Sanctuary Records will be releasing "The Complete Peel Sessions" - all of The Wedding Present's sessions for the late John Peel on Monday 26th March 2007.This box set effectively traces the history of The Wedding Present as much as it does their close relationship with the legendary radio presenter, who continually championed the band on his long running BBC Radio 1 show. Commencing with their first session from 1986, it introduces their trademark fast guitars and David Gedge's idiosyncratic song writing. That first session also begins a trend for the group of recording unlikely and compelling cover versions - in this case, Orange Juice's "Felicity". Elsewhere you'll hear renditions of Altered Images' "Happy Birthday" and the "White Horses" TV theme, amongst others. The Wedding Present went on to record twelve studio sessions for Peel, the last of which [in 2004] previewed songs from the then, forthcoming Take Fountain album.The six disc set falls neatly into three CDs of studio sessions and three representing live performances. The former includes their third session from May 1987, which previewed songs from the George Best album six months before it's release, and the band's bizarre excursion into the world of Ukrainian folk music, inspired by guitarist Peter Solowka. The live sessions section comprises their performance for John Peel's 50th Birthday Party in August 1989 plus sets from the Leeds Sounds City, Phoenix and Reading Festivals. The compilation, remastering and artwork has all been carried out under the close supervision of David Gedge and the release comes with extensive sleeve notes by Ken Garner, writer of: "In Session Tonight", the definitive guide to live pop and rock on BBC Radio.
