Mickeyboro

Blue is our a North American correspondent…😎

Now they were a great band…😂

Now I’m left squinting at the backdrop banner. Please folks, tell us what your band is called - don’t be shy!

That’s not unusual…😉

Tom Jones appears to still have it… and surrounds himself with great musicians (Dave Bronze, Scott McKeon).

That sounds remarkably like another Two Ronnies sketch… probably unbroadcastable! 😬

All the very best from the man who sold you the original Telebass!

Like you, Pete, Rod was my entry point to rock. And many of the points you make are valid. American Songbook was thrown out of my house! I have to say, though, that seeing him in Vegas in 2016 I was, despite myself, impressed. He did 90 minutes, the length of a football match, waved the solos round when he could, let his backing singers do a number and avoided songs like Sailing which would have shown him up. By the time we were out of the door he was at the airport preparing for the short hop home. Game management in football-speak. A month later we saw Macca in Portland. Three-hour shows, a different city every night, lead vocals on every song… Different strokes for different folks. At least the likes of Dylan and Ian Hunter don’t have that problem - they never had a voice to lose! 😂

A bit like we’ve done with John Lennon for the past 40 years…😉

That’s an interesting point in itself. Wilko has based much of his career around nine or ten songs which he has played everywhere from boozers to the Albert Hall. The size of venue and audience has varied with his profile - the near death experience (not to mention Game of Thrones) giving him global fame. His show isn’t suited to theatres, since all he ever says between songs is ‘thanks very much’. He only plays an hour plus a crowd-sung encore, but were he to introduce the songs it would be a much longer show. Also notable that the Feelgood numbers - now nearly 50 years old - elicited by far the biggest response. Support John Otway got an hour and, to my amazement, stole the show. He seems to add layers as his career continues. Be happy to see him again. Sorry, this is a diversion from my main point.

Yesterday I saw Wilko Johnson, an idol of mine for many years, at Poole Lighthouse. It’s hard not to flash back 50 years to the Dr Feelgood footage we have all seen and enjoyed, but he is now so far away from the musician he was I feel saddened. He really didn’t look like he wanted to be there, and his vocals in particular - never his strong point, I agree - were painfully off. I admit the disappointment was magnified by really poor sound - the first song was 80 per cent delivered to a dead microphone - but I have seen Wilko often enough to wish this was not my last memory of him live. Diversion: I saw Brian Wilson in the early 2000s. The lights were on but no-one was home, and the joy of seeing him was tempered by the fact he really shouldn’t have been there. Winch him out of the huge band he was in and you’d have had the best Beach Boys tribute ever… but then they couldn’t have charged the ticket price! Back to Wilko: Were the people who gave him a standing ovation applauding the fact he beat the odds and is still with us? Or am I the one out of step? Summary: When should legends hang it up, and who will be the person to tell them? Opinions, please… And here’s a pic of Wilko, bless him. Not forgetting Norman.

Another band too shy to say who they are…

Maybe it was a provisional web page… 😬

Keith sold me a monitor in a prefect - sorry, perfect - transaction.

You have been Busted! Oh… 😂

I’ve told you lot before - tell us who your band is, don’t be shy!👏

Nice work, my friend! Met a sweaty Schenker in 1980. He had been widdling for 4 hours in a rehearsal room we were next to occupy, clad only in a Flying V (natch) and a pair of silk shorts! Nothing like as great as your tale, but all I can offer…

I know I have asked before, but what is your band called? Ah, read the backdrop - Slyder Smith and the Oblivion Kids!

This is, of course, the wonderful ELO Experience. Once seen, never forgotten. Folks, it’s always worth giving the name of the band so newcomers or people with little memory (like me) can investigate further. Don't be shy!

You what?😈

Snap! Got mine yesterday.

Sad to say, I don’t think the difference is appreciated enough by non bassists. On the other hand if they don’t notice you must be doing something right! Not all fretless players are (or want to be) Jaco…

I saw this on Facebook. Disgraceful!