The Peel Sessions
The Peel Sessions collects the songs The Cure recorded for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show on 4 December 1978. The session went out a week later, on 11 December 1978, and it was a significant early step for a band yet to release their debut album. The recordings were not issued until 1988, when Strange Fruit put them out on 12" vinyl, CD and cassette.
It sits at the very start of the group's story, a few months before Three Imaginary Boys arrived in 1979 and long before the grand sweep of Disintegration. Music journalist Jeff Apter called the session "just the seal of credibility the band needed". The EP reached number 7 on the UK Independent Singles Chart, which suggests how keenly it was received. For anyone who loves the band's post-punk beginnings, it is a fine way to hear them in that early moment.
The Peel Sessions: tracklist and credits
4 tracks · 12:27Tracklist
- 1Killing an ArabDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:31
- 210:15 Saturday NightDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst3:48
- 3Fire in CairoDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst3:21
- 4Boys Don’t CryDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:47
- Produced by
- Tony Wilson
- Recorded at
- Maida Vale Studios: Studio 4
- Recorded
- 4 December 1978
- Label
- Strange Fruit
- Length
- 12:27
Line-up
- Michael Dempsey · bass guitar, vocals
- Robert Smith · guitar, vocals
- Lol Tolhurst · drums (drum set), background vocals
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
More from The Cure
Full discography →
The best of 1988
All of 1988 →
More on Strange Fruit
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date only year precision available
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 1988 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 1988 | |
| Wikidata | 1988 | |
| US release | 1988 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1988 | earliest UK or European date |
8 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | GB | Strange Fruit | original | |
| 1988 | US | Dutch East India Trading | 017531834127 | original |
| 1989 | XE | Castle Communications | 027726005027 | other |
| 1989 | US | Castle Communications | 027726000503 | other |
| 1991 | FR | Strange Fruit | 3383006422074 | other |
| 1991 | GB | Strange Fruit | other | |
| 1991 | FR | Strange Fruit | 3383006720156 | other |
| 1991 | GB | Strange Fruit | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · padded: padded: 400x349 cover placed on a 1500px square (not square at source)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 400×349 | padded: padded: 400x349 cover placed on a 1500px square (not square at source) |