about
‘Tuebrook’ is an area in Liverpool that I spent a lot of time in when I was young. My Church, both infants & junior school (St Cecilia’s) my dentist, doctor, the nearest shops, pubs, and friends were all in Tuebrook.
I lived just over the border of Tuebrook in West Derby but so close to Tuebrook that it felt more like my area than West Derby did. Many years later someone in Liverpool City Council decided to move the “Tuebrook” sign half a mile up the road, so the family home then became a Tuebrook resident.
I should point out from the offset that this album is not ‘Tuebrook the Musical’; only about half the songs were written with Tuebrook in mind. I generally write story songs about fictitious people and places like a novelist would. For this album, I thought I would write a few autobiographical songs. Though “Laying my soul bare” may be too strong a phrase for these songs it was quite interesting for me as a songwriter to reach deep within myself and write about people I knew or know.
Christopher Roberts – This song is about a friend in junior school. For some reason Christopher, Philip Martin, Mike Norton and I were moved from the boys’ side of our mixed class and placed with the girls. We did our 11-plus exams and after we all got our results each of us went to separate senior schools. I never found out which one Christopher went to or saw him again. He lived miles away from the rest of our class, so we had no chance of bumping into each other. I often wonder how his life turned out to be, is it a good life he is living, did he marry, is he even alive?
William – This is about a childhood friend who lived next door to me for 20 years or so. Childhood friends are not like other friendships. You can never remember how you met as they were always there and as you get older, they do too; from a child to an adult we shared a lot of things. We would play in the road, look up at the stars outside our houses, visit pubs for the first time together, parties and clubs. Will fell in love with Christine, got married, moved away, and had two girls. Somewhere along the way he took a wrong turn much to his family and friends’ disbelief, fell to drink and was unable at times to control his addiction even with everyone’s support and prayers. Occasionally he would pull himself together. Sadly, he died of pneumonia. In our teens, we recorded ourselves singing along to Beatles songs or even some of my earliest attempts at songwriting. I had to put a little of him on my song for him in order to remind me it wasn’t always sad thoughts when I think of him.
Shadows – I guess most people can relate to seeing their hometowns or areas becoming rundown for various reasons. A lack of infrastructure or financial support, bad decisions made by local governments, people moving out, people moving in, economic reasons.
I have exaggerated the reference to Tuebrook a little. They never did build a highway through the town but they certainly widened West Derby Road in the 60’s and in the heart of the place taking away one side of shops that had been there. It still looks messy after 50 years of no shops there."
Idaho is as far from Tuebrook as you can get. My musical and fellow “John Jenkins & the James Street Band” member Pippa Murdie started playing the fantastic Iris DeMent song “Easy’s Gettin’ Harder Every Day” in our shows. This mentions the American town Idaho. I have a fascination with American place names. They are so different to English place names that I’ll occasionally let my imagination run with what the place must be like. Idaho, Baltimore, Tennessee have all featured in songs of mine. I can’t get as enthusiastic writing about Grimsby, Cleethorpes or Clacton as I do over American place names.
As I was writing this song I realised I had strayed into the melody of the traditional song “Wayfaring Stranger.” Rather than trying to disguise or alter bits of the melody or chords I thought I would keep the traditional tune and add my own lyrics. It was an interesting writing experience.
She Feels Nothing and Maybe I Just Came Along for the Ride – Both these songs sprang from lyrical ideas I had. Most songwriters will tell you that we carry with us bits of paper in the anticipation of a moment that a thought or an overheard conversation or lines in a book jump out to us and suggest a song idea story or title or line or couplet. I have wads of the stuff and I am always going through these notes when I want to start a new song.
Mr. Ford’s Hardware Store – Mr. Ford’s shop was in Marlborough Road in Tuebrook and it was an amazing shop to visit as a child. He literally had all kinds of household goods on top of each other in the exceedingly small shop floor. The shop was tiny, but it was jam packed with every conceivable household good from floor to ceiling and had a smell of soap or detergent powder that was extraordinarily strong. I swear that over the years of going to this shop the same goods were in exactly the same place. I must be wrong but if you wanted something from the pile it was tricky business getting it without causing an avalanche. He had everything in stock, and I never once went to the shop without Mr. Ford being behind the counter. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he slept in the shop. Sadly, it closed in recent years due to his retirement. And yes, the shop was next door but one to Joe’s Dairy or the Capsticks Milkman. As a kid to see cows and farm animals roaming around in a yard just off a busy main road was quite surreal.
A Child’s Sense of Wonder – My Grandma (my Dad’s Mum) – Bella or as me and my two sisters and everyone else called her “Ma” – lived with us from when we were all born until when she passed away (11th Oct 1987). When I was very very young, I’d get into her bed at some point in the middle of the night and remember waking up to the sound of the milkman driving up the road (or down), leaving the milk bottles on the doorstep, neighbours’ kids going to school or neighbours going to work and the gates opening and shutting. I’ve vivid memories of the darkness becoming lighter and seeing strange faces on wardrobe doors or reflections in the mirror. My Ma would try and get me to sleep by either singing me a lullaby “Here Comes the Sandman” or getting me to learn the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” which as a pre-infant schoolboy was probably the surest way of getting me to sleep.
43 and Counting – This came from a conversation I recalled having with someone I worked with years ago. She was upset because her husband had left her for a younger woman. It wasn’t the fact that he had left her for someone else that upset her most, but because she felt her biological clock was ticking away and she was now at an age when meeting someone new and having children was going to be very hard. Her husband had not wanted children and she had agreed to this begrudgingly and bitterly regretted this.
Lost in the Storm (a sadness far too heavy) – I had retuned my guitar to DADGAD tuning when I wrote this and once I had the melody idea I thought of a few characters that I imagine live in “Tuebrook” including the priest at St. Cecilia’s.
Only after the song was written did I realise I may have been subconsciously influenced by “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles in having a priest as a character.
Passing Time – As I get older, I question whether my time has been well spent, could I have done more, done this or done that? I guess that’s the eternal question. This character in the song is having the same moments I have
credits
released July 7, 2023
CREDITS
All songs written by John Jenkins (except ‘Idaho’ which uses the melody of the traditional song ‘Wayfaring Stranger’)
Arrangements by John Jenkins and Jon Lawton
Produced by John Jenkins and Jon Lawton
Engineered by Jon Lawton
Recorded at Crosstown Studios in Liverpool
Partially funded by ‘Help Musicians’
Tuebrook Bus Painting by Michael Mulligan.
Album Cover – Ernie & Brian of Fairburn Road, Tuebrook (with kind permission of Beryl Hindley)
Who plays what:
John Jenkins – Vocals, Backing Vocals, Piano
Jon Lawton – Programming, Bass, Guitars, Lap Steel, Percussion, Keyboards
Pippa Murdie – Backing Vocals, Guitar
Chris Howard – Keyboards
The Infants choir at “Our Lady, Star of the Sea” School Seaforth (Mr. Ford’s Hardware Store)
Audio recordings and spoken voices:
• John Jenkins Snr, John Jenkins Jnr (1964) (Christopher Roberts)
• William Geary (1978) (William)
• Bella Jenkins (Ma) (1985) (A Child’s Sense of Wonder)
I would like to thank the following people:
Lynn (for putting up with all the music distractions I have when I could be doing the garden or housework), Joan Henry (for getting me a kids’ choir at very short notice and learning the song), Pippa Murdie (for being there and supporting my music for so long now, it’s never taken for granted), Help Musicians (for accepting my funding application and their generous support enabling me to make this album a reality), Stevie and John Baker, Dave and Ray Provost, Ian Davies, Iain Patterson, Paul Webster, Rose Lewis (all for their support). Mrs Agate (St Cecilia’s Junior School Headmistress) for allowing me back into my old school 50 years on and revisit my old classrooms to film the “Christopher Roberts” video, Brian Roberts (Video), Joseph and Daniel Taylor for their fantastic performances as the young John and Christopher in the video and Nicky Taylor for agreeing for them do it, David Nixon (for his BAFTA award winning video performance in the same video).
And last but not least to Jon Lawton without whom I’d be doing the garden and the housework. Thank you for your continued support and advice and wonderful talent.
