On Friday March 27th 2026, the day started in Morpeth and progressed to Cragside. After walking down to the iron bridge and up to the clocktower by the formal gardens we descended by the lake and drove the 6 miles of carriage tour after which we drive to the south side of the Tyne, which I recrossed later to drive from Gateshead into the centre of the city that is closest to my heart. Before walking to the venue to which I was travelling , I touched the Town Wall in Newcastle along which stands Mordern Tower, whose stones absorbed the voices of Ginsberg, Bunting, Pickard and the many others who read there. I didn’t realise that later that evening I’d be buying a book of poems by Barry Hall, a poet who read his words accompanied heavy folk rock witch pop band of a woman who I would be unsurprised to see become big international star. Shannon Pearl commanded a full room at  the Newgate Social, Newcastle’s newest venue. The evening was opened by the excellent music of North Eastern women Talk Like Tigers and Ani Sandwith. This was a very exciting evening of music. For more than one number,  Shannon encouraged her fairy dancers to join from the audience and the joyful dancing that took place was life affirming. I will see more at the Newgate Social.

My favourite piece of recorded music remains the title track from the album ‘Lovely’ by Spot, so the first piece of music I will mention in these writings is a new recording by Edwin de Herder, who played the amazing guitar solo on ‘Lovely’. The new track by Mama Loo is ‘Ziggy(Bowie knows..)’.

After a long gap, I resume my short and longer writings on my artistic ecstasies, starting with a novel.

An Ape A Dog And A Serpent is a short funny melancholy profound novel about the film business from its early days to the 1940s and the passing of time for human beings.
Gerald Kersh is one of my favourite writers and this book, published in 1945 is of the excellent standard of his best writing. I read it in one sitting in a couple of hours.
My copy is a first edition bought from the recently discovered Michaels bookshop in Ramsgate which has fast become one of my very favourite second hand bookshops in England, with a huge fiction section.

In the musical connections my musical enthusiasms make, an album which is linked at the same level of vocal genius as Laura Nyro’s is ‘ Harmony Row’ by Jack Bruce. A true masterpiece.

I first heard ‘New York Tendaberry’ , on a tape I bought in Cambridge, Mass in 1987. Half a liftetime and 1000s of records and cds later, this remains one of the greatest and most unique records in rock music, still startling in its daring now. Very few singers have ever come near the places Laura Nyro took her voice.

Richard Thompson was already a great songwriter in his teens and has remained so for more than 40 years. It’s always exciting to hear his albums because you are very likely to find a song or two that you will always be with you. ‘ Mock Tudor’ is one of his best albums.

It’s a shame Steppenwolf have been overshadowed by other bands of their era, to the extent that a lot of listeners would only know them for ‘Born to be wild’ and a couple of their hits. Their albums contained some of the most politically incisive writing of any band active in the 60s/70s that hasn’t dated over 40 years. My favourite Steppenwolf song is ‘Monster’ and my favourite of their albums is ‘Steppenwolf 7’.

More than 30 years ago I heard the self titled debut album by David Forman (pictured below) for the first time.

Purchased on one of my endless teenage expeditions to Notting Hill’s Record and Tape Exchanges, it has never left its place among my very favourite records. It is a truly great and original album.

In the days before today’s wired and technologically joined up world, it was not easy to find out more about this amazing record or its creator.

I did not hear any more music by David Forman until the late 1990s, when I picked up a cd of ‘Largo’ (at the now sadly long gone Record & Tape Exchange in Fulham) . Forman contributes songs and vocals to this great concept album, masterminded by Rick Chertoff, Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian. I hope the digital age will see a re-discovery of ‘Largo’, as it is a true rock masterpiece.

After finding ‘ Largo’, I tracked David Forman down through the web. We exchanged a few e-mails and I discovered that he had  recorded a second album. This was then, and is still now the unreleased album I want to hear more than any other. If any labels are reading this, please release this record. If it was not exciting enough to know a second album existed, the realms of true listening desire are reached knowing that Ry Cooder played on it and Jack Nitzche produced it.

‘After Bathing at Baxters’ is probably the best album by Jefferson Airplane, a band who still sound still sound innovative today. In the last 40 years, very very few have even come close to the trail they blazed.

Tony Williams was one of the greatest musicians who ever lived. There are countless amazing recordings that he played on. ‘Ego’ is my favourite of any record that he appeared on, that I have yet heard. I remember the excitement of finding this CD in Concerto in Amsterdam many years ago. ‘Ego’ is a great album.