BBC Sessions

K Roberts and J Blaiburg

Faust Mailing List, 2001

On the BBC Sessions

We discussed the question of the different versions of this release on the Faust Mailing List, and useful comments were made by Keef Roberts and Joel Blaiberg

Keef Roberts started the discussion.

Broadcast date of the BBC session was either 1st March '73 or 3rd January '73, but it has a publishing date of 72, so it was probably made late '72. If memory serves Faust didn't perform live in the BBC studio as such but Kurt apparently sent a tape instead to Peel (this info from Zappi and Jean-Hervé, when they performed at Real Art Ways in CT and I had the chance to see them - Jean-Hervé also does not remember doing anything at all for the BBC, and points out that Do So is on Faust Tapes in the Faust Box alternate book that you got when you ordered from ReR. My educated guess is that the tape was made during '72 but was sent and broadcast for March (I say this because the release date for Tubular Bells is 25th March '73; it was the first Virgin -- Faust Tapes and Faust IV are both in the first 10 releases). Perhaps Chris Cutler knows?

My copy of this record (#199) is the same as the BBC+ disc in the box except Party 9 and (360 deg) are fused as one track, as yours appears to be. So Far and Meer are the alternate versions found on the CD. Mine has the A&B as you describe, but my cover is white with label hole. It does not include Party 10, Party 1, or Hallo Men. Mine was purchased from a collector about 1997 who listed it as Kisses For Pythagoras but I've never been able to figure out if this is a bootleg or if it's authorized. You've got it listed in your discography as 1996 from ReR (is this one of the records that Jean-Hervé was nakedly painting the covers for during the USA shows then?) Perhaps KfP is an alternate title for the BBC sessions tape?

Dr Joel Blaiberg added the following comment.

My tuppence :-)

Just dug out my copy of the BBC Sessions/Kisses For Pythagoras 12". The BBC Sessions side is exactly the same as that on the BBC Sessions + disc (The Lurcher, Kraut Rock, Do So). However, Kisses For Pythagoras seems to be a greatly extended version of the very brief Noizes From Pythagoras from You Know Faust. The label info appears to corroborate this as the BBC Sessions side is copyright 1973 while the KfP side is copyrighted 1996.

I've never seen the 12" both you and Keef possess but would hazard a guess that it was either a promo or bootleg made of some of the tracks that were to appear on the BBC Sessions + disc.