I love old rock stars. They remind me of my youth. I even met a few of them back then. I used to drink in the same pub as Rod Stewart in the late sixties but he never bought me a drink. Come to think of it, he never bought any one else one either. I was at a club with Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty once in the early seventies and they didn’t buy me a drink either. Even before that, I used to hang out with Ralph McTell and we both went for the same job in a bluegrass band. He got it, of course. I was standing next to Ray Davies at the Troubadour in Earls Court the other night, but he didn’t have a clue who I was and certainly didn’t buy me a drink.

So, enough of this name dropping; why shouldn’t stars of bygone days come back for a second helping. Some, like the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Aerosmith, never actually went away, and are doing very well from their dedication to the cause. The Who never split up, they just tried other things. Pete Townsend invented and writes rock operas while Roger Daltrey and Keith Moon dabbled with acting, which in Mooneys case usually involved getting drunk with Oliver Reed. Townsend semi-retired for a while and said he did not want to end up at sixty leaping around a stage with black hair dye streaming down his face. So he went grey instead, and continues with Daltrey to wow a whole new generation and show the young guys how it’s done. The Doors never really split up; Jim Morrison went on a sabbatical to Paris that turned out to be permanent and Ray Manzarek has milked the legend ever since. Genesis split the first time when Peter Gabriel left, but I don’t think the others ever signed divorce papers. Phil Collins bared his soul on solo albums and did a bit of acting while Mike and the Mechanics played some nice stuff, so why not do it again guys, could be fun.

Some bands do break up. When the Eagles split, Don Henley said that the Cocaine Cowboys would reunite “when hell freezes over”. Well, it must have got pretty darned cold down there, because they’ve reunited more than once and they still sounded pretty darned good. Cream were always volatile and we should be thankful for the classics that they managed to create together. The reunion was short lived and they should probably leave well enough alone. To reunite the Jackson Five because Whacko is broke is not a good idea. They were great when they were fronted by a child with a child’s voice trying to be a man. It will never work with a man with a child’s voice wanting to be a child.

The big news on the comeback front at the moment is of course, the Police. They broke up, no secret there; but the excitement generated by their reunion is on a par with that generated by the Beatles whenever the rumours of their reinstatement surfaced. Even the Pink Floyd “will they, won’t they” hasn’t generated this much interest. It’s remarkable, given that Sting’s solo career could hardly be called a failure and a well hyped tour would net him just as much money as a Police tour. And he wouldn’t have to split it three ways. Maybe it’s not about the money. Maybe they just want to do it again because they were good and now they are mature enough to cope with it. Let’s hope so; on stage punch ups at their age would not be very dignified. Before I close, let’s not forget Take That. Some people just do not suit solo careers, but it’s always worth a try. That doesn’t mean you Robbie, you aren’t very good at either.

By Peter Coulston