Going For A Song / Vinyl Rules…

After all the recent stress of form filling, CV’s, Jobseekers etc, it was good to be out and about again last weekend. Main event was of course the W & H Peacock Rock And Pop and Sporting Memorabilia Auction Sale. The auction centre itself has a strong Lewis family connection. Bruv JL has spent months collating and organising the Rock And Pop sale, both my sister in law’s work there and Sam had a Saturday job there so it’s a place we know well.

Setting up the 500 plus lots could only be done after the closure of a Gun auction on Thursday night. By the 9pm Friday viewing opening time it looked excellent with plenty of Zep input including the impressive Remasters disc award, a guitar signed by Jimmy, Robert and JPJ and some very nice signed prints. The Mel Bush commemorative tour mirrors for the likes of Wings, The Jam, Slade, Bad Company etc also looked impressive and there was a fair few Elton John lots including an 18 ct Cartier ring once owned by Elton. Late in the afternoon I met up with Terry Boud and after a scan of the sale we chewed the fat in the Castle and Gordon Arms later meeting with our good ladies Marian and Janet.

There was healthy turn out on Saturday for the sale – it was good to see two of the Bedford Earls Court 6 namely Tom Locke and Phil H. Graeme Hutchinson was also in and unsurprisingly he did not go away empty handed. I had a few odd bits and pieces to sell in the auction as needs must which in the main did well. That allowed me a slight luxury of a couple of bids – I missed out on a very nice Subbuteo table football 1960’s set in the Sporting sale but did secure some splendid Frank Sinatra EP’s and singles. The lot included Frank’s 1971 hit I Will Drink The Wine which has on the B side a jaunty Paul Ryan composition Sunrise In the Morning which is amongst the finest things the man recorded in his latter years. A reminder that it’s Frank’s world…..

Bidding was brisk on the Zep stuff and the Elton ring went for over £3,000. A box of around 80 folk, blues and rock LP’s totted up a hefty £400 price. I’d had a good look through this lot and maybe was not the only one who noticed it had a copy of Dylan’s rare Great White Wonder bootleg in amongst a crop rare Joan Baez original pressings.

The sale went off very slickly and the bruv JL and family deserve a pat on the back for providing a most entertaining day was out. An Anglia TV news film crew came down on the Friday and the Monday edition of the programme included a brief report.

Winding down in the pub afterwards was most welcome as we discussed lots that went for a song, stuff we should have bid on, stuff we did (Tom Locke secured a giant framed Beatles At The BBC poster) and the finer detail of the things that makes our world go round (namely music, books, football, wine, women and er beer!). There was also much comment on Man Utd’s shock 4-1 home defeat by Liverpool.

Amongst other topics was the naming of our favourite second band – Graeme H had no hesitation in listing AC/DC. I always struggle on this – do I plump for The Who definitely the second best live band I’ve seen, or for the overall breadth of catalogue of The Rolling Stones, then again there’s the sheer creative invention of The Beatles. The Stones won it on this occasion though on another day it could change and hey what about Elvis, Nick Drake, Dylan, Paul Weller, The Faces, …Iron Butterfly…

Also in the pub was Sid Sells and old pal from way back who came on the first Wallbanger FC foreign lads holiday to Lloret de Mar a week after the Earls Court gigs. I vividly recall borrowing a pair of high waste flared trousers from Sid to wear to a swanky night club we went to and we had a good laugh about that. Also got talking to a big Who collector who had come down for the auction from Walsall, and of course I couldn’t help but tell him that yes, that’s me leaping up on stage to hug Pete Townshend and nearly knock out Roger Daltrey in the The Kids Are Alright movie.

On Sunday there was inspiration on the soccer field as we travelled to Luton to see Adam’s Brickhill Wanderers triumph against Caddington Youth – a 3-2 win from being 2-1 down at half time. Adam struck a glorious winner that fairly flew in the net. Life was good.

Coming down from all that on Sunday night wasn’t easy as all the familiar recent problems took precedent again.

But Monday I picked myself up again and amongst other things, this week signed off most of the TBL 23 text and Gary Davies waded with an excellent 1969 related exclusive interview – the fruits of which will be in the new issue. I also did an interview on the phone tonight with Frank Reddon author of the excellent Zeppelin Sonic Boob book and editor of the www.enzepplopedia.com site.

Not much to report on the jobs front currently. I’m saving some cracking black humour filled stories for my memoirs, though the latest is that I’m not cut out to be a bed retail sales manager (don’t ask!).

I will reveal that the opening interview question I was asked for the job was ‘’So did you see Led Zeppelin at the 02?’’ and the closing shot ‘’Right any other questions? OK well I’ve got one – Do you think Zep will get back together again?’’

I kid you not – said interviewer had obviously clocked the Zep reference on my CV…there’s just no getting way from it. Not sure if I gave the correct answers though as I didn’t get the job!

Sorted out a load of Zep memorabilia for a possible future Zep project and as I waded through the mountain of vinyl under the stairs I picked out a few LP’s to go on the deck amongst them Houses Of The Holy (the perfect spring album) Nick Drake Heaven In A Wild Flower compilation, Family’s 1969 gem Family Entertainment (Roger Chapman, now there was a very fine singer),The Hollies Rarities (which has a great Graham Nash tune called Wings), Joni Mitchell Court And Spark, Stephen Stills Live (the latter’s Just Roll Tapes CD has also been on – thank your Terry B), the Santana Lotus triple album and Bombers a 1970’s Polydor sampler set with stuff from Taste, Stone The Crows, Lifetime etc..

Some of the high prices various vinyl pieces attained in the Peacocks sale is testament to the lasting affection there is for this most wonderful of sound carriers. Everything from the smell of those black grooves down to the memorable art work is just perfection.

In these worrying and uncertain times there was something deeply comforting about being amongst the whole retro feel of the Peacocks Rock and Pop Auction. A throwback to much simpler days….

Grateful Inspirations / Life after Zavvi…

Well March is here and the first two week of life after Zavvi have nearly passed. Predictably two week of ups and downs.

The uppers have been the wealth of encouraging emails that have come in from all corners of the world acknowledging support for my predicament. For all those that took time to do that, let me say that every one of them has been an inspiration. The good lady Janet has been amazing as has Sam and Adam – so too JL, Sally and Martyn. Elsewhere there’s been grateful support (and beers) from Terry and Max and other friends. Andrew Ricci and Larry Bergmann have sent in postal inspiration and Mick Bulow has been fantastic in his practical advice and it was good to hear from Graeme H. and Gary F.

The downers – the paper work and forms to fill to claim redundancy via the government– the fact that due to one of the many changes of ownership the stores went under, I can only claim five years service (not much to show for after 35 years graft)… a rather bizarre initial attempt to get back into employment that I won’t go into detail about but quickly went pear shaped (As Martyn quipped “DL’s the only man who could go to an interview and not get interviewed!”)….it’s not going to be easy out there for sure. I was, and probably still am in shock for most of last weekend but despite some dark moments I have had to force myself to look forward –not back…also been carrying a cold for about two weeks and somehow pulled a muscle in my back that is well sore (might have been the after effects of that final football match!). A visit to the Jobseekers office today was also an eye opener. Then there was the meeting with the bank where in amongst

All the financial stuff, on learning of my age the otherwise pretty helpful lady suggested I might want to take out funeral arrangement cover…laugh?…we nearly died!

But … on the good side I’ve not allowed myself to think too much of what’s been lost. It’s not felt like I haven’t been working because every day has been pretty full – searching job sites, CV’s to write, Jobseekers admin to investigate and kick starting the text for the spring TBL magazine. Had a great meet with Martyn about the next magazine and it’s shaping up well.

Other inspirations: More fantastic Zep 1969 research work from Mike Tremaglio to pour over, and having the luxury to listen to Physical Graffiti all the way through from the first riff of Custard Pie through to the last zip of the Gibson on Sick Again 34 days to the day it came out – that’s been my one concession, there’s been no watching day time TV treats such as the Jeremy Kyle show (Christ I might be on it soon!), Bargain Hunt or Loose Women honest!. The best TV of the last few days (aside from the excellent Gavin & Stacey second series now being shown on BBC2) has been the BBC2 documentary on last year’s Olympics closing ceremony with plenty of footage of Jimmy rehearsing and at the actual ceremony –an event which I still stand by as being bizarrely amazing.

So life goes on albeit in uncertain and changed circumstances. Although something’s don’t change and Spurs valiant attempt to thwart the might of Man Utd ended as usual in vein..,,,but penalties….come on don’t kick a man when he’s down…

On the player – an iPod playlist of the very fine Graham Nash, the English one of the celebrated C,S N and Y. I’d love to get hold of his new three CD box set Reflections but that won’t be feasible given current financial circumstances so it’s been good to search out the stuff I have by him such as the underrated Wild Tales album. Physical G as mentioned has also been blasted out and a clutch of CD’s sent over by Larry B including the hard to find Jimi Hendrix Concerts album. Looking forward to the Rock and Pop Auction due to be staged in Bedford on Saturday March 14 which the bruv JL has been heavily involved in – some very nice Zep bits on offer including a multi disc gold award and signed guitar (see www.peacockauction.co.uk to view the catalogue on line). Not of course that I’ll be investing.

The time for extravagance certainly ain’t now and I’m sure the takings at The Fox And Hounds pub round the corner are suffering a little bit too – now I’m not in my regular corner any more.

Still I guess that won’t do my health any harm, although the way my back feels right now that’s yet to be proved…