In 1977 this song was barely off my turntable – I’d bought the Live EP that came out that summer which had this song and Medicine Man on it. It’s one of those songs that as soon as I hear it I’m transported back to those days. I remember staying at my Gran’s house that summer while my mum and Dad were away and it was one of the songs that I played on my little record player.
I saw the band a couple of times around then at the City Hall in Newcastle, I forget how many times but it was either 2 or 3 times. We met them after one of the gigs and they were a really nice bunch of blokes. I also recall that on one of the tours they had vowed not to play their famous song Mockingbird but the crowd at Newcastle kept on shouting for more even after the house lights came back on until eventually the band came back on and played it urging us “Not to tell anyone!”
So it was with sadness that I learned today of the death of one of the band members Woolly Wolstenholme who committed suicide on Monday. The band released a statement on their website stating that: In recent weeks Woolly’s mental health had taken a turn for the worse and sadly he took his own life on Monday 13th December 2010
The harder you try, the lower you fall
The way that it seems, so they say
The mountain is high, the valley so low
You’re losing your dreams on the way
So you’re gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll star
Gonna make it on your own
Write a song that everyone can sing along
So you want to take a trip to the stars
Can you find your way back home?
You’ll get your break, but don’t you wait too long
Looking behind you
All the bad times that you’ve had
Looking before you
Only good times?
The Shed on the Web 