John Peel's Top Gear - 6th. July 1969

Just like the previous week, Peel arrives for Top Gear the day after attending an outdoor show, this time the Stones' famous Hyde Park concert. In session tonight: Jon Hiseman's Colosseum, The Pretty Things, Ustad Imrat Khan (left) and the John Dummer Blues Band.

The John Dummer Blues Band session is a repeat of the one broadcast on the 18th. May show, but this time there's an extra track, A Few Short Lines. Again, there's very little info out there about most of these sessions, so I've done the best I can. In particular, Indian readers will probably burst out laughing at my woeful efforts to transcribe Imrat Khan's tracks. If anyone can help me with proper track titles though, please drop a line in the Comments section below. I know next to nothing about Indian classical music, but this session sounds like an absolute stormer to me. So I'd like to get it right.

What else do I have to tell you? Oh yes, it's clear that the Peel/Walters relationship is developing nicely here, as there's several quips from John P about his new mate. And Peel bemoans the fact that David Bowie's new single is obviously not bound for the charts. Something called Space Oddity, apparently; whatever happened to that?

There appear to be a few speed issues here again; it seems a little slow at times. Also, it sounds like Peelie has trouble cueing up some of the recordings, as they often start too slowly.

Download (279Mb, 320Kbps MP3)

Further Browsing

Imrat Khan
The Pretty Things
John Dummer Blues Band
Jon Hiseman

Tracklisting

• Fairport Convention - Si Tu Dois Partir
• Third Ear Band - Druid One
• Colosseum - Elegy (session)
• The Pretty Things - No More Spring (session)
• Crosby, Stills & Nash - Pre-Road Downs
• Imrat Khan (tabla: Mahapurush Misra) - Alap N'gat from Rag Kalabati (session)
• [News edit]
• Colosseum - Grass is Greener (session)
• John Dummer Blues Band - A Few Short Lines (session)
• The Pretty Things - Alexander (session)
• David Bowie - Space Oddity
• Steamhammer - Even The Clock
• Colosseum - Jon Hiseman's Condensed History of Mankind (session)
• Dave Kelly (John Dummer Blues Band) - Hard Times (session)
• McKenna Mendelsohn Mainline - Better Watch Out
• Imrat Khan - Rag Tori (session)
• Mothers of Invention - Mr. Green Genes
• The Pretty Things - Marilyn (session)
• Blossom Toes - Kiss of Confusion
• Colosseum - February's Valentine (session)
• Edgar Broughton Band - Love in The Rain
• John Dummer Blues Band - Jungle Blues (session)
• Johnny Winter - I'm Yours And I'm Hers
• The Pretty Things - Send You With Loving (session)
• Top Gear Theme (snippet)