Fades in Slowly

As for me, well, at the moment committing to this blog feels more like an obligation than something I’m enjoying, so I’m going to take a couple of weeks off at least. I’m not calling it quits permanently, but I just don’t feel like it at present. There are hundreds of new Peel shows to share with you but they’ll just have to wait a while. Thanks to everyone who has visited, especially those who leave comments. They’re what sustain me through the dark times.

So, here they are then, the tracks you voted for. I’m glad that many of you voted for what you were actually listening to at the time, rather than what you feel you should have been listening to. I had great fun putting this together and will definitely be tackling another chart next year.

Thanks again and have a great new year everyone.

01 Sex Pistols – Anarchy in the UK
02 Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop
03 Damned – New Rose
04 Junior Murvin – Police and Thieves
05 ABBA – Dancing Queen
06 Queen – Somebody to Love
07 Joan Armatrading – Love and Affection
08 Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free
09 Pere Ubu – Final solution
10 Thin Lizzy – The boys are Back in Town
11 Donna Summer – Love to Love you Baby
12 Osibisa – Sunshine Day
13 David Bowie – Golden Years
14 Be Bop Deluxe – Ships in The Night
15 Augustus Pablo – King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown
16 Bob Marley & the Wailers – Johnny was
17 Peter Frampton – Show me the Way
18 Saints – Stranded
19 Buzzcocks – Boredom
20 David Bowie – Station to Station
21 Steve Miller Band – Fly Like an Eagle
22 Thin Lizzy – Cowboy Song
23 Bob Dylan – Hurricane
24 Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – Blinded by the Light
25 Blue Oyster Cult – (Dont Fear) the Reaper
26 Peter Frampton – Baby, I love your Way
27 Queen – You’re my Best Friend
28 Billy Ocean – Love Really Hurts without you
29 Eddie & the Hot Rods – Teenage Depression
30 Rick Springfield – Take a Hand
31 Electric Light Orchestra – Rockaria
32 Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band – A Fifth of Beethoven
33 War- Low Rider
34 ABBA – Knowing Me, Knowing You
35 Electric Light Orchestra – Evil Woman
36 Sensational Alex Harvey band – Boston Tea Party
37 Richard Hell – Blank Generation
38 Max Romeo & the Upsetters – War in a Babylon
39 Vicki Sue Robinson – Turn the Beat Around
40 Steve Miller Band – Take the Money and Run
41 ABBA – Money, Money, Money
42 Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak
43 Tina Charles – I Love to Love
44 Wild Cherry – Play that Funky Music
45 Sailor – Girls, Girls, Girls
46 Kiss – Beth
47 Leroy Smart – Ballistic Affair
48 Rose Royce – Car Wash
49 David Soul – Don’t Give up on Us
50 K.C. & the Sunshine Band – (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake your Booty

In case you’re worried, I’m officially declaring this part of the chart a David Soul-free zone. This then is the second part of the chart, running down from that all-important #35 to the very brink of the top 20. My apologies in advance if you find me taking the piss out of any songs that you chose.

There’s just one video clip in this part of the chart, it’s #23 and you can download it here. Stay tuned for the top twenty some time between now and the new year.

Well, after a mere 3 months of inactivity I’ve already finished podcast 4.

I’ll update this post even more when I have time, but for now you can download the reggae special here (only 31 mb for 45 minutes).

01 – POLICE and THIEVES – JUNIOR MURVIN
02 – ROAST FISH and CORNBREAD – LEE PERRY
03 – WAR INA BABYLON – MAX ROMEO and THE UPSETTERS
04 – NATTY TAKEOVER – JUSTIN HINES
05 – COLUMBIA COLLY – JAH LION
06 – MAN IN THE HILLS – BURNING SPEAR
07 – CROAKING LIZARD – PRINCE JAZZBO and THE UPSETTERS
08 – RASTAMAN – BUNNY WAILER
09 – NO SYMPATHY – PETER TOSH
10 – THREE BABYLON – ASWAD

Alternatively, listen below…

As I said, more details to follow when I get a chance.

Firstly, I’m from Yorkshire so I’m allowed bad subject verb agreement. When I were a lad football was much better than it is now. I think we can all agree on that fact. The fact alone that football managers used to dress like this should seal the argument…

For those of you who haven’t wasted as much of your lives following this bloody game as I have, Malcolm Allison, pictured above on his way to a fancy dress party as a pimp, was a fairly successful manager of newly-crowned ‘world’s richest club‘ Manchester City. City have, for my lifetime at least, been total crap. Americans among you may understand if I draw an analogy with the LA Clippers. They have had what can only be described as an anti-midas touch, everything they touch turns to shit. they haven’t won a trophy since 1976, although they have recently been acquired by the Dubai royal family and have the benefit of a 200 billion family fortune behind them. There was a time, however, when they were just another poorly run club, stumbling from one disastrous signing and managerial appointment to the next.

The documentary you’re about to download hails from the early 80s, when Malcolm Allison was sacked and the club taken over by John Bond. Obviously it’s mostly of interest to City fans, but I recommend it to anyone who has forgotten what English football was like before it was taken over by the world’s dodgiest gangsters and ne’erdowells.

The Summer of 1976 was considered, by many who lived through it to be the best and longest summer within in recent memory. Throughout Europe a large area of High Pressure dominated the majority of Europe for all of the Summer months. The Pressure system moved into place in late May 1976 and remained until the first traces of rain were recorded on August 27th and continued into the Bank Holiday weekend.

Rainfall throughout the July-August period was down by half the annual average. During this spell of hot weather temperatures exceeded 32 °C at several weather stations within in the UK every day, and Cheltenham had 11, including seven successive days from 1 July – recording 35.9 °C on the 3rd. For that entire period, much of Europe was bathed in continual sunshine with the UK seeing an average of more than 14 hours of bright sunshine. 1976 was dubbed ‘the year of the Ladybird‘ in the UK due to mass numbers of Ladybirds brought on by the long hot period. I myself was three years old and don’t remember a bloody thing about it. While all this was going on, K-Tel saw fit to churn out this chart busting compilation.