Another year and more new MUNGO JERRY product is about to hit the fan club shop. The great news is that all three albums that were recorded for Polydor in the 1970's - 'IMPALA SAGA', 'LOVIN'IN THE ALLEYS', FIGHTIN' IN THE STREETS', 'RAY DORSET & MUNGO JERRY' - are to be issued on CD by Easyplay. 'IMPALA SAGA' should include the bonus track, 'IT'S A SECRET' - 'ALLEYS' will have the alternate tracks that were on the French issue, but the disc will feature the UK sleeve. They are also making the 1978 'bootleg album', VIG-LIVE IN BULGARIA available on CD for the first time.

Work has been ongoing for some time now, and I'm told that they look and sound great. ROB KAMPHUES in Holland has worked tirelessly on the sleeves and booklet and we even have sleeve notes by yours truly. They will be priced at the usual £8 per CD, or £25 for all four. Keep your eye on the shop!

Some extremely exciting news just in is that Sanctuary Records are planning a 2CD set that will feature some extremely rare and previously un-released material from their archives. So rare, I have to say that I haven't even heard of some of the recordings mentioned so far. More news as I get it.

In June, we will be holding another Hollywood special in Newcastle Under-Lyme and it's looking good for another special guest appearance by the 'mighty' JOE RUSH!!!. It is pencilled in for Sunday 19th of June at the Forum Theatre, Hanley, Newcastle Under-Lyme where we should have a skiffle session with Ray and Joe, followed by a gig by the full band. On Saturday the 18th, there will be a private outdoor gig at the Coppice School but don't worry, Derek will be trying to arrange invites for any fans wishing to attend.

We are hoping that a CD-rom of the fan club interview currently being posted on the site with RAY DORSET will ready in time for the 35th anniversary celebrations. The CD-rom will be more extensive than the website version with input from other band personnel and include rare pictures and music. Sounds great!

Some sad news to hand is that a friend of Ray's from the 60's, DICK HOW, has sadly passed away. Dick played with Ray in various bands throughout the 60's. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

In January 2004 the band and I undertook a tour of Sweden where we were met by temperatures as low as minus 26 degrees, but the band was hot and we played many good gigs and also recorded two tracks which as yet have not been mixed down. On my return I began work on the new album and GARY FOOT, the saxophone player that I worked with on the Legends tour came to the studio to play on some of the tracks, unfortunately ANTHONY FISHER the recording engineer that I have worked with for the past few years unexpectedly left the studio to work at Sky TV and as yet we have been unable to locate all of the recordings so I may have to start again from scratch.

I did a few TV and radio shows in Europe and then went to the US for some gigs, they were not particularly well attended but those that did turn up were more than enthusiastic about the band. On medical advice I cancelled some shows when I got back and decided to have a break for a while and recharge my batteries.

Towards the end of the summer, I played my first gig for sometime and this was a festival in Denmark which was very enjoyable, and the following week we played the Friends of Poole Park festival which was also a great success, in fact we are invited back to play again for this years event. I also continued to rehearse with the MUNGO JERRY BLUESBAND in Germany and expect the long awaited DVD of the two shows that we did, the Vlotho Festival and the Hamburg Downtown Blues Club, will soon be ready, in the meantime we are working on titles for another album and putting the final touches to the tracks that were videoed of the show that we did in Herford, the sound quality of this one should be good as it was recorded by a fully equipped mobile recording studio.

I made a welcome return to Romania where I did another TV show and also another TV show in Holland, the band and I did our last gig of the year to about 15,000 people in Antwerp and then I played a very good gig with the MUNGO JERRY BLUESBAND at the Movie Club in Bielefeld, Germany.

I have been spending a great deal of time going through the old recordings and demos, and subject to some of the old tapes being playable, most of this material will be made available on CD including some live recordings that were made on cassette of the band in the early and mid seventies.

The new album is tentatively called THE EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES and if all goes well will be available in the autumn if not before. I don’t have a working title for the MUNGO JERRY BLUESBAND album but this may be ready sooner".

The MUNGO JERRY BLUESBAND. Hey, really? What has 'IN THE SUMMERTIME' got to do with BLIND WILLIE McTELL or SAVOY BROWN? Well, for a start, the same artists who used to stand at street corners playing jug band music “when the weather was high”, would plug in at night. And several SAVOY BROWN members did actually serve in MUNGO JERRY at one time.

December 2004: As soon as Mungo main man RAY DORSET plugs into STATESBRO' BLUES, it's apparent that this experienced roots rambler can change his voice at will, from clear, melodious singing to guttural shouting - and if need be, that transformation happens effortlessly in mid-song. Also, he's an accomplished lead guitar player - his licks and solos so fluent and fat - you just know this isn't a one-off whim, this is dedication.

The choice of standards is impeccable; I haven't heard TIM ROSE's, 'MORNIN' DEW' as atmospheric and free-flowing as in Dorset's reading. And the rapport with his audience is always refreshing. You can see a smile on punters faces when stage talk leads into a frantic succession of guitar/drum breaks, and soon you realize you're in the middle of a lazy boogie - 'GOIN' DOWN SLOW'. The quartet team follows Ray's ramblings elegantly: KLAUS WENSKE on bass, and drummer KLAUS OTTO absolutely shit tight and elastic in the engine room, ACHIM 'Ako' PATZ supplying Hammond organ delights as well as harp sounds whenever Ray, a mean harmonica blower himself, is busy singing. MICHAEL POHL is a welcome sparring partner on guitar, delivering some tasty wah-wah fills and lots of rhythmic interplay to complement the 'Delta Dorset'.

The Rhythm & Blues patterns run so naturally that the big Mungo hits fit like buffalo leather gloves: 'BABY JUMP' becoming an urban City Blues stomp, 'LADY ROSE' a Country Blues sing-a-long which the fans pick up eagerly. The boogies and 12-bars aside, this band can swing, too. RAY CHARLES's, 'ST.PETE'S FLORIDA BLUES', like many items tonight from this outfit's album 'ADULTS ONLY', shows tons of feeling and competence as far as their chosen genre is concerned.

Ray (Dorset, not Charles) & Co. would end up delivering more than 20 numbers during the evening, including 'FEELS LIKE I'M IN LOVE', which Dorset had originally created for ELVIS PRESLEY. With the rocking version presented on the night, you can see how. Then, 'IN THE SUMMERTIME' was the real joker. First delivered in the original arrangement, Ray then changed gear, twinkle in his eye, and hit with a reggae workout, echo effects and all, that had every single soul smiling and bopping along. 'I JUST CAN'T SAY GOODBYE' summed up a great little party, but of course the fans didn't let the MUNGO JERRY BLUESBAND say goodbye!

'LET'S WORK TOGETHER' followed, epic and dirty - and if there is a smile from above it's from big fat BOB 'The Bear' HITE - the CANNED HEAT man who has always shared Ray's love of the Blues…