Saturday Song # 5

The Undertones.

Featured track: Teenage Kicks. (Should be played LOUD on good speakers/headphones)

The Undertones were a punk rock/new wave band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1975. From the period of 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradley (bass, vocals) and Billy Doherty (drums). Although much of the earlier Undertones material drew influence from punk rock and new wave, the Undertones also incorporated elements of rock, glam rock and post-punk into material released after 1979, before citing soul and Motown as the influence for the material released upon their final album. On 26 October,1978 the Undertones performed Teenage Kicks live on the UK TV's Top Of The Pops - with the influence and support of  BBC DJ *John Peel (who had also recorded and broadcast a Peel Sessions with the Undertones on the 16th). In the early 1990s Sharkey moved into the business side of the music industry, initially as A&R for Polydor Records. He has held many positions in the music industry: appointed a member of the Radio Authority for five years; chairman of the UK Government task force the 'Live Music Forum' and in 2008, Sharkey was appointed as the CEO of British Music Rights. He has won many awards among them; the "Scott Piering Award", by the radio industry; the "Bottle Award", at the International Live Music Conference for "outstanding contribution to the live music industry". He was awarded  Honorary "Doctor of Arts", by the University of Hertfordshire;and he received a Doctor of Letters honoris causa from the University of Ulster in recognition of his services to music. In 2010 he appeared in Wired's The Wired 100: "Who are the people who shape the Wired world," at number 45.   

*John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. Starting his career in the USA, he returned to the UK and became a much loved institution; was a tirless champion of then unknown bands, and was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. He was known for his eclectic taste in music, his quiet humor and honest, warm, self effacing broadcasting style. He was one of the first broadcasters to play psychedelic rock and progressive rock records on British radio, and he is widely acknowledged for promoting artists working in various genres, including pop, reggae, indie rock, alternative rock, punk, hardcore punk, breakcore, grindcore, death metal, British hip hop, and dance music.

J.P.'s home studio.

Peel's Radio 1 shows were notable for the regular 'Peel sessions', which usually consisted of four songs recorded by an artist live in the BBC's studios, and which often provided the first major national coverage to bands that later would achieve great fame. (These 'sessions' are similar to 'Live Lounge' sessions recorded today for the station.) Another popular feature of his shows was the annual Festive Fifty countdown of his listeners' favourite records of the year.
Peel appeared occasionally on British television as one of the presenters of Top of the Pops and he provided voice-over commentary for a number of BBC programmes. He became popular with the audience of BBC Radio 4 for his Home Truths programme, which ran from the 1990s, featuring unusual stories from listeners' domestic lives.

John Peel.

Peel's funeral, on 12 November 2004, in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was attended by over a thousand people, including many of the artists he had championed. Eulogies were read by his brother, Alan Ravenscroft, and Paul Gambaccini ( born in New York and nicknamed 'The Professor of Pop' - see him in Wikipedia). The service ended with clips of him talking about his life and his coffin was carried out to the accompaniment of his favourite song, The Undertones' "Teenage Kicks". Peel had written that, apart from his name, all he wanted on his gravestone were the words, "Teenage dreams, so hard to beat", from the lyrics of "Teenage Kicks". A headstone engraved in accordance with his wishes was placed at his grave in 2008. Peel is buried at St Andrew's Church, in the village of Great Finborough, Suffolk, England. (Wikipedia) (Photos/Video/Music: Copyright Control)