It wasn’t Halloween that inspired my latest song-writing attempt, not intentionally anyway. The title and chorus, plus the A minor riff, got me going – destination unknown. Then it became a lament for rock and roll, and perhaps a lot else. Despite the incredible advances in technology, music doesn’t necessarily get better – often just more easy to access. The sheer difficulty of finding rock music in the Fifties and Sixties , meant people valued it more. And after all, a good song performed well will always prevail no matter how poor the sound system or venue, etc.

Today it blares out everywhere – shops, offices, restaurants, etc – becoming meaningless. Technology makes faking it much easier since you can get a great sound without any talent. Cheap and easy access also makes music commonplace.  Where to next?  I don’t know, but there’ll always be a desire to comunicate – to be creative and share that creativity. The strange thing about music however, given the few notes available, is that the possibility for new configurations are almost limitless. And, as life changes, we’ll always want to reflect our experiences.

So, don’t weep for rock and roll – or any other format – they’re just names. But the music goes on.

Oh this ghost train’s running out of control.

But it never was a way to save your soul.

No, no. No, no. Ghost train. Ghost train.

Called rock and roll.

Now there’s no use lying down on the track,

Cause those glory days ain’t coming back, Jack.

No theme park ticket you can buy,

Will ever get you a slice of Yanky pie.

It was all a lie.

Just an illusion of mirrors and lights ,

Screaming women in lurex tights – on drunken nights.

Ghost train!