A bit like Herman Düne, Gorky's were familiar to me for some years from John Peel's programmes until the day when the penny dropped and the beauty of their music revealed itself to me.
Some people underestimate the value of Peel. They say, "Of course, no one ever liked everything on his shows." That may be true, but they say it as though it proves that his shows were a bit wayward and hit-and-miss affairs. But that was part of their strength. The good bits in Peel's shows were good enough to keep you coming back for more, irrespective of the bits you didn't like at first.
There is a great value in listening repeatedly to music you don't like over an extended period.Maybe that's the hair-shirt po-faced puritan in me speaking again, but I do think you're missing something if you only listen to music that appeals to you on first or second listen. The music you dislike until your fiftieth listen will open doors that you didn't know existed.
I persuaded Lucy to come to a great double bill of Gorky's and Yo La Tengo at Shepherds Bush Empire on 1 March 2004. I told her she'd like both bands, and I was right. This was the same week that I joined eBay, and I think that must have prompted by a conversation with Medwyn, who said he was selling some stuff from his collection — including Spanish Dance Troupe. Bidding for and buying this from Medwyn was like my first 'training wheels' on eBay: I think we arranged to hand over the CD in person, so I was dealing with someone I knew I could trust, and didn't even have to rely on the post.
The title track still gets played on the radio, and it's got such a lovely tune that it never outstays its welcome. Altogether, with 15 tracks in under 40 minutes, it's a little gem of an album.
 MusicBrainz entry for this album
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