Perfect Unpop: Peel Show Hits And Long Lost Lo-Fi Favourites - Vol 1. 1976-80

Perfect Unpop is based on a dangerous assumption: that if you were ever touched by John Peel's enthusiasm for spiky 70s pop, then by now you're probably found yourself a copy of the Undertones' Teenage Kicks. The same applies to raw, beautiful singles by the Buzzcocks, Joy Division, the Clash and the first five Fall albums, none of which are included here. Instead, here's a collection of Peel favorites a little less likely to be anthologized, eulogized, or to crop up on your iPod. Anyone who ever cuddled up alone at night with Peel will recognize the glee with which he pounced on these devil-may-care, slightly broken pop songs. Indie also-rans these bands may have been in the Sting/Bono scheme of things, but add up all these flashes of underdog genius, and here's a CD to rival any other from the era of the questionable stringy tie. Although we're missing the voice that always seemed to be speaking to us alone, I hope the unearthing of these Nuggets from the playlists might recreate something of the atmosphere of the Peel Show for his under-cover legions, and hopefully some young Johnny-cum-Latelies as well. Make no mistake, we'e talking all-time highlights here. Where six seconds of dead air would be followed by a sheepish, slightly breathless admission that Peel had been off bopping around the studio. Most of all, I hope he would've approved.