Ukrainian John Peel Sessions
Encyclopedia
Ukrainian John Peel Sessions is a compilation album by The Wedding Present
, originally gathering their first three Ukrainian language
John Peel
radio sessions. It was scheduled to be released in late 1988 by their own record company, Reception Records, but was ultimately released in February 1989 by their new record label
RCA
.
, used to play a Ukrainian folk
tune called "Hopak
" to entertain his friends. When he did so during a radio session the band was recording for the BBC Radio 1
John Peel show, they decided to record the song for the session. The song was received well and, fired by Solowka's enthusiasm, the band decided to dedicate another Peel session to Ukrainian folk songs. Because none of them could sing Ukrainian to any acceptable degree, they decided to invite fellow Leeds
musician "The Legendary" Len Liggins of The Sinister Cleaners, who had read Russian
at University, to sing and play various instruments.
The resulting Peel session's broadcast provoked a reaction of Hang the Dance! member Roman Remeynes, himself fluent in Ukrainian, who jokingly accused the band of bastardising the music. This led to him being invited to join as well for a second Ukrainian-themed Peel session. By this time, original Wedding Present drummer Shaun Charman had been replaced with Simon Smith, coincidentally an ex-Sinister Cleaner himself.
-based division of the independent UK
distribution network, The Cartel
. Red Rhino issued a radio promo of "Davni Chasy" and pressed a batch of the LP for release in late 1988, but went into receivership
before it could actually release the album. Prompted by the demise of their backers, The Wedding Present decided to fold their own record label and sign with a regular record company. Of the original pressing (catalogue number REC010), a small number of copies managed to leave the warehouse; these are nowadays sought after.
After the album's release, the band went on a short British tour that was well received. Bolstered by the success, they recorded a third Ukrainian Peel session. After that, the Ukrainian phase in The Wedding Present's career was over, but Liggins, Remeynes and Solowka decided to continue playing together as The Ukrainians
. Their 1991 eponymous debut album features contributions by all Wedding Present band members.
Peter Solowka
went on to play these and other songs in his new group, The Ukrainians
.
, arranged by David Gedge, except as noted.
The Wedding Present
The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms...
, originally gathering their first three Ukrainian language
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
radio sessions. It was scheduled to be released in late 1988 by their own record company, Reception Records, but was ultimately released in February 1989 by their new record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
.
Origins
The Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, whose father is UkrainianUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, used to play a Ukrainian folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
tune called "Hopak
Hopak
Hopak , also referred to as Gopak or Cossack dance, is a Ukrainian dance. It is performed most often as a solitary concert dance by amateur and professional Ukrainian dance ensembles, as well as other performers of folk dances...
" to entertain his friends. When he did so during a radio session the band was recording for the BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
John Peel show, they decided to record the song for the session. The song was received well and, fired by Solowka's enthusiasm, the band decided to dedicate another Peel session to Ukrainian folk songs. Because none of them could sing Ukrainian to any acceptable degree, they decided to invite fellow Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
musician "The Legendary" Len Liggins of The Sinister Cleaners, who had read Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
at University, to sing and play various instruments.
The resulting Peel session's broadcast provoked a reaction of Hang the Dance! member Roman Remeynes, himself fluent in Ukrainian, who jokingly accused the band of bastardising the music. This led to him being invited to join as well for a second Ukrainian-themed Peel session. By this time, original Wedding Present drummer Shaun Charman had been replaced with Simon Smith, coincidentally an ex-Sinister Cleaner himself.
Aborted Reception Records release
The band intended to release a compilation of the first and second Peel sessions as Українські Виступи в Івана Піла on their independent record label Reception Records, whose distribution was handled by Red Rhino, a YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
-based division of the independent UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
distribution network, The Cartel
The Cartel (record distributor)
The Cartel, usually known as the Cartel without capitalisation but with the definite article, was a co-operative record distribution organisation in the United Kingdom, set up by a number of small independent record labels to handle their distribution to record shops...
. Red Rhino issued a radio promo of "Davni Chasy" and pressed a batch of the LP for release in late 1988, but went into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
before it could actually release the album. Prompted by the demise of their backers, The Wedding Present decided to fold their own record label and sign with a regular record company. Of the original pressing (catalogue number REC010), a small number of copies managed to leave the warehouse; these are nowadays sought after.
RCA release
The company The Wedding Present signed with was RCA, which immediately bought up the Red Rhino batch of the album and pressed a new batch themselves. Українські Виступи в Івана Піла was released in February 1989, backed with a new pressing of the "Davni Chasy" promo. RCA pleaded with the band to have a regular release of the song, better known as "Those Were the Days My Friend", which they were sure would provide them with a Top Ten hit. The band, however, refused. Українські Виступи в Івана Піла reached #22 in the UK albums charts.After the album's release, the band went on a short British tour that was well received. Bolstered by the success, they recorded a third Ukrainian Peel session. After that, the Ukrainian phase in The Wedding Present's career was over, but Liggins, Remeynes and Solowka decided to continue playing together as The Ukrainians
The Ukrainians
The Ukrainians are a British band, which plays traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk.-Career:The Ukrainians were formed in 1990 by Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, with singer/violinist Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes, after all three had played...
. Their 1991 eponymous debut album features contributions by all Wedding Present band members.
Re-release
In 2000, independent record label Fresh Ear Records re-released Українські Виступи в Івана Піла, changing its Latin-alphabet subtitle to Ukrainian John Peel Sessions. The re-release also includes the third Peel session and "Hopak", the song with which it all began, and so compiles all Ukrainian-themed songs recorded by The Wedding Present.Peter Solowka
Peter Solowka
Peter Solowka born in Leeds of Ukrainian and Irish descent was guitarist with the Wedding Present from its inception until 1991 after the recording of the Seamonsters album...
went on to play these and other songs in his new group, The Ukrainians
The Ukrainians
The Ukrainians are a British band, which plays traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk.-Career:The Ukrainians were formed in 1990 by Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, with singer/violinist Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes, after all three had played...
.
Track listing
All tracks traditionalTraditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
, arranged by David Gedge, except as noted.
Side A
- "Давні Часи / Davni Chasy" – 2:56
- "Їхав Козак за Дунай / Yikhav Kozak za Dunai" – 2:23
- "Тютюнник / Tiutiunyk" – 1:20
- "Задумав Дідочок / Zadumav Didochok" – 2:06
- "Світить Місяць / Svitit Misyats" – 2:29
Side B
- Катруся / Katrusya – 2:32
- Вася – Васильок / Vasya Vasyl'ok 2:49
- Гуде Дніпро Гуде / Hude Dnipro Hude – 2:23 (Mikhailo Kuziw)
- Верховино / Verkhovyno – 7:17
Re-release
- Давні Часи / Davni Chasy – 2:56
- Через Річку Через Гай / Cherez Richku Cherez Hai – 3:17 (Trad. arr. Liggins, Remeynes, Solowka)
- Світить Місяць / Svitit Misyats – 2:29
- Тютюнник / Tiutiunyk – 1:20
- Задумав Дідочок / Zadumav Didochok – 2:06
- Їхав Козак за Дунай / Yikhav Kozak za Dunai – 2:23
- Гуде Дніпро Гуде / Hude Dnipro Hude – 2:23 (Mikhailo Kuziw)
- Катруся / Katrusya – 2:32
- Вася – Васильок / Vasya Vasyl'ok 2:49
- Серцем і Душею / Sertsem i Dusheyu – 1:56 (Trad. arr. Liggins, Remeynes, Solowka)
- Завтра / Zavtra – 3:21 (Trad. arr. Liggins, Remeynes, Solowka)
- Гопак / Hopak – 1:27
- Верховино / Verkhovyno – 7:17
The band
- Peter SolowkaPeter SolowkaPeter Solowka born in Leeds of Ukrainian and Irish descent was guitarist with the Wedding Present from its inception until 1991 after the recording of the Seamonsters album...
– accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, backing vocals; lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
on "Hopak" - David GedgeDavid GedgeDavid Gedge is an English musician and songwriter. He is the main songwriter and vocalist in the bands The Wedding Present and Cinerama...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, backing vocals - Keith Gregory – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Shaun Charman – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(3-4, 6-8, 12) - Simon Smith – drums (1-2, 5, 9-11, 13)
Additional musicians
- Len Liggins – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, balalaikaBalalaikaThe balalaika is a stringed musical instrument popular in Russia, with a characteristic triangular body and three strings.The balalaika family of instruments includes instruments of various sizes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest, the prima balalaika, secunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
(1-11, 13) - Roman Remeynes – vocals, mandolin (1-2, 5, 9-11, 13)
Technical staff
- Dale GriffinDale GriffinDale "Buffin" Griffin is an English drummer and founding member of 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople....
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Mike Engels – engineer (12)
- Matt Adhikari – engineer (12)
- Mike Robinson – engineer (1-11, 13)
- Fred Kay – engineer (3-4, 6-8)
Sources
- Peter Solowka, liner notes to the original release and updated version for the Fresh Ear re-release
- Mark Hodkinson, Thank Yer, Very Glad, 1990 (ISBN 0-7119-2106-7)