Saturday, May 05, 2012

100 A's - The John Peel Archive

The record collection of legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, containing more than 26000 LPs, 40000 singles and many thousands of CDs, has become an interactive online museum. This week we were able to check out the first 100 vinyl LPs of the collection classified under the letter A (from The A's to Adam And The Ants) and until October 2012 the creative arts project which is part of a new digital arts and culture media service called "The Space", will be releasing the names and song titles of 100 records a week, for 26 weeks, featuring one letter of the alphabet each time.

Click here to visit John Peel’s virtual home studio and library where you’ll be able to browse this unique and very eclectic collection, listen to clips from the radio shows and the famous Peel Sessions (you’ll need Spotify for that which, unfortunately, is not available everywhere) and see photos, videos and home movies of the late DJ. Can’t wait for June and the unveiling of the 100 records under the letter F to see if there will be any room left for anyone else but The Fall!

Meanwhile, this project got me going through my own record collection to see how many albums I’ve got under the letter A. As it turns out, the number is exactly 100 (leaving out few singles and EPs) and in case you’re curious about the contents of Cool Music Central’s record collection (which, of course, is hugely influenced by John Peel who I listened to for the first time in 1987, on my first trip to the UK, and continued to do so up to 2004, through all possible means - from short-wave radio to streaming audio), here’s what I've got under A:

Artist    ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD
1998    …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD (LP)
1999    MADONNA (CD)
2002    SOURCE TAGS AND CODES (CD)
2005    WORLDS APART (CD)
2006    SO DIVIDED (CD)
2009    THE CENTURY OF SELF (CD)
2011    TAO OF THE DEAD (CD)
Artist    A FRAMES
2005    BLACK FOREST (CD)
Artist    A HOUSE
1991    I AM THE GREATEST (LP)
Artist    A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
2007    A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS (CD)
2009    EXPLODING HEAD (CD)
Artist    A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
1990    PEOPLE'S INSTINCTIVE TRAVELS AND THE PATHS OF RHYTHM (LP)
1991    THE LOW END THEORY (CD)
Artist    A.C. MARIAS
1989    ONE OF OUR GIRLS (HAS GONE MISSING) (LP)
Artist    A.R. KANE
1988    69 (LP)
1989    " I " (LP)
Artist    A.R.E. WEAPONS
2003    A.R.E. WEAPONS (CD)
Artist    ABLE TASMANS
1995    STORE IN A COOL PLACE (LP)
Artist    ACETONE
1993    CINDY (CD)
Artist    ADAM AND THE ANTS
1980    KINGS OF THE WILD FRONTIER (LP)
Artist    ADD N TO (X)
1999    AVANT HARD (CD)
2000    ADD INSULT TO INJURY (CD)
2002    LOUD LIKE NATURE (CD)
Artist    ADORABLE
1993    AGAINST PERFECTION (LP)
Artist    ADULT.
2003    ANXIETY ALWAYS (CD)
2005    GIMMIE TROUBLE (CD)
Artist    AESOP ROCK
2001    LABOR DAYS (CD)
2007    NONE SHALL PASS (CD)
Artist    AFRIKA BAMBAATAA
2001    LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT BEAT (CD)
Artist    AGE OF CHANCE
1986    CRUSH COLLISION (LP)
Artist    AGENT ORANGE
1981    LIVING IN DARKNESS (CD)
Artist    ALBERT HAMMOND, JR.
2006    YOURS TO KEEP (CD)
2008    COMO TE LLAMA? (CD)
Artist    ALBERTA CROSS
2009    BROKEN SIDE OF TIME (CD)
Artist    ALCOHOL FUNNYCAR
1993    TIME TO MAKE THE DONUTS (CD)
Artist    ALEC EMPIRE
2002    INTELLIGENCE AND SACRIFICE (CD)
Artist    ALELA DIANE
2011    ALELA DIANE & WILD DIVINE (CD)
Artist    AMBULANCE LTD
2004    LP (CD)
Artist    AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB
1987    ENGINE (LP)
1991    EVERCLEAR (LP)
1993    MERCURY (LP)
1994    SAN FRANCISCO (CD)
2004    LOVE SONGS FOR PATRIOTS (CD)
2008    THE GOLDEN AGE (CD)
Artist    AMY WINEHOUSE
2006    BACK TO BLACK (CD)
Artist    ANASTASIA SCREAMED
1990    LAUGHING DOWN THE LIMEHOUSE (LP)
1991    MOONTIME (LP)
Artist    ANGEL CAGE
1995    SOPHIE MAGIC (CD)
Artist    ANI DIFRANCO
1997    LIVING IN CLIP (CD)
1998    LITTLE PLASTIC CASTLE (CD)
1999    UP UP UP UP UP UP (CD)
Artist    ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
2005    FEELS (CD)
2007    STRAWBERRY JAM (CD)
2009    MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION (CD)
Artist    ANITA LANE
1993    DIRTY PEARL (LP)
Artist    ANNA CALVI
2011    ANNA CALVI (CD)
Artist    ANNE CLARK
1984    JOINED UP WRITING (LP)
Artist    ANTIETAM
1985    ANTIETAM (LP)
1986    MUSIC FROM ELBA (LP)
Artist    APHEX TWIN
2001    DRUKQS (CD)
Artist    APPLIANCE
1999    MANUAL (CD)
2000    SIX MODULAR PIECES (CD)
2001    IMPERIAL METRIC (CD)
2002    ARE YOU EARTHED? (CD)
Artist    ARAB STRAP
1999    ELEPHANT SHOE (CD)
2001    THE RED THREAD (CD)
2003    MONDAY AT THE HUG & PINT (CD)
Artist    ARCADE FIRE
2004    FUNERAL (CD)
2007    NEON BIBLE (CD)
2010    THE SUBURBS (CD)
Artist    ARCHERS OF LOAF
1993    ICKY METTLE (LP)
1995    VEE VEE (LP)
1996    ALL THE NATIONS AIRPORTS (LP)
Artist    ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT
2004    FUR (CD)
2006    DERDANG DERDANG (CD)
2010    COCONUT (CD)
Artist    ARCTIC MONKEYS
2006    WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM, THAT'S WHAT I’M NOT (CD)
2007    FAVOURITE WORST NIGHTMARE (CD)
2009    HUMBUG (CD)
2011    SUCK IT AND SEE (CD)
Artist    ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI
2010    BEFORE TODAY (CD)
Artist    ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
1992    3 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AND 2 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF… (LP)
Artist    ARSON GARDEN
1990    UNDER TOWERS (LP)
Artist    ART BRUT
2007    IT'S A BIT COMPLICATED (CD)
2009    ART BRUT VS. SATAN (CD)
Artist    ASH
1994    TRAILER (LP)
1996    1977 (CD)
1998    NU-CLEAR SOUNDS (CD)
2001    FREE ALL ANGELS (CD)
Artist    ASOBI SEKSU
2009    HUSH (CD)
Artist    AT THE DRIVE-IN
2000    RELATIONSHIP OF COMMAND (CD)
Artist    ATARI TEENAGE RIOT
1999    60 SECOND WIPE OUT (CD)
Artist    ATLAS SOUND
2009    LOGOS (CD)
2011    PARALLAX (CD)
Artist    AUF DER MAUR
2004    AUF DER MAUR (CD)
Artist    AUSTRA
2011    FEEL IT BREAK (CD)
Artist    AUTOLUX
2004    FUTURE PERFECT (CD)
2010    TRANSIT TRANSIT (CD)
Artist    AVI BUFFALO
2010    AVI BUFFALO (CD)
Artist    AZTEC CAMERA
1983    HIGH LAND, HARD RAIN (LP)

And here's my favorite cut from the last one:

Aztec Camera - Oblivious ((live at Aston University, from the BBC's 'Whistle Test On The Road', 16 December 1983)

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