I wouldn't normally do a book review (and this isn't really much of one) but how often do you come across a book which includes a slice of your personal history within its pages? Julia Kneale is the author, a fellow Wirralian who spent part of her teen years hanging around the 70's Merseyside music scene. In particular she sang with a band called 'THE ID', one of Andy McCluskey's pre-' Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark' bands (OMD).
Receiving a mention are previous bands I'd been a part of such as 'Mr. Grumbold', 'Pegasus' and the infamously titled 'Hitlerz Underpantz'. Other folks from those days such as John Bleasdale, Graham Gait, Jimmie Rae and Neill Shenton also get a mention. There's even a few pics. At one point even my old friend (and Underpantz founder) Toad gets a mention.
However, the music memories form just a part of the book. Her younger days, her post ID nursing career and a whole lot more, form the bulk of the narrative. The sad loss of her brother and her ongoing friendship with Andy are reocurring themes. There's even some poetry thrown in at the end, alongside the lyrics to 'Julia's song' an OMD classic track that as recently as 2015 was released as a single on vinyl. (And did pretty darn well in the UK vinyl charts).
A darn good read... and available of course at AMAZON.COM or a host of other grand bookshops.
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