John Peel's Record Box is a documentary film made by Elaine Shepherd, released on 14 November 2005 on Channel 4. It was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
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Contents The box contains a small private collection of the British radio DJ John Peel who died in 2004 at the age of 65. Peel's main archive contained more than 100,000 vinyl records and CDs. This smaller collection is 142 singles, some of them doublettes, stored in a wooden box representing some of his favourites. According to the documentary, there are no singles by Peel's favourite group, The Fall, because he kept them on a separate shelf.
The film features interviews with John's wife Sheila Ravenscroft, radio DJs and artists including Mary Anne Hobbs, Sir Elton John, Ronnie Wood, Roger Daltrey, Feargal Sharkey, Jack White, Michael Palin and Miki Berenyi.
Inside John Peel's Record Box No. Artist Title Label Year Comments 1 Al Casey "Surfin' Hootenanny""Easy Pickin" Pye International 1963 Dance-Craze Surf Instrumental with female group vocal excerpts 2 Al Ferrier "I'm Not Drinking More""Don't Play Blue Eyes'" Master Trak 1974 Rockabilly 3 Alan Price Set "I Put a Spell on You""Iechyd-Da" Decca Records 1966 A UK Chart hit – John Walters, Peel's long-time producer, was a member of The Alan Price Set, and played on this 4 Andy CappReco "Popatop""The Lion Speaks" Treasure Island 1969 Reggae Skinhead single 5 The Anemic Boyfriends "Guys Are Not Proud""Bad Girls in Love" Red Sweater Records 1980 6 Ann Peebles "I can't stand the rain""I've been there before" London Records 1972 70s Soul track 7 Anti-Social "Traffic lights""Teacher, teacher" Dynamite Records 1977 8 Arthur K Adams "Wildwood flower""It's a wild, wild, wild, wild wildwood flower" Jetstar 1966 R&B/Soul artist 9 Big Stick "Drag racing""Hell on earth" Recess Records 1985 10 Bill Oddie "On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at""Harry Krishna" Dandelion Records 1970 The A side was a version of a traditional Yorkshire dialect folk song, rendered in the style of Joe Cocker's version of The Beatles' song "With a Little Help from My Friends" 11 Boards of Canada "Aquarius""Chinook" Skam Records 1998 12 Bobby Lee Trammell "If you ever get it once""Don't you know I love you" Alley Records 1964 White R&B-Rock & Roll artist 13 Cat Power "Headlights""Darling Said Sir" The Making of Americans 1994 14 Charlie Feathers "Nobody's darling'""Deep elm blues" Holiday Inn Records 1962 Rockabilly 15 Charlie Feathers "Nobody's woman""When you decide" King Records 1957 16 Charlie Feathers "Wild wild party'""Today and tomorrow" Memphis Recordings 1961 Rockabilly 17 Charlie Feathers "Tongue-tied Jill""Get with it'" Meteor Records 1956 repressing again 18 Charlie Feathers "Too much alike'""When you come around" King Records 1957 repressing 19 Cheeze "Dancin with the Dead - Dancin queen""Direwolf" Bob Records 1989 Produced by Steve Albini 20 Clague "The stride""I wonder where" Dandelion Records 1969 21 Clefs of Lavender Hill "Stop! - Get a ticket""First tell me why" Date 1966 Minor garage-pop hit, also released on UK CBS 22 Cleveland Crochet "Sugar bee""Drunkards dream" Goldband 1960 23 Don Covay "It's better to have""Leave him" Mercury 1973 Soul 24 Don French "Lonely Saturday night""Goldilocks" Quality 1959 Canadian issue 25 Dreamland Express "Groovy""u.f.o" EMI 1980 26 Eazy Teeth "Car noise""Her blade" Dental Records 1980 Artwork for 7-inch front cover by Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart 27 Eddie & Ernie "I believe she will""We try harder" Chess 1964 Soul artist 28 Eddie & Ernie "Outcast""I'm gonna always love you" Eastern 1965 Northern Soul 29 Eddie & Ernie "Time waits for no one""That's the way it is" Eastern 1964 Soul artist 30 Electro Hippies "Sheep" / "Starve The City (To Feed The Poor)" / "Meltdown" / "Escape" / "Deadend" / "Thought" / "Chickens" / "Mother" / "Mega-Armageddon Death" Strange Fruit 1987 31 Elmore James "The sky is crying""Standing at the crossroads" Flashback Records 1959 1970s re-release of 1960 hit 32 Firemen "Old Smokie""Louie's Theme" Le Cam 1964 33 Freshmen "You never heard anything like it""Bombing run" Release Records 1979 34 G. L. Crockett "It's a man down there""Every hour, every day" 4 Brothers 1965 R&B-Blues 35 G. L. Crockett "Look out Mabel""Did you ever love somebody" Checker 1965 re-release of alternate version 36 Geater Davis "For your precious love""Wrapped up in you" House of Orange 1971 37 Gene Dozier & The United Front "Give the women what they want""The best girl I ever had" Mercury 1974 B-side is popular in Northern-Modern Soul 38 Golinski Brothers "Bloody""Toy" Badge Records 1980 39 The Greenhornes "Shadow of grief""Stayed up last night" Italy Records 2000 40 Hooton 3 Car "Danny""Numena" Rumblestrip Records 1995 41 Idle Race "Here we go round the lemon tree""My father's son" Liberty 1967 Issued in the US and Europe but not in UK. In the UK the song was issued by a Roy Wood related group The Move. 42 Izzy Royal "Coronation St""Coronation Dub" WEA 1983 Reggaefied version of the TV theme 43 Jane Bond and The Undercover Men "Hot rod Lincoln""Come on up" Ear Movies Records 1982 44 Jerry Byrd "Memories of Maria""Invitation" Monument 1961 45 Jody Reynolds "Endless sleep""Western movies" Liberty 1958 the B-side is an Olympics 1958 track, perhaps a 1970s reissue 46 Johnnie Taylor "I've been born again""At night time" Stax 1974 Classic Soul artist 47 Johnny Adams "You're a lady""I wish it would rain" Atlantic 1972 Classic Soul artist 48 Johnny Fortune "Dragster""Soul surfer" Sonet 1964 49 Ken Colyer's Jazzmen "If I ever cease to love" / "Bucket's got a hole in it""Wildcat blues" / "Wabash blues" Tempo Records 1953 UK jazz group, on UK mid 50s EP 50 La peste "Black""Better off dead" Black Records 1978 51 Larry Bright "Mojo workout""I'll change my ways" Tide 1960 52 Laurie Anderson "O Superman""Walk the dog" One Ten Records 1981 No. 2 UK hit, a very long hypnotic synth-pop track 53 Lee Perry "Bafflin' smoke signal""Black smoke signal" Black Arc 1978 Reggae 54 Lightnin' Hopkins "Mojo hand""Glory be" Flashback Records 1960 1970s reissue 55 Marc Bolan Marc Bolan talking to Stevie Dixon"Jennifer Sharp, Steve" Ube/Pye Records 1973 56 Mary Monday and her Bitches "I gave my punk jacket to Richie""Popgun" Malicious Productions 1977 57 Max Romeo "Sipple out deh' Lee Perry""Revelation" Upsetter 1976 Reggae artist 58 MC5 "Looking at you""Borderline" A-Square Records 1968 2 copies. "Kick Out The Jams" was their known hit with the spoken intro 59 Medicine Head "Coast to coast""All for tomorrow" Dandelion Records 1970 60 Medicine Head "His guiding hand""This love of old" Dandelion Records 1969 61 Mel and Tim "Starting all over again""It hurts to want it so bad" Stax 1972 Big USA Soul hit, Best known in UK for "Backfield in Motion" song from 1969. 62 Maow featuring Neko Case "Kat nip" / "One night stand" / "Anthem" / "Kill kill kill" / "Catastrophe" / "Boy groupies" Twist Like This Records 1992 63 Mickey Lee Lane "Tutti Frutti""With your love" Mala 1968 White R&B-rock artist best known for his 1965 "Hey Sah-Lo-Ney" and "Shaggy Dog" 45s 64 Mike Spenser and The Cannibals "Good guys""Nothing takes the place of you" Big Cock Records 1978 B-side (cover of Toussaint McCall) preferred. 65 The Nice "The thoughts of Emerlist Davjack""Azrial (Angel of Death)" Immediate 1967 UK prog art rock pop 66 Nilsson "Without You""Gotta Get Up" RCA 1971 The big ballad UK No 1 hit 67 Nilsson "Everybody's Talkin'""Don't Leave Me" RCA 1968 Midnight Cowboy film song 68 Nilsson "Kojak Columbo""Turn Out The Light" RCA 1975 69 O. V. Wright "That's how strong my love is""There goes my used to be" Goldwax 1964 USA R&B-Soul artist 70 Paul Blake & The Blood Fire Posse "Every posse get flat""Flat out" Studio Work 1984 Early Reggae Dancehall hit 71 Paul Revere & The Raiders "Him or Me – What's It Gonna Be?""Legend of Paul Revere" CBS 1967 USA Garage-pop group 72 Pavement "Demolition Plot J-7: Forklift" / "Spizzle trunk" / "Recorder grot" / "Internal K-Dart" / "Perfect depth" / "Recorder grot" Drag City 1990 73 Pocket Fishrmen "Yr story""The leader is burning" Noiseville 1989 74 The Quads "There must be thousands""You've gotta jive" Big Bear Records 1979 Sometimes mistakenly listed with A and B sides reversed 75 Ray Martin "Blue tango""Belle of the ball" Columbia Records 1952 One of the first 45 rpm records issued in UK in early 1953. Also the first record that Peel bought 76 Revelino "Step on high""Memoreason" Musicdisc 1996 77 Rod Bernard "This should go on forever""Pardon Mr. Gordon" Jin Records or Argo Records 1958 USA Rock & Roll-Pop artist 78 Roshell Anderson "The Grapevine Will Lie Sometimes""Such A Beautiful Thing" Contempo 1974 USA Soul artist 79 Roy Head "Treat her right""So long, my love" Vocalion 1965 USA white R&B-rock artist 80 Sam & Dave "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down""Soothe me (live)" Stax 1966 Original version of Elvis Costello's 1980 hit record 81 Sasha Caro "Grade 3 section 2""Little maid's song" Decca Records 1967 Obscure UK artist who also released '"Molotov Molotov"/"Never Play a B Side"' 82 Scrugg "Will the real Geraldine please stand up and be countered""Only George'" Pye 1969 John T Kongos psychedelic-pop act, last of 3 singles 83 Sheena Easton "9 to 5""Moody" EMI 1980 UK Scottish female artist who got her break on a BBC TV show 84 Sipho Bhengu & His Alto Sax "Tickey dopies""I saluti" Inkonkoni 1971 South African Music 85 Soledad Brothers "Sugar & spice""Johnny's death letter" Italy Records 1998 with Jack White 86 Some Chicken "New Religion""Blood on the Wall" Raw Records 1977 87 Spit Out "O from I""Tan""Rot'n'roll'" Ma Frog Records 1996 88 Stanley Winston "No more ghettos in America""It's alright" Jewel 1970 89 Status Quo "Down Down""Night Ride" Vertigo 1974 UK No 1 hit 90 Supersister "No tree will grow""She was naked" Dandelion Records 1971 91 The Beatles "Come Together""Octopus's Garden""Something" Melodiya 1969 Likely an East European issue of semi-legal status 92 The Big Three "You've Gotta Keep Her Under Hand""If You Ever Change Your Mind" Decca Records 1964 Early Merseybeat group 93 Buzzcocks "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)""Just Lust" United Artists 1978 UK chart hit 94 The Factory "Path through the forest""Gone" MGM 1968 UK Psychedelic 95 The Galactic Symposium "Y.M.C.A""Money " Vague Records 1978 96 The Legion of Super-Heroes "The great name dropper part 1""The great name dropper part 2" Amy Records 2000 97 The Mark Four "Hurt Me If You Will""I'm Leaving" Decca Records 1965 Mod Beat UK group, later named The Creation, who had hits with "Making Time" and "Painter Man" 98 The Mighty Avengers "So Much in Love""Sometime They Say" Decca Records 1964 UK beat group, A side is a Rolling Stones song 99 The Misunderstood "I Can Take You To The Sun""Who do you love?" Fontana 1966 USA Garage-Psych group 100 The Move "I Can Hear the Grass Grow""Wave the flag and stop the train" Deram 1967 UK 1967 big chart hit, related to 'Idle Race' record above 101 The Negatives "Love is not real""Stakeout" Look 1979 102 The Nightcaps "Wine wine wine""Nightcap rock" Musicor 1959 USA Rock & Roll group 103 The Ramrods "Riders in the sky""Zig zag" London American 1960 Big hit in USA & UK. Song also known as "Ghost Riders in the Sky" 104 The Smoke "My Friend Jack""We can take it" Columbia Records 1966 Banned UK mod psych track 'My friend Jack eats sugarlumps...' 105 The Squirrels "Oz on 45""Alone again" PopLlama 1988 106 The Undertones "Teenage Kicks" / "True Confessions""Smarter Than U" / "Emergency Cases" Good Vibrations 1978 The first issue of this classic track in a custom fold-around sleeve, before the 'Sire' hit issue 107 The Upholsterers "Makers of high grade suites""I ain't superstitious" / "Pain" Sympathy for the Record Industry 2000 108 The Upsetters "Bucky skank""Yucky skank" Down Town 1973 Reggae Roots by Lee Perry