Pete Hartley: sometime dramaturg, perennial scribbler
Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios is a unique artefact in several ways. It is a live album like no other, in that is truly cohesive in style, mood and configuration, yet it is not a repressing of ‘greatest hits’, nor is it a crowd-pleasing indulgence. It is much closer to a proms concert … Continue reading Antiques, Curios and collectable dreams
Anthony Finnerty: an appreciation of an exceptional companion.
Stroking stringed instruments and kissing winged insects. An appreciation of the second Strawbs album, released in 1970.
The ‘first’ Strawbs album The cover of the first A&M Strawbs album released in 1969 is the most incongruous of them all. It bears no emblematic link to the band or any of the tracks. It has not stood the test of time, perhaps because the only possible justification for it was to appeal to … Continue reading Strawbs: Strawbs
There is a quiet thunder where the Hodder and Ribble ram. You feel it more than hear it. There’s a constant wet tumbling, but also a silent thudding, sensed more than detected. It was the only place to go to determine what should be done.
Painted by Turner One drawback of my father’s occupation as a self-employed milk deliveryman was that we never went on holiday in a conventional sense. A compensatory benefit was that, because he finished his round by about one p.m., half-day trips were possible whenever the weather was benevolent. He’d give me the choice: we could … Continue reading Edisford Bridge
An appreciation of the the music of the British rock band the Strawbs.
Flying solo at seventeen.
Just to instil confidence the station fire engine trundled up and parked alongside the runway. I radioed for permission, taxied onto the runway, opened up the throttle and released the breaks.
That first solo on 29th August 1974 was the beginning of the end of a dream.
I grew up next door to James Bond. This is true. His parents had one of the best fish and chip shops in Preston. Bond’s Chip Shop on St Gregory Road in Deepdale, barely two goal-kicks from the Preston North End football stadium, would boast queues doubling round the shop space and spilling outside onto … Continue reading You only Bond thrice
When my wife had a significant birthday several years ago, my gift to her was a DNA test. I’m an incorrigible romantic. Seriously, it was what she most wanted. Almost a decade later, she returned the favour and bought me one. It turns out we are related. We’ve got the same mother.
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