Monday, November 20, 2006

 

Peel Sessions 30


Today's Peel artist is a band that for some unknown reason slipped beneath my critical radar and as such I knew of their name but not their music. They are the Scotland's Delgados, formed in 1994 and named after the Spanish Cyclist Pedro Delgado. The band members were also the founders of the record label Chemikal Underground that gave that all important chance to many young Scottish bands to enter the studios and release their first record. Their own records wasted little time in attracting the attention and praise of the musical press and John Peels ears. During their 10 years of existence they were to record enough Peel sessions that when they were compiled as 'The Complete BBC Peel Sessions' it was as a 2 CD, 29 song set. In 1996 Peel went as a far a describing them a being the best band in Britain. September 2002 the band entered the Maida Vale studios and instead of recording versions of songs from their current album 'Hate' that they were in the throes of promoting they chose to cover four songs. Their choice was varied as can be seen by the three songs that I have chosen today from this session. 'California Uber Alles' is indeed the same song that brought Jello Biafra and his Dead Kennedys to our attention many years before. They revisit the sixties with Cat Stevens 'Mathew And Son', and give a nod to prog rock with ELO's 'Mr Blue Sky'. I find that these covers while remaining faithful to the originals have been stamped with a fresh new identity that gives a real pleasure to the experience. I shall be checking out their five studio albums in the forthcoming weeks, I just wonder why no one told me about them before.


Comments:
Delgados are arguably the best band from Glasgow. The best album being The Great Eastern...really no bad records, but thats a good start. Lots of good side projects etc too -T
 
The Delgados have been criminally neglected. I'm partial to Univeral Audio (their "pop" record) and Hate, but it really is all good.
 
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