Brightest Young Things

Galaxie 500 “Peel Sessions”

It’s true. I couldn’t resist adding another column in hopes of turning you cats and kittens on to more music. This is going to focus on discs primarily from the 80s (and early 90s) that have long been hard to find or sort of fell through the cracks of the collective consciousness. They will also be true records in that you should own the whole thing and not download just a few songs. To make life easy, I will focus on spending some of your eMusic credits. The service is still spotty with new releases but an amazing array of back catalogues have come on-line and digging through ebay or gemm has now been simplified to single clicks at a fraction of the cost. Sit back and enjoy!

Miss me? Damn right you did.

For those too young to have experienced the joys of paying twice as much to hear quickly recorded versions of your favorite songs by cherished (if obscure) artists housed in a monochromatic sleeve buried in a long list of similar releases – let me explain the Peel Session in brief: BBC DJ John Peel went from being a batty hippy to perhaps the most influential person in exposing the UK (and in turn the world) to new music in short order and then continued that reign for decades until his unfortunate demise in 2004. I simply can’t put in words how important he was to so many artists. His unabashed enthusiasm for trying out new music was unrivaled. Once he latched on to a band he would often extend an invitation for the group to make their way to the BBC studios and record as many songs as they could manage in a single session with the help of an engineer and then debut the results on his show soon after. Many of these recordings would then surface on limited vinyl with the alluring “Peel Session” stamp for the hungry domestic collectors to gobble up.

Some groups had never experienced a proper studio and would use the opportunity to fully flesh out their tunes and deliver tight and panoramic results. Other, more seasoned, artists would use the free time to experiment and deliver playful cover tunes or all new material. The final product didn’t always eclipse a band’s previous output but it rarely disappointed either.

In the case of Galaxie 500, the ethereal power trio of Dean Wareham, Damon Krukowski and Naomi Young, they opted for the chance to expand upon their delicate output. All of the records by Galaxie 500 come highly recommended by me – especially on a slightly snowy day. They have been boxed together in a manner in which the icy production becomes even more evident. However, as a live act they had a more sinewy quality as well as a mischievous taste in cover tunes – something that Wareham would make more pronounced in his next effort as the more muscular Luna.

Given the chance to punch out a selection for Peel at two different times, they traded in some of their own tunes for a batch of covers before returning to highlight some of the strongest material on their final album. A quick listen testifies to the band’s ability to wrap anything that they touch in their now patented sound however.

Starting with a blissfully ragged take on the Sex Pistol’s “Submission” (yes – it is possible) the interplay between Wareham’s quiver of a voice and the rhythm section’s ability to convey so much through the notes that they choose not to play is immediately on display, even if the tempo may take you by surprise. It quickly reminds you how adept the band was in sending the listener into a dreamy state regardless of the pacing. Krukowski’s cymbal smashing and tribal thump define the workout until Wareham’s spiny ping of a guitar solo. It all sounds as if the Velvet Underground had written the original – with little surprise but ar from a bad thing. They then move to the “so obvious you can’t believe they actually covered it” version of the Young Marble Giants classic “Final Day,” buffeted by a strummy base. Yang takes the lead as she always had on occasion and delivers a solid sing-songy rendition. Again, Krukowski’s textured percussion and Wareham’s plinked out guitar lines let you know exactly which band you are listening to. The only original from the session, the excellent “When Will You Come Home” follows with a full sonic rendering before Wareham grabs the mic for a take on Buffy St. Marie’s trippy “Moonshot” (which he still performs on occasion.)

The second session gives us stellar performances (the audio really is tremendous!) of “Flowers” and it’s dreamy stop start shuffle punctuated by a distorted guitar break. “Blue Thunder” was always a highlight of the group’s catalogue and here it is delivered with a simple confidence that retains all of the fragile nature of the earlier recording but mixes Yang’s walking bass and Krukowski’s spare snapping drums to amazing effect. It’s no surprise to learn that the recordings have come to light due to the pursuit of the pair as they are shown in perhaps their finest light here. “Decomposing Trees” is more of the same – assuming you can stand just a little more swirling magic. Wareham’s closing guitar shows off some of its live bite to much ado.

Jonathon Richman’s “Don’t Let Our Youth Go To Waste” moves from being a live staple to the studio with all of it’s off beat charm intact while warped into a Velvety drone. It is the perfect closer as it’s title could very well stand in for the value in keeping these recordings alive.

All involved moved on to projects that continued the work they had done here and it’s easy to forget just how special they were locked into a youthful trio. I won’t forget. I won’t let a single note go to waste.

Take it for a spin around the block

RIYL: Luna, Damon and Naomi, Velvet Underground