[.ca] John Peel Sessions Bbc Record

Reasonably exciting live tracks, absolutely no surprises:
All of these 21 live tunes are unreleased. However, the actual songs were released on the 'Psychocandy' and 'Darklands' CDs. If you're looking for new songs, you'll find mostly covers here. (The JAMC were never good at acoustic covers, so even kangaroos can guess what 'My Girl' sounds like). Most of the tunes have the same straight-to-tape sound of the original CDs, except sloppier. Some intense tracks really do terrify (In a Hole, Taste The Floor, Some Candy Talking), I found the rest to be nothing we haven't heard already. OK, but hardly great.

Really cool collection for the JAMC completist.:
While some of the tracks don't differ all that much from their respective album versions, they still have a crispness in these Peel sessions that is nice. The version of Just Like Honey on this disc is a lot better than the album version from Psycho Candy. There are also really nice acoustic versions of Some Candy Talking, Psycho Candy, You Trip Me Up, and Here Comes Alice. In The Rain is an early version of About You. My Girl is definitely a highlight. The version of Far Gone and Out is interesting as it was recorded here for John Peel before it was completed for its respective album, Honey's Dead, so it appears here in almost a demo format. This isn't necessarily a must-have, but in the wake of the JAMC demise in '98, it helped a little to satiate fans and it's nice little thing to have if you've got all the other albums.

Brings ya back:
A good reminder for all who've forgotten what a genius band the JAMC was. The first several track are very early, pre-Psychocandy noise hysteria, but the real revelation is hearing stripped-down acoustic versions of the songs on that album. They're almost more wonderful without all the feedback--pristine, melodic songs whose delicate music runs against their nihilistic lyrics. Things get a bit lame later in the disc with some of the JAMC's less distinguished later tracks, but the acoustic version of "My Girl" is killer.

AWESOME:
I am a JAMC fan and think this album is absolutely great. I believe it clearly captures the magic of the band. And the capital of Nebraska is Lincoln.

• In A Hole
• You Trip Me Up
• Never Understand
• Taste The Floor
• The Living End
• Inside Me
• Just Like Honey
• Some Candy Talking
• Psycho Candy
• You Trip Me Up
• Cut Dead
• Fall
• In The Rain
• Happy Place
• Sidewalking
• Coast To Coast
• Take It
• My Girl
• Far Gone And Out
• Silverblade
• Here Comes Alice