Bassist on one of UK's most popular Xmas songs explains why there's no new hits

Fifty years since it became 1974’s Yuletide fig one, the Mud deed Lonely This Christmas is arsenic overmuch portion of Britain’s festive repertoire arsenic Jingle Bells.

Sadly, 2 of the 4 archetypal Mud line-up from the Seventies person passed connected - Les Gray, who had pharynx cancer, died successful 2004, aged 57, aft a bosom onslaught and drummer Dave Mount took his ain beingness successful 2006, aged 59.

But bassist Ray Stiles, present 78, and pb guitarist Rob Davis, 77, are inactive performing unneurotic arsenic Mud and the archetypal glam rockers person adjacent inspired a tribute band, Mud 2.

Hearing Lonely This Christmas is ever bittersweet for Rob, who remains profoundly arrogant of holding the apical spot for 4 weeks with the hit, but is simultaneously reminded of the set mates helium lost.

He tells The Mirror: “It decidedly utilized to beryllium a large woody to person the Christmas No.1. Lonely This Christmas was No.1 each implicit Europe too.

“A batch of radical who’ve mislaid loved ones inactive speech astir the sentiment of it.

“You perceive it each twelvemonth on with different aged Christmas records.

“ You don’t perceive immoderate caller ones anymore. I deliberation the past large 1 was Mariah Carey’s and that was 30 years agone now.

“The newer ones don’t person the quaintness of the aged ones, adjacent though they’re astir apt technically better. And no-one buys galore records anymore - they get them escaped connected Spotify.”

On proceeding Lonely This Christmas, helium adds: “I bash get emotional, particularly reasoning astir Dave arsenic we knew each different arsenic kids. When I instrumentality to Epsom to spot my sister and friends I walk Dave’s location and Christ I miss him. And Les of course.”

Rob, the victor of 3 Ivor Novelli awards and a Grammy, has gone connected to adjacent greater occurrence since Mud, whose different immense fig 1 hits included Tiger Feet, which sold implicit 700,000 copies successful the UK and much than a cardinal globally, and Oh Boy.

As a shaper and songwriter, helium has had planetary hits - co-writing Kylie’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head with Cathy Dennis, a fig 1 deed successful 40 countries, arsenic good arsenic penning Groovejet, a deed for Spiller (featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor) and Fragma’s deed Toca’s Miracle.

Rob is besides successful bully signifier - which helium attributes to his emotion of yoga, which helium started practicing successful the 1970s and helium feels protected him from the stone n rotation excesses which tripped up his precocious bandmates.

“Les especially, greatly,” helium says. “He was a bully frontman and precise sociable.

“He would telephone his section pub his ‘office’ and anybody who wanted to conscionable him had to spell to the pub! The booze decidedly killed him.

“Dave…he was agleam and hilarious. But 1 infinitesimal helium was similar Eric Morecambe, the adjacent helium was connected a downer. Like a batch of comedians helium had a downside.

“He was besides precise sociable and had a batch of friends successful the manufacture astatine the time. He went connected a monolithic drinking time and night…I couldn’t judge what happened.

“I deliberation it’s unspeakable what intoxicant does to radical - makes you depressed.

“I’ve been into yoga since the aboriginal 70s and that has guided my beingness successful 1 way.

“I’ve ne'er smoked. I’ve drunk a spot and inactive do, but not to the grade of it sidesplitting me. I deliberation being clean-living and loving the accumulation and penning side… Where they’d beryllium retired getting boozed, I’d beryllium astatine location penning oregon successful the studio. I adjacent adopted the lotus presumption connected Top Of The Pops once!”

Rob misses the excitement and kudos of topping the charts and says these days “zillions less” income are needed to get to fig one.

“It’s a spot of a nightmare,” helium says. “When you deliberation those aged records sold 100,000 to marque No.1. I deliberation you tin marque it with conscionable a fewer 1000 nowadays. It’s a unspeakable manufacture successful that respect. I don’t deliberation caller acts marque immoderate wealth astatine all. Live gigs are amended for caller acts.”

Born Robert Berkeley Davis successful Surrey successful 1947, Rob got his archetypal guitar astatine 11, penning his archetypal opus and formed his archetypal set (The Apaches, with Dave Mount) astatine 15.

“The thought of america getting screaming miss fans was appealing, but starting retired I didn’t deliberation we were going to beryllium affluent and famous,” helium says. “I conscionable loved being successful a set and playing the music. But I had an aunt who said that erstwhile I was calved she saw a shooting star.”

Hilariously, Rob and Les came up with the sanction Mud aft their van got stuck successful mud en way to a gig and says it got them noticed connected posters.

And portion the different 3 often dressed arsenic aged benignant rockers, Rob wore feminine outfits and clip-on earrings, an representation suggested to him by a trendy cheery Carnaby Street outfitter called Colin Wild.

But it didn’t enactment pistillate fans off.

“It made them much interested!“ chuckles Rob, who is joined to yoga teacher Deena and has a 33-year aged lad Gregory, an property cause who besides has a enactment artifact company, with his archetypal wife, Chris.

Most of Mud’s hits were written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, the concern down the sounds of Suzi Quatro and Sweet among others.

Rob wrote oregon co-wrote 45 Mud tracks, though, the biggest being L’L’Lucy which was a UK No.10 and topped charts successful The Netherlands and Belgium.

Some of his collaborations were besides with Ray and Dave, but Rob says: “Les wasn’t into penning - helium was excessively engaged going down the pub!”

For a fewer years, Rob joined Darts, touring America and Ireland with them.

But he’s blessed to beryllium rocking and rolling arsenic Mud again, arsenic helium approaches 80.

“Ray and I person been doing it connected and disconnected for 10 years conscionable to gain immoderate other money,” helium says.

Meanwhile, his ongoing songwriting occurrence - which has included a No 8 deed for Kylie successful 2002 with Come Into My World, co-written again with 90s popstar Cathy Dennis - has financed the acquisition of swanky properties successful Bromley and Ibiza.

“Can’t Get You Out Of My Head was done and demo’d successful 7 hours successful my workplace successful Epsom,” says Rob, who has present fixed that location to his son. “That’s beauteous quick. I deliberation we wrote different opus that aforesaid time too.”

Other stars who’ve recorded Rob’s songs see Dannii Minogue, Enrique Iglesias, Rachel Stevens, Mika, Charlotte Church, and Blue. He penned Down Boy, a No.2 successful 2002 for Holly Valance, who similar Kylie had go a prima connected the Australian soap opera Neighbours - which Rob has ne'er watched.

“That was rather an iconic play for me. Everybody wanted to constitute thing similar Can’t Get You Out Of My Head 2 with me, but it ne'er works that way,” says Rob, whose has 1 unfulfilled ambition - to constitute with Michael Mc Donald, who had hits with The Doobie Brothers, including What A Fool Believes.

Despite being successful the concern since the aboriginal 1960s, Rob inactive gets a thrill from proceeding records he’s been progressive successful getting played.

“It’s ever breathtaking erstwhile I perceive the likes of Can’t Get You Out Of My Head oregon Toca’s Miracle played connected Radio 1 oregon YouTube oregon successful a movie,” helium says. “I perceive Groovejet a batch successful Ibiza. A hilarious mate I utilized to spell retired for a portion with would constituent maine retired to the barmaid and accidental ‘He wrote La La La, you know!’”

And helium inactive has his digit connected the pulse, contempt his precocious years, adding: “I perceive to Radio 1 creation shows, and spell to each Paul Oakenfold’s gigs successful Ibiza. So I bash support up. I inactive emotion aged bands similar Steely Dan and The Eagles. But I’m not into Queen oregon ABBA - I’ve played and heard their songs truthful overmuch implicit the years that I’m sick of them!”

Speaking from his location successful Bromley, wherever helium has a signaling workplace and a Yoga studio, Rob doubts helium volition ever retire, adding: “It’s harder and harder to get hits now, but I’m ever looking for the adjacent unthinkable song.”