Bill Callahan Releases Smog’s 2001 Peel Session Featuring Beautiful Child

On November 22, Bill Callahan is set to unveil his 2001 Peel Session as Smog through Drag City.

This special EP was recorded at the BBC’s Maida Vale studio for John Peel, and it’s titled The Holy Grail: Bill Callahan’s “Smog” Dec. 10, 2001 Peel Session. Callahan mentioned that someone once described this EP as having a “Twin Peaksy” vibe. He added, “Not in a Badalamenti, torch-song way—a deeper connection. I can see that.” You can listen to one of its tracks called “Beautiful Child” below.

Callahan shared more thoughts in the press release:

This recording feels like a time capsule to me, maybe more than any other music I’ve made. Music captures moments and somehow manages to feel timeless—sometimes it succeeds in doing so; sometimes it doesn’t. But with sessions like this one on the radio, there’s something different about them. Everything is live; it’s all done in one go without any edits or changes afterward. The BBC engineers ran things their way—not how I usually do it—which made it unique: “remember that day we did that?” It’s not just about the sounds but also the memories of being there—the smell of the studio and all those little details make it special. This felt more like performing because our audience (the engineer and producer) were new faces for us—British folks who liked milk in their tea while we sipped our black coffees like Dale Cooper.

Fans sometimes wonder if they’ll ever get to experience such raw performances themselves.

Callahan reflected on each of the four songs included: