FIRST came the cloudburst of biographies, then last winter's autobiography, and now the life of John Peel is celebrated with a deluge of albums collated from his late-night eerie at BBC Radio One.

Wife Sheila's selection of 12-inch Peel favourites and an All Time Festive Fifty retrospective of rather too obvious choices (The Smiths, Wedding Present, The Fall) are joined by Universal Music Catalogue's set of previously unreleased Peel Sessions by the likes of Pulp, led off by Jarvis Cocker's first BBC recordings at a callow 18, and Gene from the fop end of Britpop.

Typical of Peel's talent-spotting, Siouxsie and The Banshees' first two sessions on Voices On The Air (**) were recorded in Siouxsie's Nazi insignia days before signing a record deal, and Love In A Void and Hong Kong Garden have an scary, exotic thrill about them before she turned fairytale ice queen.

The pick of the first quartet is House Of Love's The Complete John Peel Sessions (****), which affirms once again that Guy Chadwick's wry guitar band should have been the link between The Smiths and Suede.

From House Of Love to The Housemartins, the self-styled fourth best band in Hull. Live At The BBC (Universal ***) has brisk early Peel tracks, a cappella gospel hollering, songs that never made an album and the best ever rendition of Build (Peel again). The best band in Hull, forever.

It took Go! Discs three years to release The La's debut album, and maverick frontman Lee Mavers so hated those over-worked recordings, his cult Liverpool quartet has never made another record. BBC In Session (Universal ****) is The La's without the studio finery, and these primordial versions are a unbridled joy, from Way Out, through a meatier There She Goes, to a final Feelin' with real feeling.

Billy Bragg, Englishman of the Year with his book The Progressive Patriot and his anti-Fascist tour, presents Volume Two (Cooking Vinyl ****) of his archives, adding DVDs and bonus CDs of unreleased tracks to Workers Playtime, the over-cooked Don't Try This At Home and his less essential later works, William Bloke and England, Half English.

By comparison, Warner/Rhino's re-issue of five Jesus And Mary Chain albums with no B-sides or videos is a missed opportunity, although Psychocandy (*****) should be in every glum home.