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 →
JEFF LYNNE’S E.L.O., LIVE IN DUBLIN, 2016
The last time I sat in the 3 Arena in Dublin was for one of U2’s flatulent Innocence And Experience shows which proved, once again, that all of the smoke, mirrors and lighting tricks can’t definitively mask the inevitable: U2 have long had the drabs and have real difficulty writing new material. As far back... Continue Reading →
TOGETHER ALONE: JEFF LYNNE
The liner notes on Idle Race’s second album, ‘Idle Race’, released in 1969, are giddy with adjectives and end with a short biography of each of the fledgling Birmingham group’s four members. One of that number, Jeff Lynne, is described by the author, Ray Coleman, as ‘the chief songwriter’. ‘He rides a bicycle’, the piece... Continue Reading →
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