Ian Peel (journalist)

Ian Peel (born 1972) is a British journalist, author and music archivist. He is best known for his work for The Guardian and Classic Pop magazine, and for his work with ZTT Records.

12" Remixes

Peel is a commentator on, and curator of, 12-inch single and remixes. He wrote Classic Pop magazine's Top 50 12"s of the Eighties special edition,[1] and curated three volumes of the compilation series The Art of the 12".[2] In 2016 he wrote the Afterword of Rob Grillo's book, Is That The 12" Remix?.[3]

Peel used 12" remixes and rare edits to curate the soundtrack to In The AM, a film by The The. The soundtrack itself was released as In The AM (Ian Peel Mix) as the closing track on The The's compilation of 12" mixes, Stretched,[4] and as part of the group's box set, London Town 1983-1993.[5]

According to the Penny Black music blog, "Most of the tracks on The Art of the 12” - which has been described by Peel on its cover as “150 minutes of blockbusters, rarities, vanities and mysteries” - have either never been released before on CD or sometimes at all."[6]

ZTT Records curator

Peel has spent many years archiving and curating the work of ZTT Records, Trevor Horn and Sarm Studios. His work on the ZTT tape store was profiled by The Word magazine in 2010: "What Ian inherited was a ton of rotting cardboard boxes and a cataloguing nightmare," reported Andrew Harrison. "What he found, though, is dazzling to anyone who loves the work of Trevor Horn and the profligate madness of ZTT. With its antiquated floppies and hard discs the size (and weight) of lorry tyres, this room crystallises a pause between the old world of Take 1 and Take 2 and the future in which everything would be infinitely malleable."[7]

His work has in this field has led to the release of more than 50 CD/vinyl releases, compilations, box sets and gallery exhibitions. In a piece titled Ian Peel’s one-man campaign takes another brilliant twist, Kris Needs wrote in Record Collector, "Considering that everything which ZTT touched during their early 80s purple patch immediately seemed to swell to widescreen proportions, it’s fortuitous that Ian Peel, though only a teenage record-buyer at the time, shares their panoramic visions when it comes to the reissue programme he’s been lovingly masterminding since last year. It seems he won’t rest until every reel from production supremo Trevor Horn’s archives has been distilled into one of his lavish double-disc sets, his accompanying sleevenotes always an invaluable source of facts and memorabilia."[8]

Paul McCartney's experimental work

Having participated in TV and radio documentaries,[9] Peel has become a noted commentator on Paul McCartney's experimental oeuvre, as author of the 2002 biography The Unknown Paul McCartney, McCartney and the Avant-Garde, described as "an odd and interesting reframing of McCartney as experimentalist".[10]

It is the only book thus far to offer an in-depth history and analysis of McCartney's work in the field of experimental and avant-garde music, notably under the pseudonyms Thrillington and The Fireman, on projects such as Liverpool Sound Collage and Carnival of Light (with The Beatles), and as occasional collaborator with Allen Ginsberg, Brian Wilson and Yoko Ono. The foreword was written by David Toop.

One review commented that "Peel goes to lengths to put forward the argument that though the seemingly 'constantly cheerful one' may have been responsible for the MOR apocalypse of Wings, experimentation in other genres was never far away."[11] Another noted that "Although Peel spends much of the book setting stages, discussing Cage, Eno, IDM and so on, who else would even have dreamt up such a thesis?"[12]

While McCartney was not directly involved in the biography, The Guardian remarked in 2007 that "His implicit approval... suggested an attempt to correct a misperception."[13]

Bibliography

As contributor:

Discography (Liner notes)

References

  1. Classic Pop (31 July 2013). "Classic Pop Issue 6 Is On Sale Now! with David Bowie, Tears for Fears, Belinda Carlisle, Kate Bush and more". Anthem Publishing. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  2. Fischer, Bob (7 February 2011). "BBC Tees - Bob Fischer talks to Ian Peel about The Art of the 12", 07.02.11". BBC Tees. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  3. Rob Grillo (8 September 2016). "Thanks to Ian Peel... for penning the afterword to this new book". Twitter. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  4. The The (2011). "Jukebox". TheThe.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2006. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  5. Discogs.com (20 May 2016). "London Town 1983 - 1993". Discogs.com. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  6. Clarkson, John (21 January 2011). "Ian Peel/The Art of the 12'". pennyblackmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  7. Harrison, Andrew (May 2010). "Tuum Raider". The Word (magazine). Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  8. Needs, Kris (March 2011). "Ian Peel's one-man campaign takes another brilliant twist". Record Collector. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  9. Corcelli, John (27 December 2012). "The other side of Paul McCartney". CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  10. Gottschalk, Kurt (17 November 2013). "Review of The Unknown Paul McCartney: McCartney and the Avant-Garde". Goodreads. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  11. Mattinson, Peter (17 November 2013). "Review of The Unknown Paul McCartney: McCartney and the Avant-Garde". No Ripcord. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  12. Gottschalk, Kurt (17 November 2013). "Review of The Unknown Paul McCartney: McCartney and the Avant-Garde". Goodreads. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  13. Bennun, David (21 May 2007). "The solo Paul McCartney is a major lightweight". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
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