Once apon a time..............a young man from Jarrow saw an advert in the Melody Maker. That young man dialled the number and the rest we know is history, Roxy Music History. Like many of the Roxy pals I have made since the 2001 reunion this tiny piece of newsprint has been something I have longed to see. We all knew about it, can quote the text but it didn't seem to appear in the usual archives anywhere.
After a few failed attempts I finally managed to track down an issue of the Melody Maker which I felt might have been "the one". I turned each page until on page 51, my eyes locked in like an infra red target sight, there it was, THE "Wonder Drummer" classified ad, It just had to be the one. No mention of "Roxy" which featured in the text of the "Perfect Guitarist" advert Phil Manzanera responded to but a quick comparison confirmed the same telephone number. I had a moment, a strange moment of wonder that I had in my hand the Holy Grail of any TGPT and Roxy Music fan. Excited would be an gross understatement!
What could be more exciting than tracking down the advert? Being lucky enough to be able to give a vintage copy of the MM in question to Paul in person last night after seeing him perform with Lindisfarne. I don't know who was the more delighted, Paul or myself. Today, I am one very, very happy Paul Thompson & Roxy Music fan, a feeling which I know will be shared by many of you by the time you reach the end of this post.
