Den engelske punks og postpunks fødselshjælper, inspirator og udbreder, radiodiscjockeyen John Peel, der i 70’erne, 80’erne og 90’erne gennem sine to-timers BBC-aftenprogrammer fra mandag til torsdag lærte så mange af os anderledes og mere spændende, tværgående, helhjertet musik, end den vi allerede kendte, døde pludselig i dag for 13 år siden. Her hans all-time-fave yndlingsnummer…

I september 1981 blev John Peel spurgt af det engelske magasin Smash Hits om en alletiders top-10 over personlige favoritsange. Her hans typisk semiobskure og all-over-the-place liste med kommentarer til:

01.Duane Eddy: Peter Gunn Theme – This is the perfect instrumental
02. The Undertones: Teenage Kicks – In my job I’m always searching for the perfect single and this must come the nearest. My all-time fave.
03. Gene Vincent: Race With the Devil – I often think far too much attention is paid to lyrics. I like this one because the lyrics are unintelligible.
04. The Birthday Party: Release the Bats
05. The Specials: Ghost Town – Definitely the best number one for years and years and years.
06. Andy Capp: Pop-A-Top – This was one of the first Jamaican records to be played on the radio and it is terrific. My wife and I go round the house singing to this, in so far as that’s possible to do!
07. The Fall: How I Wrote Elastic Man – I like The Fall very much and love going to see them every chance I get.
08. Linda Jones: Your Precious Love – This song is both terribly sad and angry at the same time (also sad because the singer is now dead). Just been re-issued.
09. Lee Perry: Baffling Smoke Signal – Lee made the best reggae records ever.
10. Bill Doggett: Honky Tonk – Very sexy. P.S. If you ask me again tomorrow, it’ll probably be all different.