The Perfumed Garden (radio show)

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The Perfumed Garden was the title given by John Peel to his 1967 late-night programme on the British pirate radio station, Radio London. Peel joined the station in March 1967 after returning from California; at a time of dramatic change in pop music, he was intent on reflecting the emerging new directions in his programme. The Perfumed Garden began quietly, in May 1967, when Peel realised that no-one else on the station was listening to its late-night programmes, the after-midnight slot being unpopular with DJs and advertisers alike.

Departing from the station's heavily commercial "Fab 40" playlist, Peel began broadcasting a mixture of folk, blues, psychedelic and progressive rock tracks that he happened to like, announcing them in a laconic drawl which contrasted sharply with the fast-talking, upbeat presentation of most pirate radio disc-jockeys. The first the Radio London management knew of his programme was when it began to receive glowing reviews in the music press. It also attracted a remarkable audience response, with listeners sending in letters and poems very much in the spirit of the times; for many, the programme was an introduction to the music and beliefs of the flower power era. Peel continued his show until anti-pirate legislation forced the station to close in August, 1967. Peel was snapped up by BBC Radio 1, where he remained until his death, broadcasting in a similar, uniquely personal style throughout more than thity years of changing fashions in pop music - and completely ignoring convention.

The BBC presenter, Bob Harris, had a personal reflection on the show, saying how it was unlike any other in its format. ^[1]

[edit] Tribute broadcast

As part of a John Peel tribute marking the second anniversary of his death, BBC 6 Music broadcast four half-hour excerpts from his final Perfumed Garden show on Monday October 23, Tuesday October 24, Thursday October 26 and Friday October 27, 2006. These recordings are part of a "reconstructed" version of the complete show. The best available off-air recordings of the programme have been edited together and digitally cleaned up (although the sound quality is still very tinny), and the musical items have been replaced with CD or LP versions.

[edit] Notes

^ Bob Harris website, personal reflections on John Peel and The Perfumed Garden.[1]

"Broadcasting ‘…in my stoned solitude from the middle of the North Sea …' John Peel suddenly arrived in my life with a mixture of records, poetry, letters and conversation. The format was diverse, the content an absolute revelation. The show was called ‘The Perfumed Garden'. Even the name was exotic. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. It was instantly clear to me that this was a programme that was stepping way outside of the usual boundaries of playlists and format. The airwaves literally crackled with the sounds of a new generation of music…Captain Beefheart, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Love, the Doors, the Incredible String Band. Whoever this person was, I wanted to be him. I wanted to press a button and be there in that studio, finding this amazing stuff, getting these incredible letters from people who were feeling the same way as me and broadcasting it all for as many people as would listen. At that moment I knew that this was my way forward and that I had to stick by this feeling. That it really was possible to go on air, go out on a limb and just play the music you really loved, with no compromise."