Singer-songwriter's CD is inspired by rock '˜n' roll

His latest CD, entitled Old Rat Tabs Again, is a collection of six acoustic songs.

Mick said: “I am quite a big-eared, grumpy old sod so the title came to me quite easily.

“This CD is mostly rock ‘n’ roll which comes out when my mind and heart are in happy, excited fettle.”

The sounds of the Fifties and Sixties have influenced Mick’s songwriting. He said: “This was the music I loved as a little boy. I still never get sick of the sound of The Springfields doing Island of Dreams or the Beatles doing Eleanor Rigby.

“I always take lots of risks with the production side of these home recordings, like the last song Teenage Fire which has the vocal saturated in reverb because I wanted it to sound like the ghost of the old miners welfare singer or club singer.”

Old Rat Tabs Again also features the songs Lady Nightingale, Nightmare; Girl be in the Sky with me; There’s a rainbow coming out; No Performance; The Prettiest girls are in this town.

Mick, who lives in Heanor, has been a solo singer-songwrigter for 18 years, bringing out a folk album entitled Me ’Obby and the CD Right That’s It Now.

In 2010 he did a short project called Bitten Souls where he wrote and recorded a couple of songs with guitarist Ben Hanson and singer/songwriter Olivia Kevan who he credits as the best singer he has ever met and a fantastic songwriter.

Thirty years ago Mick performed his first gig, singing and playing for rock outfit Taras Bulba. He later went on to sing for rock bands DNA and I Married A Werewolf.

Mick decided to become a solo singer-songwriter following the disbanding of I Married A Werewolf in 1977. He said: “My songwriting started to become more emotional and surreal.”

l Old Rat Tabs Again is on sale at £2 and can be bought from Mick, tel. 07947 670705.