Song of the day for October 25, 2024

Shudder/King Of Snake (Everything, Everything) by Underworld is today’s featured song.
On this day in 2004, BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, a hugely influential figure in British music, died at the age of 65. Peel, Radio 1’s longest-serving DJ, broadcasted regularly from 1967 until his death, and helped to break countless artists during that time – particularly those outside of the mainstream, including prog rock, post-punk, and electronic acts. The DJ was perhaps best known for his unique “Peel Sessions,” which gave (often rising) artists a platform to perform several songs at the BBC studios. During his tenure, more than 4,000 sessions were recorded, including several by Queen (captured between 1973-1977), David Bowie (1967-72), Buzzcocks (1977-79), Nirvana (1989-1991), Underworld (2003-4), and PJ Harvey (1991-2004).
“King of Snake” features a tape-edited guitar intro titled “Shudder”, leading into a lively house track, before fading into sampled dialogue about the blood sport of snake baiting. “Skym” is a minimal ballad, inspired by This Mortal Coil and featuring little more than a solo keyboard and light piano chords over Karl Hyde’s vocals, while “Bruce Lee” has more akin to rock music than trance. Beaucoup Fish also features a downtempo re-imagining of “Push Upstairs”, playfully titled “Push Downstairs”; only the vocal track is kept between the two. “Moaner”, a song featured in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, is presented on Beaucoup Fish in its slightly edited soundtrack album version, previously available on an Underworld CD single.