Something strange must have happened to me back in 1971. At the time I was thirteen and heavily into music but seemed to be at odds with most people my age. Whilst a lot of them were buying whatever happened to be at number one, I was saving up for Led Zeppelin IV, Jethro Tull's Aqualung, or Hawkwind's In Search Of Space.
I also bought and listened to Bob Dylan, and John Martyn and was just about to get into Nick Drake. So how the hell did I miss Jimmy Campbell so completely? Why is it that I am here, in 2009, listening to his music for very possibly my first time. Worst still, when I was sent his re-mastered CDs to review, I have to admit to needing to look him up on the internet first.
It quickly revealed that Jimmy was born in Liverpool in 1944. It also tells me that he died in February 2007. However it is the first part that really shines a light on the man whose music I never got to know and wish that I had.
Liverpool is not a massive city. What it is known for, is its sense of identity. If a Liverpool person did well it was celebrated by the whole city. Being born in 1944 would put Jimmy into exactly the right time frame to witness how four of his fellow Merseysiders ventured out from the bomb sites of Liverpool to take on the world.
The 'Fab Four' would not only carve their name on the history of music they would lead a generation out of post war Britain and conquer the world in the process. Suddenly Liverpool was on everyone’s musical map. My sister recently bought me a postcard that says ‘The Beatles saved the world from boredom’. How very true that statement is. Suddenly the world and music was in colour.
Jimmy Campbell was there, in Liverpool, at precisely this moment. One listen to these re-released, digitally remastered gems leaves absolutely no question that some of that magic must have rubbed off on him. So why isn't he a household name? Maybe there was simply something in his character that stopped him from making the kind of progress that his undoubted talent should have earned him.
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