THE JEFF BECK BULLETIN ISSUE #10

Before you met Jeff, had you done any rock sessions or been involved with keyboards or other instruments in any rock bands?
I played in bands and did some session work in New York City, but most of my time was spent practicing and studying.

We know you met Jeff during the 'There And Back' Tour in the States in 1980. How was that meeting arranged. I understand Ernest Chapman's wife is some kind of relation to your family?
Yes, I met Jeff and Ernest through Christie Chapman. Christie is a great musician who had come to live with my family when I was little. She played piano and Hammond organ, sang, wrote songs and has been a great inspiration. She met and later married Ernest. When the 'There And Back' tour rolled into New York that fateful year, I was taking classes at Julliard and Columbia University. Much to my parents horror, as I was actually doing rather well at school, that part of my education was to end about four bars into "Star Cycle". Christie had invited me to the show. I had never heard rock 'n roll played by musicians of that caliber and I knew that from then on things wouldn't be the same. After the show, I took Jeff and some of the band out on the town and we had one of those crazy great nights in New York City. At some point in the evening, after a few cocktails I'm sure, Jeff whispered something like, "when you're ready, give me a call." Well, that was all I needed to hear. The next day I left Columbia and locked myself in a practice room.

At some point you and Jeff discussed the idea of one day working together. Yet that didn't happen at least officially for over another decade (just a few days according to Jeff's timescale of things, Hah!) How did that evolve? Were there other projects discussed before 'Frankie's House'?
It took a while before I was ready to work with Jeff. He had come to New York to begin "Flash" with Nile Rogers. I watched the making of that record, and became frustrated because I wanted so much to write and play and never got the chance. I guess my frustration was a sign that I was ready to take a shot. After the record was completed, there was talk of a tour in Japan. Ernest arranged an audition in England, and I think that was the first time I played with Jeff. Unfortunately, that tour didn't pan out* and I was very disappointed. Soon after we started to write together, and I think that is when our musical collaboration began.
(*Ed. note; After that, there was another attempt at a Japanese tour - this one coming to fruition but opening at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and then going to Japan with Jan Hammer on keyboards.)

Did you jam with Jeff before going in to do the film?
I remember working on some sketches at his home before going into the studio, but the magic really began once we started recording.

What were your thoughts when you first heard him play with you outside of all the official commercial ventures you had heard him or even when you saw him on tour?
My thoughts were: This is one special, talented m-----f----- and oh shit I better come up with something good, I've got Jeff Beck in the room.

Jeff loves developing ideas with the piano. He's done it with Max, with Tony, was it the same way with you? How so?
I'm not sure exactly how Jeff worked with Max and Tony, but I would imagine the process was similar. Jeff is inspired by interesting musical shapes and voicings, quirky melodies, and kick ass grooves. I tried to play things that would get him to take off. Once he did, I would become excited by his inventions and we were off. Once he got going, the sky was the limit....

I remember Jeff doing a thing he's never released (but developed it during '91 around the time he was into African tribal beats with Stewart Copeland), called "Hurricane" during his '95 tour. Have you ever heard it? I thought it was something kind of like 'Jungle Theme' from Frankie's House.
Actually "Hurricane" was something I wrote with Jeff, which was originally titled "Eye Of The Hurricane". You have good ears since it is thematically related to "Frankie's House" and to some extent was a response to not having had the opportunity to develop some of those themes into longer pieces. Jeff performed "Hurricane" on his tour with Tony, Pino, and Terry. We recorded it at a later date with Steve Lukather producing in Los Angeles and England. Although the musicians are superb, as often happens, some of the magic of our original demo at Jeff's house got lost in translation. I am currently working on finishing it, so I think it's safe to say you haven't heard the last of that storm.

There are so many little great bits on the actual movie/series that unfortunately were never put on the Lp like the interlude between parts etc.....were there more fully developed ideas from those sounds that got cut? Who decided to use what bits?
We were on such a tight schedule to fininsh the score that we weren't even thinking of an album. It was only after Epic heard a compilation that our engineer, Leif Masses put together, that they decided to release it as a soundtrack. I remember selecting some of the excerpts that I liked most, but it was Leif through clever editing and sequencing, who turned it into what you hear. There may be a few good bits that he missed. For the album, I would have preferred developing our favorite themes into more substantial pieces, but we ran out of time.

Your barrelhouse piano on "Put On Your Red Dress" is priceless. Was it fun doing that number and thinking back to that 40's and 50's time when Fats Waller and everyone were boogieing down on the piano nightly?
Thank you, I have always loved that style of piano playing, Booker saw to that...I think you're referring to "High Heel Sneakers". We had been working a lot of dark music to underscore the horror of war, and this was a welcome break and a hell of a lot of fun to play!

Did Jeff bring the Kyoto into the studio to mess around it or did he already have the whammy bar on his Strat down pat for that by the time you guys were recording?
Jeff is about as deadly as you can get with a whammy bar, but what's interesting to me is how unpredictable and unconventional his choices are. He used his guitar to interpret what he heard as a Koto part. Other Koto parts like the one in duet with the guitar on the opening track, and 'Vihn's Funeral', I played on the keyboard.

Anything else from those sessions that the media never printed about at the time?
Sure, we won a British Academy Award (BAFTA) for "Frankie's House" which seemed to escape the media's attention.

You said 'Hound Dog' was done on a lunch break from those sessions. Was that a drum machine or live drums? Jeff is the ultimate Jeff Beck on that tune because he does himself and goes back to the slap echo, Duo Jet, Cliff Gallup, Scotty Moore type sound. Did you guys think it would ever be nominated for a Grammy like it did? You mentioned two Grammy nominations. Was the other for "Frankie's House"?
"Hound Dog" was recorded for the film "Honeymoon In Vegas". The drums I played on a MPC-60, designed by Roger Linn. Jeff's playing is superb though I never expected a Grammy nomination. It was a great opportunity to finally record one of my father's songs, and it was a very funny session. I remember that we needed someone to sing the backing vocal parts as and homage to the original Elvis recording with The Jordanaires. Jeff suggested his guitar tech, Lance, who casually sang a note which sounded great for the part. What we sooned learned, which seemed hysterical at the time, was that he could literally only sing that one note. So we all laughed, had a beer, and Jeff and I sang (or tried to sing) the parts. Our other Grammy nomination was for "Frankie's House".

We all thought you would be working with Jeff on the road at some point after developing and Lp. We know you approached Jeff with an idea or three and supposedly it included quite a cast. Tony Hymas was into living his own life with his family so everything seemed like you were going to be playing with Jeff for a while. What happened?
Yes, on a few occasions it seemed that I might play with Jeff on the road. We talked about it a few times, and I'm sorry that never happened. I think more than anything, the timing wasn't right. Maybe one day it will be. I hope so.....

The "Blue Chips" movie only had Jeff doing whammy sounds on some basketball scenes and none of his material (very little of yours) made it to the soundtrack. I know Jennifer Batten had heard some Simon Phillips stuff earmarked for the project. There were rumours things didn't go all that well with the producer and Nile Rogers had to be summoned in to finish up some bits. What's the real story?
The real story is long, and honestly not that interesting. The short version: I was asked to score the picture. On the strength of our success with "Frankie's House", I suggested that Jeff and I do the project together. Althought the music we created was well received, the film soon became a political nightmare that we were both unprepared for. At one point, I recommended Simon to play drums, but soon after quit the project in disgust. In the end, Nile was brought in, but no one could save the ship from sinking. I was sorry for having involved Jeff, and angry at having wasted so much time, energy, and talent. Moral of the story: If you want to watch Shaq play basketball, turn on a Lakers game. If you aspire to be an artist, stay out of Hollywood.

You threw a big 50th birthday bash for Jeff at the Hollywood Athletic Club and then had a jam at your house with yourself, Jeff, Skunk Baxter, and Jennifer. Who played drums? What tunes were played?
That was really a great night. I wanted to celebrate the success of our first collaboration together, and I wanted to do something special for Jeff on his birthday. I remember playing, I think my brother Oliver was on drums. Jeff played guitar, I played keys, and my Dad sang "High Heel Sneakers". The party was a lot of fun.

You went we heard to a New Years costume party at Jeff's house. What was that like?
One of the best parties I've ever been to. Certainly, the longest I've ever traveled to get to one. Jeff invited me, and I couldn't resist. I flew from LA to England for the party, and it was well worth the trip. Jeff and his girlfriend, Sandra, went to great lengths to make every detail of the evening authentically medieval. One of Jeff's friends had obtained amazing costumes for us. The food, candle light, music and guests were all memorable. I wish we could have another....

Have you corresponded with Jeff over the last few years and do you have any material/projects of your own happening that we could listen to and check out?
Jeff and I remain good friends and spoke recently about the possibility of finishing the piece you asked me about, "Hurricane". I just finished producing an album for John Oates (Hall & Oates) entitled "Phunk Shui" which is scheduled for release in August. If you are curious, check out www.JohnOates.com or www.phunkshui.com. (Ed. also check out the August 2002 issue of EQ Magazine, www.eqmag.com for info on the project.) I am scheduled to go to Japan with John this September. I recently re-wrote and old song of mine with Burt Bacharach who tells me that Aretha Franklin loves it and will be recording it soon. I will be a very happy camper, she is my favorite female vocalist of all time and Burt is legenday....

Anything else you can say about Jeff and your work with him that we haven't covered technical or otherwise?
As proud as I as of the work that we've done, you haven't heard the best of what we can do together. Jeff remains in his own class as an artist, and I hope you one day hear some of the treasures that we still have buried....

It's a great honor Jed. Thank you and keep in touch.
The honor is mine Dick. Many thanks for your interest in our work. All the very best! Jed

Be seeing you, Dick Wyzanski

Flash back 30 years ago.........Our freind and one of the founding fathers of the Jeff Beck fan archivist movement, Ed Chapero, corresponds as usual with a contact from Europe who, like many Euro rock music traders of the time, is busy searching for things by American groups like the Byrds. Rumoured that Ed could procure a Chad Mitchell Trio album which featured a yound Byrd Roger McGuinn, this Euro chap proposed a trade for something equally obscure....a Dutch 45 from Kim Milford , the shortly lived singer with the third Jeff Beck Group soon to become BBA, Ed did the trade more as a favor to his contact and looked at the 45. It was just a plug for Milford with little mention of the Jeff Beck group save a Dutch inscription which seemed to say Kim Milford OF the Jeff Beck Group. It was then filed under Milfor and put in the closet with the other Beck related files and 'Sparky's Magic Piano'(voice box, see Issue #8).

May 2002..........Excited that the Milford outake of "You Got To Move" (Lose Myself With You") was finally in our grasps, Ed told me "You know Dick, I've got this old Kim Milford single that's been in my closet for thirty years. I originally traded for it because I recognized the name Kim Milford and the writing mentioned the Jeff Beck Group but it didn't seem to have anything on it (with Jeff) you know? I'll make a tape of it and send it to you for posterity." About a month later I got another call from Ed who was this time slightly agitated. He told me he had actually played both sides and listened to them carefully. One side remained "clean" but the other side not only seemed to have tastefull little bits of Jeff interspersed but the backing sounded not like Timmy and Carmine.....BUT OF COZY, CLIVE,,AND MAX!!!!!!!!! Plus the Dutch inscription Ed admitted (which we later confirmed) could be WITH the Jeff Beck Group instead of OF the Jeff Beck Group.

ED hurredly sent me down a copy and with trembling fingers jammed it in the car stereo with the volume turned up to 11 to be able to listen to subleties and proclaim "Judgement" on the track "Justice". IT didn't take long. After a typical Broadway stage (Hair) style solo vocal opening ala the unisex space style that Bowie was just pioneering and Dorian Passante would later fail miserably at, I was pleasantly assaulted by a lead into a beautiful R and B rat atat tat from Cozy Powell with an equally strong following bass walk from Clive, a two handed syncopated chordal fill from Max an an eight note "I can be the most tasteful Motown style session guitarist on the planet" lead in a pure soft treble tone ala "My Cherie Amour" from the Stratocaster of our boy wonder himself....Jeff Beck!!!!!

The tune itself is a religious quagmire between following Jesus and the Devil "He's a crook" with Justice. "Judgement has come with an iron rule" which could have come right off the heels of Milford's stint in the Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar. The music itself vassilates between a most hummable r and b tune and the occasional stop start solilliquy style of Milford. Those looking for a real trademark Jeff Beck guitar lick should look no further than right after Milford challenges listeners to "check out your existance" as Jeff blurbs out a priceless sweet emotional passage that stops just as of course you wish it would continue all night.

The recording quality of "Justice" is superb. The reason for it is in the mysterious inscription for the production credits...CMP Productions.... Flash to the present. I tried to make sense of the timetable. Timmy had recalled years ago that Milford had been brought to the studios by Ernest Chapman specifically to help spearhead a new Jeff Beck lineup that would cash in on Led Zeppelin style concertgoers. Jeff and Ernest in the press at the time seemed to bear that statement out and indeed as we look back on their view of the importance (or lack of) of certain events that may have been the only signifigant explanation... My original assumption based on all that was that after the Jeff Beck Group split up in New York somehow Milford had gone to Europe to meet up with the group who contractually finished the English tour including the famous Paris Theatre FM broadcast. But what about that brilliant production sound quality. Who was CMP, and what wa that eerie synthesizer drone that followed the backdrop of the song and came out eerily and briefly at the end?

Only one way to clear up this bowl of soup............A quick query to Ralph Baker who graciously granted my request to have the email forwarded to Ernest Chapman himself for clarification. Not 6 hours later I got the reply that Jeff Beck historians were waiting for and for what Annette Carson may at some point have to make an addendum to her book. Ernest wrote that what we had was a "bootleg" from the original Electric Lady sessions at the end of the band's east coast tour (May 1972) and that the session was produced by Stevie Wonder's producers MALCOM CECIL AND ROBERT MARGUELEFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! C=Cecil M=MArgueleff..CMP Productions!

This was recorded around the time of the original Superstitious session BEFORE the lineup changed. I then surmised that since Milford wrote the tune that either he or Cecil and Margueleff struck up a deal to smuggle the session out of the studio and the grasp of Jeff and put it out in Europe where Milford had a marketable following and money could be made. Meanwhile back in New York Ed was scurrying for more information. It turns out that "Justice" was actually used in one of many of Andy Warhol's underground productions, a film called Ciao Manhatten!! So not only does the Jeff Beck Discography need updating due to the priceless find, the Jeff Beck Filmography does as well!!!!!! Lay your soul to rest Kim Milford. We have built it and the "real" masterpiece with you and the Jeff Beck Group has indeed come......

Be seeing you.

THE TERRY BOZZIO INTERVIEW 

Saturday, September 14th, 2002
London, 3:30pm
© Bruce Stringer, 2002

I had come to London to see Jeff Beck live at the Royal Festival Hall and, hearing that
my favourite drummer Terry Bozzio was to play decided to interview this genius of the
kit. Having arranged the interview via Christine in the States (-thanks, Christine!)
Terry agreed to meet on the Saturday afternoon before the final of three shows. For
days before the interview I ran through my notes and scribbled over my questions
making them word-perfect, however once Terry began to speak all of that went out the
window with what would be a very revealing interview from this master craftsman.

Waiting in the bar of the Trafalgar Hilton, an energetic, lean figure closed in as I
had just finished conversing with one-time Beck vocalist, Jimmy Hall.   

T: Hello, Bruce?
B: Yes.
T: Nice to meet you, sir
B: Nice to meet you!
T: So, how’s it going?
B: Good, very good!
T: So, which part of Australia are you from?
B: Adelaide, South Australia
T: Yeah, I’ve been there a few times.
B: Of course, I saw you on your solo drum tour, which was… (with hands up in mock prayer)
T: Thanks!
B: As a guitarist I walked away saying that’s it, I’m giving up!
T: You know, Chad Wackerman lives down there and we’ve been able to do a duo drum tour
   and we made 2 CD’s called Alternative Duets and a video with DW just called Duets.
   It features us two playing The Black Page and Little Bar Solo Music and then mainly
   us playing 2 improvised duets. Man, playing with Chad is just so much fun! I don’t
   know if he made it to Adelaide that time, but I was definitely doing some dates with
   him back there in Australia… Might have been Perth or Melbourne or something
B: Sydney?
T: Yeah, Sydney. But at any rate I’ve been there a couple of times doing that and we
   started playing together and said we have to do something so we came up with this
   idea: two ex-Zappa drummers doing that and we had a ball!
B: That’s a great idea
T: Yeah, and now here I am with this, you know. It’s like because of my drummer connection,
   playing with Steve (Barney) it’s an absolute joy.

B: So, how was it working with a second drummer?
T: I think it’s great, you know. You’re always a little concerned mainly because there’s
   certain tendencies that drummers can have that make them pro or against playing with
   other drummers and I don’t know if he’s ever done it but I’m so used to it with my
   drum connection. I’ve played with so many drummers in duet situations, ‘cause usually
   if there’s a festival there’s usually several drummers on it we all jam at the end
   and it’s magic, you know.  And I’ve played with guys who don’t speak English, like
   Indian guys, Afghanistani, Brazillian and you name it, African… And nobody speaks a
   word of English and it’s just magic so for me. I was up for it and he, I’m pleased to
   say, is a young, upcoming heavy-duty dude. First of all: great guy. Wonderful sense
   of humour, easy to be with, you know- just a wonderful hang and then, secondly his
   drumming is so powerful and his pocket is so deep that it’s just wonderful playing
   with him. You always know where it is and he’s very musical, very tasteful whereas a
   lot of heavy-handed guys are not. He’s just got it all going on so it’s just a joy
   playing with him.

B: Okay, what about the Roger Waters thing last night? (Roger was guest for 2 songs on
   Jeff Beck’s Wednesday & Thursday shows)
T: Oh, yeah- it’s so much fun. That was like a real… I’ve got another one of those
   experiences coming up today with John McLaughlin, who I’ve never gotten to play
   with, so I’m looking forward to that as well. So, yeah: Roger Waters is a very
   heavy character and I really dug his music and all the Floyd stuff he’s contributed
   to for years and years. I love the sound-scape aspect of it. I love the space and I
   love the idea that it can be played in an arena with all that ambience, and not just
   thrashing… And, you know, it takes balls to do that because most people get such an
   adrenalin rush from being in front of a huge audience that it becomes Oh, I’ve got
   to do this…instead of hold on a second, it’s about music and it’s about me inviting
   them inside my head or my soul, you know. So, he has that going on big time and I
   really dug playing with him.  I hope something can happen with that again…

B: Some of the percussion things you were doing suited What God Wants down to a ‘T’..
T: Yeah, it seemed to be this… I mean, he never said two words to me except for when to
   come in on a percussion part, to cue somebody else so they could come in on time.
   Steve bore the brunt of keeping certain time-keeping functions together for the
   ensemble, but it was just like falling off a log for me.  Jimmy (Hall) I’d never met
   and never heard before and from note one this guy was singing so great it really got
   us off in rehearsals. He’s just been better and better every night. The background
   singers are very lovely, that Roger Waters brought in and Andy Fairweather-Low:
   wonderful guy, wonderful rhythm guitarist. Just the whole thing’s been terrific. 
   And Jennifer, I know- I’ve been friends with for many years and Randy (Hope-Taylor)
   I’ve met on a couple of occasions when he was playing with Andy Gangadeen in Jeff’s
   last couple of bands. They’ve come through Austin (Texas) and I’ve hooked up with
   them. It’s really been an emotional thing, something that Jeff really deserves and
   I’m so happy to be of service and be a part of and I’m really sad that it’s all
   over…It’s like everyday the alarm goes off and it’s like Oh, fuck- another day- you
   know, they’re clicking down and now it’s the last night.

B: It’s been incredible.
T: Yeah, wonderful.

B: Jeff Beck and Frank Zappa: dissimilar styles of music, but do you see any parallels
   between what you were doing with Frank and what you are doing with Jeff?
T: Yeah. I mean, in certain respects there’s always parallels- they’re both great
   guitarists, yet they’re both so unique as individuals and as guitarists that
   there’s really no comparison. You know, Frank was of a genius on so many levels that
   it was…you know, ridiculous. Any one of the ten talents he had he could’ve made a
   serious career out of… And he had ten: as a composer, as a band-leader, as an
   arranger, as a guitarist, as a rock star, as a humorist, as a wit… as a cynic. He
   had all those things going on…Jeff, on the other hand, is one of these naturals
   who’s just been touched by god. There’s no guitarist who has his tone, his feel,
   his style… his sound! And it’s all in his fingers and it all comes from his heart…
   He’s painfully shy and self-conscious and inhibited and always second-guessing
   himself. Very self-deprecating you know, so a lot of times you have to help to draw
   things out of him. He has amazing ideas and didn’t quite know what to do with them
   or may not even put any merit into them, so my job with Tony was to sort of…

B: Draw it out of him?
T: Yeah, pull those things out. We did that Guitar Shop and things like Where Were You
   when he was fooling around with these harmonics we said yeah, this is what we’ve
   gotta do because nobody has ever done anything like this before and it’s stupid…
   and now it’s just developed so far with Angel (Footsteps)- it’s just amazing!
   He’s playing notes aren’t on the guitar and his pitch is perfect and it’s like
   it’s quantized when he does melodies and no guitarist can do this.

B: Is there any chance of a Guitar Shop 2?
T: I don’t know. Right now the plans are… I would do anything with Jeff any time -
   I love him. We tried to get something together back maybe four or five years ago
   and it just didn’t seem to pan out. Since then he’s got this band together, he’s
   working and he’s got output which is the greatest thing, you know. I think a lot
   of it has to do with the technology today that can enable Jeff to just be
   spontaneous and you can cut and paste and put this stuff together in a much easier
   way than rolling analog tape, which is what we did back then. So I don’t want to
   disrupt any chemistry or momentum he has now but I’m up for working with him any
   time, anyplace… And there is talk about doing this in some other major cities 
   with some other guest artists and if I could be a part of that I’d love to.

B: When you first got the gig with Jeff Beck your most recent reference points were
   Flash and There & Back. Was there any pressure on you to pull out a Simon Phillips,
   Space Boogie type of thing?
T: No. For me, I liked the earlier period… You know, I loved that Space Boogie and
   Star Cycle thing from There & Back, but in term of influences Narada Michael-Walden
   and Jan Hammer - as a keyboardist and he’s probably one of my top ten drummers.
   He’s a phenomenal drummer - he played Blue Wind and many things on that record,
   Wired. So that was more of the influence. That was like the notch I had to go up
   to, but I can only be who I am and at that point in my life I was past emulating
   others and had developed pretty much my own style. Then it’s just this matter of
   with any chemistry and any format that you’re in - depending on other musicians,
   where do you find putting yourself into it without destroying the context that they
   may feel comfortable in or not? So at any rate, this thing turned out to be a
   wonderful thing from day one. Most of the Guitar Shop record was done in the week we
   got together to see if there was any chemistry at the Sol studio and it was just
   magic for me. And there’s probably a good seven tracks hanging in the background
   that just didn’t make it that will never see the light of day, but I thought had
   a lot of potential.

B: Okay, Missing Persons…
T: That was my fifteen minutes of fame. I was at a point where I’d been a side-man,
   got well known with Zappa, been part of a band with UK and then I wanted to form
   my own band… So, that’s what I did and I took Warren (Ch) back from Zappa and
   with my ex-wife Dale we tried to make music that was like a Felini movie - we
   succeeded the first time out. By the second and third albums the level of talent
   - people who could really sing… ‘cause when we first started out it was Flying
   Lizards, B52’s and Talking Heads, Blondie, Devo… People were really just talking
   the words and it seemed to work. Personality and stage presence was a big
   part in selling the band. They exploited that and it backfired on us and when we
   came up with the goods for album two I don’t think the vocals were delivered right
   and the music tried to get more sophisticated and it just didn’t work…We got together
   last summer and did a few shows around LA and it was a lot of fun.

B: I understand that you’ve read Carl Jung and were into books of a philosophical nature.
   At this point in your life have you found that this type of thing pushed you to make
   yourself more aware?
T: I started to get involved in this when everything fell apart with Missing Persons and
   then I got on a program and started working that and that starts leading you to
   question what spirituality is, you know - and I was raised a Catholic, so for me
   it either I’m this or I’m going to hell. I had to lose these religious ideas and
   look for more of the spiritual and I found Jung to be pretty much the most
   clear about what it is, as much as we can know. It’s a real individual thing. I don’t
   read a lot of philosophy anymore - I’ve read a ton of it and got very into it at one
   point, but now I just try and live very simply a day at a time and in the moment…
   Deal with whatever it is, you know, because every day above ground is a good day and
   you don’t know if the next breath or the next heartbeat is the last one, so you try
   and have that outlook and in that context all the shit that you think is really
   important that pisses you off doesn’t piss you off so much.

B: Regarding the latest things you’ve been working on, could you tell me about the
   Billy Sheehan project?
T: Billy Sheehan. This was a bizarre project. I signed a contract to do four or five
   albums with Magna Carta and mainly they’re these prog-rock records that I don’t
   really enjoy doing. The best of them have been the Bozzio Levin Stevens, which
   I enjoyed doing however Steve Stevens has a bit of a problem in terms of touring
   and commitment and his working process is taxing, so that’s not going to go any
   further. The Billy thing was proposed to me as Magna Carta had, sort of, pigeon
   holed me. I always have to play with a rock name; some other rock name, so it
   immediately takes out the David Torns and the Mick Karns and the Patrick O’Hearns
   and the people who I’d like who don’t fit that moniker. So, Billy Sheehan was
   proposed and I said Yeah, that’d be fine and I’d like to do it. It was supposed
   to be just a bass and drums record. We went in the studio and I found that Billy’s
   whole approach was kind of foreign - I was thinking that it’d be much more organic
   and I found that it wasn’t, and so we immediately started structuring things and
   putting them into a format. It was almost like a song form… You had you’re A
   section, then your B section, then a bridge and then another section and so forth
   and so on. Great ideas, great stuff. So after three days in the studio he left and
   I edited it all together to make some sort of sense out of it, using the best bits.
   Sent the tapes to him and he over-dubbed on it and really did one bass solo and
   one guitar solo, and the bass solo I didn’t feel was in context so we didn’t use
   much of that. The guitar solo stayed, but the rest of it was just bass and drums
   and the record company didn’t want to put it out like that. So I said give it to
   me and I’ll do what I can and I dug out some lyrics, you know…. Not lyrics - some
   spoken word poetry, stream of conscience that I’d done ten years ago and started
  (because I have a Pro Tools set-up now)… I got some really good mic’s from AKG and
   started working in my garage. It was one of those things where at three thirty in
   the morning you go in there and just start growling out these lyrics and the
  lyrics would end, or the poem would end as the song ended. So after that kind of
  synchronicity I said okay, this is the way to go…and I just went all the way
  through it and worked maybe four to six weeks on it. I basically transformed the
  thing into something the record company wanted. I don’t know how Billy really felt
  about because he’s just joined a band in Japan and haven’t really spoken
  to him.  It’s a total departure for me, and the most commercial thing I’d done in
  years. The only thing I’d sung on in thirty years, so you know… But I’m very proud
  of it, there’s some burning playing and the influences are like progressive, ambient,
  heavy and then from a vocal character borrowing from my neighbour, Omar Dykes who’s
  a Mississippi blues guy… And living in Texas I’m soaking up a lot of the roots and…
  I was always into the blues when I was in high school and I’d been playing with
  this guy, Omar around town and I just love the blues - and that’s another thing I
  love about Jeff.  So then there’s like Robbie Robertson influence, Leonard
  Cohen and Tom Waits and maybe a little David Bowie and Smashing Pumpkins type
  punk. It’s a blend of a lot of aspects of myself and poetry that I wrote
  automatically when I was reading Jung and philosophy, so it means a lot to me
  in a symbolic sort of way, but for the most part it’s what everybody sees in
  it… It’s dark but it’s not evil, so it’s kind of interesting.

B: How did it feel looking back after so many years after writing these things?
T: I always hung onto the words and read these things and go wow, this is really
   interesting and some day I’m going to do something with it, and I will continue
   to do stuff with it on my solo projects. I’ve got a solo project I’ve been
   working on for ten years: I recorded these drum tracks and have about five
   things complete and five I haven’t finished yet so I’m thinking that’s the way
   I’m going to go with those, chipping away at that. I totally believe in that
   as opposed to other things I do with Magna Carta that I don’t believe in:
   these things that are difficult for difficulty’s sake and they’re in the
   prog-rock genre so deep that I just don’t relate to it… Things like the
   Explorer’s Club and stuff like that that’s just complexity for complexity’s
   sake and I get hired to do because I can do that kind of difficult stuff,
   but it’s not really what I like.  At the end of the day I don’t get anything
   out of the music - I feel that it’s great composing, amazing technical mastery…
   Very difficult and challenging to do but it’s not something I could sit down
   and listen to.

B: That’s a good point: it’s got to be the entertainment value at the end of the day. 
T: Yeah. It’s a part of the skill thing where I have a wife and a kid and make a
   living as a professional musician and I’ll play any kind of music and do the
   best I can at it and do whatever they want. But when it’s left to things I have
   a personal input in, the BLS (Bozzio, Levin, Stevens) or the Polytowns, or my
   other solo projects or my solo drum music, that’s where my heart is and
   my audience knows that too because I get to go around. Talk to them directly as
   a solo drum artist.

B: Regarding The Lonely Bears: did you hook up with Tony Hymas after the Jeff Beck gig
   or did you already know him?
T: During the Jeff Beck thing was the first time I met Tony and it all happened on a
   fluke when his drummer had some personal problems and couldn’t make a gig. So I
   was on my way to England and he said can you come to France for a couple of days
   and do this show in Paris? and so I said yeah. That’s where we started and the core
   of that band became the Lonely Bears… It was a big American Indian project called
   Oyate that Tony had composed with all these American Indian artists and there was
   some great stuff. That’s where we started. That’s another thing very close to my
   heart that I did and never got paid for, just did for the love of the music.
   The latest couple of things I’d done are really exciting: got a DVD of a One World
   Theatre performance in Austin that really is filmed gorgeously and that will be coming
   out soon. I have a record that I started with Patrick O’Hearn - we have ten tracks
   down that are really beautiful and I’ve completed a duo percussion album with Pat
   Mastellato, the drummer from King Crimson. He lives in Austin so he came over to
   the garage and we put down a bunch of things, just playing percussion and
   we’re going to do a show at this One World Theatre on January 18th. The CD should be
   out as soon as we can master it! The Billy Sheehan CD “9 Short Films”… I’m also
   doing like an archives series: I’ve got other one-man shows I’ve done from years
   ago that can now be digitally re-mastered and made to sound better, or if the
   sound was too dry can enhance it after the fact whereas a few years ago you
   couldn’t, you know.  So a lot of things from my past will be coming out,
   different days that just happened to be great that I did something with somebody
   or what have you…

B: I did want to ask you about the DVD, so that’s coming up shortly is it?
T: Yeah. And it’s recorded really well. It’s this beautiful theatre… intimate
   three hundred-seat theatre. It’s kind of exclusive world music, eclectic venue
   and the guy who runs it - thank god - is a drummer. So I was willing to take
   a chance there and did it without the corporate sponsorship and said I don’t
   want to make if you lose money so we all ended up making money and it was a
   success and it was a chance to do it again. It’s two parts: it’s a seminar,
   which I did in the afternoon… a couple of tracks and a discussion about
   techniques for kids at school, drummers and what have you… and the second part
   is just the theatre performance in the evening so there’s something for
   everybody there.
B: Sounds great.

B: When you’re writing a piece for your solo drum shows what time frame are you
   looking at between when you start and when the piece is ready to play live?
T: It could be instant or… a lot of things I’ve done just come from improvisation,
   I may get an idea for an ostinato and it will take me three days to do the
   co-ordination and then I’m free enough to just start playing it. Other things
   that are a little more complex like there’s one in 5 and one in 7 (5/8 or 5/4,
   7/8 or 7/4) that took me maybe two years, or a year before I would play them in
   public because I just didn’t feel strong enough on them. But normally I’ll start
   that way with the solo drum stuff, figuring out an accompaniment pattern and
   then as you work through the co-ordination, get the independence to play over
   it, themes start to appear and then you just use your compositional techniques.
   Develop the themes, add sections then there’s the improvisational areas within
   the composition, so if I come up with something interesting I’ll retain the idea
   and include it. So the compositions always grow from year to year: new parts
   or new sections or new techniques develope. So it’s a living, growing entity.

B: Oh, my god…. (Jeff Beck walks into the room)
T: Here he is…. Jeffrey, how are you doing, mate?
J: Fine. How you doing? Sorry, are you in the middle of something?
T: He’s Bruce and we’re just doing an interview
J: I’ll just creep on over here…(walks away)

B: I noticed at the beginning of the solo drum show in Adelaide you sat for a few]
   minutes in deep concentration. What did that do for you?
T: Well, at that time… that was what, five, seven years ago?
B: That sounds about right
T: I suffered from a lot of anxiety from stage performance and now I seem to have
   gotten past that a little bit, so now it’s not so important. I’d just gotten
   into this place where you could sort of go okay, take a breath and relax and
   just get into it. Before it would take me a little while. I’d just be praying
   and trying to breathe and trying to relax - try and centre yourself so when you
   open your eyes you just go into it, you know. And walking out on stage in the
   early days, it was… that adrenaline and stage anxiety would freak you out so it
   was just taking a second to centre myself and I found that that helped. Nowadays
   it like it’s more instant and I just feel I’d gotten to the point where I could
   trust the power of what happens when I play. I don’t associate it with my ego so
   it’s not up to me… it’s just up to me to make the choice to let go and let that
   happen and I can do it more instantaneously. Feel more casual about it. Just sit
   down, maybe wave or smile or crack a joke or something and just bang, you’re
   into it - you’re in another world where before it would take me a little it
   of … (gasps)…you know, breathing in and praying and then okay now… 
B: Just letting go
T: Yeah!

At this point Terry had to leave for the day’s sound-check and bid me farewell for
what would be an astounding show that evening. 

For more information concerning Terry and his work please visit his web 
page: www.terrybozzio.com
 
Thanks go to Christine Holz (www.musicnewsnetwork.net) for arranging the interview
and Terry for taking the time out to talk.

© Bruce Stringer, 2002
www.mp3.com/bruce_stringer

Steve Barney Interview
September, 26th 2002
Time: 7:30pm
© Bruce Stringer, 2002
Courtesy of Music News Network, www.musicnewsnetwork.net

B: Hello Steve, how are you?
S: F**kin’ great, and you?
B: Great!

B: Could you start off by telling us how it was to play with Jeff Beck?
S: I’m such a fan of the guy. I went to see him on the Guitar Shop tour when I was about
   17 years old, or whatever. It’s kind of like 13 years later, to be sitting on the
   same stage as him and Terry (Bozzio) is an absolute dream come true to be honest
   with you.

B: What was it like playing with a second drummer, Terry Bozzio?
S: Absolutely great, because I think Terry and I are such different drummers. Because
   we’re quite different style-wise we didn’t tend to step on each other’s toes, with
   what we were doing. Of course, I knew about Terry and the way he plays and I had a
   rough idea of what he’d be doing. It sounded great - he’s really musical in what he
   does… I’m kind of more of a hold it down, groove player. I try to compensate for what
   I don’t do by holding down a real steady groove, but it felt great; it was great!
   How did it sound?
B: It sounded fantastic. The duel drumming parts were standout, the audience loved it.
S: I think it’s the visual thing as well and drums are kind of exciting. Playing with
   Jeff: absolutely great. He’s a hero of mine, so to be playing with him is an absolute
   bonus and he’s a really nice guy, as you know.

B: Obviously you’ve worked with click-tracks and your role was indeed as time keeper
   - Terry mentioned that you kept time while he just played over the top. Was this
   an entry into the electronic side of drumming?
S: To be honest, I’m more of an organic drummer as opposed to an electronic drummer
   - you can see my kit on stage is all kind of acoustic drums. But generally a lot
   of studio work I’ve done requires that I play to a click so if they want to reproduce
   or put loops within what you’re doing then they can do. It’s a combination of working
   in studios quite a bit and working with click-tracks and also previous gigs I’d done
   before Jeff. I was in a band called Bullyrag for quite a few years, which was kind
   of a rock thing - that whole album I had to cut with click-track. I’ve done a few
   sessions, and pop gigs where that’s just been kind of click-track stuff. I wouldn’t
   say I’m much of an electronic drummer - if you look at my website it says electronic
   percussion, but I’ve still got to expand on that! I’ve got pads and stuff and I do
   trigger stuff off, but within the Jeff show there wasn’t so much need for it. It
   felt very organic. To be honest there were only 2 tracks where we used a click-track,
   which were Star Cycle and the first part of the Roger Waters set (- What God Wants,
   part 1). Pretty much the rest of them were quite free - I followed my heart and
   tried to play with that! (Laughs)

B: Could you reflect on the differences between playing with Jeff, Atomic Kitten
   and Bullyrag?
S: Jeff’s by far the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Bullyrag was a great
   band that I was part of which was kind of a rock thing that had a lot of styles
   of music and that kind of pushed me quite a lot as well. Atomic Kitten, even
   though that was a pop gig, I really enjoyed that because the groove and drum
   parts were kind of R & B and hip-hop based so I get to do the solid thing.
   But the Jeff thing was so rewarding. For me being equally a fan like you are, then
   getting the chance to play with him… The amount of times I could’ve pinched myself
   during them 3 shows - I kept going wow!
B: It just sounds like an incredible line up.
S: It was! My first Jeff Beck gig ever and that was with Roger Waters and John
   McLaughlin there. Just playing with the guys was ridiculous. Do you know what
   I mean? The differences are really, the Jeff Beck thing was the most diverse thing
   I’d ever done musically because Jeff obviously especially for that particular
   concert goes right way through blues, rock, jazz and some of the modern stuff
   where there’s these hip-hop grooves going on and then doing rock’n’roll. To be
   honest: it was a marathon, musically! (Laughs) It was the most rewarding thing
   I’ve done this year. 

B: How are the new Jeff Beck recordings coming along?
S: Jeff’s just taken 2 weeks off after the shows to chill out, I think he starts back
   next week. All I can tell you is that I don’t know what tracks are finalised or what
   he’s done with the stuff I’ve played on, but it’s kind of a continuation of You Had
   It Coming, groove-wise. I think from how I got involved they want to keep it more
   organic with live drumming on it. I think they’ve picked me because they want to
   keep the modern style grooves. Someone who’s a drummer that understands…
B: The electronic side of things
S: Yeah, understand what people programme like all loops and stuff. I’m influenced
   by a lot of that stuff, so I tend to play like that anyway. From the material I’ve
   played on there’s some great tracks, really exciting. I’ve played on 12 tracks. 
B: 12 already?!
S: I think they might be re-visiting some stuff. I know Jeff’s going to go back in
  (the studio) and start looking at it, so I think I might be going back in at the
   end of October to do some more stuff with him. Should be great! It’s a really
   diverse bunch of stuff - I wouldn’t say it’s total electronica, I’d say it’s kind
   of… You know, Jeff being Jeff over all types of electronic grooves and stuff.
   It’s a really exciting project; I think it’s going to be a great record!

B: How did you get the Jeff Beck gig - was it through producer Andy Wright?
S: It was through Andy Wright. I met Andy when I was in Bullyrag. I was in London
   and we met through an associated studio where we were working…I had seen and
   spoken to Andy over the years and he was a fan of Bullyrag and he said it’d be
   nice to work together again. I worked on a record with him a few years ago by
   Ryad, a French artist that didn’t come out for one reason or another but me and
   Andy kept in touch. I think it was about 2 years ago when You Had It Coming was
   being made I was in a studio doing a session and Andy was there with Jeff. They
   went down and played me some stuff that they were working on for You Had It Coming.
   I was surprised: it was really modern and it sounded great and obviously at that
   time they were programming stuff. I met Jeff there: I just had a drink with him
   and listened to his stuff and then obviously Andy Gangadeen got the job for that
   particular tour. He now had his own project and so it just came about that they
   were looking for a drummer for this project and I got the call to see if I was
   interested, so yeah… I said yes! So, basically it was the Andy Wright connection.
   Yes.

B: What was your favourite part or song in the Jeff Beck shows?
S: My favourite part? God, I’d say the highlights - track-wise, Blue Wind: I absolutely
   loved playing that, Morning Dew… The whole 60’s vibe, I was trying to go for that
   intense thing on that! And I really enjoyed Rollin’ & Tumblin’ because obviously it
   was that real kinda drum thing with me and Terry. Nadia was amazing with Arrif, the
   tabla guy - I really enjoyed playing that.
B: Nadia live was obviously more of a visual thing than the studio version, which is
   fantastic. I think it had more impact live. That was incredible.  
S: Have you heard the original?
B: No.
S: There’s a version by Nitin Sawhney, the guy that wrote it. It’s on an album called
   Broken Skin by this Asian drum and bass guy who plays keyboards and programmes and
   this amazing woman singing the melody that Jeff plays; it’s basically a vocal part.
   It blows me away to think how Jeff can just pick up on that and copy what this woman
   was singing. Obviously Arrif, who works with Nitin… It really kind of helps for me to
   do the drum and bass thing with a live tabla guy… That was a highlight.
   I s’pose, just for the fun of it: Hi, Ho Silver Lining was… I couldn’t believe that
   Jeff did it! It was such a hit here (in the 60’s), so that song’s just part of my
   blood. I’ve heard it since I was a kid…There were so many great moments within
   that show: the Roger Waters thing was fantastic, the John McLaughlin thing was
   great. What did you think of the John McLaughlin tracks (Django & Scatterbrain)?
B: Scatterbrain is my all-time favourite Jeff Beck song. The two-drummer thing was
   fantastic and it was much faster.
S: To do that 9/8 thing… Jeff wanted to do it at that speed, which is pretty fast so
   we were holding on for dear life! (Laughs) It was great, though. 
B: It’s a pity that type of fusion thing isn’t fashionable at the moment. 
S: It would’ve been great to see people on the dance floor! (Laughs) People like me
   and you trying to dance to a 9/8…! (Laughs)

B: Were any of the shows recorded?
S: Yes, every night was officially recorded with the Manor Mobile outside just for the
   Sony/ Jeff Beck banks. I don’t know if they’ll come out but they’ve definitely been
   recorded and Jeff, I’m sure will listen to them at some point and if it sounds great
   and - first and foremost, if Jeff’s happy with it - then there might be a live
   record. There was no official visual record recorded as I believe that Jeff just
   doesn’t like being filmed, which I respect that.

B: Are you still using size 5B sticks?
S: I am. I’m actually using these ones called Vater Fat Back sticks at the moment,
   which are similar. They’re pretty much the same weight as a 5B but they’re called
   Fat Back… I got through a few pairs of them during those gigs!

B: Do you change sticks at all during the show?
S: I tend to use the same sticks for everything. I’ve got these things called Hot Rods;
   I used them for Nadia. I used brushes for Brush with the Blues. 

B: What do you mainly focus on during practice?
S: To be honest with you I don’t practice much. I practised the most I’ve ever practised
   in my life before I came down for the Jeff gigs. I’ve got so much respect for the band:
   Tony, Jennifer, Randy - they’re all my heroes, the way they play. So, I practised a
   lot but there’s not much that I focus on, I just try and… I think the main thing, when
   you’re given Jeff Beck’s back catalogue and I’ve got so much respect and admiration
   for the drummers that he’s had that I wanted to be true and honest to the way those
   guys played, but give it my own twist. Bring it up to date. I just focus on making it
   as solid and as powerful as possible to back Jeff up, so he’s got a really solid base
   behind him. Obviously I had to get my chops together ‘cause when Terry came over it
   was like okay….Crikey! (Laughs)

B: You play quite heavy-handed, yet - as Terry Bozzio commented you are very tasteful,
   very musical. 
S: That was nice of him. I do think I play harder than Terry - I don’t know if it came
   over that way in the gigs…
B: I definitely think so.
S: It’s quite mad that I got away with pop gigs like Atomic Kitten. With that gig I was
   actually behind screens: they screened me off because I was too loud! I do think with
   a lot of pop gigs you do tend to have that when the singers haven’t got massive voices,
   when you turn the vocal mic’s up the drums still sound in the vocal mic’s. So, for
   the volume side of things…It was cool when Terry said that - I do try and play with
   dynamics, do you know what I mean?
B: Would you attribute this to your funk influences?
S: I would say that. I am so influenced by just groove stuff and the 70’s were such a
   great time for that side of things. Phil Collins was so an inspiration to me, I think
   he plays with a great feel. I don’t know about nowadays.
B: His Brand X stuff was great.
S: Yeah, that stuff was unbelievable. When I used to see him with Genesis as a kid it was
   such an inspiration. And Chester Thompson, who obviously…. That was weird: obviously
   Terry took over from Chester, with the Zappa thing didn’t he? So it is funny how things
   come around. So yeah, I would say it’s from the funk/ groove thing that I play dynamic,
   but obviously I’m into my rock as well. I love your Chad Smiths and your Dave Grohls…
   I just heard his new album with Queens of the Stone Age that he’s playing drums on
   and that’s unbelievable!

B: Is there anyone you’d like to play with in the future?
S: I’ll tell you someone I’d always loved to play for would be David Bowie. I’ve seen
   some of his concerts on the TV and it looks like his drummer is having fun with that.
   I’m up for anything, really. I’m really hoping that I’ll manage to go on tour with
   Jeff next year. I’m not too sure when the albums coming out, maybe March. Obviously
   I’d love to do more stuff with Jeff - I’m not looking to run away, I’d like to see
   this project through and hopefully go on a world tour with it. There’s talk of doing
   similar shows to what we did in London, in America. Jeff’s got loads of friends
   and guests that he could get and it would be a whole different show out there. I
   don't know whether it will happen or not, but he does have a huge fan base in America
   and Japan so we’ll have to see what happens. I’m up for all sorts of things so who
   ever asks me… I’d be flattered.

B: Any advice for up-and-coming musicians?
S: Yeah I do: just believe in what you do because your dream can come true. I’ve been
   playing since I was 5 years old and I think if you stick with what you do, it can
   happen. I think it’s being strong, just sticking with it and not giving up!
B: That’s inspiring.
S: It’s a roller coaster. It’s hard being a musician because of the financial… There’s
   no security. I think every musician has been through the up-and-downs of it all, so
   it is survival of the fittest really. 

B: Thank you very much, Steve! It’s been an absolute pleasure. I’d like to keep in touch
   with you about the Jeff Beck thing and your future work. 
S: Absolutely!

B: That’s very much.
S:  Take it easy, mate!

A special thank you goes out to Steve for the interview. 
For more information on Steve and updates on Jeff Beck’s new album please visit Steve’s
web site: www.stevebarney.com

Bruce Stringer is an Australian guitarist-composer currently residing in the UK as a
session guitarist, interviewing musicians on the side. Bruce’s music (inspired by Jeff
Beck, Rush, Yes, etc) can be heard at: www.mp3.com/bruce_stringer

© Bruce Stringer, 2002

"Bobby (Tench) would sing a lyric and I would play off that. We were composing at a very fast pace.Jeff wanted to get back out there (points a finger towards outside) in a hurry and he needed to finish the record in order to do that....."

Clive Chaman as told to Dick Wyzanski

Having been depresssed over losing a good 2 hours of the five hour taped interview I did with Clive Chaman a couple of years ago, I had a hard time writing the sequel to Clive Live Part I (Issue #8) Then all of a sudden things started popping up to charge me up the bum again. First the Milford track "Justice" uncrated itself from Ed's closet (see this issue) Then there was the all too nearly finalized mixes of the Orange LP. Finally the boxed reels of the Rough and Ready Mixes from CBS via Island and Olympic studios surfaced.complete with mix dates/alternate song names, Job numbers, and even a note about Jeff not wanting this to be considered a Jeff Beck solo venture but rather a band with the front cover of the forthcoming LP not to have Jeff centered (the final cover had his picture top left).

On first listening to all the bits edited from five reels the main thing that stands out is the strong rhythm section boost which of course was lost on the original lp pressings and laid dormant until Gregg Geller brought back the original feel with "New Ways/Train,Train"(not in these mixes although listed on the reel notes) Other than some extra percussion in one version of "Got THe Feeling", fans unfortunately will not find anything different with regards to the takes of the existing songs on Rough And Ready. Again as in the Orange lp, these mixes were done ijust a short time before the lp release. Notice I said existing songs. That's where the excitement of this find comes in. It turns out that there is a never released before really funky instrumental called "Tiddlywinks" found on two different reels. When I say funky I'm talking Meters "Cissy Strut" type funky. Jeff and Clive lay down the riffs simultaneously as Max and Cozy play off each other throughout. There is no solo and the song never made it on the record (probably because it had been recorded late in the sequence and Jeff either didn't have the time or the want to do one on it.)

I called Clive Chaman down in Miami and played him the tune over the phone. His reaction was highly emotional to say the least. "That's my riff, That's my riff!!" he exhalted. "Everything was riffs back then. that was how Max and I used to play with my brother in the band Flare. I hope no one is making any money off this" Remember I did go back to England a few years ago and received some settlement money for the stuff I wrote from Equator Music." I told him that I don't think he'll have to worry about that happening. Only die hard fans will appreciate it even though it's so funky the general listening public would dance to it not knowing where it came from!

On an historical note the song titles are an interesting retrospective. Remember as we reported in the Alex Ligertwood interview (Issue #5) "Situation" was originally called "Truth" and on these reels that name pops up for the tune several times. The lyrics were changed enough not to infringe copyright and the riff was totally written by Clive. "I remember composing the riff from sevenths", Clive says. "Got the Feeling" was alternately entitled "Freezer Fire" and "Ain't As Good As You". "Short Business was called "Heads", and "I've been Uses" was named "New Song" which showed that it was recorded late in the game, probably around May or June of 1971.

So if you haven't done it lately, dust off your old copy of Rough And Ready and relisten to it. It was ground breaking stuff with great riffs, varied guiar featuring lots of slide an even an electric sitar to boot. These mixes available as a boxed set from Japan on the boot market serve as a reminder that there's nothing like true to the master mixes for that high compression booming sound. Finally, there's "Tiddlywinks" a masterful funky set of syncopated licks that will have you movin' all night as well as wishing Jeff overdubbed a solo on it!! Enjoy!Be Seeing You.

Just as Jeff had entertained thoughts in '69 about joining up with members of the Vanilla Fudge for a new group, so had Jimmy Hall. "We(Wet Willie) were opening up sometime in '69 for Timmy and Carmine with the Fudge at the University of Arkansas at Fayetville. Mark Stein wanted me to join the Vanilla Fudge and told me "You would be a great singer for us." I said no because of Wet Willie."

Flash ahead to 1973 during the glory live days of the thunderous BBA tours. Wet willie was the opening act. Jimmy recalls, " About two or three dates into the tour Jeff and Carmine asked me to hang around and sing "Goin' Down" at the encore. I'll never forget what Jeff told me. I remember it vividly. He told me "One of these days we are going to do something together, I promise." Before that actually happened Jimmy Hall would reprise the "Goin'Down" encore once more onstage with Jeff Beck. "Jeff called me prior to his Atlanta show in 1980 (There And Back Tour) I got up onstage and was able to sing "Goin' Down" before my hometown (Ga.) crowd. It was great!!"

It was 1984 and Jeff found himself coming back out of his shell after a self imposed hibernation after the successful but stressful run of out front instrumental lps and tours. As we have documented, Jeff took this time in the early eighties to jam with old friends and guest record on a bevy of lps. Looking perhaps to catch the musical mainstream which was at that time a more techno driven funk spawned out of the disco era, Jeff enlisted funk-meister Nile Rogers to produce an lp that would thrust Jeff back into a vocal /guitar group setting that would stay on the cutting edge. For that, Jeff needed a vocalist. Nile was insistant that he could doctor Jeff’s vocals into an out front acceptability (which if you listen to Flash, he actually was mildly successful Hah!) however it became painfully apparent to Jeff that he needed some soulful guts to carry off some of the remaining tracks as well as to be able to tour……Jimmy Hall recalls, “I was not aware that Jeff was in the studio. I’m good friends with Chuck Leavell. (Jimmy was in a band that did “Lots of touring” named BHLT which stood for Betts, Hall, Leavell, and Trucks) Chuck was doing Mick Jagger’s solo lp in Nassau (Bahamas) as was Jeff. Jeff was talking about his (Jeff’s) lp to Chuck and told him Nile Rogers needed a vocalist to finish up his (Jeff’s) record. Chuck brought up my name. Jeff was elated but told Chuck, “This might not be his cup of tea.” “ I got a phone call on June 21st close to my wife’s birthday. We were expecting my second child any day. I got this call from Jeff saying, “Hey Jim! This is what’s up. I’m working on an lp. We’ve already cut some tracks. We need a great vocalist. The tracks are already cut so we can’t change keys but we want your voice!” “ The 22nd of June was on Friday,” Jimmy continues. My wife in her calm told me, “Don’t worry, you need to do this.” “Ernest (Chapman) provided the plane tickets and on Sat. the 23rd we did the 1st session “Ambitious” “I came back Sat. night. The baby was born the next day which was the 24th, Jeff’s birthday!! We named our son Alexander Jeffrey (Hall). Jeff would joke sometimes about his “American Godson.” Jimmy also did “Stop, Look, and Listen” and “Nighthawks” at that 1st session. About “Nighthawks” Jimmy had to say, “ I was thinking it’s not a strong enough song, oh my God we need a third verse!” That track of course only appeared on the new at the time media of CD, and the Wild Thing ep released only in the UK.

eff realized that Nile Rogers was so busy with other artists as well that another producer was needed to bring the lp to fruition. Arthur Baker was called in and Jimmy Hall was called back for a 2nd group of sessions that yielded “Ecstacy” and the brilliant Guitar/Vocal anthemic “It Get’s Us All In The End”. “I still love listening to that lp,” beamed Jimmy. “ I was flown up to Electric Lady (Studios) . Arthur Baker played me “Ecstacy” and “It Gets Us All In The End.” He told me, “Tell me what you think.” “The original lyrics to “It Gets Us All In The End” were a little dark”. Jimmy started to sing “Life’s so hard it gets us all in the end” “ Those lyrics sounded like suicide, like giving up on life. I said what about “love’s so hard”. Jeff asked me, “Can you sing it in this key?” “ When we did the song it (the key) was up there but I could do it and when the button was pushed and I hit THAT note I saw Jeff and Arthur jump up and down with joy like kids.”

It was at the apex of the time in the mid eighties when music videos were embellishing on realistic lyric storylines while still having some semblance of the artists playing their instruments . Quick to cash in on this after the release of Flash, Jeff brandished his Tina Turner-carved-in-name-engraved pink Grover Jackson and was made the centerpiece of one of the funniest most entertaining videos ever. Taking the lyrical theme of ‘Ambitious”, everyone under the sun including a lot of blasts from the past and some young hopefuls had “ambition” to land the role of the lead singer for “Ambitious”. “I remember everybody,:” laughed Jimmy Hall.” The Madonna look alike, Donny Osmond, Tattoo (midget Herve Villachaise from the TV series “Fantasy Island”) the fat guy, the jewish guy - Al Kooper, everybody! I remember it (the shoot) took all day. I also remember Donny Osmond being really good and being able to sing great. I was the singing coach for Donny Osmond and Al Kooper and Cheech and all those guys. Everyone was in awe of Jeff. He can hold court! Originally there was a lot more video shot of me dancing and singing around Jeff especially towards the end. A lot of that just got edited. They wanted more of Jeff.”

A quick decision was made to do a tour of Japan with the thought of doing the U.S. afterwards. The tour warmup date was The Greek Theatre at which the show highlighted a mixture of Jan’s tunes, vocal selections from the Flash lp with Jimmy Hall, and Jeff’s oldies. One of the new songs, “Love Will” was written by Jimmy himself “Jeff asked me to bring a song. He said “Do you mind”? . On the Japan tour there were many guests onstage among others a long time Beck admirer Steve Luthaker. When the tour got to the open air Market Festival at Karizawa, the Japenese TV stations and media were on hand to record the venue which most fans have in their video collection that featured the encore superjam with Jeff, Carlos Santana, and Steve Luthaker. “I remember Jeff being real nervous about having guests out onstage” recalls Jimmy. You can see the initial nervousness in Jeffs face but Carlos was back then so into his own angelic religious stuff that his face smiled at Jeff as if to say. “It’s ok Jeff your with your peers. We all think your fucking great!” Jimmy picks up the conversation;” I think it was the (Japanese) promoters suggestion to do Johnny B. Goode as the encore. I remember a sea of hand clapping and (guest) Buddy Miles telling me “Jump on my back and I’ll ride you around!”. I had to shout the words to People Get Ready to Buddy through one ear.” Jimmy said. During the previous number (Johnny B. Goode) Jan did an imitation of the Chuck Berry “Duckwalk” as everyone laughed. There is some story that some in the band ran into Chuck Berry in Japan and he acted like he didn’t want to recognize or know anybody, kind of a dissing. Jimmy said, “I heard about that but I wasn’t in that group”.

The big final afterparty was held at a Japenese resort Clubhouse. Recalls Jimmy Hall with excitement, “WE had a party, at the Clubhouse of that resort. All the bands that had played the venue were there. Part of the presentation were Tribal Drummers with their crude wooden drums, kind of a ceremonial thing. Simon Phillips and Santana’s drummer got up and jammed with those tribal drummers. It was great!”

From 1956 through 2000 Jimmy Hall “…made an effort to stay in touch with Jeff whenever possible. My solo lp (Rendevous With Blues” came out in ’97. I sent Jeff a copy. He (Jeff) wrote back “I love it! Keep up the good work. I want you to play on my next lp.” On the 2nd leg of the Who Else Tour Jimmy’s wife got to see Jeff at the show in Vegas. Then …”in April of last year Jimmy recalls, “ Jeff was in Nashville, He called ahead to me. I really wanted to see Jeff. Before the show Jeff told me that it would be fine if we could jam but if it didn’t happen to hang around anyways.Then Jeff called to one of his stagehands, “Hey, get me one of my little amps and put it in my dressing room.” Jimmy picks up, “Jeff, myself, Jennifer Batten, and Adrian Below (guitarist of Zappa fame) were drinking wine. Jeff and I played “Superstitious” and then Jeff turned to me and asked, “Please sing “People Get Ready>” Then we played a funky blues shuffle for about an hour. Jeff told me, “I really want to do something else so don’t give up on me.”

I asked Jimmy how he got contacted for the London RFH gigs last year. “It was a Friday night after I was goin’ out on gigs in N.Y. with Derek Trucks. I got a note from Ralph Baker that said, “Jeff’s thinking about six shows at the end of August.” “I quickly replied “Count me in!”. “When I saw Jeff I said “I’m so ready to do this.” Jeff just laughed and said ‘Great!”. I asked Jimmy about the Big Town Playboys cancellation from the original show. He picks up, “I was present for all of that. Jeff told me, “I don’t know if it’s working. I don’t know about the new singer.” After the show was trimmed down Jimmy Hall and the main band kept rehearsing. Jimmy asked Jeff, “What do you think about “I’m A Man? We don’t have to do it Yardbirds style. We can do it the blues way like Muddy Waters.” Jimmy Hall also added, “The Sly And The Family Stones classic “I Want To Tke You Higher” was originally slated for performance.

After the shows of course most thought that it would come to America. “Jeff wrote me a great thank you note. It said “Words can’t express how I appreciate your soulful singing. Let’s do some more.” “All the performers spoke of keeping the idea alive to take to Japan and then to the States”, Jimmy said. “Like everything else in Jeff’s history…you can’t predict.” Well one thing that we can predict, Jimmy is that your voice will remain soulful, and soaring and since I’m writing this last installment posthumously after meeting you in Atlanta, God bless you and your family. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts……Be seeing you!

16.06.03

With the recent release of the stunning Land of Secrets, Max Middleton’s first solo album, the man behind the Fender Rhodes agreed to speak with me about his inspiration behind the album, Snowy White and life as one-time Jeff Beck keys-man.

Bruce To start off with, why so long before you decided to make a solo album?
Max Um, I’ve never thought about it before.

Bruce Really?
Max No, no - I’ve always been working with other people and I always see the problems of trying to sell a CD and I’ve never really bothered. As I wasn’t working as much this last year I thought it might be a good time to start and I’m glad I did, really. It was a bit of fun in the studio. About a month ago I did an album with Snowy White. He’s done a new solo album which sounds quite good. I don’t where it is along the line, if he’s finished mixing it and everything, but he’s certainly done it and he said he wouldn’t mind touring this year. It’s got Richard Bailey on drums, so it might be quite good. I am doing some things with Mick Taylor, still. This week I’m going to France and the following week, I think, we’re going to Greece so I’m still doing things for Mick.

Bruce What was the inspiration behind Land of Secrets?
Max Well, I’ve always liked jazz and I’ve always liked anything that’s rhythmic. Most of the stuff is spontaneous in the studio: I just play in the studio and a picture comes and then I go down that route. There’s one tune where the melody sounded Japanese, Cherry Blossom Blue, and I decided to use a shakahachu(?) and a koto -nothing too ethnic - but I suppose it’s as I play I get inspiration as I listen. I don’t have the whole thing in my head, most of it is improvised. I like to go to the studio with a couple of ideas or a couple of chords and that’s about it because every time I’ve gone in a studio when I’ve thought of the whole thing - every dot and cross - I’ve always been disappointed. So I like it to be a bit loose in the studio. See what comes from other musicians, whether that inspires you. Sound inspires me, if it’s a nice sound.

Bruce What’s you’re favourite track from Land of Freedom?
Max I like Miles Away and the blues, actually. The last tune I did, Blues on a Summer’s Day.

Max’s tinkering on the ol’ ivory has set a precedent with some very interesting progressions and time signatures. Particularly interesting is his use of certain 5/4 patterns that have been used in songs like Diamond Dust from Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow and have crept into on of his new pieces, Cuban Nights.

Bruce There seems to be a definite Max Middleton stamp on everything you do. Are there any particular modes, scales or chord progressions that you feel especially comfortable with over others?
Max Not really. I’d love to be able to play be-bop stuff where you have lots of changes but I can’t play that stuff. But I like my Fender Rhodes and I like playing where you improvise and you improvise melodically so you can almost hum the melody… Or it becomes melody. I like melodic solos. I find that when I’m playing I don’t have too much time to think. When you’re improvising you just play and hope it come out good.

Bruce What type of warm-ups or finger exercises do you use?
Max I don’t have any.

Bruce You don’t have any?
Max No. I’ve never practiced. Well, I used to practice scales but ordinary major and minor scales, like you do on the piano, but that’s it. I’ve been too lazy, I think that’s really what it is to learn jazz scales, or whatever they are. I just normally do things by ear and the melodies that come out come out through the improvisation. My improvising is not very advanced, it’s not Coltrane or Bill Evans or people like that. It’s fairly simple but that’s the best that I can do at the moment. I might change but I’m fairly middle of the road at improvising. I’m not really out there.

Max Middleton’s playing and writing were prominent on the Jeff Beck Group albums as well as the fusion era of Blow By Blow and Wired - the era that would give Jeff his most critically acclaimed work up to date. However, details of the time between the Jeff Beck Group and Beck Bogert and Appice line-ups have drawn some questions. I queried Max on his involvement with Jeff during this period.

Bruce There seems to be a question mark over the period between the Jeff Beck Group and BBA. Could you tell us about the development between those two line-ups?
Max I think what happened was, for the first couple of years…He’d always wanted to play with Carmine (Appice) and Timmy Bogert. At the end of the 60’s he got into a car crash just when they were going to form, so that put Jeff out of action for a couple of years, or so. Then he formed Jeff Beck Group with Cozy (Powell) and after a couple of years he’d felt that it had gone as far as it could go and he wanted to carry on, or just go on his own, or in another direction. So he got Timmy and BBA was formed and he used me as well. And he also used Bob Tench singing. We toured in America with that line-up and then I think he then carried on with just BBA because he wanted a trio - a power trio. And then after that we got together again to do Blow By Blow. In fact it was me and him and it was Carmine Appice but he kicked up such a fuss about him wanting it to be his album so Jeff kicked him off and asked me if I knew anybody. So I brought in Richard Bailey and Phillip Chen because I knew them for some time and that was how we did that album.

Bruce Did you have any definite ideas with regards to the string arrangements on Scatterbrain and Diamond Dust that you shared with George Martin?
Max Well, Jeff wasn’t interested. George used to sit with me and I would suggest certain things. I’d write the chords down for him but that was my only input and the George went away and did the arrangements. I would suggest a few things to him, but that was it. He is a great arranger.

Bruce Did you have much say in production?
Max No. George just did that… I don’t know what that term means - it’s different with every producer you meet. No, production meant that George was responsible for the finished sound of the album, so no.

Bruce What are the most vivid memories you have concerning the recording of Blow By Blow?
Max Some of the tunes we did as a trio because Jeff wouldn’t be there. Things like Diamond Dust, did that as a trio, and She’s A Woman, the Beatles tune on there. I remember Jeff hadn’t turned up so I said to George “Look, I’ve got an arrangement for She’s A Woman” and I just said “Let’s just do it” It was only one take so I said “It’s no skin off your nose. Let’s just do it and see if Jeff likes it”. George hated it as it was quite different to the Beatles and then Jeff came in and he really liked it, so he played on it and that was it. We did a lot like that because he just wasn’t in the studio. He’d turn up later in the day. Yes, it was quite good fun. Freeway Jam I wrote and that was just spontaneous: I showed him the tune and we just played and that was first take, that tune. In fact most of them in there were first take. Diamond Dust was first take. Scatterbrain, I think, we had a couple of goes at and it was only the second or third take because that’s quite energetic. She’s A Woman was definitely first take…. And Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers - that was just straight forward first take.

Bruce I think a lot of people will be surprised. It sounds like a fully produced, multiple take album where precision was the dominant factor.
Max No, no. Jeff can’t do that. He’s a one or two take person. Most things with him are spontaneous.

Bruce Did the instrumental line-up allow you more musical freedoms or did it feel more natural playing with a vocalist? What did you prefer?
Max My favourite band was when we were touring with Blow By Blow because when we were touring we had two Americans. You had Bernard Purdie playing drums, you had Wilbur Bascombe on bass and me and Jeff. That was my favourite time because it was really clear on stage, as there was only one guitar, and no singing involved and Purdie is a fantastic drummer. He was a great rhythm and blues drummer and he made such a difference to playing instrumental music because people would be dancing in the audience. We were playing to some pretty big crowds, 10,000 upwards and Jeff wanted to play all these Tony Williams tunes or Stanley Clarke tunes but if it wasn’t for Bernard Purdie I don’t think we would’ve gone down very well. It’s just that he made it accessible to big audiences. He’s a great, great player.

Max will be appearing on the new Snowy White album, soon to be released. Through his session connections he has also worked with Kate Bush and Linda Lewis, to but scratch the surface on Max’s extensive history of sessions.

Bruce How did you get involved with Kate Bush?
Max I think because I used to do a lot of work at AIR Studios and the engineers up there I knew. One of the engineers was working with Kate Bush and that was how I met her. Lovely girl.

Bruce And what about Snowy White - did you meet him through the Linda Lewis sessions?
Max Snowy I’ve know about and of for years and we’ve crossed paths many times but this is the first time he’s asked me to do his own albums. He’s been up to all sorts of things. I think he had a power trio in the last few years. Yes, he’s a very nice chap and a very good guitarist, as well.

A Fender Rhodes user throughout his career, I decided to ask Mr. Middleton about his views on the technology which have shaped the music industry from within.

Bruce What are the pros and cons of music technology that you’ve experienced in recent years?
Max Well, there are two examples: I saw a programme recently on Miles Davis and they had one shot of when he had his Kind of Blue era, around 1959 and there’s a recording in a TV studio where the musicians are just walking about. I think there’s a couple of mic’s, it’s black and white. The sound, the playing and the atmosphere was fantastic. Sound is brilliant. There’s a lovely Miles Davis trumpet sound, Coltrane is brilliant and you see technicians in the back just walking around and then it went through the years and then showed you a concert recently at Hammersmith Odeon where it was all the latest technology: new instruments, new synthesizers and the sound was rubbish. Musically, it wasn’t good, the sound wasn’t good. When I taught myself as a keyboard player, there’s very few keyboards or synthesizers I like. I like my Fender Rhodes, my Mini-Moog has it’s own sound. I would like to find a nice polyphonic synthesizer that was easy to play and…. The problem I find is that they’re so technical. They’re okay in the studio when you’ve got hours to fiddle about but when you’re live you need accessibility straight away. You can’t be fiddling about with buttons and programmes - not the way I play! It’s different for guitarists where you normally have your own guitar that your comfortable with and then you might use a few other things to change the sound. But normally the initial sound of the guitar is the most important thing and is probably better than all of these gadgets you put on.
The sound in studios has definitely changed. At least recording has become much quicker doing things on computer. I like the way you can say “Right, I’ll play a bit on this tune”, you press a button and everything’s up including the mix and you can just play without getting reels and tape out of their boxes. It seems so slow now! I don’t care as long as you can get the music down onto tape and with good atmosphere and not too sterile.

Max Middleton’s stunning new album, Land of Secrets is out now through RL-2. Check it out now at www.rl-2.com and to find out more about Max and his work please visit www.maxmiddleton.com

Special thanks got to Max Middleton for agreeing to do this interview and Paul from RL-2 for his assistance in setting it up.
© Bruce Stringer, 2003

The long-awaited solo album from Max Middleton holds some interesting surprises and is this reviewer’s favourite album of the last 2 years. For fans of Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow this CD comes highly recommended, infusing jazz, Latin and reggae whilst retaining the wonderful Fender Rhodes playing that was the watermark on Jeff Beck’s fusion era. Not a moment of disappointment on this album and a wonder as to why Max didn’t offer a solo album earlier.

Loco
Max’s electric piano work is delicate and beautifully contrasted to the pumping locomotive rhythm. The themes that he creates are subtle yet effective, occasionally met with some vocal harmonies that further smooth out the pillow-soft padding. Max never ceases to hold your attention with his moody improvisations and Loco is a great start to the album.

Miles Away
Utilising the fading between songs (a la Blow By Blow) this is a beautifully textured, John Barry-esque piece which highlights Max’s modal and, at times, Arabic themes over a mixture of latin jazz. The basis feels very simplistic, where max has used this platform to create a modern, yet moody ‘after dark’ piece. Disk Pearce’s trumpet work takes us into the Miles Davis territory however it’s Max’s swirling stereo piano that gives a certain jazz tension.

Cherry Blossom Blue
One of the features of Land of Secrets which is well placed is the rhythm section. Comprising of some electronic, chillin’ jazz we are taken on a modal journey that never ceases to hold you throughout it’s near 12-minute running time. Maiuko makes some appearances with some well-placed vocal parts, taking this song into the area of the sensual mood of acts like Sade. Some of Max’s playing is reminiscent of some of his work with the Jeff Beck Group and gives good reason for why Jeff would choose such an incredible talent.

Mr. Godsky
My favourite song from the CD, Mr Godsky has a little reggae bass flavouring with some tasty playing on the trumpet and, of course, some nice sustained electric piano from the man of the hour. There are some interesting themes highlighted by the trumpet and piano in unison. Ending on a resolving theme Max takes us on the fade-out and into…

Blues on a Summer’s Day
With the swirling electric piano reminiscent of Diamond Dust (from Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow), Max takes us on a journey into the blues. Rhythmically very light, this is also a late night jazz club piece. Max’s beautifully recorded piano solo adds a totally different dimension over the underlay of electric piano and this song has some building tension that draws the listener in. If you listen closely you can hear so many things in the background that aren’t even there, which goes to show that Max is a master of creating a sound which places themes into your head without actually playing them. Less is more - to the Max!

Cuban Nights
Some build-up in the early stages sets the tone for this piece. The chorus parts also play on the 5/4 piano work of Diamond Dust, proving that Mr Middleton can reclaim his parts and use them fittingly in his own songs. The choruses do have a haunting feel that we have become accustomed to with Max’s compositions. Once again, the rhythmic exchanges between percussion parts stand out as smooth foundation to his masterful work. Also it is a worthy contender for best song on Land of Secrets.

Land of Secrets
Using some beautiful, yet nostalgic, Latin themes and a very interesting introduction that lasts almost 2 minutes, Land of Secrets takes you to the land of Afro-Latin rhythms. A dark, yet familiar theme holds the foundation, appearing and disappearing between Max’s solos. Some more smooth vocal parts highlight elements of the dark and sombre melody. Haunting as it is, Land of Secrets really defines the melodic composition of the album.

Bomba’s Bar
Max’s honky-tonk piano sound takes us into Bomba’s Bar with a crowd of relaxed onlookers. This reggae piece retains the Latin percussion sounds and has a sensuous piano melody that stands out over the mix, but always leaves room for the vocals to capture the mood of the Afro-Carribean. A nice round-off to my favourite album of the last 2 years!

Max Middleton’s stunning new album, Land of Secrets is out now through RL-2. Check it out now at www.rl-2.com and to find out more about Max and his work please visit www.maxmiddleton.com

Special thanks got to Max Middleton and Paul from RL-2.
© Bruce Stringer, 2003

A link to some shots from Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, July 25th.