BLOG 57 July 25th 2010

Almost another month has flown by in the blink of an eye. Things are starting to get really busy for Quo and Francis and I have been squeezing in a few hours together in the studio here and there whenever we can. We’re really very happy with the new songs that we’ve been working on. There’s something quite rewarding to see a song as it develops from a small seed of an idea, through the many changes and eventually into a completed recording. It’s a process that can take a short time or, as in many cases, months and even years. We still have a few songs that were started years ago and still remain unfinished. Eventually we get around to most of them and occasionally it’s possible they’ll sit on a shelf unfinished forever. I do feel very lucky to be still writing songs with Francis and occasionally the others after 42 years.

The other writing partnership I’m very happy to still have after 35 years is that with ex-Whitesnake guitarist Micky Moody. He’s an amazing guitarist and writer and friend. Just as with Francis I often wonder where the years have gone and grateful to still be together. I often think of just how fortunate I’ve been and still am. Ups and downs are par for the course in everyones life, some more than others, and while we certainly can’t change the past we can affect the future.

Micky and I have been working on the new Young & Moody 36 tracks compilation album. We’ve just done a photo session and as usual laughed our way through it. It’s been a lot of fun listening to and compiling music and songs that we’ve written and recorded together since first meeting in the mid seventies. With luck it should be out and available in October.

Had a couple of nice email exchanges last week with Alan Lancaster. We were laughing about the time we were on tour in America in the mid-seventies and had just arrived in El Paso after a long hot drive. We checked into the motel and everyone quickly changed into there swimming costumes, oiled up and ordered cocktails by the pool. I joined them ten minutes later and as I was walking around the pool looking cool in my jeans, panama hat and cigarette in mouth. I looked cool until Alan pushed me in the pool much to everyones amusement. I surfaces hat still on and soggy cigarette in mouth. The most annoying thing was I had a couple of thousand dollars in my pocket and had to spend the next hour trying to dry off the notes with a hair dryer as I laid them all out on my bed. Hilarious on reflection but I wasn’t amused at the time…. Thanks Al 

Two weeks ago we went to a great birthday party over near Marlborough. It was a belated party for our good friend the lovely Tony Mulliken (and orgnaised by his equally lovely wife Pam). He’s boss of one of the countries top book publishing PR & Promo companies. About a hundred people were there in a marquee in the garden of their stunning home in the country. Author James Herbert and his wife Eileen and ex-England footballer Dave Watson and his wife Penny made it along. All friends of our for thirty years or more. Happy birthday Tone…xx

My son-in-law Barney last week completed a 100 kilometre charity walk across the South Downs to raise money for Oxfam www.Oxfam.org.uk . There were over 200 teams of four and Barney’s team came in an amazing 11th in 20 hours and 43 minutes. The last team rolled in some ten hours later. But a great achievement for a very worthy cause ...more

On Saturday Sue and I got back from a five days holiday in Portugal where we stayed in the beautiful and huge villa that our good mates Arthur and Dorothy Wickson had rented for the week. Also there were their son Sam (a great cook), his wife May and their two lovely children Aiden and Isibeal, May’s sister PK, Dorothy’s sister Lynne and her husband Dave. A lovely holiday and big thanks to A & D xx

On Sunday morning Ciaran (Joe Echo) flew in from Ireland to play at the Ben & Jerry’s Festival in Londons Clapham Common. It was hot and fun and a few friends turned up with their kids. Yesterday he and I had meetings all day in London and he flew back to Belfast last night absolutely exhausted.

Right must get on and do some work on the songs Francis and I are working on for the next Quo album.

Have fun
Bob xx