John Peel's Festive 50 2001

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As always, Peel made a few resigned mutterings about the narrow horizons of his listeners. But he seemed pleased with the No.1 choice. Daft old brush.

― N., Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Does anyone think the Festive 50 used to be much better? There was that one year when Peel's listeners 'got into dance' in the form of the Dreadzone album and from then on it's been pretty horrific.

Alternative theory: there was that one year I turned 21 and from then on it's been pretty horrific.

― Tom, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like 32 and 45 and know nothing of most of the others. I think the last time I actually deliberately listened to Peel's Festive Fifty was 1996. I presume the #1 was something he fell in love with and played to death until his entire listenership fell under its spell (cf. Bang Bang Machine, The Cuban Boys, Credit To The Bloody Nation).

Didn't Peel once call 1986 'the most conservative chart since 1975'? As if in response, 1987 was full of hip-hop (well, a sprinkling). The only surprising thing about this year's thing is that The Fall had an LP out, but they've nothing above #30.

― Michael Jones, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

well, it pains me to say it, but what a load of old crap. i'm aware of the dangers of "not as good as it used to be"-ism, but different things have high and low points for sure, and this is absolutely awful. very indicative of the contraction of 'indie' over the recent years.

― gareth, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Without wishing to start another debate about what 'indie' is, I feel defensive about Gareth's comment. Although it was indeed a pretty uninspired 50.

― N., Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

in clarification, i think the list is very one-dimensional, representing, to me anyway, a contraction of ,perhaps a certain conception of, indie music. you could make the argument that this has always been the way with the festive fifty, but that is not a viewpoint i would hold. there is something pecularliary inward looking about this list, something which i don't think has been the case with festive fifties ****when i use to listen****

and, of course, theres the problem, personal preference clouds these things (or elucidates them, if you like). is it because i liked slowdive, mbv, whatever else might have been in a previous 50? did it seem more broad then, when in reality it wasn't? a difficult thing to separate out from personal experience, but (pretension to objectivity alert!) i do think this is a pale narrow little list.

the 'conception of indie' thing does raise its head here, of course, and i don't want to enter into that argument here either, but i feel that this festive fifty exemplifies a certain conception of indie (not necessarily the only one of course), a conception of indie cut back to the rump, downsized, back to core values???

― gareth, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah, fair enough. But a JP listener would be justified in saying "Hang on - Mogwai and Camera Obscura sound nothing like each other", would they not?

And Gareth - in my eyes the rot set in when Slowdive made the 50.

― N., Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

and the listener would be correct, those bands don't sound like each other. there is variety in the list, but it is thin on the ground. i just had a quick look at the 1998 festive fifty (i didn't listen to that one either), and that seemed to be a lot more interesting. still relatively narrow, but noticibily different to this one (and yes, that is partly because there are more records in that one that i like). not for a minute do i suggest that the festive 50 should be all Missy, So Solid, Beanie Sigel, Daft Punk whatever, each one of these things should represent different aspects of media/culture.

the interesting thing to address is, is the 50 more drab than previously, or is it the same as always but we have grown away from that? it is interesting because, there seem to be countless cultural commentators bemoaning the quality of music at large (the 'not as good as when i was 17' brigade), and this is something i cannot agree with, but i am happy to pursue a similar line in relation to the festive fifty, which, this year i think, betrays a siege mentality on the part of the peel listener.

― gareth, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

First time I heard Peel since last years festive 50. I didn't hear one band or tune/whatever that made me sit up and take notice. The fact is that if you really like music then being restricted to tunes and melody just won't do anymore.

― Julio Desouza, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

just won't do anymore

I say, that's a bit schoolmasterly.

― N., Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Could there be a more mundane explanation for the perceived narrowness of the list? I think I'm right in saying that for the last few (two? three?) years, votes have been cast on the website - hence bands that can mobilise their "troops" have a chance to make headlines, while more esoteric tracks get left behind. Previously (and again, this is just as I remember it) you submitted a postcard with your top 3 votes, perhaps allowing a few outsiders to slip through. Personally, I don't ever remember the Festive 50 being that good. It's nice to see bands like Saloon and Camera Obscura up there though.

― Andrew Williams, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Maybe Andrew has a point. Bluddy Interweb.

― N., Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

is the 50 more drab than previously, or is it the same as always but we have grown away from that?

Who is this 'we' you are making assumptions about?

I liked the list just fine, it wasn't very 'indie' as far as I can see.. though we may define indie differently.

I thought it was no more narrow than before - say 1981 or 1991 and even if there was a bit of tactical voting being encouraged its no change since 'Spike Milligans Tape Recorder'.

Neither do I detect a seige mentality - isn't it about time the blithe assumptions of the detractors of 'indie (sic) kids' was challenged? I don't know any indie kids that don't like other genres (admitedly thats not a large number of kids) - in general I would suggest that the more pro-dance music commentators have been producing the least interesting year end lists (and especially if they stray into non dance music areas). Dance-narrow critics have worse taste in Rock than Rock-narrow critics have in Dance.

I'm presuming this effect results from the zealotry of the (recent) convert.

― Alexander Blair, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

tunes and melody are still suiting me quite fine. that said, what's this festice 50 thing? every song off the strokes album? is it all singels or what? I actually only heard about half of it or less.

― g, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Having, as I do, virtually no idea what was on the list, I feel that it's absolutely urgent and key for me to declare: what a load of old crap.

― the pinefox, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

By the way, kids - in my classroom, not being into tunes and melody just won't do anymore.

― the pinefox, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

it's a lot narrower than 1981: and while there's plenty of things i like on it (or assume i'd like based on previous form), there's much more that I cd hear w/o recourse to peel than in 1981

― mark s, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What - **YOU** here?????

― the pinefox, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It would be fine it reflected the breadth of his programme, but it's just so narrow. It's like going to a fine restaurant and eating nothing but the bread rolls (without butter).

― Billy Dods, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

yeah i got back last night: how was beanie siegel?

― mark s, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Who?

Breadth of Peel's programme = breadth of a Really Wide Motorway. Lots of cars and lorries making lots of unseemly noise and pouring out pollution. (Breadth of Festive 50 = one lane of motorway?)

― the pinefox, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Camera Obscura are there???

THE TERRORISTS HAF WON.

― Sarah, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Probably the kids just liked the Camera Obscura video. I know I did.

― the pinefox, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Number of people who have seen Camera Obscura video almost certainly not in quadruple figures. But then again, how many people vote in the festive fifty anyway? Are the raw numbers ever revealed?

― RickyT, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

As regards the list in general, it's OK. Nice to see Ballboy in there, Melys's popularity still baffling, Strokes good, White Stripes bad, yadda, yadda. Nothing like my own but then I don't listen to Peel much anymore. I don't think it's any better or worse than it's been since 1990, when I first started paying attention. It does feel a little narrower but I reckon that's as much to do with the broadening of my own horizons as anything else.

― RickyT, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Its a lot narrower than 1981

1981 list

I disagree.

I also disagree with the assumption that this list reflects the range of the listeners' interests - like all first past the post voting systems it over emphisises the support given to the majority.

― Alexander Blair, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

1981 list (as per earlier lists) contains lots of things not released in '81; the next year Peel imposed the 'only this year' rule, and had a separate chart for the all-time favourites.

Just in case you were wondering.

― Michael Jones, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

After looking at the last twenty years' lists I've changed my mind a bit. I now think this list is worse than those of the last few years, but it's still not as brain numbingly dull as the 86 list (or the 81 one for that matter).

― RickyT, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

yo all, i am glad that rickyt is sobering up re: 2001 festive 50 list - overall it is one of the worst ever - never mind the last few years. See my weblog for my take on 2001 list. [and to demonstrate i am not a total indie-pop basher - i actually enjoyed that Camera Obscura track - that vocalist sounds kinda cute! ]

Re: Melys's popularity still baffling - snap rickyt is on the same wavelength as me or did he just read my weblog entry - as I used the word baffles regarding Melys's number one placing ! own up !

― DJ Martian, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm presuming this effect results from the zealotry of the (recent) convert.

an interesting reading! no, i was a raver at 16, and have been into dance music as long as i have been into music. however, my statement above is not an anti-indie tirade (or isn't meant to be one anyway), and isn't meant to be a blithe assumption per se. i was referring particularly to this one definition of indie (unless we are going to assume that the 2001 festive fifty definition of indie is the definitive one? in which case, you would have a point)

― gareth, Monday, 31 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Glad I didn't bother listening/taping this year (for the first time for many a year). In a nutshell, it's pretty much same names as last year minus the alt. country but with added Strokes and White Stripes.

That apart, I think everyone's already said all there is to say. My personal favourite Festive 50s: 1982 and 1987.

― Jeff W, Thursday, 3 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pretty much what anyone would expect - I didn't even bother listening, never mind taping - but a good turnout from Oxford (11,40 and 48). Run Wild should have been there instead of/as well as Crystal, and Wickerman instead of Trees.

My personal favourite Festive 50 would be the '83 listing; Cocteaus, Chameleons, Luddites, Naturalites/Realistics, Sophie and Peter Johnston, "Kicker Conspiracy" - again, quite mainstream-looking now, but for me simply representing lots of good memories, when Laura and I were just starting out together.

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 3 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one month passes...

Ok you might argue the festive 50 is narrower this year, the reason surely is because Peel's show is it's one of the only outlets for fans of grass-roots indie music (I'm not talking about Starsailor here) to have their say on a national level!

There's no national music paper to cover indie bands, no snub TV, everyone knows that Steve Lamacq's hands are tied to his playlist for all but half an hour

I love hearing reggae, dub, world music, country etc on John's show (although some of his choice of dance music is a bit dodgy). It's not all doom and gloom though surely, it's great to see the likes of Saloon, Melys and MeanwhileBICR getting recognition.

I can competely understand why the festive 50 has become indie orientated though. Most of the listeners I know are indie kids, and they want to be heard, the festive 50 is their one voice. How can we begrudge them that. t

― Tony Roman, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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