Chapter 7 1986 to 1987
Some of my songs are written from an idea for a title, such as Cry My Beloved Country or Go Away. When I mis-hear what someone says it can prompt a song. I heard someone say something that sounded like “The dark side of town” which led to City Of Sin, and “In any single minute” was misheard as Middle Of A Minute.
In 1986 I went to a creative writing class in Enfield and teamed up with Suzi Clarke who was writing a musical, Chelsea Parade, set in the 1960’s. I transferred my 8-track from Wood Green into her house in Winchmore Hill, where I stayed for a few weeks of concentrated creativity. With a lot of help from Pip Walter, we recorded Off To The War and When I Look Out Of My Window, Get With It Vicar, and a revised version of Read Between The Lines.
In early 1987 I was told that the BBC wanted Jingles to advertise the World Service and Radios 1 2 3 and 4, so I wrote Jingles BBC World Service, Radios 1 2 and 3, and on a separate file Peter Bradford – Radio 4 jingle. As it turned out they were looking for essays not songs.
I also entered Spring Fever in an LBC competition for the Easter Parade. One line in the song’s intro copies the tune of ‘Easter Parade’ by Irving Berlin, but despite this it only came second.
My backing singer Linden Harley now lived in Muswell Hill with Andy Jackson, and I moved my recording equipment into his spare bedroom. With Pip and Linden I recorded Bubble And Squeak, Rhythm Is Power and Rock And Roll. Andy Jackson was a studio engineer on the famous “Dark Side Of The Moon” album. He worked with Linden on Middle Of A Minute, which he said was a potential single, but not with her voice!
In September 1986, Elizabeth Taylor announced that she was thinking of marrying George Hamilton. There was a famous singer called George Hamilton IV and, in their enthusiasm for numbers, the press joked that this would be her 7th. husband rather than her fourth. When Pete Murray phoned him about it, he said “It’s flattering, but I don’t know what my wife would say!” It must have been another George Hamilton. In the song One O’ Them Days I tell the story of George Hamilton IV having his breakfast on a dull ordinary boring day suddenly spotting Liz Taylor’s announcement in the morning paper. Whoopee! He’s off!
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