#1985 music

Assuming nothing bad - OK, nothing worse - happens  before next year, Elton John is staging his Gojira-carbon-footprint farewell tour, before hanging up the dayglo wardrobe and comedy face-furniture and putting his feet up with an endless supply of tea.

For most of its run, John Peel would present on his radio show, around year’s end, the Festive Fifty.  This consisted of tracks voted for by his listeners from the past year,  fleshed out with session tracks also from the previous twelve months (usually).

OnChristmas Day 1985, as a bonus, Peel included a rarity from exactly twelve years before, something seemingly very out of place in the line-ups of his shows at that time.  It proved stupidly popular.  As was his custom he added some commentary before and after each track to, on this occasion, provide some context.

On the 18th of December 1973 Elton John recorded this live session at BBC’sLangham 1 studio for The John Peel Show.

John Walters, John Peel’s radio show producer, had posited the idea and arranged the whole thing.  Though ‘arranged’ may give the ensuing drink-fueled event the illusion of being, in some manner, organised…

In attendance apart from Walters, Peel and of course Elton - and the specially hired upright pub piano (honky-tonk to any American’s lurking) - were a few other BBC Radio 1 producers and hangers on and Teddy Warwick. Warwick was the Assistant Head and Executive Producer at Radio One and  was responsible for John Peel having his independence from the all-powerful “Playlist” which blighted and retarded daytime radio.

The session was atypical of Elton’s pop output and perceived persona at the time and was a very relaxed occasion.  Liberties were taken.  Peel - “What fun we used to have in those days.”

Broadcast a week later on Christmas Day 1973 during John Peel’s radio show the session comprised four largely instrumental medleys, except for the last one. Which some of his more doe-eyed fans would probably wish had *remained* instrumental…

The Christmas Medley:Away In A Manger / Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer / White Christmas / Jingle Bells / The Holly & The Ivy.

The Dylan Medley:Blowin’ In The Wind / She Belongs To Me / Mr. Tambourine Man

The Cockney Pub Medley:There’s a Hole In My Bucket / My Old Man’s a Dustman / Lily Of Laguna / Down At The Old Bull And Bush / Knees Up Mother Brown / Hokey Cokey

The Elton Medley:Daniel / Your Song

John Peel was a known hard-core Liverpool F.C. fan.  Elton was/is a known hard-core Watford F.C. fan, and indeed went on to part-own the club for a time.

Hence the “Watford Four, Liverpool Two - after extra-time” dig from Elton during the last medley and Peel’s own “Midfield general” comment in this 1985 re-broadcast.

I was never a fan of Elton John’s later stadium crooning.  The bewigged wind-candling, as it were, out of place, out of touch and clinging to mainstream populism.  Though, of course, that was his to do and why should he stick to what he did before?  Nevertheless, his early output was piano rock'n'roll that would make Billy Joel sick with envy.  And this small outing, which is adroitly skewed and fabulous, showed his genuine humour and an irreverence for his own work. Somewhat at odds with the public figure loved by the tabloids and celebrity magazines alike in later years.

Elton John 1973/85 John Peel Session, with commentary can be found here.Enjoy.

Mötley Crüe - Theatre of Pain era.