Peter Skellern, the Bury-born musician, songwriter and producer who died yesterday at the age of 69, is probably still best known for his 1972 hit single, ‘You’re A Lady’, which first brought him to prominence. But it would be wrong to dismiss him as a light-touch, middle-of-the-road troubadour: throughout his long and varied recording and... Continue Reading →
THE SMITHS AND MY MOTHER
I was born, luckily, to a mother who adored music. I remember many occasions during my childhood when she’d power up her old record player – and it was very definitely her record player - and stack it with a variety of old 7 inch singles and all manner of albums. It was my mother... Continue Reading →
STARGAZING, 1997.
Stargazing In the Sunday Tribune, of December 29th, 1996, I looked ahead to the year in rock and pop music and, in a side-bar column, made a series of predictions. We’ll post up the body of the piece shortly – which basically pitched U2’s then still gestating ‘Pop' album against all-comers - but, in the... Continue Reading →
THE DIVINE COMEDY
As I recently re-watched The Divine Comedy’s terrific 2004 show, recorded live at London’s Palladium Theatre, my mind was cast way back to another far more intimate but no less powerful encounter with Neil Hannon. I had been aware of The Divine Comedy from the get go. My friend, Keith Cullen, had issued their 1990... Continue Reading →
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