I could have been a contender

Recently I had the time to pick up my guitar, which is an all too rare occurence these days. When I do so it’s an equally pleasurable and frustrating experience.

I didn’t really start playing the guitar until my early twenties and the ambition was always to play in a band. My early entrance into rock n roll was made with the purchase of a bass guitar for £50 from a mate at work. After this abortive keyboard lessons came and went, before I graduated to the six-string guitar.

One of the main reasons for eventually going to University was partly to get a qualification, but to be honest I thought it would afford me the time to get a band together. The aim was to do a Coldplay who all met at University, and make my millions!!!!

Sadly this wasn’t the case, during my time at University, I was in a number of bands with a few mates, but these bands never made it out of the cold dank rehearsal room we performed at just down the way from our University building.

The main reason for the lack of success was usually the lack of drummer, the lack of songs or the usual cliché of musical differences.

I’m probably overstating this grandly, but after these abortive attempts I decided to go solo. This was certainly the easier option for me to continue my musical endeavours. The problem of a drummer and musical differences were alleviated in an instance.

When I say career. I should state my total career earnings for performing are; £5, a glass of Glenfiddich and all the Caffreys I could drink - when I regularly played at the Wednesday Songwriters’ night at Shenanigans, Bootle

Armed with a number of my own compositions and a couple of covers, I regularly performed in and around Liverpool.

Since 2002, my guitar has been a glorious ornament and has been picked up fleetingly to bash out a riff or two that I can barely remember from years gone by. Every year my list of things to do always includes the bit that says get back into my music and start gigging again.

This summer, I probably came as close as I have done since 2002. During my period off work and when I returned from my holidays, I revisited some of the songs that I had written and previously recorded onto my trusty four-track cassette recorder.

These recordings are ramshackle to say the least – though they do contain some reasonable lyrics that have something redeemable in them, some of the performances though leave a lot to be desired.

Now years later I have a computer with a basic music recording facility, I revisited these songs thinking that technology would help transform these snatches of music into something that I could be proud of. So far, not so good. I think only a handful of these songs are worthy of a wider audience.

It looks like it will be back to the drawing board and I will have to get writing a few more compositions, before I make my great comeback.

Watch this space – though I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Jellyfish – Best (Virgin/Charisma)

The release of Best sees a belated overview of one of those bands whose flame flickered but whose initial spark went out almost as soon as it was ignited.

Jellyfish are a band that warrants a modicum of attention today. 2003 saw the release of a 4 cd box set, followed by this compilation - an abridged version of that particular box set. They set out making their name in an age when their sound was at odds with the prevailing musical culture of the time.
In their lifetime Jellyfish released two albums Spilt Milk and Bellybutton and the band were hampered by line-up changes with each release. The musicians that made up Jellyfish have all remained in the industry in some form but have tellingly never reconvened as Jellyfish at any point down the years. Though principal songwriters Roger Manning and Jason Faulkner have been involved in a number of projects together down the years.

The cliché of musical differences is apt for this band as a third album was aborted as the line-up finally capitulated. The US band certainly mistimed their career, coming to the fore after Baggy and before Britpop. It was quite possibly a case of wrong place, at the wrong time for the band. As their Paul McCartney Wings style may have found an audience in the retro obsessed days of Britpop.

The stand out tracks from this release are The King is Half Undressed a song which was on heavy rotation on MTV in the early 90s, as was the near UK hit The Ghost At Number One – which came close to denting the Top 40.

These tunes certainly are the pick of the album, as well as Ignorance is Bliss but I have to say time has not been too kind and the sum total of this album merges into one continuous loop, with the standout tracks few and far between. There is evidence of quirkiness in some of the songs Ignorence Is Bliss is a good example of how it could have been, but more often than not they have a tendency to resort to a bland MOR style - more akin to third rate Supertramp copyists.

It could be argued that it is the ultimate album for the download age, the afore mentioned songs are the only ones you really need to own.

Best is evidence of band with numerous ideas, but with no coherent vision in which to present them.

Another Place

The Crosby coastline is not the most obvious place you would expect to see works of art.

It’s a coastline that is functional at best. To the south of Burbo Bank you have the docks of Seaforth, to the north you have Formby coastline. It’s a coast that is lapped by the Irish Sea and its reputation was previously based on its polluted state, instead of any cultural or artistic interest.

For the last year Another Place, the work of Antony Gormley – famous for his Angel of the North statue has taken pride of place on the shore.

They are due to remain there until November - where they will be transported to the Hamptons, New York.

Given the imminent 2008 City of Culture celebrations there have been calls for the Iron Men to remain for the duration of these celebrations.

I have been a regular visitor to Burbo Bank over the last few months and have been fascinated by their appeal.

I used to live a mile up the coast and I don’t think I had visited the coast more than once during my 12 years in Hightown. Over the last few months I have been there on a number of occasions.

What is surprising is the fact that locals have met these calls saying that the time has come for them to go. They say that the popularity of the beach with the Iron Men, is ruining the fun for anglers and water sports enthusiasts.

I can’t believe the petty mindedness of some people. These figures should be celebrated and be made more of a feature for this part of the coast. For Christ sake we live on an island – isn’t there enough room to fish or surf.

Hopefully they will stay, but if not catch them while you can.Failing that check out my selection of pictures on Flicker.

Time to go Tony

Is there a less than edifying sight, than seeing someone in a position of power or responsibility clearly not taking the hint that it is time to depart - oblivious to fact that they have lost the trust of those close and more importantly to those that they serve.

For the past few months the rumblings of dissent and a timetable for his removal/resignation have been a convenient distraction for Tony Blair, from the business of government both domestically and abroad.

It is clear now that Tony Blair has outstayed his welcome as PM. The arrogance and the gall of the man is hard to take. He’s a PM who is clearly hanging on for some last year lap of honour/dishonour (depending on what you opinions might be). He has even lined up heavyweight interviews with Chris Evans and Lorraine Kelly – to pronounce his achievements!

He talks about his legacy and how he’ll be remembered. There is a desire to be remembered in the pantheon of great Prime Ministers but his minimal successes at home have been discredited by the cosying up to a despotic American leader, whose policies, in tackling the War on Terror have brought on the increase in terrorist atrocities all over the world.

Blair knows he’ll be remembered as BLIAR - the man who took this country into a war on the back of a Neo-Con agenda on the spurious claims of WMD. Claims based on the spin that has been prevalent throughout his administration and the spin that ultimately led to the death of David Kelly, the unwitting victim, in the government trying to win the hearts and minds of the public with a discredited agenda.

Given that his departure will take place sometime in the future, what makes last week so bad is the that fact that the battle to be Prime Minister or leader of the party won’t be an ideological battle but a battle of the careerists who make up the modern day Labour Party. They have no clear idea of how to shape the future.

At least Blair had a vision – a watered down version of Thatcherism. All we’ll get in the future is a watered down Blairism or Gordon Brown’s own brand, which at least has some foundation in the ethos of the Labour movement.

Last week, the Party was ‘rocked’ by the resignation of eight junior ministers, but the other careerists have clung on to see what they will get out of it when the Blarites and Brownites lock horns at a later date.

It is clearly time to go or else David Cameron – Blair-lite waits in the background. A politician with as much substance as Casper The Ghost and whose whole idea is aping the early days of Blair – he’ll probably be getting the Spice Girls to reform so he can ride on the crest of Cool Britannia II.

It’s time to go Tony…and take that numptie Prescott with you too.

In Defence of Maghull

From the age of 3 and for the next sixteen years of my life, I lived in a town called Maghull, a small town north of Liverpool – fairly nondescript in the grand scheme of things, but it was home.

Many of the affirming moments of my life have taken place in Maghull. So it is a place I look back on with fond memories. You could say the demographics tend to be lower Middle Class and on the whole it’s a relatively pleasant place to live.

That is why it was a shock to find Maghull an entry in the book Crap Towns.

This is a book that lists 50 of the worst places to live in the UK. Here is the actual entry.
Crap Town 37

Population - 50000, Unemployment - 6% Famous People - 0

This dormitory town seven miles outside Liverpool is a mean-spirited, characterless and deluded suburb, which fancies itself as a cut above the rest of Merseyside. Queuing up outside B&Q on a Sunday morning is the closest it gets to culture.

Contains Ashworth, that institution full of psychos which is always in the news. Every Monday, they start the sirens, which wail mournfully at the start of another week in Maghull. (Matthew De Abaitua)


I have to say this is fairly harsh assessment and factually inaccurate assessment of Maghull. The B&Q is actually in Aintree and Frank Hornby, the Inventor is actually from Maghull.

Ok, its quiet, but its certainly doesn’t deserve to be listed with a number of other crap towns that are listed. I could name you five towns in the Liverpool area alone, that should be in book ahead of Maghull.

The wrong has been righted, as it were. In the follow up book, Maghull is not listed as a crap town.

I don't live there and haven't for nearly fourteen years now (god is it that long) I seldom go back these days - though I do drive through it occasionally.

Would I go back to live there? Probably not. I have done my time there. There are other parts of the world that I like to live.

That said, it’s certainly not a crap town.

Crap Towns is quite mean spirited and funny...well worth a read I’d say!!!

Incidentally Hull is Crap Town number one in the copy I have. I have never been there so I can’t pass comment.

It’s a Living Thing

Possibly the main realisation that time is creeping on is the fact that I now own a copy of ELO;s Greatest Hits. A band that was recently voted as a guilty pleasure – though they may never have been a credible band, they do have some virtue.

My younger self would have had recriminations about announcing that particular fact. In all likelihood my younger self would have consulted that arbiter of style - the NME and deemed the purchase un-cool for my collection and bought something they’d recommended, like Menswear.

Over the years I have put together a fairly substantial record collection of varying styles and genres, which by and large - I probably enjoyed at some point and there has been some raeson why they have come into my possession.

While I was off work recently, I have been sorting out the clutter that is my life and I have been having a clearance of stuff that I have accumulated over the years. There is still a lot of rubbish gathering dust in my house, but it’s a start.

The main theme I have noticed is the amount of records that have been put in the pile for removal; are bands that I have bought on the recommendation of the NME.

I used to be an avid reader and trusted their opinions by and large (Another realisation that I’m getting old is that I have now graduated onto reading Uncut - instead of the NME).

The records I have put to one side for removal all have the recurring theme of being the ‘next big thing’. That’s why I own records by Gay Dad, Tiger, Ultrasound and Andrew WK. All records I’d bought on the recommendation of the NME.

The process of chucking them out also gave me the chance to listen some the tunes again. I have to say fairly few survived the cull. A number were posted on ebay with mixed results saleswise.

I'm still stuck with a good number of the records and plan b which will see me deposit the majority of them at the local charity shop.

I'll still consult nme.com or buy the NME, but in this multimedia media age I hope I will be a little more selective - to avoid a similar cull next year.