and not before time. This is Paraffin Brain.

*There isn't a video of Paraffin Brain on YouTube, not that I can find, but there is one of the other side of the single.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofm8_h7wxCU

The Nightingales on Cherry Red Records and that's Paraffin Brain, and over the years I've lost a great number of chums to showbiz in one way or another, I mean, no names no pack drill, but it is true and of course it's rather a depressing process as well. Robert Lloyd I rather suspect, even if he became very notorious, which I don't think he's going to really, but he might become more notorious than he is now, will I suspect remain essentially the same, the same moaning human being that he is, and er, I hope he's not listening or he'll phone me up with a great, a very indignant phone call. A good man I must say. This is Etta James and I Worship the Ground You Walk On.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcvFtNwFcfI

What a marvellous voice again. I hate to keep saying that but I mean, I keep saying it anyway because it's true. That's Etta James and er, that's called I Worship the Ground You Walk On, on Cadet Records. I remember seeing Etta James in what must have been like 19... 61, something like that, 1962, at a big arena in Dallas Texas where it was... there were all kinds of marvellous people on like The Coasters and Jimmy McCracken, and I wish I could remember the rest of the lineup because it was most impr... were The Drifters there? I dunno, I may be making it up at this stage. I wish I'd still got the bill for it, well not the bill, you know what I mean, the lineup cos it was a wonderful event, and er, Etta James was there. Sensational. And she really was sensational actually. I'd better get on with something I think. This is New Order, and again I'm not entirely sure what this is going to be, do we know what this one's going to be? Er, he reckons it's going to be Too Late. This could easily be true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sySXyLHEM1o

Well it was unquestionably New Order and we're pretty convinced that was Too Late, and er, another one to come from the band before the end of the programme as well. Now this is a record I've just listened to over the weekend by er, yet another American band. Have you noticed that American bands as a kind of, er, an entity seem to making some kind of a comeback. I mean, the programmes are more and more American bands creeping into the programmes alongside the European ones, the British one being gradually squeezed out, apart from the sessions. These are The Appliances and from a 12" EP from San Francisco or Berkeley or one of those places, this is Paranoia Rap. Quite entertaining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77fpVZOK_Zw

We here in the studio gave that one a seven. That's from an American band called The Appliances, a 12" EP which doesn't appear to be on any label at all, I mean quite clearly it is because it exists, here it is. Quite Zen-like this programme gets at times, but there it is, that's me banging it so we know it exists and er, as I say, it doesn't seem to have a label but I can give you an address. Do you want an address? Probably not. Erm, actually I don't think I can give you an address. Full of people with strange names again too. Lead vocals on that were taken by Dominique Di Prima Baraka, and er, knowing Americans she could easily be called exactly that, and somebody on trumpet called Opta Flame as well, and Pons Maar lead vocals and orchestra bells. Well I never. From Dub Syndicate this is a, an excellent title from an LP, I mean it seems to sum up a whole way of life. The LP's called Pounding System, and er, some of the other tracks on the LP are Humourless Journalist Works to Rule, and Crucial Tony Tries to Rescue the Space Invaders With Only 10p, but I'm going to play you the title track, Pounding System.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzTBlIXSky0

I suppose ideally that should be heard at murderous volume in a room full of people somewhere but it's still worth playing I think, it still sounds fine on the radio, it does to me anyway. Dub Syndicate and that's called Pounding System, produced by Adrian Sherwood yet again, and er, that's on the On-U Sound label as you might imagine. You'll certainly hear more from that as well. John Cooper Clarke, The New assassin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcoqW0qNVqY

John Cooper Clarke, and that's called er, The New Assassin. I'm sorry if I sound a little distracted but we were doing jumper business here in the studio, sorting out er, perhaps the jumper that I should wear on the next Top of the Pops, oh I get so used to it. Earlier on today actually, when I arrived at the BBC this afternoon, er, there was a bunch of er... well, exceedingly young women, presumably waiting for Kid Jensen or Peter Powell or somebody like this, who knows, but when I walked past, and normally, I mean if, a year ago or even six months ago I can walk straight through them as I often did, seven or eight times in the hope that somebody would say "Hey, isn't that John Peel?" and then say "No, are you kidding?", and on this occasion they actually stopped me and asked me for my autograph, I was immensely flattered, and a couple of them kissed me too. I'm a father figure to these people, a father figure! This is from Vice Squad, Humane.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulANgNY1Vw4#t=6m43s

(6m 43s - 9m 51s, includes the above ramble)

Humane from Vice Squad, and on tomorrow night's programme our sessions come from The Higsons and er, The Wild Swans, and there are some paragraphs about The Wild Swans in the latest issue of the Dutch magazine Vinyl which I keep mentioning, and er, this of course is only advantageous to you if you can actually read Dutch, which I can't, all those words with lots of 'o's in them, absolutely baffling 'j's and things all over the place, but erm, it's always a good magazine and it sounds like a ludicrous thing to say, I mean looks terrific as if it's going to be really interesting, how I wish I read it, and there's a flexidisc in there as well which I must try and remember to drag out and play you on the radio on some occasion. From Bim Sherman, this is Revolution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMxVzERr8EQ