As we’ve previously reported, The Space are in the slow process of digitising John Peel’s record collection, so people can browse the late, much-loved DJ’s choice cuts, which veer from the sublime to the ridiculous (to the shelves’ worth of similar-sounding punk rock band). ‘D’ is now online – click here to view – where better known names like Daddy Freddy, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and Dick Dale (doinnng) and about 20 records by The Damned rub up against lesser knowns like Daddy Longlegs and Daman. Oh, and some real gems, like Dadawah’s marvelous devotional reggae album Peace & Love, which was reissued a couple of years ago by Honest Jons’ Dug Out imprint.
Previously we’ve sent a couple of intrepid reporters to listen their way through the entire top 100 of ‘A’ and ‘C’. David Stubbs, who took ‘A’ to task, slowly descended into madness and half-baked punk hell. Everett True, who bounded bravely into ‘C’, weathered the barrage in slightly different ways, mixing up Johns Cale and Cage and spontaneously deciding to become a fan of Calexico.