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The Olivetti Chronicles | 
| Author: John Peel
Publisher: Bantam Press
Category: Book
List Price: £20.00
Buy New: £10.00
You Save: £10.00 (50%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 842
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.7
ISBN: 059306061X
EAN: 9780593060612
ASIN: 059306061X
Publication Date: October 23, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
 Thanks to the family December 29, 2008
One of the joys of listening to both John Peel's Music (as I did in the 70s and 80s on BFBS) and Home Truths was that you were never sure what was coming next. In listing the articles alphabetically, rather than chronologically, John's family have captured that experience in print. The vagaries of titling lead one from Disc to Sounds to The Guardian, The Independent and The Radio Times, hopping in time from the early 70s to pieces written shortly before John's death. These then, are non-chronological chronicles. Very Peelian.
John's writing style matured with him; some of the early pieces are very much of their time, with bizarre phrases thrown in at random. John never missed the chance to talk football, specifically Liverpool, so many pieces lead one unexpectedly in that direction. There is a good index, which will no doubt prove useful as one tries to track down an amusing comment to read again.
Margrave of the Marshes, John's biography, was and is a wonderful book, all the more remarkable for being only partially written by John. This is pure John. I couldn't help wondering if there would be more to come. Not too many of John's Radio Times columns were featured, and I can remember that they were the reason I chose the RT over 'the other listings magazines that are available'. Many weeks I wiped away tears at John's musings. Could the family - or the BBC - have something else yet to come for us?
 A mIxed Bag December 18, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Peel was always something of an enigma - very much the maverick, trend setting DJ but also strangely part of the establishment and that comes out in this book, which collects together many of his articles and columns for a variety of sources from Disc and Sounds magazines to the Radio Times.
The fact that the articles are not in chronological order tends to lead to confusion as you suddenly realise that he has jumped 20 years. Peel's strengths were in writing about music and it's interesting in the cold light of day to look back on his musings on the likes of the Fall and Captain Beefheart.
Unfortunately his general writing can be very obtuse and quite aggressive and I found this at times quite confusing and even obtuse. There is no doubt that when Peel died we lost a gem of a man who brought so much raw and new music to the public's attention. Sadly his columns written on his old Olivetti typewriter (hence the title) are not quite the art form that publications employing him would have us believe. And I have to put him right on one aspect. He regularly refers to Ipswich as a city. Ipswich is a town, it has never been awarded city status.
Great Stuff December 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A great nostalgic read. Perfect for the 40 somethings who can recall many of the events featured in the articles which were written in the 70s. It will jog your memory to forgotten bands, such as Snafu. I can remember them playing the Ipswich Gaumont around 1975. Living in Suffolk, I still find it hard to believe that John is not around, I used to see him accommpanying Sheila to matches at Portman Road on occasions. Such a great man.
The best book since the last one October 23, 2008
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
I loved the last John Peel book, Margrave of the Marshes, and was horribly sad to think there could never be another one. Well, happily, I was wrong. Here is another one. A whole volume of Mr Peel's finest writings from over the years on all sorts of brilliant, bizarre and very Peelie subjects. A complete and utter joy from start to finish. You need this in your life!
 Ipswich - a black hole. October 22, 2008
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
I read the article entitled Ipswich, from this collection the other day, on the basis that i was born and brought up there. It details a Peel DJ gig in the town....in which nobody turns up. He is back home and having his dinner by 9.30 having turned the wheels of steel to no-one at all. This just about sums up my disdain for my home town in terms of cultural pursuits and its inability to embrace anything at all beyond Jim Davidson and Frankie & Benny style chain diners. Its a black hole for entertainment and enjoyment. So its funny that Peel should have lived so close to it. Whats the rest of the book like? What do you think? Its Peel. He's the don. Stick it on your chuffing christmas list.
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