The Complete John Peel Sessions collects the six BBC sessions knocked out by the Reid brothers between 1984 and 1989. As with most BBC-related compilations, the end result is a necessity for diehards. Since this covers rather choice material through Automatic -- including a preview of "Far Gone and Out" from 1992's Honey's Dead -- it's not a bad introduction. Since a best-of hadn't seen the light of day at the time of this disc's issue, this is the closest you get to a summary (unless you count the band's trio of singles and rarities packages, which are closer to hit-and-miss or completist fodder). Most significant is a four-song session from 1984 that preceded the release of Upside Down. They arrived at the BBC with their whistling teapots and wood chippers in tow, previewing four songs from Psychocandy. These versions are almost as atomic as the album versions, not quite as willfully abrasive but still powerful. An all-acoustic session from 1985 yields two songs apiece from Psychocandy and a couple singles tracks; "Some Candy Talking" favorably contains a healthy dose of echo. From a pre-Darklands visit, a caustic "Fall" uses less strum, supplanting heavier programmed rhythms. "Happy Place" masterfully tops the B-side version, sounding more like a precursor to My Bloody Valentine's Isn't Anything than anything else they recorded. Two sessions from late '88 and early '89 feature versions comparable to the originals, although it remains a mystery why they decided to cover the Temptations' "My Girl," sucking all of its life and approaching self-parody. Despite this small blemish, the collection makes for a fine feast. It functions as a decent way to get into the band, as well as a great way to get re-familiarized. Just don't forget to eat. -- Andy Kellman
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