All about the hounds of rock

La Vie en France

When Simon and I first got together, we left the Isle of Man seeking adventure and a new chapter. We had Hummock, our black Labrador, but decided she needed a sister for hairy beast company and other shenanigans.

If you want to find out about the backstory to Bobby, you can also read the article, Puppy Love, before moving on.

Meeting Bobby and Lola, Hummock and Bobby’s Mum

So there we were, on our way with Hummock to pick up Bobby from the depths of Cumbria in England. We stopped off at a local pub and went for a walk before we drove up to the farm at High House Labradors, where Dom and Jan Atkinson also bred horses.

All these thoughts rushed through my mind, the biggest angst being that we were about to take a puppy away from her mother. It really bothered me. However, I knew Bobby would be united with her half-sister, and we would endeavour to give her the best love-filled life ever.

Memories came flooding back of when, as a young child, my father, Rolie, had driven the whole family down to pick up Jenny, our new Springer Spaniel pup. When we got home, Dawn, Martin, Lorna (siblings), and I sat on the sofa. Jenny comedically plonked her way across the undulating terrain of our legs as if she was playing the piano; each ploddy paw and slip produced a giggled note of joy.

We arrived at High House in good time, and Jan let us into the living room, where we proceeded to sit on the floor—the best way to meet a puppy for the first time, maintaining eye contact. And then, in she bounced! Woohoo!! Dashing and bouncing and kissing and playing…

Then in came Lola, Bobby and Hummock’s mum. It was the first time Hummock had seen her since she had left home - a beautiful double-bubble moment.
We didn’t take any photos, obviously.

Bobby was everything and more that we could have dreamed of!

Highhouse Roche Moutonnée (Bobby’s official name, a combination of the breeder’s name plus a rock formation created by the passing of a glacier) was a bit of a mouthful, and we couldn’t envisage how we could use the name, so we decided to stick with Bob.

The pub

When the time was right, we left with Bobby cradled in my arms and made our way to the mighty Tempest Arms, where we would be staying overnight. It was our favourite place to stay in the area as it was homely, served great quality food and a mighty pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord bitter.

Trust us to put Bob’s lead around the table leg - she got excited, tried to run, pulled the table and simultaneously tipped over Simon’s pint, resulting in being bathed in a shower of the world’s best bitter! It did wonders for her fur coat, and of course, she licked up the residue. That’s my girl!

Recording an album and an EP at the Chairworks

After a delicious meal and a good night’s sleep, the next day we made our way to The Chairworks studio in Castleford, with our two hairy beasts.

We set up Bobby’s cage in the kitchen, and while Simon was working, I took her out numerous times every day for a jiggle in the park and a run up and down. It was such a happy and special moment in time; not only were we working in a recording studio (one of life’s ultimate experiences), but we also had a new puppy! Win! Win!

Yes, her barking pierced through acoustically treated doors just when we were trying to record guitars or vocals sensitively, yes – when over-excited, she left puddles of delight on the floor, yes, she looked so cute that it was hard to leave her in the next room and focus on our work…

The producer on Simon’s second solo album, The Knife, was Andy Seward (Martin Simpson / Kate Rusby), and he took the whole shebang well in his ubiquitous Yorkshire stride. Drummer Keith Angel (the Angel Brothers) was just like his name and a joy with the girls.

When Christian Madden (Oasis, Liam Gallagher, The Earlies) rocked up for his session, he was both comedic and gentle with the ‘Fearsome Bob: fart of a Lion.’

Then we all went out for our traditional curry at Castleford’s finest, the excellent Red Chilli!

During this period at the Chairworks, we also recorded our Electrolite EP with our great friend and analogue synthesiser guru Mark Cleator: electronica and Americana in the same session!

Or alternativly…

Buy us a pint

Spain #1 | Music at Calle Laurel, Montesano

We had just moved to a town close to Valencia. Spain, when we picked up Bobby. It was a new start in a new house in a new town in a new country for all of us.

You can tell she likes her beer ;)

Hummock and Bobby got on famously from the start…

The Mediterranean

At the top of our list was getting Bobby into the water as soon as possible so she wouldn’t be frightened. It’s such a joyful moment watching a young pup experience the beach for the first time. She loved it and proceeded to roll around in the sand and ended up wearing half the beach on her face, now known as sand snout.

Bobby being introduced to the Mediterranean…

Spain #2 | Supertone, a residential recording studio

After a year, we decided to make a big move and open a residential recording studio in the mountain village of Estivella, about 30 minutes northwest of Valencia. We had collected all this amazing analogue gear (music is our passion), and we loved recording. Simon had been a producer for Island Records in the past, and besides our own musical experimentation and output, we also wanted to work with other musicians.

The trees of shame

The girls had a lot of space to run around, and loved hanging out in the studio welcoming our visitors; they were very much a part of the whole ‘Laurel Canyon’ vibe at our new project.

However, following a spate of food thefts, I had to make a poster to alert our clients to the potential hazards of leaving food within their snouty reach.

An American musician brought a cool box full of cheese, beer and sausages with him and left it innocently in the living room. Unbeknown to us, when we were upstairs recording, the girls were ‘up to no good’. They knocked over the cool box, stole all the food and disappeared into the garden, hiding under the cover of the trees where they proceeded to devour their stolen bounty. Hence, we renamed the area The Trees of Shame.

Another time, a client swore he’d packed a special panini for his lunch but could not find it in his bag. The next day, I discovered remnants of silver foil pieces underneath The Trees of Shame.

Then there was the incident of the massive pizza that disappeared off the side in the kitchen whilst recording a cool Spanish band; all that was left was the empty wrapper wafting around on the kitchen floor.

Don’t let them fool you with their adorable eyes: you have been warned!

Sessions at Supertone

Chris Cheek

We were really excited as uber-talented New York saxophonist Chris Cheek was flying in to record his new album Saturday Songs at the studio. Our good friend Jorge Rossy was playing drums, vibes & marimba, David Soler on pedal steel, Steve Cardenas on guitar and Jaume Llombard on bass. I lent Jaume my Gretsch Thunder Jet shortscale bass for the recording. Simon engineered the session. Take a listen to the album here:

The lump

Everything went fantastically well, and it was a fabulous experience except things took a bad turn for Bobby.

Berit, Jorgy’s partner, had found Bob choking on something in the garden and had taken something out of her mouth. There was blood, and it didn’t look good.

Simon was in the middle of the session, so he couldn’t do anything. I called Mercedes, our vet and within minutes drove Bobby over in the Van of Rock to get her checked out.

When we arrived, they immediately put an oxygen mask on her - I’d never seen such a long probing snout version before. I made sure I kept calm so that Bobby would not panic. When checking her over, they discovered a big lump hidden away in the pit of her front right leg. I didn’t understand it - we are always tactile with our girls and had never felt that before.

Mercedes decided to keep her in overnight and took some blood for testing.

There was nothing I could do, and drove back to the studio where, of course, I had to keep it professional and look after our guests.

The lump turned out to be cancerous, and they operated. We weren’t sure if she was going to make it, as they didn’t know if the cancer had spread. Mercedes said that she had done a thorough job, and all we could do was wait and see how she got on.

Happy to say Bobby survived and is still with us twelve years later - HUGE RELIEF!!!!

Moon Panda

Simon engineered a recording session at Supertone for ace Danish and American band Moon Panda, who were Master’s students at Berklee College of Music at their Valencia Campus. Bobby knows exactly the right place to be ;)

Hounds and the market in Estivella

We love shopping locally, especially with fresh produce at the market. It became a weekly ritual of ours, so much so that we even bought a cool lime green ‘grandma’ shopping trolley. I tell you now, they are a lifesaver when you’ve got a few pounds of potatoes, onions, carrots and all the veg for your weekly shop to carry! So think about it before you mock - it makes perfect sense.

We always took the girls with us to the market - after all, it was part of our family day out, and secured them next to our favourite veg stall where they would inevitably be given treats of fresh carrots to munch on!

Watch the video below - everyone loved the girls…

The girls loved the walks in our local area, through miles of orange groves and giant aloe vera plants that looked like aliens had invaded. Looking at the footage we took from these times brings back so many memories. Here is a short video showing the dried-up river bed that was suddenly full of water after a shed load of rain…

Blueberry Pie

Before Simon and I dramatically fell big-style in love, we had separate artistic and musical careers; we both wrote songs, played instruments and had our own bands.

After a year together, we decided it was time to unite musically and form the Starlite Campbell Band. For a creative challenge, we gave ourselves a time limit of writing an album in ten days. The girls were always around, inspiring us.

We called the album Blueberry Pie after a song we wrote about how much the world had changed, but not your Grandma’s home cooking. We featured a photo I took on a film camera for a school project on the front cover - it was my Nana Betty flickin’ the V sign.

Watch the official album promo video using footage from the launch gig - I think it captures the atmosphere of our time in Spain—look out for Bobby and Hummock :)

The crossroads

The album was very successful all over the world, and we had to make a choice.

It may not have been a ‘Robert Johnson’ Crossroads moment, but we were so inspired and loved our life as musicians that we seriously had to decide what to do: did we want to stay in Spain running the studio or hit the road and be free to tour and go on new adventures?

Knowing us, it was a no-brainer, and we took the latter option, waved goodbye to Spain and headed off with Bobby and Hummock to the Isle of Man, where Simon and I had first met.

We needed time to do some reconnaissance on the ground and work out which country or area would be the best for our music and creative lifestyle.

The Isle of Man

We love the island, and so do the girls. We rented a small cottage in the southern town of Castletown and quickly made ourselves at home. Our studio gear went into temporary storage with our great friend Mark Cleator, who runs Red Lyon Studios on the island, whilst we started booking tours and gigs.

I love this photo of Simon with the girls in Mark’s live room. That’s Max on the right by the way - I rescued him from a closing down shop in Manchester years ago, and he’s been my companion ever since.

There’s one thing that keeps you active, especially in the winter months, and that’s the fact that you have to go on lots of walks as hounds need the exercise and stimulation, and Bobby and Hummock were no exception. They loved running through fields and fetching sticks from the sea; they’ve probably extended our lives by years.

Just to show you how magnificent the island is, here is some stick-throwing action in winter. Spot the seal…

TT gigs

It would be remiss of me not to include a little glimpse into our epic Isle of Man TT gig marathon, where we headlined the Hooded Ram Marquee Tent on the Promenade in Douglas three times, and played everywhere across the island from campsites to pubs, clocking up a mighty 17 gigs in 16 days!! Rock ‘n’ Roll baby!!

Germany and lockdown

We decided our next move would be to Germany, which would serve as a great base for touring Northern Europe. We relocated all our studio to the village of Thören, about an hour south of Hamburg and started writing our next album, The Language of Curiosity, when Covid and the subsequent lockdown stopped the world.

The thing we didn’t know before we moved is that outside of the cities, there is not really a pub or bar culture where you can hang out and meet people. In the nearest town of Winsen-Aller, if you wanted to go out for a glass of wine or a beer, then your only option was to go to a restaurant. It felt a little lonely as we love to take the girls out and have a beer and a chat.

The only place in the village that offered a regular opportunity for a social gathering was a five-minute walk to the local Schützenhaus (shooting club), where you could get a beer between 7 and 9 pm.

UK tour

We had a short tour booked in the UK, which included concerts at The Met in Bury and The Half Moon in Putney. Early on, we met our next-door neighbours, the family Fricke: grandma, grandpa, son and daughter all lived next to each other and were adjacent to our place. They were cool, loved animals, and when we were on tour left the girls in the capable hands of Julia.

Within a week of us returning to Germany, the whole world stopped: Covid 19 was here.

I don’t want to revisit that time here, as so many experienced loss and trauma. These are some beautiful memories from our time in the village.

We made some wonderful friends, some of whom we are still in contact with to this day.

Hounds on tour

We hate leaving the girls in kennels, and whenever we can, we take them with us. They have travelled to the UK, the Isle of Man, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Poland, France and Spain - we just bang their cage in the back, load up the gear and off we go :)

The highlight for us was when we played a theatre in the Czech Republic and the girls were in their baskets backstage. When we were taking our bow at the end of the concert, I rushed back and brought them on stage to say hello to everyone - the whole room erupted with joy and laughter!! Brilliant!!

Rehearsals

Our ultimate European move, Portugal

We didn’t want to stay in Germany long-term. After Covid and the live music industry in tatters, we had to make a final destination choice thanks to Brexit.

It’s hard to differentiate between what you need and what you want, so we made two different lists and discussed it at length.

After living in different countries for the past twelve years, we knew we missed the Iberian way of living and definitely the climate (who wouldn’t). So after much deliberation, we decided to give Portugal a go.

On paper, there were many things we had in common. Simon had visited many years ago, and I had never been!

The house found us

Out of the whole of Portugal, there was only one house for rent that had enough space for us to relocate the studio located in the town of Samora Correia in the Ribatejo district, about half an hour north of Lisbon. We weren’t able to travel to recce the house at that point, so a video tour had to suffice. The house wasn’t great, but we were extremely limited in choice. We decided that it could serve as a good start to the next chapter; to have a base we could then start exploring the country to find out where we wanted to be if it didn’t work out.

Bobby and Hummock were used to moving and touring, so as long as we were together, that’s all they really cared about.

Mid-November, in between the two lockdowns, there was a window of opportunity, and we managed to move all the Supertone studio gear in an articulated lorry from Germany down to Portugal five weeks before Brexit. It was close…

No bones in the studio!

We don’t have many rules for the hounds, but one is ‘no bones in the studio’.

Music video shoot

We were contacted by artist and videographer Amanada Naughton, who was really interested in working with us on some video projects.

Amanda was great to work with, and she had complete artistic freedom regarding the storyboarding, filming and editing of the music video for our single release Gaslight from our second studio album The Language of Curiosity.

Bob really wanted to be in the video. We had a scene where an orange was rolled down a skateboard, and she was there, every take, doing a great job as a retriever!

Watch the outtake here and then spot Bob in the official video below.

The squeakers

At this point, we decided that we needed some new puppies in the family to keep Hummock and Bobby youthful, so they could pass on their wisdom.

Read part four to find out about our road trip to Paris to meet our new puppies, Françoise and Edith.

Foz do Arelho, Portugal

After four years in Samora Corriea we wanted to move to a creative city, and our wonderful friends David Mourato and Jo Correia invited us to Caldas da Rainha, a UNESCO City of Culture about an hour north of Lisboa on the Silver Coast.

That morning, we thought we’d visit a house for rent, and then the guys gave us a guided tour of the city. We knew within an hour this was the place we wanted to be.

After incredibly difficult and extremely stressful negotiations, we finally moved to the coastal village of Foz do Arelho in November 2024.

Supertone SonicLab

It’s never easy moving as we have so much gear, but we managed it in record time and after a few setbacks with the house, we were finally able to start setting up the studio a few months after we moved in. Read more in our recent article.

Our hairy beasts love it here, especially our trips to the Òbidos lagoon, where they love going for a swim. It’s a little taste of paradise.

It was only then that we realised Bob was going blind. We would throw a very large log-like stick into the water for her to retrieve, and she couldn’t see it, even when it was within inches of her nose. It’s even worse if the sun is bright and she’s even tried to retrieve Hummock on the odd occasion, mistaking her tail for a stick! She also transforms into bombastic Bob and runs off halfway down the beach with her prize and rolls in the sand with much gusto.

Bobby is a very happy girl and has really blossomed this last year as she bonds with the puppies, and now they are always hanging out together, sleeping with their heads on each other’s backs. It’s heart-melting!

Daily rituals

In the mornings when we let the girls out for their morning ablutions, there’s only one hound that has a high-pitched bark that can pierce through a multitude of walls and doors - yes, you guessed it - Fearsome Bob!! It’s excrutiating and you simply can’t ignore her!

Bob loves her bed and is always sneaking off.

She has the final lick of the yoghurt pot and is such a gentle, gorgeous girl.

As she approaches her thirteenth birthday, she has finally found ‘second gear ‘when out on walks. She has never been able to pace herself to walk alongside you when she is off the lead, having to circle back to try and level up. As soon as she does, a few paces more and she’s off again - Simon and I say she is always in third gear!

So there you are, I hope you’ve enjoyed sharing in the adventures of Fearsome Bob.

Here’s to more love, cuddles, fetching sticks, eating great food and having fun…

Bobby Starlite-Campbell 2026

Jimmy Page and I share a birthday on January 9th, although he has a 14-year head start on me. Others include Joan Baez, Kate Middleton, Dave Matthews and Richard Nixon.

While I usually mark the day with a simple social media shoutout, this year I wanted to write something more substantial.

I’m focusing on his prolific era as a session musician—a pivotal period that led to his time with the Yardbirds and the eventual formation of Led Zeppelin. Though often overlooked, this chapter of his career is where he honed the production, orchestration and guitar techniques that became the backbone of the Zeppelin sound.

Many of the links and quotes in this article can be found in Jimmy’s excellent book: Jimmy Page: The Anthology. If you are a fan of him and Led Zeppelin, it’s a must-buy.

Backstory.

His life is very well documented, and rather than plough the same furrow, it’s probably best to look at his very extensive Wikipedia page, but in summary:

Page was born into a middle-class family and raised in Surrey, England. He began his musical journey as a largely self-taught guitarist inspired by rockabilly and the blues. After debuting on BBC television at just 13 years old in a skiffle quartet, he made the pivotal decision to leave school at fifteen to pursue music professionally.

His early years were defined by a relentless hustle, playing in various local groups like The Paramounts and backing music for beat poets, eventually landing a consistent touring role with Neil Christian and the Crusaders. This period served as a rigorous ‘schooling’ where Page developed the technical versatility that would soon become his professional trademark.

“I was travelling around all the time in a bus. I did that for two years after I left school, to the point where I was starting to get really good bread. But I was getting ill. So I went back to art college. And that was a total change in direction. That's why I say it's possible to do. As dedicated as I was to playing the guitar, I knew doing it that way was doing me in forever. Every two months I had glandular fever. So for the next 18 months I was living on ten pounds a week and getting my strength up. But I was still playing.”

The transition toward becoming a dedicated session musician was catalysed by a health crisis; the gruelling pace of touring led to recurring bouts of glandular fever, forcing Page to briefly exit the road and enrol in Sutton & Cheam School of Art. During this recovery period, he shifted his focus from live performances to the controlled environment of the recording studio.

The session guy.

Everyone needs a break

While attending art college, Page continued to perform live, notably playing in the interval band on Thursday nights at London’s Marquee Club. It was during these performances on Oxford Street that he was headhunted for studio work, effectively launching his career as a session musician.

Page kept a pocket and desk diary, meticulously noting the time, date and location of the session. His Anthology book has piles of fascinating pictures of the entries.

“Anyone needing a guitarist either went to Big Jim Sullivan or myself. In the initial stages they just said, play what you want, cos at that time I couldn't read music or anything."

I thought it would be a good idea to collate a playlist featuring many of the songs from his sessions, and have also highlighted the performances I really like.

My favourites

Screaming Lord Such | Dracula’s Daughter

While this isn’t my favourite track, it highlights Joe Meek’s pioneering and distinctly British production/engineering style. Page’s performance is equally impressive, featuring great riffs and an outstanding guitar tone.

Interestingly Lord David Such’s album Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends was named in a 1998 BBC poll as the worst album of all time, a status it also held in Colin Larkin’s book The Top 1000 Albums of All Time, despite the fact that Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Jeff Beck, Noel Redding and Nicky Hopkins performed on it and helped write it. If you take out the vocals, the instrumental parts are pretty cool. Listen with caution.

In 1982, Such—who was a perennial parliamentary candidate and encouraged young people to participate in politics—formed the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, which contested 39 parliamentary elections.

Screaming Lord, we need you back.

Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders | Hello Josephine (1963)

One of his first sessions at Philips Studio was for Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. Eric Stewart from 10cc was in the band at the time. You can really hear Page’s Scotty Moore influence in this track.

Donovan | Sunshine Superman (1966)

Great guitar riff on this that really makes the song, with Page using his volume control (perhaps the DeArmond volume/tone pedal) to create the repeating lines. Micky Most produced this and went on to work with Jeff Beck on his debut studio album Truth plus a pile of other chart-topping singles and albums.

It’s interesting to see how Page developed relationships with movers and shakers over the years. Later, Peter Grant, Zepplin’s ferocious manager, shared a company RAK Management and office with Most.

Them | Baby Please Don’t Go (1964)

The first time I heard this was via Stuart Hulme-Sheffield, the sound engineer with my first band, Whitefire. He was one of the guitar players in a ‘60s band, The Web and used to play this all the time.

Fuckin’ great guitar motif, and it’s disputed who played it, either Page or the band’s guitar player, Billy Harrison. Regardless, it’s very cool.

Beverly Martyn | Happy New Year (1966)

Beverly Martyn (nee Kutner and wife of John Martyn) used to live with the mighty Bert Jansch and apparently on the session for Happy New Year, Page asked her if she could play Oh Deed I Do - she said “I can’t, but I can show you the chord positions” :) Check out Nicky Hopkins’ piano. Fuckin’ A.

Of course, an interpretation—or plagiarism—of Jansch’s Black Water Side (which in itself was an arrangement of a traditional tune) appears on Led Zeppelin I.

Have a listen to both and make your own mind up.

Jeff Beck | Beck’s Bolero (1966)

There is some dispute over who actually wrote this, Page or Beck; regardless, it’s an absolute classic from an album of absolute classics. Page certainly played 12-string guitar, with the mighty Beck taking the lead and slide roles. Page and Beck are my favourite guitar players of all time.

Brian Jones | Soundtrack to Mort und Totschlag (1967)

The film stars Anita Pallenberg in the lead role of Marie, and at the time of filming, she was in a relationship with one of the founders of The Rolling Stones, Brian Jones.

The soundtrack is a landmark piece of psychedelic history, notable for being the only solo project composed and produced by Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones.

Featuring an elite lineup of session musicians including Jimmy Page, Nicky Hopkins, and Kenny Jones (from the Small Faces) the score eschews traditional orchestral arrangements in favour of an experimental fusion of R&B, bluegrass, and Eastern-influenced motifs played on instruments like the sitar and mellotron. Famously, it features Page using the violin bow on his Telecaster.

Despite its critical praise for perfectly capturing the film’s ‘New Wave’ tension, the soundtrack has never seen an official standalone release due to long-standing legal complexities, leaving it to survive primarily through bootlegs and the film’s original audio track, one of which is featured below!

Whilst with The Yardbirds…

Johnny Hallyday | Rivière... Ouvre Ton Lit (1969)

Whilst in The Yardbirds, Page did the occasional session. This one was with the French ‘Elvis’, Johnny Hallyday, and was engineered, produced and mixed by one of my favourite technicians, Glyn Johns, who featured throughout Page’s career and engineered Led Zeppelin 1, which was also released in 1969.

It’s interesting as you can hear Page’s style developing, becoming more refined and revealing his swagger.

Joe Cocker | With A Little Help From My Friends (1969)

What would this track be without those big double stop bends at the beginning? I love the way it calms right down before that remarkable vocal comes in. A fabulous recording from a beautiful album produced by Denny Cordell and engineered by Tony Visconti.

I can’t resist popping in the live version from Woodstock, which, in my humble opinion, is one of the best visual and vocal live performances of all time. Page isn’t performing here; it’s Henry McCullough, but he does a great job.

Production.

Remarkably, Page’s first production was in 1961 for Chris Farlowe and the Thunderbirds: he was 17.

As a fan, he paid for them to go into the RG Jones studio, where they recorded 12 tracks, which were only released 56 years later in 2021, titled The Beginning, and are only available on Page’s website.

The question I have is how he was able to pay for this? His family were not massively wealthy, and it appears he bought all his own instruments. He is well known for his ‘careful’ approach to money and was certainly a busy lad playing with a variety of bands before he started his session work in earnest. But, it remains a mystery.

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

Whilst a house producer for Immediate Records, in 1965, Page worked with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, which featured Eric Clapton on guitar. Classic shit.

Or perhaps…

Buy us a pint

The silent mentor.

What really disappoints me about the book is that there is only one, single reference to Big Jim Sullivan, who was a stalwart of the session scene in London from the late 50s. Why Page omitted their extensive collaboration is mind-boggling.

The legendary Derek Lawrence and Big Jim produced the Little Brother album Survival, where I was a songwriter and guitarist. During the sessions, I talked to him a lot about this period, and it doesn’t sync with Page’s account. Perhaps we should try to clear this up using my firsthand experience.

As background, I wrote a piece in 2020 about him. Check it out:

In a nutshell, Sullivan was the mentor figure, often recommending ‘Little Jim’ for jobs he couldn’t take or needed help with. Sullivan once noted that while he and Page shared the workload, they had a stylistic agreement: Sullivan usually handled the ‘country-style’ or technical clean solos, while Page was brought in for his ‘gritty’ rock energy.

Sullivan’s entry into session work began in the late 1950s, evolving naturally from his role as a prominent live performer. While he was playing professionally as early as 1957 (aged 16), his formal transition into the ‘first-call’ session world followed a specific timeline.

By the early 60s, Sullivan was recording an average of three sessions a day. He became the ‘resident’ guitarist for major labels like Pye and Decca, playing on tracks for Adam Faith, Frank Ifield, and Helen Shapiro. It was during this period that he earned the nickname ‘Big Jim’ to distinguish him from ‘Little Jim’ Page, who joined the session circuit shortly after.

In the London session scene, they were the two most sought-after guitarists and frequently booked as a ‘guitar team’ for the same sessions, typically with Sullivan playing lead and Page playing rhythm, though they occasionally swapped roles. I believe that Sullivan taught Page several advanced techniques during their time together, as he did later for Ritchie Blackmore.

They were the ‘first call’ guitarists for major producers like Shel Talmy, Mickie Most, and Andrew Loog Oldham, often appearing together on records.

Because many sessions from that era were uncredited, a definitive list is impossible, but they are confirmed to have played together on the following records:

Dave Berry

The collaboration here was interesting as during the recording of The Crying Game and My Baby Left Me in 1964 Jim told me he would play the actual notes and chords on the guitar, while Page would sit or kneel on the floor and manually manipulate the tremolo arm or the volume/tone knobs to create a ‘shimmering’ or ‘wobbling’ effect that was more precise or extreme than a single player could manage while trying to pick strings at the same time. This teamwork contributed to the haunting, echo-laden guitar atmosphere that became a hallmark of Dave Berry’s hits.

My Baby Left Me (1964)

Page played the lead guitar solo (which Sullivan later praised as one of the best-constructed rock solos), while Sullivan played rhythm.

The Crying Game (1964)

Page mentions in his book creating a signature sound using the DeArmond volume/tone pedal, but he doesn’t mention Sullivan in any of this. It’s clear here that Sullivan played the lead guitar and used the pedal to create a proto-wah effect: Page provided rhythm guitar.

P.J. Proby | Hold Me (1964)

A major UK hit where Sullivan played the lead guitar. He famously used a Gibson Maestro Fuzz-Tone pedal on this track, which he had reportedly borrowed from Page.

Brenda Lee | Is It True? (1964)

Produced by Mickie Most in London, this session featured both guitarists supporting the American star.

The Kinks | The Kinks (1964)

Although there seems to be a lot of misinformation about this, Dave Davies played the iconic lead on You Really Got Me but Page and Sullivan both contributed to several tracks on the debut album, including Page on 12-string acoustic for I’m a Lover Not a Fighter.

Billy Fury | Nothin’ Shakin’ (1964)

Part of a ‘session supergroup’ that included Page, Sullivan, John Paul Jones on bass, and Bobby Graham on drums.

Petula Clark | Downtown (1964)

Both are widely cited as having played on this massive international hit, which was part of a productive period where they dominated the Pye Records and Decca sessions.

Big Jim Sullivan | Pageing Sullivan (1967)

From the album Sitar Beat, this track features both men playing together, with the title itself being a pun on Page’s name.

And finally…

Happy birthday, Jimmy Page. As a fledgling guitar player at age 16, you were my inspiration: The Led Zeppelin albums were the foundation of my music vocabulary and changed my world forever.

Below you will find a second playlist collated by Oldays Records featuring many of Pages’ early sessions from 1963-1967 for your listening pleasure.

If you are curious to find out more from a different perspective, consider reading the excellent article on the same subject in Rolling Stone.

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section below - that is the fun part.

See you next time.

Much love

Simon

Our new regular feature explores the music tastes of our friends, colleagues and supporters. To see them all, click the red button below.

Supporter Picks!!

Music is our life, and we are really interested in the songs you love. If you'd like to contribute, just mail us!

Without further ado, let’s see what floats Ross’ boat.

Much love

Suzy & Simon

P.S. You can find his cool music journalism at Fabrications HQ.

Ross’ picks

The interesting thing about this list is that I actually have a “six of the best”: a sextet of songs that go beyond any other pieces of music.

So a Top Ten, as presented here (and thank you, Simon and Suzy, for the opportunity), was extremely difficult and would, frankly, be subject to change every day, as once beyond that Top Six I’d really need a Top 100.

However, here we are, with no mention of what those “six of the best” are, other than to say the 10^th track on this list is my favourite ever piece of music.

#1 | For the Want of a Nail | Todd Rundgren (1989)

As an opening, impacting statement, ‘For the Want of a Nail’ by Todd Rundgren is hard to beat, right from the initial, emotive vocalisations—backed by the powerful voice of Bobby Womack in a guest vocalist spot.

The song then hits its stride with an uplifting tempo before swinging towards its sing-along finale.

The premise of the song is the old adage of the message being lost because something first seen as inconsequential was ignored.

But ignore the details at your peril, because you will miss out on the prize.

#2 | Pirates | Emerson Lake & Palmer (1977)

The title says it all. ‘Pirates’—featuring the Paris Opera Orchestra, no less—is the musical soundtrack to all the swashbuckling tales you have read – or watched in classic Skull & Crossbones movies starring the likes of Errol Flynn.

Composed by Keith Emerson, Pirates is a sweeping, superbly arranged and beautifully orchestrated piece of music, with the colourful and evocative lyrics supplied by Greg Lake and co-lyricist Peter Sinfield.

“Who’ll drink a toast with me... to the Devil, and the deep blue sea... gold drives a man... to dream!”

ALTERNATIVE – Fan-made ‘pirate movie’ video:

#3 | Dust in the Wind | Kansas (1998 Orchestrated version)

Written by Kerry Livgren, the original power behind the American rock group Kansas, this re-recorded version from 1998 with the London Symphony Orchestra is, for me, even more beautiful and poignant than the original 1977 version.

This is also one of the songs that lyrically defines a part of me, or part of my life philosophy. Simple enough in premise, but too often taken for granted…

“Now, don’t hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky... when it slips away, all your money won’t another minute buy.”

Don’t waste so much as one of those minutes, folks.

“Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind…”

#4 | Salisbury | Uriah Heep (1971)

Uriah Heep’s take on the orchestrated (Brass & Woodwind ensemble) rock epic is far baser in lyrical concept than ELP’s Pirates.

Salisbury is themed around the emotions of union, lust, and the reality that what might seem like forever is more akin to the moment. And while David Byron brings a strong voice to lyrical proceedings, it’s the rise and fall of the musical score that delivers the emotions described.

Fun fact: Heep guitarist Mick Box wasn’t getting the feel or inspiration he wanted for his big solo moment on Salisbury, so he retired to the local pub for a couple of pints.
Upon return, he asked for the lights to be dimmed, cranked the Marshall stack and wah-wah pedal to full and nailed it in one take (true story, as later confirmed by Sound Engineer Peter Gallen).

#5 | Goodbye To Love | The Carpenters (1972)

Goodbye To Love might well be the first power ballad (cue the debates…), but for me it’s certainly the ultimate power ballad, not least because it features the gorgeous, contralto voice and unparalleled phrasing of Karen Carpenter, one of the greatest ever female vocalists.

That it also carries beautiful melancholy, a heartbreaking lyric, and a fully fuzzed fadeout from guitarist Tony Peluso (the solo that launched a thousand air guitars) makes it even more impacting.

#6 | Steve Perry | One More Time (1994)

From one of the great female voices to one of the great male voices, certainly in the annals of high-tenor rock.

Steve Perry will forever be heard as the voice of American rock band Journey in their late 70s to mid-80s heyday and later, short-lived classic line-up reunion; Perry shone and soared on classic Journey cuts such as Lights, Open Arms, Don’t Stop Believing, Faithfully, Separate Ways (Worlds Apart), and the Grammy-nominated When You Love a Woman.

But it wasn’t all about the vocal highs and that fuller-bodied rock sound. Indeed, in more intimate musical settings, Steve Perry was arguably even more captivating, as heard on the solo track One More Time.

Incredibly, this particular song was originally an outtake (B-side), as it didn’t make the final track listing for his 1994 solo album For The Love Of Strange Medicine.

Musically/ vocally, the phrase “beautiful in its simplicity” may never have been more accurate.

#7 | Rhapsody in Blue | George Gershwin (1924)

Music historians will tell you that George Gershwin’s classically influenced piano and jazz orchestra piece, Rhapsody in Blue, isn’t a definitive example of the American jazz age of the early 20^th century.

Perhaps not, but it is unarguably a superbly composed piece that captures the spirit, and the hustle and bustle, of jazz age New York (as later emphasised by the Al Hirschfeld styled caricatures that accompanied Gershwin’s glorious jazz concerto in Disney’s Fantasia 2000).

Actually, I disagree with the historians, for me it is a defining statement of popular, big band jazz of early 20^th century America – a cinematic rhapsody in blues, in rhythm, in rag-time, in jazz, and in orchestration.

#8 | Felix Mendelssohn | Hebrides Overture/ Fingal’s Cave (1833)

From New York to the wild, rugged and windswept Hebrides of the Scottish west coast, and Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa.

As a proud Scot, it’s perhaps no surprise that this is my favourite classical composition (the Overture title is misleading as it’s a full, standalone work) but Mendelssohn was greatly affected by his visit to the Hebrides, and that comes through on this stirring and striking piece which, much like Rhapsody in Blue, creates visual imagery of the subject matter in the listener’s mind.

#9 | Just One Victory | Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (1975 live version)

Just One Victory first saw the light of day as the closing statement on Todd Rundgren’s seminal and critically acclaimed 1973 album A Wizard, A True Star.

Arguably more message than musical, it became a live staple of Todd Rundgren’s Utopia by the next year; the official live version (as presented here) is from the band’s 1975 Another Live album.

JOV was also a highlight moment for the audiences of Todd Rundgren’s 2004 live shows when, after nearly twenty years of retirement, the song was performed to close the shows – it was quite a sight to see fans of all ages (including yours truly), singing, grinning, and hugging like loons, still in search of “just one victory.” Not a dry eye in the house, as they say.

#10 | Dedication | Pat Travers (1977)

My all-time favourite piece of music.

This eight-minute number by Canadian rock and blues musician Pat Travers begins with an extensive instrumental section before going into a more traditional rock ballad piece (which also includes a saxophone solo—perfect).

Lyrically, it’s the very words I would express when discussing one of the most important things in life – friendship, trust and the bond that can be struck between people who may be next door neighbours or at opposite ends of the world. Those who can be relied upon to be there when called.

“Teach yourself to be a kind person, when a friend is really down, you can send them back up to the top... now I hope you understand.”

Starlite & Campbell

STARLITE.ONE is such a highly creative work of art-rock, with deeper themes and concepts, that I couldn’t really have gone anywhere else…

The Coat

Accompanied by delicate Waldorf STVC and Prophet-5’s projected atmospheres, Suzy’s beautifully phrased vocal on a lyric about the horrible and torturous disease that is Dementia only increases the poignancy of what is unquestionably one of Suzy’s most heartfelt vocal performances.

A Part of Me is Broken, Part Two

A six-and-a-half-minute cry for humanity, the song flits from rock soundscapes to dreamier passages (think Stoner space-rock meets classic era Moody Blues) before reshaping itself around the concluding monologue from Suzy, which is philosophical, reflective and future-questioning.

Our new regular feature explores the music tastes of our friends, colleagues and supporters.

Music is our life, and we are really interested in the songs you love. If you'd like to contribute, just mail us!

Without further ado, let’s see what floats Dave’s boat.

Much love

Suzy & Simon

Dave’s picks

First of all, I’d like to thank Suzy & Simon for giving me this opportunity to select 10 tracks which I have enjoyed throughout my musical journey.

Rather than just presenting some of the great tracks from Hendrix, Floyd, Zeppelin, The Beatles, etc., which would arguably take five minutes, I’ve decided to do things a little differently and select tracks from bands and individuals that you rarely hear played on the radio today.

I was quite fortunate in my early days. I have a brother who is 10 years older than myself and at a very young age in the 60s, I was introduced—or at least found myself—listening to music by bands such as the Animals, Stones, The Who, Spencer Davis, Procol Harum, The Moody Blues, John Mayall, Peter Green, to name a few.

These artists have become legends of music since those early days.

My brother also played in a band in the mid-60s, and I would go with my parents to watch and have my first look at music played live.

I can still remember it now, and I think all of this has influenced the type of music that I’m into and have been all of my life.

#1 | Emerson, Lake & Palmer | Karn Evil 9 – 3rd Impression

When I started senior school, my brother was married and I used to go around his place on a Sunday and have a record morning. On one of those mornings, Keith played me two albums, one was Emerson Lake and Palmer’s (ELP) Pictures at an Exhibition: a game changer for me,

This would be 1971-72, I was blown away by the music, it was fantastic. The sound that Keith Emerson was getting out of his keyboards was amazing, and I still love this album today. Money was tight so pocket money was saved and this album became the first I bought—the collection was on its way.

I became a massive fan of ELP, so for my first selection, I thought of one track which I’ve always liked and you very rarely hear on the radio, certainly nowadays, is Karn Evil 9 - 3rd Impression - the final track on side two of the Brain Salad Surgery Album.

Some great lyrics on this track, see what you think.

The video of this being played at the California Jam is amazing.

#2 | Wishbone Ash | Queen of Torture

My next selection is from another of those Sunday morning sessions and it’s by Wishbone Ash, their first album simply named Wishbone Ash. What a debut album, so many great tracks, this was another one that hit the spot straight away with the trademark twin guitar work of Ted Turner and Andy Powell, the fabulous bass and vocals of Martin Turner, driven by Steve Upton on drums.

This is such a great album, again very difficult to select one track, but I’ve again gone for a track that probably didn’t get much airplay back in the day.

From ‘Wishbone Ash’ – ‘Queen of Torture’ side One track 3 great track, enjoy.

#3 | Blind Faith | Can’t Find My Way Home

At school during 70-75 the majority of people who were into music chose ‘pop music’, however, a small group of us who had older brothers were into rock, blues and progressive music, and as I’ve mentioned, our influences came from their record collections.

My next selection is going to be from the band ‘Blind Faith’. Rick Grech, Ginger Baker Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood—the super group of its time.

I first heard this album courtesy of one of my pals at school. We were ‘round his house one day playing a few records and he got this particular one out from his brother’s collection. We sat there and listened to it and loved it. This track really showcases Steve Winwood’s vocals brilliantly.

From Blind Faith - Can’t Find My Way Home - side one track 2.

Editor’s note: We covered this track back in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Enjoy…

#4 | Deep Purple | Highway Star

Number four is going to be from the outstanding Deep Purple Made in Japan album, surely one of the greatest live albums of all time and one of the great bands of all time. The track that I’m going to select is Highway Star from side one, track 1.

This track has stood the test of time and is still used as the opener to the band’s gigs today.

#5 | Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band | Ice Cream for Crow.

I first heard Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band on the best music show of all time ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’, wow this show fronted by the great Bob Harris showcased brilliant music.

Around 1974-75 a track was played from Beefheart’s latest album Bluejeans and Moonbeams from the album of the same name. There was something about this track that attracted my attention so I went out and bought the album. I really enjoyed it, a little bit strange but the more I played it the more l seemed to get it. This seemed to follow with a lot of their albums.

I remember buying the album Trout Mask Replica after reading so many great reviews about it, I think particularly John Peel was a big fan. I did eventually buy it and the first time I played it, I couldn’t get my head around what it was all about, there seemed to be a clash of time signatures going on, out of sequence beats, if they’re the right terms to use! I really didn’t know what to make of it at all.

I just didn’t rate, so I parked it up for a few weeks until I decided to give it a few more spins, then it just suddenly seemed to click, and I guess I could see why it was highly rated, diverse, but highly rated.

Beefheart’s music is a bit Marmite, but there is some great music in their back catalogue.

My selection for Track 5 comes from Beefheart’s final studio album, Ice Cream for Crow – the title track, side one, track 1, Ice Cream for Crow

#6 | Free | I’ll be Creepin’

Featuring a Middlesbrough lad who would make good in the music world. Paul Rodgers is, without doubt one of the greatest vocalists to have come out of the UK.

His music with bands Free, Bad Co, collaborations with Queen, and solo work have showcased his vocals since the 60s.

I’ve seen him many times with Bad Co and solo performances, far too young to have seen him with Free. It’s great to see he is going to be inducted into the R&RHF with Bad Co this year……..not that I’m a fan of that establishment!

I’m going to select a track by the band Free.

My selection for Track 6 comes from the album titled Free – Side One, track 1 – I’ll Be Creepin. Great bass line on this track and of course the vocals, Free are probably one of the most underrated bands to come out of the late 60s with stellar tracks such as, The Hunter, Mr Big, Alright Now, My Brother Jake, to name a few.

#7 | Neil Young and Crazy Horse | Like a Hurricane

Neil Young, ok, some folks don’t like this and don’t like that about Neil, but for me he is one of the greatest songwriters and guitarists around, how can you choose just one track?

The first time I saw Neil was with Crazy Horse at Birmingham NEC, 40-plus years ago. In those days, you booked on a coach, ticket included, turned up on the day and time and away you went, the three-hour-plus journey from North Yorkshire was never going to be something to look forward to.

When we arrived at the NEC, before we got off the coach, the driver announced, ‘If you’re not back on the coach by 11 pm we’ll be leaving without you’! Crikey we thought it wasn’t like you could wander off anywhere, it was the gig or bust.

Needless to say, Neil and Crazy Horse were still playing at Midnight and finished their three-and-a-half-hour set something like 12.30. Nobody left the gig early, and our coach was still there waiting for us for that long journey home!

The track I’m going to select is Neil Young & Crazy Horse, from the album Live Rust – side four, track one Like a Hurricane. I need to say no more….

Editor’s note: There doesn’t appear to be video footage of Live Rust, but try this for size!

#8 | The Sensational Alex Harvey Band | The Faith Healer

As I was leaving school in 1975 to join the big outside world of engineering, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band burst into the charts with Delilah and it was a gem of a single covering Tom Jones’ hit of the 60s.

It always makes me smile when I think of the live video that accompanied it, the clothing the band wore, the showmanship, the humour, and their musicianship. But what a frontman Alex Harvey was.

I had to venture into the music, and I’m so glad I did. Some wonderful stuff, no surprise they were the most sought-after live band in the UK at the time. Sadly, like all good things, it all came to an end, but these guys left us with some great music, different, adventurous.

Sadly, I only saw them live after Alex had passed away. Max Maxwell was fronting the band, and doing a jolly fine job, but Alex was a one-off. All the band members moved on to perform in many different bands over the years and it was no surprise these bands were successful in their own right.

I had the pleasure of meeting Zal Cleminson and the late Ted McKenna, great company and chatter, happy memories indeed—Vambo Rool!

The track I’m going to select is The Sensational Alex Harvey Band – from the album Live – side one, track two - The Faith Healer.

#9 | Gary Moore | Empty Rooms

I’ve always been a big fan of Gary Moore from his Colosseum days and especially his solo stuff.

I went to the gig touring the Victims of the Future album at Middlesbrough Town Hall around 1983-84, which sold out. About halfway through there was a power cut. The show went on as Gary brought out his acoustic guitar and entertained everyone until the electrical issue was resolved. He was brilliant and I have to say, sadly missed from the music scene to this day, a fabulous guitar player.

My selection for Track 9 is from the album ‘Victims of the Future’ – side one, track four – Empty Rooms.

#10 | Ozzy Osbourne | Crazy Train

This selection is a tribute to the late great Ozzy Osbourne, what a character, entertainer, frontman.

I remember seeing him on his first solo tour, ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ at Middlesbrough Town Hall 29 th October 1980, what a show, and yes, I still have my ticket.

The band, Lee Kerslake RIP, Randy Rhoads RIP, Bob Daisley and Lindsay Bridgewater on keys: what else can you say about Ozzy that hasn’t already been said? Great memories and the ticket price was £3.00—happy days.

My selection for Track 10 is from the album Blizzard of Ozz – side one, track 2 - Crazy Train

And now two from Suzy and Simon…

Starlite & Campbell

I first saw them at Saltburn Blues Club, which did it for me. I remember Suzy coming around and chatting to everyone before the show, which was a surprise, and I have never seen that before or since. Great touch.

The album that switched me on, so to speak, to the band was Blueberry Pie. A quality record, with some great work going on and deserved more exposure to the music public in my opinion.

Love this album.

Starlite Campbell Band | Walkin’ Out The Door

Fantastic blues number, love that Hammond, great bass lines: a classy opener to the album.

Starlite Campbell Band | Shimmy

Excellent instrumental track, great groove to it. Again, classy Hammond’s and bass, great guitar work driven on by the man on the sticks.

Our new regular feature explores the music tastes of our friends, colleagues and supporters. Let’s see what floats of legendary recording engineer Phill Brown's boat.

If you haven’t heard of Phill you must check him out. His memoirs—originally published in 2011—have just been rereleased with updated material, spanning his 50-year career.

It’s the best Rock ‘n Roll book we have ever read and is available to buy now from Hawksmoor Publishing with free UK shipping.

Are We Still Rolling?

We asked Phill to pick ten of his favourite songs plus two of ours. Before we delve into his world, we must indulge ourselves in one of our most loved pieces of his work.

Spirit Of Eden by Talk Talk was recorded over a period of twelve months in almost total darkness and after numerous conversations over the years he told us it was probably the most difficult album he has ever been involved in.

He is a real music fan and has bought all our vinyl releases—putting his money where his mouth is.

We tried to get him across to mix our last record STARLITE.ONE but sadly he fell ill just before the dates. We hope to have him here for our next record which should be ready by the end of this very turbulent 2025.

Music is our life, and we are really interested in the songs you love. If you'd like to contribute, just mail us!

Much love

Suzy & Simon

Phill’s picks

I have had three lists so far and very difficult to pick just 10 tracks. So Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel and the Beach Boys did not make it to the final list.

I am heavily into lyrics and so my choices are biased. These are tracks I listen to on a regular basis.

Running up that Hill | Kate Bush

Apart from Wuthering Heights, I love almost everything by Kate Bush.

Great lyrics and instrumentation – she creates wonderful worlds – like going through the doors to Narnia.

What’s Going On | Marvin Gaye

For me, one of the best albums ever recorded has great lyrics and wonderful musicians: James Jamerson is the boss. Lyrically, this song is almost more relevant today—a wonderful album and track.

Making Plans for Nigel | XTC

I have always loved this track – one of the first productions by Steve Lillywhite. Very English… and I love tape-phasing

One World | John Martyn

I don’t know if I am allowed my own tracks… but this whole album is wonderful. One World and Small Hours are really special to me. Recording at 4 am across a lake—can’t get much better.  Again, great lyrics and magical guitar.

Another Brick In The Wall | Pink Floyd

A massive Floyd fan—they do everything so well. Great Sounds and Space. Uplifting but dark.

You Are Always On My Mind | Willie Nelson

This guy is so special and has written some wonderful songs. This is a beautiful track, makes me cry every time I hear it.

Insomnia | Faithless

Nothing to do with me, but I remember it pounding through the floor when my son played it on repeat. Great Bass, humorous lyrics, uplifting. Faithless at their peak.

Cannons in the Rain | John Stewart

From way back in the early 70s—a great track and album, a wonderful rich unique voice. Country at its best.

Good Times/ Bad Times | Led Zeppelin

So much power and energy, the first two albums were electrifying.

Imagine | John Lennon

What can one say—great lyrics, sparse instruments, spiritual.

And now two from Suzy and Simon…

Lay it Out On Me | Starlite & Campbell

I love the sound of this track—loads of space and air.

Saving Me | Starlite & Campbell

Great groove, bass and lyrics.

I never really got the John and Yoko thing until I met my now-wife Suzy Starlite. Many have said that Yoko broke up The Beatles and I can see that.

A band is a team that operates in concert—pardon the pun—generally with a leader, stretching and extracting each other’s creativity. It’s a team quite unlike any other.

In each game of football, players are swapped in and out with the lineup changing over the season and metamorphosing unrecognizably over of number of years.

Yes, a band can bring in session musicians to spice up a record or a tour—Billy Preston and Eric Clapton for the Beatles are great examples—but generally the most creative, and not necessarily commercially successful bands, are at their peak with their original members.

There are exceptions to every rule: Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues, Deep Purple spring to mind but the likes of Rush, Led Zeppelin, U2, The Band, Radiohead and countless others kind of prove this point, but I digress—back to John and Yoko.

Yoko was there and not just there, but within one metre of Lennon all the time: there is no doubt she changed the band’s dynamic.

Creative units are special and unless you have worked in one, almost impossible to describe. The process is private, complex and sometimes fractious—stories of The Police come to mind.

Record producers are there to help the band manage the process and give them direction and focus. Two great examples are Daniel Lanois for his work with U2, Boy Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson plus many others and Nigel Godrich who is best known as the sixth member of Radiohead and has recently seen considerable success with Idles.

Starlite and I have only spent two nights apart in nearly 12 years. We adore each other, found each other later in life and can’t bear to be apart.

We live and work together 24/7, 365 days of the year and get where Lennon and Ono were at, the difference being Starlite and I are the band: writing, playing, singing, recording, producing, engineering, marketing and managing—basically everything. It’s our studio, our guitars. A married couple. A band. A team.

This is not to say we don’t disagree as I am always right and Starlite also thinks that she is always right—I write this realizing the consequences and am currently donning a steel helmet and piling up sandbags—which occasionally leads to monumental disagreements.

Our creative process is very intimate but do open it up to session players as we don’t play everything ourselves.

Inevitably, they bring their own unique talents to proceedings and over the years many have contributed beautiful parts to our music. Steve Gibson and Hugo Danin on drums; Johnny Henderson, Gabriele Del Vecchio and Christian Madden on keyboards plus brilliance from Andy’s Seward and Cutting, Danny Boy Sanchez and Maria Saalfeld Reis.

Date night

Since moving to the Silver Coast our social life has exploded and along with setting up the studio plus working up our new projects, time has become even more precious.

As you would expect Suzy and I see each regularly during the day, but much of the time work individually in separate rooms doing different shit. When together we are generally creating something and even when eating, discuss work, family, our four Labradors and current challenges.

We thought it would be a splendid idea to set aside some time for us to communicate in a way as we did in the early days of our relationship. You will find a distinct lack of photos in this post as the rule is, no phones, no photographs, just chat.

Suzy mentioned an Ed Sheeran interview.

“Me and my wife have a date night. It’s a strict date night every single week. And no matter who’s in town or who wants to see us, it’s always this one night in the week and we go out and our rule is we can’t talk about our baby. We have to talk about each other and catch up because if you spend as a parent, you spend so much time discussing being a parent that you kind of forget who you were before. ” - Ed Sheeran

Romance

There is no shortage of romantic places to eat out inexpensively in Foz do Arelho or our neighbouring city Caldas da Rainha and our first official date night was a few weeks ago when we saw the excellent A Complete Unknown at our local cinema preceded with dinner at the wonderful Cairo Egyptian restaurant.

The food in Cairo—the restaurant and the City—is superb and 95% made on the premises, including the tahini, which I know from experience is tricky to create from scratch. Katherine is a great host and terrific cook, but we had to cut our customary long meal short to get to the cinema on time.

No dub here…

One of the reasons that the Portuguese speak great English is that all movies are run in their native language. It’s not economical to dub for a population of around 10.5 million souls. A good thing too. Have you ever seen an Alien franchise film in Spain?

And talking of Spain, the last time went to the movies was around nine years ago in Valencia where we managed to see an un-dubbed version of the latest Star Wars release, in English, with great sound and visuals.

Poorplexed

Sadly, the CinePlace multiplex is very tired and in need of total refurbishment. It’s one of those classic places where the entrance is on the first floor of a soulless shopping mall with expensive junk food served in the foyer.

The sound was poor, quiet and the picture was a tad out of focus and hazy.

A Complete Unknown

Setting this aside the film was top-notch, although IMHO with excessive poetic license. It’s tough to beat Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Johnny Cash in Walk The Line, but Timothée Chalamet’s performance was fabulous and it appears—although it is so tricky to detect reality nowadays—the playing and singing were performed with considerable aplomb.

“According to producer Fred Berger, Chalamet sang 40 Dylan songs in the film while also playing guitars and harmonicas. All performances were recorded live while filming; Barbaro, Norton, and Holbrook sang and played their own instruments. Sound engineer Tod Maitland revealed that recording was done with period-appropriate microphones and instruments and without the use of earpieces.” - A Complete Unknown - Wikipedia

Fair play…

We resisted the temptation to indulge in popcorn, instead rounding off the evening with a couple of beers and Vinho do Porto at Rocky’s Caffé which is adjacent to the cinema. It was full of people eating bifanas, drinking a variety of wines, beers, spirits and watching football—welcome to Portugal.

The film sparked off a long conversation about Dylan, Seeger and Guthrie bemoaning the fact that these halcyon days of music—and most importantly, its consumption—are over.

A great date night.

Since the beginning of November life in the Starlite Campbell house has been very turbulent and have moved home to a quite different part of this wonderful country.

The 77 Km journey North West to Foz do Arelho was a lot easier, but we have serious challenges with our new landlords, which to date haven’t been resolved and until recently, have been unable to work due to the stress and disruption.

We are battling on.

Good vibrations

On a positive note, we are working on new articles, music, videos and a live music project aptly entitled Vibrationists which features working with a variety of musicians. For our first single release we are working with multi-instrumentalist, Dave Boyd.

This is something he put together to explore the sonic possibilities.

It’s full of art

The village of Foz do Arelho and specifically its neighbouring city—Caldas da Rainha—is the polar opposite of Samora and packed with expats from all over the world but principally from the USA, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and of course the UK. It’s a wonderful place, rammed with Portuguese artists and musicians and have already met loads of very cool people.

Notes | Our day-to-day observations of the world

Right now you are reading VIBES, a reader-supported blog where Suzy and I publish our collective thoughts and musings about life, culture, music technology and art.

We also write informal and more regular updates on the associated app Notes and our life journey over the last few months has been largely documented there.

Notes is a cross between Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and X, but it is not run by those dreadful folks at Meta or owned by the most dangerous man on the planet.

It doesn’t have advertisements and you don’t have to subscribe or have an account, it’s just there and we like that.

We love chatting to our friends and supporters so give it a try and come join us on this really cool platform.

JOIN US ON NOTES

Last September we published an article about Notes. If you are interested, check it out.

Send us a Signal…

Finally, in these dangerous times, we are steering away from messaging services run by tech giants opting for Signal, recognised as the most secure messaging service and currently available for all mobile, tablet and desktop devices. It’s free, but you can donate if you feel flush.

We know many of our friends worldwide are frightened of speaking freely.

Message us by email or via the comments section below and we will send you our Signal contact details.

Black is the new black

Suzy, Hummock, Bob, Edith, Françoise and of course myself, send you bags of love from a very damp Foz do Arelho.

Hummock was showing signs of ageing, becoming particularly curmudgeonly. We decided to bring some youthful energy into the house by adopting two puppies. Our focus was on finding companions for Hummock, Bobby, and us.

If you have missed the previous hound related articles, check more by clicking the button below. If you are looking for part three, its not been released yet. It’s just how we roll.

All about the hounds of rock

We initially contacted Val at High House Labradors in Cumbria, where Hummock and Bobby came from. However, due to Brexit and the complex regulations for bringing dogs into Europe, this option proved impossible.

Undeterred, Starlite began searching online for breeders of athletic, working Labrador Retrievers within Europe.

The first website she found was for Elevage Black Soldier, located in Egreville in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. A promotional video showcasing their dogs immediately impressed us with their intelligence and athleticism. We instantly felt it was the perfect fit.

Simon emailed Christophe Chambre, a highly regarded and multi-award winning breeder, using the excellent DeepL app's translations of French and English.

Breeders don't simply sell puppies to anyone and typically have a thorough screening process to ensure their hounds go to suitable homes.

We provided Christophe with all our information, explaining that we already had Hummock and Bobby and were looking for two black female puppies to join our family.

After reviewing our details, Christophe approved our application, and we moved forward with the process. We anticipated a wait until around late August for a litter to be born.

However, we received a pleasant surprise. Christophe contacted us much sooner than expected, announcing that our puppies—the two on the left—were born on February 21, 2024. They were two sisters in a litter of ten adorable puppies, and their close bond was evident from the very beginning.

We were thrilled and started planning our road trip to southern Paris to pick up our new family members!

Day one | Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain

It was a strange feeling driving in the Van of Rock (VOR) without our hairy beasts but we knew that in a couple of days we would be in full-on puppy mode so like young lovers on a romantic break, we set off for Ciudad Rodrigo, a picturesque town just across the border in Spain.

As we have mentioned in other posts, the tolls in Portugal, Spain and especially France are monstrous and after a lot of travelling and expensive mistakes, have developed a methodology on planning the quickest and most cost effective way to traverse the Continent.

It’s a delight to walk the cobbled streets and we relaxed over a delicious lunch at Bar El Sanatorio in Plaza Mayor: Spanish wine isn’t as good as Portuguese!

Day two | Bayonne, France

We stopped overnight at Hôtel Les Genêts in the Basque town of Bayonne. It was a pretty disappointing experience.

Unless there is no other option, we never eat in the hotel and in the morning, went in search of our favourite French breakfast - croissants, pain au chocolate and coffee d’accord!

We did a quick search on Trip Advisor and drove to Lionel Raux, a pâtisserie and chocolatier described as the meeting place of the Basque and Landais gourmands, serving a mesmerising array of chocolate creations and pastries.

These were the best croissants and pain au chocolate we have ever tasted—and, having lived in France, we don’t say that lightly! They melted in your mouth with heavenly buttery chocolatey delight — we were intoxicated and ordered two more each, deciding that to avoid any guilt, it would serve as our lunch as well :)

We did feel a bit sick afterwards; the child in you never learns when to stop, but it was so worth it.

An absolute must-taste experience if you are ever visiting Bayonne. They also have a shop in Biarritz too.

Day three | Bourges

Europe is fucking big and try and make the travelling experience as good as we can so every day is an opportunity for a new experience, so we decided to stay overnight in the lovely city of Bourges, which would give us a short two-hour drive in the morning to collect the pups.

We booked St Bonnet, a small private flat that has parking nearby—always important when travelling in the VOR. It was clean and perfect for our needs, so we dropped off our cases, changed and immediately went out for dinner.

Au Rez de Chassée

One of the things we really enjoy is going out for dinner, especially on a date night. I had read a fabulous review of Au Rez de Chassée and promptly booked a table.

We arrived to find the place packed and ours being the only table left.

There were about thirty-five people in the restaurant and the atmosphere was effervescent with the sound of people laughing and chatting with that distinctive musical lilt of the French accent—it felt so good to be amongst people again.

The menu was written on a portable long blackboard which the waiter presented to each table of diners. Together, with the help of a couple sitting next to us, we managed to translate the menu and place our order. The evening transformed into a fabulous enchanting experience — one of the best we have ever had together.

This is a must-visit restaurant if you're passing through Bourges. You will need to book ahead!

Checking in with the woofers

We don’t like leaving our girls when travelling but it was the wise thing to do this time as we needed to give our whole attention to our new puppies and give them a secure and loving space, so we booked Hummock and Bobby into Hotel Canino da Quinta de Santa Maria run by Rita, our cool vet.

As you can see, they are really happy—which makes us happy.

Day four | bonjour Edith & Françoise

After three days of travel, we arrived in Egreville, France, right on time. We were both a little nervous but of course incredibly excited about meeting our new puppies.

Christophe didn't speak English, which was perfectly fine—we were in France! "Je m'appelle Suzy," and so on... "merci... merci." We managed to get by with our basic knowledge of school-level French, naturally interjected with a few words of Spanish, German and Portuguese that popped into our heads.

The adoption process was seamless and professional - we don’t like to think of it as a sale. Christophe led us to an outdoor pen, picked up the puppies, and cool as a cucumber plonked them in our arms. “Okay?” he asked. We were more than okay—we were overjoyed, astounded, delighted, amazed - our hearts instantly won over!

We also asked to be introduced to their mother and father who were magnificent. We told them we would look after their girls and then headed off to complete the official paperwork.

We had already chosen names for the girls to honour their French heritage — Edith (Piaf) and Françoise (because we loved the sound of the name). What we hadn’t decided was who was who.

Christophe resolved this by completing their pet passports, which matched their microchip numbers.

But how could we tell them apart? They were sisters and looked identical. Again, Christophe came to the rescue, finding a string collar that was given to Edith. We could take it off after a few months when we had got to know them better.

The first year

When we put them in the VOR, Edith started squeaking, not barking or growling, but squeaking. This led to the collective name, squeakers.

Hummock and Bob don’t squeak, they woof and hence are named woofers.

The squeakers have changed our lives - they are the most loving, hugely intelligent, wonderful Labradors you could ever wish for and we are so grateful to Christophe for breeding such amazing hounds— truly magnificent!

We speak to them in English with a little Portuguese, German and French for good measure—important if they ever need help, love, or be warned of any potential danger by people other than ourselves.

The squeakers are great with children and adults and we take them with us as much as possible, including their first-ever concert at the Caldas Beer Festival a couple of weeks ago.

Recently we relocated our home and Supertone recording studio to Foz do Arelho in Portugal overlooking the Òbidos lagoon and the Oceano Atlântico - about an hour north of Lisbon on the Silver Coast.

You can imagine the joy we all have when we take the girls for a swim in the lagoon. Hummock grins like she has taken some psychedelic compound, Bobby has started swimming again, fetching her favourite sticks and the squeakers (Edith and Françoise) adore racing out into the water to retrieve their favourite orange surfboard toy.

Moments of Joy

Here are some photos and short videos of our first year with Edith, Françoise, Hummock and Bobby - a family pack of four hairy beasts - enjoy!

Puppy play

The first time at the Océano Atlántico for Edith and Françoise, Portugal

Swimming in the Òbidos Lagoa, Portugal

The Océano Atlântico, Foz do Arehlo, Portugal

We hope you have enjoyed the photos and videos - it’s good to share the love!

Suzy and I love London and would probably have lived there, or New York, if we had been together 30 years ago. Of course, if either of us had made any other choices than we actually made, this trip would never have happened unless you believe (as we do) in the concept of an infinite number of parallel universes where all possible scenarios will happen. That fucks with your head eh…

When living in Germany, we attended our youngest son’s wedding in Steinbockenheim, near Frankfurt. Christina is German and met Joe when living in the UK. At the wedding, Christina announced she was pregnant, and now our Granddaughter Emma is coming up to five.

Our firstborn James announced he was getting married in the Spring of last year following a whirlwind romance with his now-wife Sarah, who proposed to him. Cool.

The wedding singer

Unless you are a dedicated wedding band the thought of playing weddings fills any original artist with fear—it’s a specialist gig.

We were asked to play in the evening at Christina and Joe’s wedding celebrations and did a whole original set for a group of mainly German guests.

By the time we hit the stage after a very long day, we were well-oiled. Still, we seemed to get away with it and had a truly wonderful time.

Sarah and James asked us to play at their wedding but this time it was just one song during the ceremony—to accompany the bride as she walked into the chapel. We soon discovered that the guest list was peppered with pro musicians, which combined with the fact you can’t fuck up the bride’s entry at our son’s wedding, made a stressful situation.

The song they chose was Bob Dylan’s Girl From The North Country. We researched the track and found that nobody had covered the song satisfactorily and after studying it - found out why. Dylan was at his most obtuse at the time where he extended verses and sang difficult lyrics over cross-rhythms. Also, every live version we found was different from the next.

To add to the stress I needed to borrow a guitar. Fortunately, this wasn’t too much of a problem as James has a beautiful Taylor acoustic guitar following a swap we did several years ago. Long story.

A we were flying in, Suzy had a different problem as procuring a bass and amplifier was going to be very tricky, so she chose to play harmonica and we feverishly rehearsed a dual harmony version.

So that’s the back story.

London is fucking expensive

Flying is the only sensible option when travelling to London from Portugal and we had to leave our four Labradors in the Pet Hotel. In May, Françoise and Edith—aka the squeakers—joined our family and it was the first time we had left them. Even when we are on tour, we usually travel as a family pack so it was difficult to leave them, albeit in excellent hands at Hotel Canino da Quinta de Santa Maria.

Reasonably priced accommodation in London is difficult to find and we were delighted when two of our friends and top supporters offered us their flat, which is located near Oval, for the duration of our stay. Fabulous!

We decided to travel on Wednesday leaving the Van Of Rock at 0500 at a JetPark close to Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon. The flight was pretty seamless arriving at Gatwick bang on schedule and then took the 45-minute journey on the Gatwick Express to London Victoria Station then onto Oval. We hadn’t eaten and decided to drop our cases at the flat and find a local restaurant for lunch. It was around 1230.

We walked down Brixton Road and happened upon Conuco, an establishment serving Venezuelan street food and opted for their most popular dish, Arepas - totally delicious!

Cafe Oto

In the evening we visited Sarah and Jim’s flat in Stoke Newington and headed off to to Cafe Oto in Dalson to see a celebration of the music of drummer and founder of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble—John Stevens. We were pretty fucked having arisen so early and experienced a talk by David Toop followed by a challenging evening of music with Scottish free-jazz and improvising vocalist Maggie Nichols, also of the Ensemble, saxophonist John Butcher and others.

After the event, we returned to the flat to pick up the guitar as Dalston is not a place to be walking around late at night with a valuable instrument.

We ended up drinking and chatting until 0400 and took an UBER back to our temporary home in Oval late. A 24-hour day.

Everything we bought was three to four times more than in Portugal. London is fucking expensive.

The family

We met Sarah for the first time in Valencia, Spain. The four of us were supposed to see our favourite band The Smile but sadly they cancelled due to Johnny Greenwood’s mystery illness.

On a positive note, we all got on like a house on fire and shared many stories my favourite being Sarah—a self-confessed Witch—who was almost expelled from school for attempting to summon the Devil.

On Thursday night there was a dinner at the Lady Mildmay with all the family, most of who we hadn’t met and had a great time but slightly soured as our Granddaughter Emma wasn’t allowed in the restaurant after 1900 and Christina had to take her back. Ridiculous. Welcome to UK licencing laws.

Friday 13th

Yes, the wedding was on this most superstitiously unlucky day in the Gregorian calendar

Following a final music rehearsal at the flat in Oval, we made our way by UBER complete with guitar and harmonica to The Auld Shillelagh in Stoke Newington which is, according to the Irish Times, “The Most authentic Irish pub in the world outside Ireland". Guinness was consumed and we chatted with the arriving guests many of which were James’ old school friends which I hadn’t seen for 18 years. Fabulous catching up. They were all grown-up men and women now…

In the meantime, the bride was getting ready helped by her mother Sally and sisters Emily and Grace.

Charlotte Macke Photography

As we were merrily sipping on our Guinness, a sparkly-eyed woman dressed in black arrived, she gave a smile and then whipped her camera out and proceeded to take photographs of the pre-wedding gathering.

Charlotte is a London and Paris-based photographer and to our delight, discovered that she was shooting the entire wedding on film—a real analogue passion of ours. We introduced ourselves and said hello.

With a great photographer on board, we felt liberated to immerse ourselves in the joy of the day and savour every precious moment. Something that all who visit a Nick Cave concert will appreciate.

She drifted effortlessly between the groups of friends looking for special moments to capture and when shooting on film you have to be more intuitive and selective about the shots you take as each roll of 35mm film affords you 36-38 photographs.

Nothing was posed. We love the relaxed naturalness of the people—the laughter, the joy— and certainly captured memories of those special moments on film for us all to treasure and enjoy forever.

Below is a selection of photographs from the day, used with kind permission from Charlotte.

The bride

The Ceremony

The time was upon us and we ambled over to Abney Chapel—the oldest surviving non-denominational chapel in Europe. Guests were arriving and tuned up. To say I was nervous is an understatement. Give me a crowd of 20,000 any day.

We met David O’Leary who until recently was a member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and was playing solo violin after the civil ceremony. Cool guy. Great suit. Great player.

Walk the walk

The plan was for the whole congregation to walk a couple of miles from the Chapel to the Myddleton Arms where the reception was to take place. Beer was to be distributed along the way and have to say it was a most enjoyable experience. Of course, the whole party strung out along the route, some of whom called in for a cheeky pint.

The celebration

We arrived at the Myddleton Arms to be greeted by a group of friends shucking oysters and doling out Champagne. The eclectic and diverse group of guests were a joy to be with and with a free bar, it started to get messy very quickly and at stupid o’clock, the landlord literally had to throw us out the door.

Naturally, we were one of the last to leave but some intrepid souls wandered off to a local club. We opted to take an UBER home.

A wonderful day.

Black & White

We have just moved house and apologise for the lack of posts. It’s always a huge stress and as we have our full analogue recording studio, a massive job.

You can read all about it in Simon’s daily diary on notes, the latest episode of which can be found here!

Music is our life and we are really interested in the songs you love, so if you fancy contributing, just mail us!

So let’s get to it.

We asked the fabulous Rhonda & Jeff Boehlert to pick ten of their favourite songs a few weeks ago.

Here you go…

Much love

Suzy & Simon

Hi

We are Jeff & Rhonda Boehlert

About four years ago we decided to sell everything, move to Portugal from America and start a new, simpler life. It continues to be an extremely rewarding and enlightening experience.

Music has always been an important thread in our lives, and that musical thread continues here in Europe.

We have been to hundreds of shows over the years at intimate clubs, house concerts, large venues, and iconic locations. We enjoy travelling Europe now and making musical discoveries here.

In fact, one of the best musical discoveries we have made here in Europe is Starlite and Campbell - more on that below as we select two songs from their discography.

The top ten…

We present to you a top 10 list. These are 10 songs you would definitely find on our playlists, among many, many others. A near daunting task to select just 10 – but here goes.

Why these 10? We have selected songs that evoke movement, emotion, and memories which can transport you to a place or a point in time. These songs have emotional connections for us. We hope you enjoy.

So… let’s get this party started.

Jeff’s picks

Green Onions by Booker T & The M.G.’s.

You gotta move, you cannot refuse, in the first couple of notes you are up and grooving to the tune and a sense of joy flows through you. Don’t believe me then crank it up. Movement! None better than this classic Memphis tune.

Memory: Back in 2013 we had the pleasure of seeing Booker T & The M.G.’s perform this song at Madison Square Garden as part of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival. Check out this vintage live footage from 1969.

Four Day Creep by Humble Pie

The glorious 70s – best decade of music. This song always takes me back to my youth and growing up during the best decade of music. Hot & sweaty rock and roll, live albums, triple bills for $6.

Two of my brothers were guitar players and this was always on their setlists. Memory: seeing Peter Frampton perform this live - Raleigh North Carolina 2019.

Check out this from their performance: Rockin The Fillmore

Congo Square by The Neville Brothers

The best music town there is – New Orleans.

This song evokes the power and importance of music and is a reminder of people being marginalized. The Neville Brothers are known as “the heart & soul of New Orleans”, one of the many musical families from New Orleans. This song was written by the superb slide player from Louisiana, Sonny Landreth, and The Nevilles cover it so well. Memories…sooo many…. how about rolling out of Tipitina’s at sunrise after another late-night show? haha

Into The Mystic by Van Morrison

This song is somewhat of an anthem for our new life in Portugal. “...let your soul and spirt fly, into the mystic…”. Rhonda has that gypsy soul and was the catalyst to our new life direction. Memory: finally, after all these years, seeing Van Morrison last year at Sandringham UK.

Improvisation on Bolero by Larry Coryell

Absolutely beautiful guitar. Rhonda comes from a more classical background, so Bolero is near and dear to her heart. Memory: on our travels through Spain and seeing a wonderful acoustic guitar trio perform in a historic church in Barcelona.

Check out this live performance in Seville 1992.

Rhonda’s picks

Growing up, I only listened to classical music, which trained my ears to the beautiful harmonies and intensity that classical music brings.

My father was super strict and would not allow any rock music to be played in the house. It was all “evil”, and so no Rock or Pop albums in our house except for two that my sister snuck into the house… Peter Frampton Live and the soundtrack to A Star Is Born. lol 😂

When I started driving and was able to listen to the radio, I became a fan of pop music.

I enjoy music that has a great tonal quality and harmony, and then I hear the words. When a song has both, it becomes a favorite.

When I met Jeff, he became my music man and introduced me to many bands I had never heard of.  Todd Rundgren was one of these artists. I had heard “Hello it’s me” on the radio but not any of his other songs. Wow!! I was blown away.

Compassion by Todd Rundgren

Great harmonies and a deep message. 

Jeff: I was a huge Todd fan. He was the renaissance man and always taking a new direction on each project. On Todd solo LPs he does all the vocals and instruments!

Check out Todd live, with Flo & Eddie on backup vocals.

Couldn’t Stand The Weather by Stevie Ray Vaughan

We saw him in an open-air covered amphitheatre in the Finger Lakes region of NY. As he started to play this song, a lightning storm moved in. It got more intense as he played, like he was playing with the storm. It was magical!  

Jeff: musical memories… seeing Stevie Ray in a small bar for $5 ... hearing the sad news on that tragic day…

Check out this live in 1985.

Amazing Jane by Sonia Dada

Sonia Dada is a group that Jeff introduced me to. This band incorporates rock, soul, gospel, blues and funk with stunning harmonies and deep social messages.

has great harmonies, and an intensity that draws you in and makes you listen to the words and the profound message. We bought all their CDs and have a great memory of seeing them at the iconic Birchmere club in Virginia. We drove three hours each way just to see them. Well worth the trip.

The Rain by Subdudes

Subdudes is another New Orleans band with super harmonies and down to earth feeling about them. They have relatable lyrics that are easy to sing to.

This is one of our favorite songs. It brings back the memory of seeing them play it live in a small club, coming into the crowd, forming a circle in the center of the audience and belting out this song. Wow!!!

Check out this live performance.

Adagio in G minor by Albinoni

With my classical upbringing, I really enjoy listening to violin and organ music. This song is so intense with the cellos, and the organ and violins, if you sit in a dark room and focus on the sounds, it will bring you to tears with the intensity and perfect pitch and your ears will ring and you will feel the vibrations throughout your entire body. There are really no words to describe the experience.

Two of our favorite Starlite-Campbell songs. But first, a little background to put it all into context.

Starlite-Campbell is a band we discovered once we moved to Portugal. We arrived during the height of the COVID pandemic. Here we were in a strange new country, and everything was in lockdown. We felt isolated and confused. It was one thing to experience this back home in the States, but to be in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, and you do not yet understand the culture, really amplified that sense of isolation.

Lo and behold we came across the Starlite Campbell Band, and they were performing weekly livestreams – a place we could share without masks, two-meter barriers etc. This was the new way of connecting during this crazy chapter of history. It was like being thrown a life vest while you were drowning in an ocean of insanity. The first thing we loved about the broadcast; it was live music, near and dear to our hearts and absolutely the medicine we needed at that moment in time. Second, it was in English, a language we understood. And third, they were also living here in Portugal – wait what, we weren’t the only “outsiders” here? And lastly and most importantly, it was making a real human connection – albeit via the internet.

Each week we were brought into the intimate world of Suzy & Simon, sharing their music and stories with us. They were a crucial part of helping us navigate through those strange times. Since then, we have continued to follow and support their music and in some small way try to show our gratitude for the gift they have given us. Music is about sharing energy and emotion – the universal language they say. We are true believers in supporting the arts and understand the importance of independent artists.

Here are two of our favourite Starlite-Campbell songs…

Take Time to Grow Old from The Language of Curiosity

This song is a constant reminder to embrace life and live every day to its fullest. “…no need to fade away…. don’t fall back on yesterday…how long is up to you…”. Don’t count yourself out because of a number (your age), although your body will age, your spirit should always continue to grow. For us we hope to live life with the curiosity and wonder of a three-year-old. Nuff said haha

The Voting Machine from STARLITE.ONE

A very relevant and in-your-face message, great beat. We love this latest project with its new musical direction and the artistic and engaging videos.

Much love,

Rhonda & Jeff

PS: See you all on the next Starlite-Campbell livestream. Or out on the road somewhere enjoying music.

Some events on our musical calendar… last week we caught Sir Paul McCartney in Paris (Outstanding!), always love going back to Romania in July to catch up with friends at Open Air Blues Festival, and off to the land of Oz for Byron Bay Blues Festival (Australia)...

And hopefully… somewhere… sometime… the chance to see Starlite-Campbell perform live in 2025.

Thank you kindly and we will see you in 2025. We are off for the holidays this week to do a dog sit 🐶🐶

We love live music and try to get out to see as many live gigs as possible. It’s been tricky recently as we have been busy and had four concerts on the agenda. Here is the original article where I wrote about them all. But today is all about the new Messiah.

VIBES

Four gigs to expand the mind

Live music is in my blood…

Read more

2 years ago · 4 likes · Simon Campbell

When visiting Lisboa we usually drive to Vila Franca de Xira and take the train. The streets and parking are a nightmare in the Van Of Rock and it’s just €2.20 return each.

The MEO Arena is adjacent to the river and a stone’s throw from Lisbon’s Gare do Oriente (Oriente railway station and intermodal transport hub) - a convenient and well-thought-out location.

The station was inaugurated in 1998, as part of the celebrations marking the opening of the Expo '98 world's fair and looks like a set from Battlestar Galactica - cool.

Dinner

No gig is complete without a pre-show dinner. When we are gigging we hope for a family-style sit around a table with the band and crew after soundcheck.

Tonight, the gig was not ours and chose a cool-looking and well-reviewed Nepalese restaurant, Bom Vindo relatively close to the venue and station where we arrived.

The food was really good and inexpensive. Our table was conveniently next to the bar that was stocked with Luckla Nepalese beer. It looked like a small place until I visited the loo and found another ten tables in an adjacent room. Check out their MoMo’s which are the best we’ve tasted in Portugal.

The arena

The MEO Arena is a toilet: not literally you understand, but a steel box more suitable for sport than music, seconds of reverb and a nasty slap back from the rear wall.

It’s the type of venue you never want to see a band, and in the days before in-ear monitors took some of the pain away, one you would never want to play yourself.

We have all been there.

The Murder Capital

Timing of gigs in Portugal is tricky as sometimes the support starts at the time it says on the ticket and sometimes the main act. In the case of this gig, it was the latter and we arrived towards the end of their set catching just three songs.

They are an Irish rock/post-punk band that formed in Dublin in 2018 and their music has been described as dark, intense, and introspective.

They didn’t grip me, but went down pretty well with the crowd.

Put your fucking phones away…

I didn’t take any photos as quite rightly, Cave doesn’t like mobile phones being used at gigs which distract from the all-important moment. Starlite however took a couple as a momento.

This video was from an earlier show from the tour which I think most of the Portuguese audience had seen. He is pretty clear.

Frogs

The band walked onto the stage at 2031 with Cave following within seconds. He was due at 2030 which indicated how the night was going to progress - seamless perfectionism.

They fired up with Frogs from their latest album Wild God. The sound was surprisingly good although Cave’s vocal was a little low. Within two songs, the sound was really improving with his voice clear and present. It improved even more during the course of the set.

We were positioned around 40m from the stage which we considered to be an optimal listening position for the room. Normally we go as close to the mixing position as possible, but the venue’s acoustics dictated we move closer and the Portuguese audience was very calm and easy to negotiate. Or so we thought…

Where the fuck do all these tall people come from? Not this country for sure and we heard a lot of English and French spoken - bastard tourists.

A scuffle

Even though Starlite was wearing the ‘Boots Of Rock’ which elevate her by 100mm, to see the stage she partly stood on the cable cover which ran from the mixing position to the stage to get a better view. Only to be pushed off and insulted by a very aggressive Portuguese woman to her right. Fuck her - we moved forward.

There was back projection with live video showing Cave interacting with the front row, punctuated with lyrics and song names in the same font as used in all the publicity—very cool and not overdone.

It’s all about the lyrics

Although I have bought a fair few of his albums we are not die-hard fans and found the latest release overblown and dare I say pompous! To us, his lyrics are the most potent part of his art and the music wraps around them as a delivery mechanism. There is no doubting his sincerity.

The show progressed nicely and the song selection in terms of mood and tempo was spot on.

Check out the full setlist here.

The band

The band were great and it was good to see Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood on bass who had taken the place of regular Bad Seeder Martyn P. Casey, having dropped out of the European tour due to ill health.

As per usual he was rooted in his spot right next to the drummer - in this band Thomas Wydler, the longest-serving member of the Bad Seeds, who occasionally flipped to two Tympani conveniently located just behind his drum set.

Greenwood and Wydler played with power and accuracy. Great job.

There was a point when the audience was clapping during a breakdown in a song - I can’t remember which one - and Wydler lost the groove, switching the one with the backbeat. Cave amusingly counted him back in and I suspect this slip in an otherwise flawless performance was due to the massive reverb in the room.

Guest keyboardist Carly Paradis - a successful singer-songwriter in her own right - occasionally came out and played the grand piano that was for most of the set firmly in the domain of Cave. She whistled on O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is) replicating her performance on the Wild God album.

Some backing tracks were going on but most of what we heard was live.

The four backing vocalists were fabulous, one male and three female, who later on in the set moved from the rear of the stage to join the main man at the front.

George Vjestica was effective, playing mostly acoustic guitar, switching occasionally to electric and sang a lot of backing vocals.

The percussionist, Jim Sclavunos, was cool, played well and was a good visual addition to the show surrounded by an array of instruments from Tubular Bells and Musser Vibes to electronic pads triggering samples and synthesisers.

Percussion is tricky to mic up live and the sound engineers really showed their prowess as everything was audible, a miracle considering the dire room acoustics but I suspect the absence of stage monitors really helped.

Tubular bells

Not the Mike Oldfield album…

The tuned percussion interested me as recently we had a geeky discussion on our gear-based Mastodon tag. We were discussing Xanadu by Rush and how they managed to record tacks with these troublesome instruments.

Troublesome because they are generally orchestral tools with a base frequency of A=442 Hz as opposed to rock and roll where A=440 Hz. I recorded a little stub of one song where Cave was playing the piano - checked - and it’s clear everyone was tuned to 440Hz and the percussion was a special order.

Welcome to my world 🤣

Sclavunos switched to the drums and Wydler took over the percussion in the second full band encore Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry but IMHO he should stick to his knitting, percussion.

The front row was treated to a religious experience. He swept his hand across theirs and somewhat bravely used various audience members as temporary mic stands whilst pulling his preacher-like shapes and delivering his sermon.

The second star of the show was long-term accomplice Warren Ellis who was suitably weird and an excellent foil to Cave.

Playing electric violin - with plenty of cool-sounding distortion - he was the only person with enough charisma to draw eyes from Cave. Ellis also played synthesizer and a signature tenor guitar from Eastwood Guitars.

Cave mentioned that he had hurt his leg and Ellis entered and left the stage using a walking stick. At one point he stopped the show to bandage it up with bizarre wide white tape.

Great.

Here’s a short video from the concert to give you an idea of the feel and sound - again taken by Starlite for posterity.

Anita Lane

A very poignant moment in the set was dedicated to Anita Lane, who passed away in 2021.

She had both personal and professional relationships with Cave, was briefly a member of the Bad Seeds and sang on this track from the album. Videos of her were shown during the song. It was emotional.

He finished the encores with Into My Arms sitting at his piano. He played with the melody a little which somewhat confused the audience who were singing along. I love that fucking track, and I am clearly not the only one.

The Red Hand Files

I love the concept of Nick Cave and he writes beautifully. I have still to buy any of his books but I regularly read his blog, the Red Hand Files, where he responds to fans questions and comments. This post was written from his balcony overlooking the wonderful city of Lisboa.

If you have any suggestions on where to start with his books please share them with me in the comments section below.

And finally…

There is no doubt Cave is a superstar and the fact was reflected in the ticket price, but the performance was superb and we both thoroughly enjoyed the whole two and a half hours. The stage setup and lighting were not overblown and the sound was first-rate.

Would we go and see him again? Yes. Amen to that.

This thought recently crossed my mind.

I married into a family and now have two fabulous sons, two daughters (in-law) a granddaughter and a grandson on the way however, I don’t actually have any children that I have grown myself.

Before contemplating settling down and making babies I was determined to get to know myself and see the world knowing all too well that a child is not just for Christmas. Once they arrive, your world and priorities change - as does your body.

I was also scared of losing myself. It’s a scientific fact that women experience pregnancy brain where neural pathways rewire themselves and all those hormones!

So here’s the thing. When I die is that it? Is that the end of the line? Who will tell my story and what will I leave behind of any memorable worth?

What will be my legacy?

The Nanny contraceptive

I longed for freedom and couldn’t wait to leave home and experience some of the world.

My best friend Ali Fleming had gotten a job as a nanny in Reigate through The Lady magazine in a gap year before starting her nursing training at St. Barts in London. Some friends of the people she worked for also needed help and I ended up being offered a six-month job as a live-in nanny for Doctors Andy and Penny Stanway.

Andy had a prestigious job as the doctor on Good Morning Britain on TV-AM - a UK TV morning show presented by Anne Diamond and Nick Owen. He was also a sexual marriage guidance counsellor and both he and Penny were published authors, known for the controversial The Joy of Sex and the best-selling Breast is Best. They had three children; Ben - three, Amy - seven and Susannah - nine.

The Stanways were a fabulous family and I really got to understand as a young eighteen-year-old the realities and huge responsibility of raising a family - from the outside looking in.

We had lots of fun, including building a huge spaceship (some things never change), drawing cartoons and running through fields singing The Sound of Music at the top of our lungs: the overall experience proved much more effective than any chemical contraception.

Children, I love them - but not yet for me thank you. Not for a very, very long time.

Emotional adoption

I had a boyfriend for a few years who had a young teenage daughter. I wanted us to be there for her and made every effort for them to connect and spend time together - something that hadn’t happened much before.

Sadly, when we split up, the visits to his daughter also fizzled out.

We lost touch when she emigrated with her mum. However, years later his daughter and I recently reconnected having become a young parent herself.

I can’t tell you how shocked, surprised and beautiful it was when she told me how much of an influence I had been on her as a teenager and that she loved and missed me - lots.

“Thank you for being someone of huge significance in my life, and only for the better!”

So, your legacy can be through the relationships you form for a certain moment in time.

Building a legacy

Legacy: Something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past

Personal legacies are forged from ego, pursuit of excellence, work and/or children. Let’s explore!

It’s common knowledge that Alfred Nobel, born in Stockholm in 1833, invented dynamite and detonating caps, which sadly during the experimental process, involved accidentally blowing up his brother Emil and several other people to boot.

Over the years, he founded 90 factories and laboratories in more than 20 countries including Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in the UK.

When he died in 1896, he shocked everyone at the reading of his will, which stated that his fortune was to be used for prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace.

Alfred was very interested in social and peace-related issues, holding what were considered radical views at the time. He had a great interest in literature and wrote his own poetry and dramatic works.

The Nobel Prizes became an extension and a fulfillment of his lifetime interests and at that point, he changed the story of his legacy.

He will be remembered.

It’s just a name

In many countries the male surname is passed down from generation to generation, depicting the lineage, succession and status of the firstborn male. In others, such as India, it can depict a caste.

British and European aristocracy covet their family legacy and can trace their lineage back hundreds of years. They luxuriate in the daring doo of their forefathers. Their women tend not to enjoy such detail.

In many countries such as Spain and our adopted country of Portugal, the surnames of mothers and fathers are integrated.

At the age of 40, I felt the need for an energy reboot—a new direction— and decided to change my surname to one of my choosing as opposed to being given or inherited - in essence, I was going to marry myself.

After a year of deliberation, I chose Starlite - a perfect name as we are all made of stars.

The family tree

Of course, for us mere mortals there is some legacy in a family tree but specifics are lost as the generations go on. Both Simon’s and my family tree contain mysteries, caused usually by adoption and unplanned pregnancies and occasionally a blank name breaks the branch.

Genes

I don’t believe that you live on in your children. Their DNA may be part of you but when my parents died, they disappeared. They don’t inhabit my body. They made me, raised me and taught me so much - but I am not them and they are not me.

Fame

‘The ticking clock of mortality is loud in both our ears, and it sets us to work’ | Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton

How important is what we leave behind? Should we even bother?

No matter how big your legacy is, it fades with time.

Take the case of legendary comedian Bob Hope - the most popular entertainer of the twentieth century.

Hope’s name is memorialized in schools, hospitals, theatres, chapels, performing arts centres and he even had an airport named after him.

Bob died in 2003 a couple of months after his 100th birthday and people say that his reputation was already fading, tarnished, or actively disparaged.

He had stuck around too long and didn’t carry the same weight any longer, hence Bob Hope Airport was recently officially renamed to ‘Hollywood Burbank Airport’ in order to attract more tourists.

“Bob Hope isn’t doing it, Commissioner Don Brown said to the LA Times. “The name of the airport — Bob Hope — is just not. We’ve been told by our travel agencies here and been told by the airlines that we’ve got to do something, and the name Bob Hope just doesn’t identify with this airport.”

How long will it take for John Lennon Airport to be renamed?

Even though the Kennedy Space Centre still retains its name, Cape Canaveral was only Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973. Of course, President Kennedy’s legacy is set deep in the American psyche but his light is gradually fading.

What about legendary musicians?

Back in 2016, Simon was invited to give a lecture on recording techniques at the Spanish campus of Berkeley University in Valencia. It was surreal to discover that some of the music students had never heard of The Beatles.

“Rock stars don't ever die, they only fade away” | Sting

Come to think of it, many Gen Zs have never heard of Neil Young. And so it goes on with so many artists that were known when they were alive and once they depart, so doth the light.

I checked out the number of monthly Spotify listeners for different artists from a range of ages:

• Led Zeppelin - 17,435,181

• AC/DC - 36,814,065

• Neil Young - 7,524,991

• David Bowie - 17,122,262

• The Beatles - 36,517,276

• Frank Sinatra - 17,828,054

• Peggy Lee - 2,487, 158

• Billy Eilish - 107,585, 885

• Taylor Swift - 92,958,654

Only 17 million for David Bowie - what is that about? In our generation, he is revered as one of the greatest musicians of all time.

The question is does it matter? Is it ego that drives us to be immortalized—whatever that means?

“The most controversial thing I’ve ever done is to stick around,” | Madonna

Jimmy Page is doing his level best and currently has a huge collection of memorabilia, instruments and amplifiers for sale. He seems hell-bent on every guitar player in the world owning something with his name on it.

We do our bit with a couple of books and of course his most important achievement—the music. Zeppelin I-V, Physical Graffiti and even the underwhelming Presence regularly grace our turntable.

Simon and I are also eagerly anticipating the release of his signature bondage gear which allegedly he has a penchant for.

Sport and exploration

Human achievement through sport or exploration is a classic way to cement one’s legacy. Mountaineers, explorers and sportspeople throughout time have pitted themselves against the extremities of what is physically possible: Admunson, Bannister, Ali and Columbus are indelibly written into the history books.

Legacy media

“Old media, or legacy media are the mass media institutions that dominated prior to the Information Age; particularly print media, film studios, music studios, advertising agencies, radio broadcasting, and television.” | Wikipedia

Legacy media is usually a one-way communication system, sent from a centralised organisation to an anonymous mass audience. The reporters and authors are often lost in the mists of time, but their stories live on.

Prolific British music author Joel McIver, deemed ‘probably the top [rock] scribe in the world’ referred to a recent article he had written for The Guardian newspaper through a nostalgic framework of legacy:

“My obit for Paul Di'Anno in today's Guardian. I know the print vs digital battle was lost years ago, but there's still something very satisfying about being part of a physical artefact.”

Cancel Culture

When your work is printed physically, your legacy remains uncensored and intact. It’s printed - the job is done.

Winston Churchill—or was it his arch-enemy Hermann Göring— is said to have coined the phrase “History is written by the victors”.

I am in the middle of reading George Orwell’s 1984 at the moment. #SpoilerAlert - Winston’s—the main protagonist—job in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth is to rewrite news articles to conform with the Party’s version of history they require to suit their current political narrative.

A chilling read and sounds more familiar every day.

Your legacy in the ‘information’ age is not as secure as you may like to think. One ‘wrong word’ or ‘opinion’ and your legacy can be boycotted, rewritten or even your career terminated.

Welcome to the culture of cancellation.

“Cancel culture: noun the attitudes within a community which call for or bring about the withdrawal of support from a public figure, such as cancellation of an acting role, a ban on playing an artist’s music, removal from social media, etc., usually in response to an accusation of a socially unacceptable action or comment.” | Macquarie Dictionary

When you look a little deeper, it seems that social media was instrumental in the development of ‘cancel culture’.

The band Chic sang about ‘cancelling’ love in the 80s - a concept which was part of the cultural language of ‘cancellation‘ within Black communities before being appropriated into white mainstream culture.

The fall of the statue

The one form of physical media that has suffered in recent times is that of statues of famous or influential people.

If your legacy becomes distasteful, unpopular or socially unacceptable, it won’t stand the test of time. The symbolic toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Fidros Square during the US invasion of Iraq and the anti-racism demonstrations in the city of Bristol culminating in a statue of slave trader Edward Colston being toppled and dumped in Bristol Harbour are prime examples.

Philanthropic legacy

The Gates’ have rebranded themselves through the creation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, diverting attention away from their historical legacy of making billions of dollars through their Microsoft empire to becoming philanthropic demi-gods fighting disease and poverty throughout the world.

Is it bad, no. Is ‘ego’ part of the reason for its creation - probably yes.

Artwork and architecture

There is a huge long-lasting legacy for people who are remembered through the things they have commissioned, designed and built.

The Egyptian Pharaoh Kufu for the Great Pyramid, Emperor Shah Jahān for the Taj Mahal in India, Antoni Gaudí for the Familia Sagrada, Sir Cristopher Wren for St. Paul’s Cathedral in London through to more modern-day wonders such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Our good friend Christophe Egret of Studio Egret West worked alongside Will Alsop in the design of Peckham Library, winner of the Stirling Prize in 2000 and The Old Vinyl Factory alongside his creative partner David West to name a few of his fabulous designs which maintain the historical legacy of buildings whilst repurposing them in their unification for contemporary social inclusion. “Memorable spaces that lift the spirit.”

”As the home of His Master’s Voice and then EMI, Hayes had been the centre of the record-making universe. Our ambition was to celebrate the site’s extraordinary history and unlock the potential for a mixed-use neighbourhood with excellent transport links.” Studio Egret West

One of the most enduring legacies is through the creation of art.

The incredible polymath Leonardo da Vinci for the mystique of the Mona Lisa, Constable for his landscapes, Picasso and Salvador Dali for being, well themselves, Andy Warhol who has helped keep the legacy of Marilyn Monroe alive, Basquiat—now part of Dr Marten branded boot range—to Banksy repurposing public spaces and buildings as his canvas for social comment. All these artists are known and remembered for their creative vision and unique style.

What is your legacy?

Both Simon’s and my father died some time ago and there are now few people who remember them. In three or four generations, no one walking the earth would have met me in person. It’s so weird to contemplate that.

An archive

There is a lot of discussion now about the mind-boggling amount of information created every day and how to archive it.

Digital and physical formats come and go. Who in another 50 years will be able to play a Betamax or VHS tape; a MiniDisc or more niche professional recording formats such as PCM/U-matic or DAT. What happens to the billions of images and videos hanging around in the nebulous digital cloud?

The Internet Archive is heroically trying to save snapshots of historic free texts, movies, software, music and websites—a monumental task.

In 10,000 years it is likely—if we haven’t blown each other to pieces—that little will be left of the human race’s short time creating stuff.

In 100,000 years, ice sheets may again have scoured our planet of all traces of our existence or we may come a cropper by getting in the way of a huge asteroid smashing into our planet - it happened before 66 million years ago and polished off the dinosaurs.

According to Professor Brian Cox, we are living in what he considers a ‘peaceful era’ of the universe, which is more often than not - a violent space.

There are 350 billion galaxies in our observable universe, which is possibly part of an infinite number of universes. Our place in it is insignificant. But, there’s also the other thread—that, from a biological perspective, life might be rare, and intelligent life might be very rare. And these two things are pulling at each other. So there might be an answer in the quote by Carl Sagan “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” | Professor Brian Cox

So, why bother doing anything?

Creatives want to articulate the human experience through their chosen form. It may only last for a second, a minute, 100 or 1000 years. But surely if we can bring joy to one human being it’s worth it.

Carpe Diem

Many people spend their lives raising children as their lasting legacy that will continue the family genes ad infinitum.

Alternatively, we may end up nuking the planet in our dumb, foolish human stupidity and then there will be nothing and no reason to remember.

So what is my legacy as a woman without biological children?

I’ve started to think that perhaps there is no value in even thinking about the concept of legacy but to live life to the full and spend my time coins as wisely as possible; to dare to experience life in all its magnificent glory while I still breathe. Life is enriched through friends, family, the people I meet and the books I read.

Therein lies the magic. Living the moment.

We all live in different worlds on the same planet and it has been a fabulous experience living in Europe these past ten years, experiencing life through the lens of different cultures.

Whether it be through music, performance, artwork, video, cookery or photography we express the life and world we live in and share stories in the hope we can all feel connected.

Through the practice of creativity and imagination, our multimedia project STARLITE.ONE helps peel back that misty veil and reveals the world to me in ways I have never experienced before and in doing so helps me understand more of myself and the world we live in.

The joy of life is in living. My legacy? I don’t know.

What do you think?

1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01741-0

We asked Ian to pick ten of his favourite songs plus one of ours. Naturally, Ian being Ian, picked 11 and two.

Music is our life and we are really interested in the songs you love, so if you fancy contributing, just mail us!

Much love

Suzy & Simon

Ian’s top tunes

Well guys, how do you pick 10 top songs? Let’s face it, you can’t - there’s just way too many and the more I started to think, the more came out of the ether.

So I’ve gone for a selection that has stood the test of time and that I never get sick of playing. It came relatively quickly to mind, with just a few tweaks to add variety. These are in no particular order.

The Bells of Berlin // Lone Star

Off the album, Firing on All Six. Little did Kenny Driscoll know when he wrote this that it would be 12 years before his lyrics came true.

This song hit me both musically and lyrically as it spoke of hope for the future and the powerful vocal really felt emotional.

I never get tired of hearing it. Great percussion too which really punched thru.

Stevie // Pat Travers

This song got me from the off and written about his hell-raisin’ kid brother which didn’t register at the time as it was, as is most songs with me, the musical hook.

Pat had an impressive lineup behind him on this song, Brian Robertson (ex Thin Lizzy) putting in some harmony lead and rhythm, Glen Hughes on backing vocal and Nico McBrain—who went on to join Iron Maiden—on drums.

This is another song that laid the foundation for my future love of the Blues.

Miracle // Above and Beyond (Acoustic)

My lad, who loves music as much as me, is into a whole different genre. But he also knows exactly what I like and he dragged me along to a gig at the Royal Albert by a 90s dance act called “Above and Beyond” who were doing an acoustic show.

I didn’t take much convincing as he prepped me by sitting me through their previous “Porchester Hall” acoustic set on YouTube.

When Annie Drury got up and sang Miracle I just fell head over heels in love with both her vocal and the song – very different for me, but my boy knew me better than I know myself, clearly!

Lonely Man // Status Quo

As a spotty 17-year-old with an acoustic banging out boogie rhythm with a cassette mic shoved inside and therefore badly amplified to get distortion - Mum wouldn’t let me have an electric!!

I spent hours playing along to the early Quo albums, but this one has stood the test of time with me as it’s miles away from their usual 12-bar three-chord menu. I love songs that build and build; this is a fine example.

Losing It // Rush

I was captivated by the violin in this lesser know song from the Rush stable.

I’m assuming it was penned by Neil Peart as he was responsible for most of the lyrics and this song summed up the reality of great talent “Sadder still to watch it die than never to have known it”.

The music really conveys the emotion for me.

Tarot Woman // Rainbow

The opening track on the groundbreaking “Rising” album just totally floored me as I first played it on my Mum and Dads’ music centre at full blast (they were out – but the neighbours weren’t tee hee)

The pure joy when you first put vinyl on the turntable having NEVER heard it before was just so special, I’m sure we can all remember in our teens getting totally lost in the music and this just takes me back to that moment every time.

If Only I Could // Sydney Youngblood

And now for something completely different. The bass groove was the first thing that got me and then that lovely acoustic guitar solo which really gave the tune a gorgeous twist. Uplifting lyrically too.

Ripples // Genesis

Off Trick of the Tail, another song that instantly transports me back to a time when I was besotted with a member of the fairer sex, but felt I was losing her and this song just got to me and summed up my feelings at the time.

I look back fondly now, as the parting turned out to be inevitable. Anyway, I love the song; you just can’t help visualising the lyrics—and yeah, she had blue eyes!!

Purple Rain // Prince

The whole album is a masterpiece, I almost chose When Doves Cry because the percussion was so unique, but those opening ethereal chords on Purple Rain written by Wendy Melvoin are just gorgeous.

Mind you, the best live version I’ve witnessed brought a group of us literally to tears It was at Linton festival and it was covered by Ainsley Lister.

It was a balmy Sunday afternoon and as he played, stood in the middle of the audience on straw bales, you could hear a pin drop. We were emotional wrecks (copious amounts of good ale may have had a bearing mind!)

Talking to the Buddha // The Slambovian Circus of Dreams

Another Linton live classic and now a staunch favourite is from this eclectic band of musicians who are just wonderful. It’s the first time I’ve seen a lead guitarist pick up a Mando and play it with a slide! Joziah’s vocal is almost ‘Dylan-like’ but better IMO. If you get a chance to catch ‘em live, do it.

I’m gonna cheat now and finish with an 11^th choice: well, amps go up to 11 don’t they?

Sunchyme // Dario G

Obviously based on Lights in a Northern Town by Dream Academy – this version  is just so uplifting… always came on the radio and made me jump out of bed, raring to go: mind you, there are songs that make me jump into...

I’ll get my coat.

And finally, two from Suzy and Simon…

Preacher Of Love (Live) // Starlite & Campbell

I first heard Starlite Campbell play at Linton Festival some years ago and immediately fell under their spell… and the groove!!

I hadn’t heard anything like this for a long time, the perfect tempo, retro sound and tight rhythm.. just when I thought it couldn’t get any better they hit me with Preacher. That was it!!! I needed to know more. I was up to their merch stand pdq to shake their hands and the rest is history!

Blow Them All To Pieces // Starlite & Campbell

Their latest album, Starlite.One, is definitely different bringing synths into play which, as you can tell by my other choices, sits very well with me.

I own the album on vinyl and my favourite track has to be Blow Them All To Pieces…

When we saw them in Ross-on-Wye last year Hugo’s bass drum skin split. While he was changing it Simon grabbed his acoustic guitar and played this song whilst wandering around the crowd pausing in various spots including our table… it’s as if he knew I love it.

It was a beautiful moment that will stay with me forever.

Amazingly it is also difficult to source certain items even those that are not quintessentially British…

Before everyone gets excited about the effect of BREXIT, this was the same before and after.

VAT is not a factor as Portugal’s standard rate is 23% and Germany's 19% as opposed to the UK’s 20%. I consider currency fluctuations but they are not significant given the scale of the imbalance.

I can give you many examples but first, let’s discuss and look forward to your comments.

Labradors are intelligent hounds but Hummock is different, like the oracle from The Matrix skillfully disguised as a black Labrador. She has an aura which implies wisdom beyond human measure, seeing things we cannot see, with a multi-dimensional vibe.

She sees dead people.

Although very loving she has a self-contained independent spirit: never one to sit by your feet, preferring to be just out of reach like the best film star divas.

There was an instant bond when Hummock met my now-wife, Suzy Starlite and I couldn’t believe it when she lay across her lap in the van—the first time she had ever done this with anyone.

I knew there was something uniquely special about Starlite and Hummock confirmed it - so I tend to think that it was Hummock who chose Starlite for me.

If you have missed the previous hound related articles, check more by clicking the button below.

All about the hounds of rock

From the Isle of Man to France

When Suzy and I got together we felt it wise to leave the Island; it’s a small place…

We didn’t want to return to the UK and decided to move to France and of course, Hummock came with us. She certainly enjoyed her brief six-month stay there.

Over the past 11 years of being together, Suzy and I have a history of moving to houses and even countries—Portugal being a case in point—that we didn’t visit beforehand. Amazingly, we have not fallen foul of this modus operandi. It must be the Universe.

The Gîte

When we first arrived our first home together wasn’t ready and spent the first two nights in a Gîte also owned by the landlord. Our gear was still on its way from the UK so it wasn’t too much of a problem.

What was a problem were the hoards of grenouilles camouflaged in the adjacent field making a terrible din. From the croaking cacophony, they appeared to be on some stag doo, mating call bender. At first, it was fun but they were on a roll and we couldn’t sleep!

Frogs are loud.

Starlite was enraged and went out to confront the froggy chorus. “Shut up” she cried. It worked, silence. But then one lone amphibian croaked “Fuck you” in defiance quickly followed by the rest of the knot (did you know this is the collective noun for frogs - I didn’t).

The farmhouse

The eccentric landlord told us the house was detached, but we arrived to discover it was actually attached to a barn with horses and two other dwellings. Our next-door neighbours were two British couples, one with two young children.

It was a converted farmhouse, still retaining many of its original features and quite a distance along a quiet country road that wound its way through the vineyards to the southeast of Bordeaux, close to the small town of Duras, Lot-et-Garonne.

Looking at a recent map we see the complex has been made into holiday lets, namely Hameau de Galice.

We needed the space to locate the fledgling Supertone studio, my collection of guitars and amps plus Suzy’s vintage motorcycle. The living room became the studio and our bedroom which was fun. Who wants to be upstairs when you can wake up surrounded by equipment of rock?

Hummock slept in her basket at the foot of the bed.

The three of us hung out. Suzy and I sharing our record collections, writing music and getting drunk on cheap, but excellent quality vin rouge and not-so-cheap Armagnac.

R2D2 chasing Hummock around the kitchen was hilarious.

The garden was surrounded by fields with no perimeter fence and Hummock became an expert at scouting around the edges. As she became used to the place and in full stealth mode, she started to explore - black and smooth in her sleek velvet catsuit (ironic for a hound), wandering off into the woods or trotting up the dirt road to…

The duck farm

At the intersection of our lane and the road was a duck farm - La Ferme du Canard.

Increasingly Hummock would disappear for 25 minutes, which then became 45 which turned into over an hour so that I would have to walk and sometimes drive around to find her.

Often, upon retrieval, she smelt terrible which we later learned was duck shit. If you have ever experienced that powerful ammoniacal niff you will know it’s not very pleasant.

Was it the food - probably - was she eating the shit - almost certainly - but that wasn’t the whole story. One night I drove up in the van to find her with Pierre the black Collie who was attached to a long rope outside a small French barn adjacent to the said ‘canardian’ establishment. Mystery solved.

We were not too worried about the liaison as with all our female hounds she had been spayed - but did wonder about the content of their conversation:

”Sniff, sniff, sniff, snout, snout snout”…

“Bonjour je m’appelle Hummock - je suis an English princess from the Lake District’

”Sniff, sniff, sniff, snout, snout snout”

”Bonjour m’as cherie - je m’appelle Pierre - je pense que tu est trés belle”

…and so on

Starlite is currently writing a series of children’s books based on the adventures of Hummock and our hounds.

Le Tip Top et MM. Julie

France is a lovely country, but living in the countryside is tricky, especially when so close to the expat haven of the Dordogne.

Understandably the French do tire of the behaviour of the Brits and one seasoned expat who had lived there for many years told us that they waited for the Brits to start drinking anticipating ‘the show’ that would follow. Embarrassing.

Duras is the heart of wine country and during the day is busy with the French going about their business - whatever that may be.

Like most French villages, in the evening, it became a ghost town, the only bar open being the one frequented by the dreaded expats which we stayed clear of as much as possible, visiting only once. We wanted an authentic French experience as opposed to a theme park folly.

Le Tip Top was the other bar on the main street, run by the formidable MM Julie and frequented by the locals - which was much more us.

Abrasive, impatient, and generally rude, MM Julie was a chip off the old block of crusty bar owners who disliked customers in general and had a unique brand of disdain for the British. It felt like being metaphorically slapped across the cheek with a soggy baguette au jambon et fromage.

We had a plan to melt her heart and get MM Julie to like us by Suzy deploying her best schoolgirl French - very sexy incidentally - and me trying but each time sounding more and more like Officer Crabtree.

It was an utter failure, a combination of scenes from ‘Allo ‘Allo and Faulty Towers.

It didn’t look like things were going to change, but one day Hummock made the breakthrough. She must have got a whiff of some delicious French food as she escaped from her lead and dashed inside the restaurant and headed for the kitchen where she promptly started eating the cat food in a bowl on the floor. We thought we were in big trouble.

Not the case as out came MM. Julie with Hummock wearing a beaming smile. She knelt down and started chatting to us whilst stroking and kissing our hairy heroine. We were astounded - you could almost hear those victory bells a-ringing.

Sadly, it didn’t last long and the next time we returned, so did the deployment of the damp baguette: I still have the bruises.

The French love dogs

To their considerable credit, the French love dogs, allowing them inside bars, cafés and restaurants.

They also have fabulous restaurants (no shit Sherlock) and there was many a time we took Hummock into very fancy establishments to be greeted by enthusiastic staff and water bowls at the ready.

Of course, extensive training in pubs, eateries and gigs has made her very well-behaved apart from her penchant for achieving maximum visibility, usually in the middle of a walkway, ready to receive admirers.

We have met many cool people through our hairy social manager.

Monsieur Pig

Our futon bed was in the studio on the ground floor and one fine morning, we looked out of the window to behold a medium-sized pig in the garden staring straight at us.

Naturally, medium-sized is relative to your experience, as apart from some swine my mother and father had at their farm and the one’s Starlite saw at the Ripley family’s farmstead in Herefordshire, we know nothing about hogs.

Hummock went dashing outside and instantly fell in love. She was besotted and they were inseparable. Of course, we spent that time in detective mode trying to find out who the owners were as a) we appreciate pigs are valuable; b) we don’t know how to feed them and c) we didn’t want to be swamped in pig shit.

Daska our wonderful next-door neighbour owns horses and knows the local farmers. We called around, described our porky predicament and she started the search.

Our other neighbours, Rachel and Bill had a horse box so the four of us attempted to coax the stubborn beast into the trailer but to no avail: if they don’t want to move, they don’t. Not even the promise of an apple worked. Monsieur Pig squealed and ran - first across the lawn, then hid in the bushes, and back again across the lawn and so it continued.

Pigs are heavy.

It was a comedic scene where four adults were outrun and outwitted by our short-legged snouty friend.

Pigs are fast.

It quickly became apparent that Monsieur Pig wanted to stay with Hummock and that the feeling was mutual.

It was getting dark and we all decided it would do him no harm to stay overnight and next morning found him hanging out again on the lawn. Hummock was delighted. We were delighted, he was one cool fucking pig.

Later that afternoon, two people on horseback arrived outside the house and with a call (in French of course) Monsieur Pig scurried off to greet them. We all waved adieu and they started to make their way home together.

It transpired that our porky friend lived in a vineyard across the next valley and had set off on an impromptu adventure. We will never forget the sight of Monsieur Pig gayly trotting up the lane behind the silhouette of two horses and their riders, happy as a pig in shit, merrily, merrily on his way home.

Even now if you shout to Hummock, “Where is Monsieur Pig?” she will excitedly run around looking for her French companion. True love.

The abandoned amusement park

We take our hound swimming whenever possible and discovered an abandoned amusement park in the middle of the French countryside: time for some stick retrieval…

The seed

Bill and Rachel are lovely people, which is lucky as we hadn’t planned on having neighbours at all.

In the mid-summer, Bill’s mother June arrived and we were invited one afternoon to a BBQ, all sitting outside drinking beer and having fun while Hummock played with their older black Labrador called Dolly. June planted a seed in our minds when she said Hummock looked a bit lonely.

The thought had never crossed our minds before. What harm would it do to have two hairy beasts? It made sense, especially as we are on the road a lot. Our next pup could be Starlite’s so that we would be a balanced and united family unit as Starlite-Campbell’s.

We emailed Jan at Highhouse Labradors which is situated in the magnificent Lake District, England, where Hummock was born. She came straight back to say a single brown Labrador was available, just born from a litter of one.

It was meant to be and told Jan we would take her.

From France to Spain

It was July 2013 and we asked our friends what the winter weather was like, grim we were told - not UK grim, but still unpleasant certainly in an isolated rural community.

We wanted vibrancy and music which in France is generally confined to the major cities and Bordeaux was an hour away along dark windy roads.

Suzy and I were wary of being drawn into the expat scene during the colder months and also needed to be detached due to the racket we create, specifically at night.

Forever young

Neil Young was playing at a festival at Parc des sports d'Aguiléra, Biarritz supported by one of our favourite artists Johnathan Wilson. It was a part of his Alchemy tour and we decided to go. The town is not far from the Spanish border and my old school friend Anthony Alonso - aka Ant - lived close by in Donostia (San Sebastián).

I am not sure how I knew this as we hadn’t spoken for forty years. What I did know was that he had bought my Yamaha SGV electric guitar from me (my first proper instrument), his mother was British and his dad was Spanish, from Donostia.

It’s fuzzy but think I discovered he had moved back to Spain when I connected up with his best mate and another school friend Costas Constaninou - who happened to be the General Manager of PWL (Peter Waterman Limited) when I was working with Peter (a long story). Do you remember Stock, Aitkin and Waterman?

Anyway, I called him and asked if we could stay and more importantly leave Hummock with him overnight. It was cool and we arrived to find him living with his then-partner Maria, a self-confessed witch in a low-rise apartment above her shop called Ur.

The gig was great. Neil and Crazy Horse were on fire and Wilson looked like a stoned Jesus. Stoned not STONED.

We stayed with them for a couple of days and gave an impromptu performance outside Ur.

The bull of fire

Ant told us it was imperative that we see the legendary bull of fire and promptly marched us all through the charming streets of Donostia, regaling us with story upon story about this mystical and magical event we were about to witness.

Our appetites suitably wetted we held our breath in anticipation.

Alas, we had been led down the metaphorical garden path. After this massive build-up and expectations running high, the bull of fire turned out to be a small boat decorated in the shape of a bull, which a man lifted up and put over his head like a pantomime horse.

Suddenly a load of fireworks attached to the bull ignited and the man started running through the square with screaming children running ahead and behind like the Pied Piper!! Hilarious.

There’s a place for us // and the ground will be red…

During a drunken session, Ant told us his life story after we last met when I was 18. The account was harrowing and almost unbelievable: perhaps another time.

Later we asked him if and where we should move to in Spain? The weather had to be good and have plenty of social/musical action.

He sat there with a fag hanging out of his mouth and said:

“Si. You need to go where the ground is fuckin’ red - not fuckin’ greeeeen.”

Any went on to say that Valencia was a good place to go. He nearly opened a bar there once, it is right on the Mediterranean and the ground was fuckin’ red…

So we made plans to take a reconnaissance trip down the eastern side of Spain, south from Figueres - the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí - to Valencia. Finding where the landscape turns from fuckin’ green to fuckin’ red and naturally taking our beautiful hound with us.

Who better to lend their approval when checking out a future home than Hummock the Oracle.

Editors note

Hummock passed peacefully on to a new plane on January 26, 2026. She is dearly missed.

Next up in part three

The Spanish sojourn, the recycling bin incident, recording an album, a banana bonanza, the arrival of Bobby and the trees of shame…

This is the second in the series. If you missed part one, you can read it by clicking the link below // Love, Suzy

VIBES

Moments from the Iberian Peninsula

We live and breathe music and art and when travelling love to deep dive into the culture from a local as opposed to a tourist perspective. Enjoy…

Read more

2 years ago · 2 likes · Suzy Starlite

In and around our home

Rock ‘n roll

Bar do Concelho // reopening night // Samora Correia

We felt a little bereft when our favourite bar closed for a couple of months for refurbishment work so you can imagine our delight - we had to be there on the reopening night.

We had so much fun with our friends messing around - Joe Martini is the man!!

Somethings cooking

Encostas de Xira sunset na Quinta Municipal de Subserra

We were invited to a gig and sunset dinner at a villa now owned and operated by the local authority. Sadly we didn’t take any shots of the band!

Praça da República // Samora Correia

Bullshit

Samora Correia is in the heart of Ribetejo, the most central of the traditional provinces of Portugal, with no coastline or border with Spain and known for agriculture and bulls.

The tradition of ‘campinos’ running bulls through the streets and matadors taunting bulls inside bull rings is still very much alive although the latter is becoming less popular. Unlike in Spain, the bulls are not killed.

It’s not our cultural history and therefore will not comment - we chose to include these images as this is our authentic Portuguese experience.

The square outside Bar do Concelho

Zaytouna Palestinian Restaurant // Lisboa

We cook a lot of Middle Eastern food at home and needed supplies so we drove the Van of Rock into Lisboa to buy spices, tahini and harissa. Of course, we couldn’t resist a little lunch while we were there.

Zaytouna is fabulous if you like this style of food: a must-visit when in Lisboa. Such a friendly place and the food and wine are delicious.

Musicians

Billy Cobham

Our drummer who played on our recent studio album STARLITE.ONE also runs the Porto Drum Show and he invited us up there. We watched Billy perform many of his tracks from the legendary Spectrum album and met him afterwards. Cool guy.

Océano Atlántico

Our happy place.

Celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary

Alcochete // Portugal

The historic town of Alcochete founded by the Moors is located on the south bank of the River Tagus, only a half-hour drive from our home in Samora Correia. It is known for its bullfighting tradition, salt production and proximity to the Vasco da Gama Bridge - the second-longest bridge in Europe. It has also recently been confirmed that the new airport for Lisbon will be built in the area on the site of an old military base, scheduled to open in 2034.

Alcochete has a really chilled atmosphere, good restaurants and ice cream shops with very few tourists: a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon walking along the banks of the Tagus.

Cadiz // Spain

Founded 3,000 years ago by the Phoenicians, Cádiz is the oldest city in Western Europe.

We were meeting up with music producer Paco Loco, who runs a residential recording studio near the city, so we decided to spend a couple of days exploring.

Simon and I wandered along the many cobbled streets with what felt like a tapas bar on every corner. It was a friendly place with some cool markets and you could feel the history in the architecture. The coastline and beaches were cool with a Game of Thrones feel to the piers.

Alcácer do Sal // Portugal

We pass through this charming town when travelling down south to Algarve and always like to stop off for a break and a light lunch.

Crowned by castles and towers with medieval cobbled streets alongside the banks of the Sado River, the many houses with their wrought-iron balconies look out over the river and underneath them dwell a variety of cafés and restaurants.

“Founded by the ancient Phoenicians in the sixth century BC. Under Roman rule, it was called Salacia and was a significant trading port. Goods such as wheat, olive oil and wine left Alcácer do Sal and exported throughout the Roman world. Alcácer grew into one of the most important cities in Iberia and celebrated for salt production, curing and the manufacture of fish sauce. The Moorish occupation started in the 8th century. Alcácer became the regional capital of the Al Qaşr province (meaning "Castle"). The Moors rebuilt the Roman walls and built the first incarnation of the town's castle.” // Mad About Portugal

It’s fascinating to see the way the buildings speak to you about their history as you pass by.

Bar Alkazar

What a fabulous hidden gem we discovered when we walked through the front door of Bar Alzakar, situated on the banks of the Sado River.

It looks a little run down from the outside but don’t let that fool you - as with the majority of Portugal outside of the major cities come to think of it. The bar houses a shop selling fabulous local produce and there are tables both inside and out for you to experience their treasure trove of goodies - the atmosphere is magical.

We were warmly greeted by Helene, a vivacious and friendly retired school teacher whose family are at the heart of the town. Before we knew it, we were presented with some delicious local cuisine washed down with refreshing local vinho tinto.

If you are ever passing, do pop in for a light snack, or buy some excellent locally-produced goods and please pass on our love.

Helene will even teach you a few Portuguese words if you’re up for it ;)

Lisboa

We love it when friends come to visit and we were so happy to meet up with our great friends Jo and Liz from Manchester who were in Lisboa to celebrate Liz’s birthday.
They were great company and we spent the day wandering the cobbled streets of the city (remember the city is built on seven hills so combined with the cobbles high heels are a no-go).

In the evening we went for dinner at a Fado music restaurant!! Fado is the traditional music of Portugal, both sad and dramatic.

Great fun with wonderful friends. We are hoping to make this an annual event and why not?

Joana Vasconcelos at MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology), Lisboa

We love visiting galleries and exhibitions.

Plug-in was a solo exhibition by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, which brought together unpublished works, some iconic pieces produced by the artist since 2000, and also works from the EDP Foundation Art Collection, establishing a dialogue between the heritage of electricity, technology and the plastic arts.

Tenerife

We were invited out to Tenerife to spend a few days with our great friend - Irish singer-songwriter Kaz Hawkins and her husband David.

It also coincided with Simon’s birthday so we thought it would be rude not to. We also really needed a holiday - something we’re not good at doing.

Look out for part two tomorrow!

Much love

Suzy

This particular section caught my eye and got me thinking.

“Players like James Burton were bending notes in more of a country way, which I thought was interesting, in some ways more relevant. I thought that the blues field when I was 18—there’s Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor—these U.K. blues guitarists were kind of slavishly imitating Buddy Guy and Otis Rush. I wanted to be a different kind of guitar player. So I took influence more from British traditional music, Celtic music, and country music.

In terms of rock guitarists who weren’t relying on blues licks, Jerry Garcia and David Lindley come to mind. But there aren’t a lot.

To me, there’s a lot of mediocre white blues guitar players. They kind of claim the blues as their cultural heritage; that’s a bit iffy. The yardstick for me is, are they contributing anything new, and are they as good or better than the people they base their style on? Often the case is no. There are exceptions, like David Lindley and Ry Cooder, who are wonderful musicians. If you’re a great musician, you’re a great musician. If you’re saying something new or different, I think that’s a real achievement.” - Richard Thompson interviewed by Dan Forte for Premier Guitar.

I don’t agree with everything Thompson is saying and believe that Clapton & Green and certainly Beck & Page took what the three Kings, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and a host of other American blues players were doing, and added a new dimension: aggression, attitude and tone.

But more importantly, they evolved the blues into something new and progressed to write songs outside the I-IV-V chord structure.

Green with Man Of The World and becoming ‘prog’ with The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown).

Clapton - who throughout his extensive career has kept a strong connection with the blues - has punctuated his albums with great songs such as Presence of the Lord (Blind Faith) and Layla (Derek and the Dominos).

Led Zeppelin II and III were built on the blues but pushed the genre into new areas which defined heavy rock.

Jeff Beck moved ahead at breakneck speed creating a genre all of his own with albums like Truth, Blow By Blow, Wired, Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop and There and Back - inspirational stuff.

Most early ‘60s British bands used the blues as a stepping stone to new original music - The Yardbirds, The Moody Blues, and The Beatles to mention a few.

It was these ‘morphed’ artists that influenced me.

All about the rock

My cousin Bill Robinson had a profound effect on my taste in music. Whilst living with my Auntie Mona he introduced me to early Rod Stewart, The Faces and Cat Stevens - artists that I still regularly listen to today. Ronnie Wood is still one of my favourite guitarists.

Halcyon days

I started playing guitar at the age of 16. It was the summer of 1974 and at the tail end of the halcyon days of British rock. I have written many posts about my journey and won’t replicate them here but a précis can be found in my tribute to Jeff Beck.

VIBES

Jeff Beck

There are many guitar players that have influenced me over the years. The quartet of Beck, Page, Clapton and Green always spring to mind first. These are all legends of the British blues explosion and ones who spearheaded the British Blues Invasion in the ‘60s…

Read more

3 years ago · 3 likes · 2 comments · Simon Campbell

I knew nothing of the blues, thinking my favourite bands were totally original. How wrong can a person be? I was more green than grass.

Led Zeppelin I is littered with almost direct copies of some of the blues greats. Lazy from Deep Purple’s Made in Japan (my favourite live album of all time) is a 12-bar blues; Since I’ve Been Loving You from Led Zeppelin III (my first Zep album and a chordally extended blues) and Wishbone Ash’s killer live performance of Where Were You Tomorrow from Pilgrimage is another slightly modified blues tune of which I learned every note.

I bought Eric Clapton’s EC Was Here who - believe it or not - I only knew through Cream Live Volume 2, enjoying the more progressive material: Tales Of Brave Ulysses, White Room and of course Sunshine Of Your Love which is almost a blues.

EC Was Here really got me in a grip: Further on Up The Road, Have You Ever Loved A Woman, Ramblin’ On My Mind - all feature killer playing and in my opinion, his best work with feel, tone and an outstanding band.

I looked at the credits and saw the composers responsible. Billy Myles, Robert Johnson, Joe Medwick and Don Robey - who are these people?

This is where it all started as I delved back into these musicians and it was this album which led me to the blues.

I did go for a few lessons with Simon Lilley at Bolton Guitar Studio to improve my technique and help push me out of the habit of playing the pentatonic blues scale over everything.

He introduced me to the Super Session with Al Cooper, Stephen Stills and the mighty Mike Bloomfield. I was off into blues rock nirvana.

Acoustic just wasn’t cool

In those days I didn’t play a lot of acoustic guitar, preferring to rock out with monstrously loud Marshall, Orange, and Vox amplifiers and my weapon of choice being my Gibson Flying V which my parents bought for my 17th birthday and still stands proudly in my guitar racks.

Apart from Zeppelin’s folk-based songs, acoustic music wasn’t really on the agenda and at the time, didn’t understand the appeal of early blues men and women.

It took me until I was in my 30s to appreciate the raw power of these musicians. They created the roadmap for us all to follow and their work is the cornerstone of all contemporary popular music.

Moving on

I have played a lot of blues-based music live but other than studying players and techniques, rarely listen to the genre at home preferring a more eclectic experience.

Big Jim Sullivan

When Jim died I wrote a short tribute but in the context of this article, whilst recording Little Brother’s Survival album (which he co-produced with the late great Derek Lawrence) he was instrumental in forcing me to listen to the fucking chords and not just solo indiscriminately.

VIBES

Big Jim Sullivan

I may be wrong, but many of you reading this may not know this man…

Read more

6 years ago · 2 likes · Simon Campbell

After this difficult record deal in the early ‘90s, I started a new group called The Disciple’s, a progressive blues band riding on the back of the new wave of blues music: Robert Cray, Gary Moore, Jeff Healey, Robben Ford et al.

It was a great band which released an EP on cassette tape and some of the tunes made it onto my first solo album, ThirtySix, which dropped in 2010.

ThirtySix

This record explored many of my influences, trying always to serve the song and underlying chords with my guitar parts and solos.

We feature tracks from this album in our gigs and Preacher, Still Got Time To Be My Baby and Sex Is The Key (from The Disciple’s period) together with Misgivings, Brother, I Like It Like That and All I Have Left (written during my break from music in the ‘00s) can be found spattered across our two live albums - Starlite Campbell Band Live! and Starlite Campbell Band Live! 2

I prefer the live versions…i

Music is music and I love it all (well, most of it)

Let’s face it, I am a whore for original music. Classical, jazz, indie, rock, experimental, I don’t care providing it makes me feel something and the song touches me lyrically.

I am sure you feel the same as sometimes you need to listen to a track, album or artist a fair few times before you start to get it.

Apart from the obvious exceptions such as More Than A Feeling and Don’t Stop Believing - which are just great songs - plus a few others, American AOR (and classic rock) passed me by as did the new wave of British heavy metal.

No Judas Priest, Saxon or Iron Maiden for me, but Magazine, Rage Against the Machine, Stereolab and Motörhead.

Even Neil Young didn’t float my boat until I heard John Peel play the full version of Like A Hurricane on his late-night show from Weld and now am a devoted fan.

Electronica

I was never a punk and never appreciated the music until later when I realised they were just rock bands with sunglasses on.

The Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Damned and the Clash wrote great powerful rock music, most of which is based on the I-IV-V of the blues. New wave and post-punk generated some great stuff with countless bands I adored, but it was alternative music and electronica that got me.

Kraftwerk, Neu and Cann from the ‘70s then Wang Chung, Human League, Soft Cell, and Gary Numan all were spinning on the turntable adjacent to Ten Years After, Roxy Music and the remarkable David Bowie, who alongside Led Zeppelin and Radiohead is my favourite musical artist of all time.

I have always loved keyboards, but until recently, have never owned or played them. This post from last year explores my love of electronic music.

VIBES

My love affair with analog synthesisers

Firstly, I need to apologise for not creating my regular bi-monthly post. We have been mixing our new record and it’s been very intense, to say the least! But now onwards…

Read more

3 years ago · 2 likes · Simon Campbell

Anti-solo

ThirtySix did very well selling a good number of CDs - yes, before music was essentially free.

Considering what to do next I started working with Mark Cleator and Suzy (before we were an item) on an electronic project, Electrolite, where we wrote an EP and decided to record and release it.

Simultaneously I started to write on acoustic guitar utilizing an unholy number of open tunings and so…

Acoustic became cool…

I have owned some great acoustic guitars (remind me again why I sold my magnificent Gibson SJ45), but it was the purchase of my first Collings guitar that fully turned me on.

Over the years I have recorded a lot of rock ‘n roll and electronica but had no experience recording or producing this type of music, so enter Andy Seward.

Andy is a fabulous bass player and an expert at recording and producing acoustic music. His credits include records from Martin Simpson, Kate Rusby and John McCusker. I met him at a Martin Simpson gig on the Isle of Man where he was playing upright bass.

He taught me an awful lot about my guitar playing, singing, recording and production, the result being my second solo record, The Knife which is 90% acoustic and featured my first co-write with my now wife, Suzy Starlite.

Mark drove over from the Isle of Man with a car loaded up to the roof with a pile of analogue synthesisers. He arrived right in the middle of The Knife sessions at The Chairworks, Castleford and we recorded and mixed three tracks in three days.

Neither of the records had traditional solos. Why? They were unnecessary and wouldn’t serve the song!

From Americana and contemporary folk to ‘80s electrosleaze and back again in two weeks - a real shocker for my ThirtySix audience.

Blueberry Pie

The story of our romance and travels is part of another story. Still, following a short spell in France, we moved to Valencia, Spain and opened a commercial studio in the mountain village of Estivella. It was here Suzy developed as a bass player and we toured The Knife album in the UK and Europe.

She started by learning the work of four bass players, the story of which can be found in her series of articles for new bass players Walking The Bass Line in Bass Musician Magazine.

Not giving a lot of thought we wrote Blueberry Pie in two weeks, our internal brief being we needed to use only three chord intervals I-IV-V which we achieved with a few notable exceptions.

I had never engineered, produced and recorded a primarily blues album and wanted to pay homage to my favourite blues / R&B artists using a classic instrumental lineup of bass, guitar, drums, Hammond organ and Wurlitzer electric piano. We called my old mucker Steve Gibson and Johnny Henderson to play drums and keyboards respectively.

The album was recorded and mixed quickly then sent to Jon Astley for mastering. Suzy spent six months collating a database of worldwide blues music magazines and radio stations which she emailed when the album was released on February 1st, 2017.

We never expected it to do anything at all however Blueberry Pie is our most successful commercial release to date picking up top chart positions, sales, 5-star reviews and radio play worldwide.

This resulted in headline tours and top positions in festivals in Europe, the UK and Australia and on the back of this success, we decided to focus on the band, closing the studio, moving back to the Isle of Man and then Germany.

The difficult second album

I felt I had tipped my hat to the blues and needed to move on. Madness you may say, but as artists we wanted to explore new sounds, techniques, instrumentation and chord structures.

Lockdown

As with the rest of the world, COVID-19 stopped our career in its tracks, but we still had all our gear and had already started the next record which would become our second studio album The Language Of Curiosity.

We took material from our sessions in Valencia which were in different stages of completion. Take Time To Grow Old and The Language Of Curiosity are cases in point, the latter being radically different to what was first envisaged.

Tracking continued in Germany where we spent the majority of our time in lockdown, then recording the final tracks and mixing in our current studio near Lisboa, Portugal - phew…

The Language of Curiosity features a rich tapestry of stories, recorded in very difficult circumstances over a long period and we are proud of the set of songs.

Like a Rubik’s cube, it tells a multitude of stories from dating apps with Ride On Cowboy, the darkness of drugs in Said So, money-grabbing gatekeepers in the music and PR industry in Bad Sign, the futility of war in Distant Land, basic human rights in It Ain’t Right and more.

There are still three chord tracks on there and Lay It Out On Me - a straight-up minor blues - is one of my favourite tracks from my recording career.

Flying STARLITE.ONE

There has been a lot written about this album that doesn’t need duplication except to say that this album came quickly after The Language Of Curiosity, inspired by Starlite’s bizarre existential dream and filled with analogue synthesisers, loud guitars and a multitude of chords.

We recorded a series of podcasts about the recording and associated tour which are available on VIBES and Spotify.

In episode #134, we play the album in full with some insider chat about how we made it. Grab a suitable beverage and enjoy…

VIBES

Episode 134: The Supertone Show with Suzy Starlite and Simon Campbell

Presented by award-winning artists Suzy Starlite & Simon Campbell, it features an eclectic mix of music from their vinyl collections and new music releases, plus special shows focussing on inspirational people who have influenced and changed the sound of modern music…

Listen now

3 years ago · 1 like · Starlite & Campbell

So what’s the point?

I don’t criticise any artist for their output as that’s up to their feelings and ways of expression. Some artists evolve and some remain within their comfort zone and that of their audience.

Playing it safe

AC/DC, Kraftwerk and Status Quo have successfully made the same record over and over again. Alternatively, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and Radiohead progressed taking their fans with them.

Many guitar players have extended the blues from a solo perspective using substituted chords and scales pushing the blues into jazz & rock, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Steve Lukather, Dan Auerbach, Eric Johnson, Michael Landau and Julian Lage being fine examples amongst a multitude of excellence.

I have never played it safe and would lose the will to live if I were banging out the same solos over the same chords year in and year out unless I was Joe of course…

What does Joe do?

“I have learned unfortunatly that people want to hear me overplay over blues rock changes - so this is what we do” - Joe Bonamassa, August 28th, 2018

Joe’s not wrong as he is giving his audience exactly what they want, and pay for.

I love his passion for guitar and guitarists from the ‘60s British blues explosion and also admire his deep knowledge, enthusiasm and love of loud amps onstage - a kindred spirit!

He makes a great living out of his playing and people love what he does - good for him.

Am I envious? Of course. He has achieved what most guitar players - and musicians - aspire to. Fame, money, freedom and an increasing army of players trying to emulate his success - thereby lies my problem.

We all stand on the shoulders of giants, which in my humble opinion should give us a view to look further, build on what’s happened before and create something dynamic and new.

Country, folk and blues music seem to all suffer from stagnation, but even country colossi Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson occasionally step out of their genre roles.

To me, the blues is the prime culprit and sometimes I think that the song and lyrics are just an excuse so someone can take a solo, slavishly wanking off with pentatonic nonsense. There, I’ve said it…

In conclusion…

Below is a playlist featuring a selection of artists that started in the blues and ended up somewhere totally different. It’s not extensive, just a taster.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Just comment below and I will come right back to you.

Killing the blues

And finally, I had to finish with the wonderful Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. While Page has stuck as the curator of Led Zeppelin material, Plant has moved on beautifully.

Although T Bone Burnett’s production is to die for, I still think it’s been overcompressed in the mastering but a great song by artists moving along.

Much love

Simon

The Labrador Retriever or simply Labrador is a breed of retriever gun dog which was developed in the United Kingdom from St. John's water dogs imported from the colony of Newfoundland - now a province of Canada. Named after the Labrador region of that colony, the breed is amongst the most commonly kept dogs in several countries, particularly in the European world.

The first hound I remember was in my parent’s home, an English Bull Terrier called Pincher. He lived in a bottom drawer in the kitchen of our council house situated at the end of Maysfield Avenue, Radcliffe. The sight of him sleeping there is one of my first memories.

Since then my life has been enhanced by a short procession of Labrador Retrievers.

Sadly I don’t have any photos of Meg, a Golden Retriever who lived with us in Lowercroft Road, Bury or my first Black Labrador Retriever India (Indie) who although technically mine, resided with my Mum and Dad in their farmhouse in Haslingden and later on in Ramsbottom.

At the time I was living adjacent to a main road which courted potential disaster: I missed her, but better safe than sorry.

Indie lived a long and happy life, but as common with the species due to hip dysplasia, her back legs ceased to work and it was I who took her on the last journey to the vets in Ramsbottom staying with her until her last beautiful breath. I have never felt so heartbroken.

Beavis

My lifestyle wasn’t consistent with looking after hounds and there were a lot of gigs, a record deal and two children later before I owned my first ‘live-in’ Lab.

The colourfully named Beavis joined the family whilst we were living in Chatburn, Lancashire and accompanied us on our move to the Isle of Man in 2007.

The name came from the animated series Beavis and Butt-head as my pre-teenage sons thought it would be fun to name her after one of the characters. I was not so sure and even though an antithesis to her personality, it stuck.

Puppies are unpredictable and one day as I was leaving for a gig with my Landrover Defender full of gear, Beavis dashed out of the house and right under the front wheel as I was pulling off. Miraculously, she survived without any ill effects.

The gig was good.

Due to a failed NAS (Network Assisted Storage) drive many of my early pictures of her are locked in digital stasis and hence I only have the ones saved to iCloud. Here she is pictured during her more elegant and sophisticated older years, in her element, by the sea.

Life’s a bitch

I have never been keen on male dogs and apart from ‘Pincher’ my parent’s hound, have never lived with one.

The temperament of a female seems to suit me better, but regardless of sex, Labradors are safe and family-friendly - the only danger coming from being loved and licked to death.

The Isle of Man (IOM)

This wonderful Island is located in the middle of the Irish Sea almost equidistant between Cumbria in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. On a clear day from Snaefell - its highest point - you can see all four countries of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland along with Eire.

The Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin, also Ellan Vannin or Mann), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations and is the homeland of the Manx people, a Celtic ethnic group. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the isle's military defence and represents it abroad.

The island's parliament, Tynwald, is claimed to have been in continuous existence since 979 or earlier, purportedly making it the oldest continuously governing body in the world, though evidence supports a much later date. - Wikipedia

The damp hound

Labs love water and their webbed paws make them excellent swimmers. Nothing smells quite like a drying Labrador following a freshwater dip. Seawater seems to clean them properly, the salt crystalising to trap that very distinct aroma.

The island has wonderful rugged beaches and seascape which made Beavis very happy and we spent many brilliant hours walking and swimming off the Langness peninsula in the South East.

Even in the height of summer the water temperature rarely exceeds 17°C but the double layer of fur prevents the water from touching the skin of these aquatic beasts.

Suzy Starlite

Beavis first met Suzy in Laxey (IOM) where she was living at the time. The meeting was arranged following a call from one of the Island’s top concert promoters, Lenny Conroy, who told me there was a woman with an unusual name writing great songs.

It was a purely artistic rendezvous as I was married at the time and Starlite was in a relationship.

Her rented house was of single-ply wooden construction, very close to the beach and apparently freezing in the winter.

I owned a Landrover Defender (black of course) and took Beavis (also black) everywhere with me and today was no exception.

Even though of advanced age, she hopped out enthusiastically to greet Starlite as only a Labrador can, hurtling around the garden, snouting around for anything edible and settled in immediately with Suzy like they were old friends.

I sat on an old freshly painted bench table in the garden which, to my considerable embarrassment, immediately collapsed underneath me. Suzy shouted “don’t move” and captured the moment for comedic prosperity.

Anyway, cutting a long story short, Beavis decided it was time to exit having shown signs of hip dysplasia with the associated side effects - yes, again.

We lived on Bay Ny Carricky, which is situated on the south side of the Island between Castletown and Port St Mary and overlooking the Irish Sea. One night she unusually ran outside the house onto the coast road running past the house to be hit by a taxi. Instant, blissful death.

I have never cried so much.

It was unexpected and the day after the accident I contacted Highhouse Labradors who are based in Cumbria in the Lake District (Northern England) and put my name down for a puppy. They are very well regarded and noted for hounds bred for field work and mountain rescue: small, athletic and slim built.

Of course, it took a few months but when she was eight weeks old we travelled across via the ferry to collect her. The breeders, Jan and Dom (who sadly passed away in 2018) were wonderful and we met her mum and dad.

After much toing and froing with names, we left her with her Kennel Club name, Hummock (short for Highhouse Hummock).

Spiritual soul

Many Christian faiths don’t believe animals have spiritual souls. Well, I am not a God-fearing man believing that there is no afterlife, which puts us on an even footing.

I do believe however that shit happens which current science can’t explain. If I had to choose - apart from the non-drinking bit - Buddhism would definitely have my vote.

Many animals display traits that appear to give them a sense of spirituality. It may be horseshit, but my experiences have led me to believe it’s true, bringing me nicely onto Hummock.

Hummock

Although she looks suspiciously like a dog, she doesn't believe it and that’s whats important. I see her looking in the mirror and thinking - I have never seen a dog in the house before.

From the off, she was always out there. Staring into space as though she could see something that wasn’t visible to us. Her energy is amazing, courting attention wherever she goes and positioning herself for maximum visibility.

I am a pub/bar person and one of the glorious things about the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man is that the vast majority actively welcome hounds. It’s the same in France, but we will come to that in the next article.

She has been to gigs, rehearsals and recording studios all over Europe. Oh, and she loves to sing. As soon as I go above the 12th fret on the guitar she prepares herself, like a diva and then starts.

Her tuning may be questionable, but her timing is spot on.

Like a Tarantino movie, we jump forward in the chronology to unique footage (she is camera shy when performing) of Hummock doing her thing in Germany.

Hummock can also be heard barking, not singing, on this recording of It Started Raining.

Next up in part two

We continue the journey of Hummock with our move to France, the pig incident and the romance at the duck farm.

The third of a family of four children I vaguely remember my first family hound Wendy the Corgi, who by the time I arrived on the scene, was very old with fruity-smelling breath and failing eyesight.

She had her basket under the stairs in the kitchen and we used to take her for walks across the fields behind our house. Wendy was a kind hound, here, there and everywhere: very much my Mummy Margaret’s girl. I was fascinated by how short her legs were compared to her long body with that long, probing snout.

Why a Corgi you may ask?

Well, it most probably had something to do with the late great Queen Elizabeth II, who from an early age, had a real passion for Pembroke Corgis. The breed was a familiar sight in Wales in the ‘30s but not so common in England.

Like the old English sheepdog in the Dulux paint adverts of the ‘70s and ‘80s and the Andrex toilet tissue puppy adverts which have run for over half a century (sadly limited to UK television), they call it the ‘101 Dalmatians Effect’.

Elizabeth Regina made Corgis cool to have in the family and in turn allowed her to show a more human and loving side.

I can’t remember what happened as I was very young but one day Wendy was not there anymore and had gone over the rainbow bridge.

Tudor Genevieve

My bond with hounds really began when Jenny joined the family - a pedigree chocolate and white Springer Spaniel whose official Kennel Club name was Tudor Genevieve.

I remember we were so excited and all six of us - we were four children by then - drove to collect our new puppy from the breeder. When we returned home, we sat together on the sofa and she walked plinkety plonk across our legs like playing piano keys - instant love.

We put a clock in her basket as it is supposed to mimic the sound of the mother’s heartbeat.

My father Rolie (Roland) Morris was a self-employed agricultural engineer and Jenny would go to work with him every day. At the time he had a workshop based on a farm owned by Charlie Green in a village called Bridstow just outside Ross.

Dad would often be called out to local farms to repair combine harvesters, tractors and a host of other mechanical devices which often involved him fabricating spares rather than buying the more expensive equivalent from the big companies. He was a genius!

Jenny was his constant companion but when she bounded into the house, she belonged to all of us - there was so much love and we had so much fun. There’s nothing like seeing a Springer Spaniel bouncing through a field of corn or racing downhill, teeth grinning and ears flapping as she ran past you with a close ‘flyby’, just like the Red Arrows (the Royal Airforce Acrobatic display team) who were a constant sight in our part of the world as they used to practise in the skies above Ross all the time.

In the wintertime, when we used to sit in front of the fire to warm up, Jenny would plonk herself down and lean into you, pushing with such force that she slowly edged you out of the way so that she could take up pole position in front of the fire for maximum heat! She got so roasty-toasty hot it’s a wonder her fur never caught alight.

Howling hound

We always had music in the house thanks to our prized stereo system, which legend has it had some connection with Marc Bolan who used to live nearby at one point.

My first instrument was the harmonica and as soon as I started playing, Jenny would tilt her head back and start singing/howling - her lips pouted leaving a cute little triangle shape through which she sang. Adorable.

In terms of training, Jenny responded much better to my father than any of us - there was no stopping her and you had to run fast when she was on the lead before you could let her free in the field behind our house: a free spirit.

One year, I decided to enter Jenny into a local dog show in Herefordshire. All I had to do was get her to walk by my side on command up and down the field in front of the judges. Well, it was a complete disaster! Jenny was so excited with all the people around, she started running and dragged me up the field and back again. It was embarrassing but at the same time comedic as I had absolutely zero control over her!

I also entered her for the Best in Show (breeding) competition and remember one of the judges saying to me when he looked at Jenny “Not you again”!!

Despite that, this cloud had a silver lining and we came home with a third in show rosette!! Woohoo!!!

Spiritual

The one thing I found almost spiritual about hounds is that Jenny always seemed to know when any of us were upset. She would come up to us and give us that extra bit of love we needed or just come and hang out, staying close by.

Around this time I concluded that I much preferred animals to humans.

As with most young female hounds, Jenny was spayed as Mum and Dad didn’t want to breed any puppies and sadly, she used to suffer badly with what they called phantom pregnancies. She became very broody, filling her basket under the stairs with her toy giraffe and teddy bears, tending to them like real puppies.

To help heal her it was decided that we needed a new puppy in the family - someone for Jenny to care for and teach all her hairy beast ways.

Samronski

So then there were two when Samronski, a white and chocolate Springer Spaniel mixed with a Collie joined the family.

Jenny was not amused at first and was a bit grumpy but Samuel had such a joyful and playful heart, it didn’t bother him. He just persisted until Jenny decided to accept him.

So now there were two hounds to take to work. By this time my older brother Martin had finished his college course and had joined the family business - M.A.R.S. - Motor and Agricultural Repair Services aka Martin and Rolie Services.

Martin and Dad worked hard with long days, six and a half days a week with only Sunday afternoon off. I remember Dad coming back very late one night, totally fed up because Jenny had led Samronski off on some random adventure into the countryside and he had spent hours trying to find them. He was not amused.

The bird

My Father also bred Pheasants at one stage and remember he would take Jenny away on what they called ‘shooting holidays’. Springers are perfect gun dogs on the ground and in water. They have soft mouths and never damage the birds.

We had a gun cabinet at the end of our passageway at the side of the house which housed my Father’s shotgun. Living in the countryside this was a normal thing to have and my Father was a responsible gun owner - it was always locked.

Two hounds are not much more work than one but saying that we were a big family and shared the feeding and walking: I always remember that smell of Pedigree Chum (a classic British wet dog food) mixed with some dry meal.

There’s something about hounds that touches the depths of your soul. Their love is unconditional; something almost unique between humans and our four-legged friends.

Then, there was that fateful day when I had been away for the weekend and returned home to find that Mum and Dad had put Jenny down in my absence.

The vet had discovered she had throat cancer and she was in pain and struggling to breathe. God how I sobbed. I didn’t even get to say goodbye - something that still hurts when I think of it. I asked why couldn’t they wait for me to come home but it was the kindest thing they could have done for her.

So it goes.

Moving on to January 1992 and Martin dropped off Sam at home. He was about to leave when Samronski came running back out. Sensing something wasn’t right he went inside the house and discovered my Dad had died of a heart attack. What a shock it must have been to see him like that. He was told that morning he had a heart condition, they changed his medication and he died that evening.

He was 62 and I was 24 in the second year of my studies in Media & Performance at Salford University.

So it goes.

Sam was such a comfort to Mum during these times. Martin would call by the house every morning to pick him up and take him off to work, along with the customary packed lunch of cheese and cucumber sandwiches, a chocolate Club or Penguin biscuit - or if he was lucky a Twix bar - and a flask of coffee that Mum had made for him - Martin that is, not Sam :)

They were dark times especially as my Mum was gradually being stolen from us as she had started acting strange after losing her mother Betty a couple of years before Dad had died. Martin also noticed something was wrong when one day, she had made his sandwiches using mouldy bread - totally out of character.

Let’s get the heartache out of the way.

Mum came to stay with me in Manchester for a week and during that time, we had a fire at home, started by a badly wired kettle lead in the kitchen. Sam died from smoke inhalation and the house was unlivable. So Mum stayed with me in a flat I shared with a friend called Hedley Aylott for a few months. He didn’t like the fact my Mum was staying there and decided to be absent most of the time.

Mum and I shared my futon bed and I had to keep a close eye on her as she wasn’t right. I remember the day she held up a plastic bottle and asked if she could use that in her bath thinking it was bubble bath. It wasn’t - it was Domestos (a UK brand of bleach).

After visits to the hospital for ECGs and various tests, Mum stayed with my sisters and brother too and then we received the diagnosis - she had an aggressive case of early-onset Alzheimer’s.

We were fortunate to be able to secure her a place at Dovecott, a newly opened care home just outside Ross. It was an Old Victorian sandstone house with huge high-ceiling rooms, proper bedrooms and vintage character set in beautiful grounds in the countryside.

Mum was very happy there - as happy as she could be anyway - and every morning would draw the living room curtains and go outside to feed the birds.

So it goes.

Adopting everyone else’s hound

So after the heartache, my life became devoid of hounds. With long hours at work and living in the city centre of Manchester, it would not have been fair to have had a hairy companion, especially when back in the early ‘00s the local park near Ancoats (now gentrified) was full of used syringes and condoms.

So that special kind of love was to be shared through the other hounds I met along the way.

Next…

Things changed when I moved to the Isle of Man in 2008 and met my future husband Simon and his hounds Beavis and then Hummock. But that’s a story for next week…