SteveJhb

Somewhere Down The Crazy River introduced me to the BoDeans...

Great song but... Were you meaning to post Fallen Angel maybe, with PG on vocals?

Was just about to post I'd happily dent the bank account for a decent remaster of the '87 solo album. Some good songs since but nothing like that first album. The companion soundtrack to his autobiography included a remix of Testimony which hints at how great a remaster could sound.

Well, funnily enough a friend of mine from Brisbane who saw Mellencamp on his last Australian tour, which was in 2008 I think, said that the highlight of a brilliant show was John doing a solo acoustic version of I Need A Lover and telling that very story, thanking the audience for being part of the success he ended up having.

Johnny with Peter Gabriel back in 2003.

He has never been to South Africa. (I don't think he has ever been on the African continent, actually) He was due to play in Australia a few years ago and the tour was cancelled, I believe, due to poor ticket sales. I guess that puts paid to him ever venturing back to this hemisphere. Vast difference to when Bruce plays down under.

Twenty years ago I was a country rep, covering the Northern Cape and the countries of Namibia and Botswana. The first time I did the trip to a coastal town in Namibia called Lüderitz, I saw the famed Namib desert wild horses. I was coming down a long hill and at first thought I was seeing a trick of the eye. As I got closer I could see it was dozens of them galloping across the road. As I got near I slowed right down, opened my window and watched them disappear. I never saw them again. I will never forget seeing that. I was the only human around for probably fifty or a hundred kilometers. I can’t not see that mental movie play out in my mind every time I listen to the song.

And boy did you grow up in the best possible time for being a music fan. I genuinely believe that!

That is very very cool. Was there ever a more perfect double A sided pop single than Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane? Verily I say unto thee, no, there was not.

One of a kind.

And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad So I had one more for dessert