Rock of Ages Reviews

- You started out as a performer, but I get the impression there was a producer inside of you struggling to get out very soon already. What were your ambitions at the time ?

My original ambition was to become a comedian -- the music was intended to be a means to that end as a stepping stone. When I started to have some success with my music, I got side-tracked and put my comedy dream on the shelf.

- You've been involved with records as a writer, musician, producer, arranger and who-knows-what-else. Was that part of the attraction ?

I am at heart an entertainer, regardless of what I do, and always had complete, movie-like, visions of my projects -- hence my audio-visual "movies on record" concept. Rather than trying to explain my visions to arrangers, songwriters, etc. etc., I felt it more authentic, time- and cost-efficient to do it myself, while enjoying working with interpretative talent to add their nuances to it.

I loved the audacity and drama of his sound and music. While having been influenced by Spector as a hero, or I should more accurately say inspired, my work differed severely in the sense that Spector went for a one-dimensional, statically arranged, wall-like sound, whereas I went for three-dimensional sound perspectives and melodically dynamic/moving - even playful - arrangements.

- In spite of a bunch of fairly straight forward pop singles, you go 'Latin' on your first album. What's the story there ?

Latin American sounds and rhythms have always been a favorite of mine, and I braided those elements in virtually all of my arrangements, even if often subliminally so.

- You've had an amazing bunch of musicians backing you up on those mid-60's tracks... Big Jim Sullivan, the lesser known but not less talented Vic Flick, Nicky Hopkins and an up and coming Jimmy Page. Can you name some of the tracks you used Page on ?

Page and I didn't get along. He was a brilliant player, but only on his terms and at his whim -- unreliable, undisciplined, moody, and a poor sight reader, the latter an essential skill for my written orchestrations. Page worked on several of the Colinio Productions (incl. Russ Loader and Dany Chandelle), but by the time I joined EMI as a staff producer, he only sat in on some jam recordings (for which he was perfect), including Caroline Munro's "Sporting Life."

The Colinio days were fantastic, because there was only the challenge and the dream and the realization of it, in total freedom, without bureaucratic/political pressures or rules. Engineer Mike Ross, my group of musicians/singers, and I were a tightly bonded team and we worked as hard as we enjoyed what we created.

- It's hard to conceive that these magnificent tracks by Jan Panter and Steve Howe have remain unreleased until the Fantasticd 2cd set. What else has been left in the can ? How did that affect and/or change you ?

I never gave it any thought. I did very little analyzing or deliberating back then. There was only ideas and putting them on record as best as I could. The only unreleased track recorded before I left the UK, remains the mysteriously missing epic production of "Two's Company, Three Thousand's a Crowd," a grand-scale musical comedy production featuring Tim Rice and Samantha Jones.

- Instead of going to Los Angeles with Kim Fowley, you picked up an offer from EMI 'with full creative freedom'. In retrospect a poisoned gift ?

Nope. It was fine. I have never regretted anything. The only thing that bummed me out was that when I joined EMI, I was forced to use Abbey Road Studios and engineers, breaking up my significant work in progress with Mike Ross and altering my creative path. Even though I formed a virtual brotherhood with Abbey Road engineer Geoff Emerick, my entire career would have developed differently had Mike and I been able to continue working together at Bond Street's Levy's studio. Mike and I and Levy's were a magical combination much like Spector, Levine and Gold Star.

- In any case, it led to you working with Tomorrow (feat. Steve Howe; later of Yes). At the same time you got the idea for Teenage Opera. The way I see it the two of them were very much intertwined. Is that how you saw that ?

- A question unanswered on the Fantastic Story CD is if 10,000 words in a Cardboard Box is an unreleased "Twink Tomorrow" & "Junior Tomorrow" single...?

I have no knowledge of that single. When Keith went his own way, with Steve still by his side, I simply continued with Twink and Junior as Aquarian Age, and we had high hopes. When the single flopped, Twink joined the Pretty Things and Junior left the business.

- Excerpt from a Teenage Opera (commonly known as grocer Jack) was a huge smash all over Europe. Yet the LP, what could have been an absolute highlight in your career, was never to be. The beginning of the end ?

Other than the shame and embarrassment that hurt me, the assumption having been that I, personally, wasn't capable of delivering, instead of putting the blame on the political wall that stopped the production of the entire work, I never gave it much thought and just got on with it. I've never much looked back in my life. By the time a record came out, I was typically deep into another project already.

- Was the concept of Teenage Opera all worked out already or were you making things up as you went along at that point ?

Totally inaccurate. There are the three, original, T.O. tracks and a few backing track out-takes. That's it, that's all. All the other material on this CD was simply produced within the same, general, time vicinity of the authentic T.O. recordings.

No. Mike Leander arranged a number of things. My only work with/for a Beatle were my productions with Grapefruit for Paul McCartney. Those recordings, for some reason, also appear to be mysteriously missing.

Tomorrow's Strawberry Fields -- no, the Beatles had no involvcement. Paul McCartney (who was working with the Beatles in Studio 2 at the time) came to studio 3 for a visit during the Tomorrow sessions, but Keith was very rude to him and told him to fuck off. Very embarrassing. Not surprisingly, Paul never came back, nor did any of the other Beatles visit. Talk about stupid!

- You refer to the post-Teenage Opera singles as the 'immediate aftermath' (on Fantastic Story). I take it this is an attempt to be as neutral as possible. Musically it's a return to basics...

Actually, I was trying to make pop records that the BBC might play. In vain. Only Philwit & Pegasus was a genuine "MW creation."

- Yet you consider Barefoot & tiptoe as 'once more with vision', while 10000 words in a cardboard box is as good on every level ! Classic tracks that could have been huge hits. Lack of promotion ?

Barefoot and Tiptoe was an incredible indulgence -- a record that, by rights, should never have been produced. I was in love and not thinking straIght. Conversely, I still think that 10 000 words was a genuine gem. If that record had happened, Twink and Junior and I would have followed with some amazing stuff...

- What the deal with Samantha Jones ? I get the impression there was no real vision of what direction to take...

"Today Without You" is my favorite (and in my opinion best) pure pop record I made in the UK. The album was a fairly rushed project, virtually recorded live, material picked by Larry Page, or written by me and Kris Ife specifically for Samantha. I loved working with Sam and I still like the LP, despite its technicolor MOR "after dinner mints" ambience. It was a gig.

Not really. I was thrilled that Les Reed just said to me, "Go make an album, do whatever you want." When, 4 weeks later, I played the finished master to Les, he was incredibly enthusiastic. We both believed that the album would happen. It didn't. That pretty much killed my career in London -- I couldn't get any more work. So, I finally accepted Denny Cordell's long-standing offer to join him at his Shelter Record in Hollywood.

In the early days, Gene Pitney. In later years, Tina Turner... Not too many I can think of, simply, because most of the artists/bands I admired the most, like Queen, Supertramp, ELO, 10 cc etc. were doing just fine without me. -- Oh yeah, Harry Nilsson!!! Yeah, no shit! I coulda made some amazing records with him. I would have loved to have gotten my hands on "The Point" and produce an entirely different version with Harry, co-writing some extra material.

I'm quite happy performing comedy two to three times a week in comedy clubs, as well as work-shopping my "Cooking For Cannibals" one-man show -- which I intend to perform in the UK. One man, one mic, one piano.

- Your records have been issued under many aliases, several not by your choice. Do you think that caused a certain lack of identity towards the audience and damaged your career ?

Nah... those things were demoes that were illegitimately released as singles and only discovered recently as works associated with me. I smile at those records now, realizing that I was, for a few months, actually part of a Rockband, without even knowing it at the time -- the Matchmakers. Oh yeah, we had a lot of fun, and the records sound like it. They're hard on the line of satire... ALMOST Rock slapstick! LOL

Oh... a lot of waiting (immigration stuff), months in-between projects, and trying to find my identity in the US. I missed England and London and me mates... I think it was out of that yearning to belong that I made some erroneous marriage partner decisions, which resulted in family responsibilities that took me out of orbit...

To raise my then infant daughter as a hands-on, single, parent. Which I did -- from diapers to tampons. She's turned out to be a great human being, so I did something right.

- A few years ago there was a comeback. Did the interest in your cd play a part in that ? And with the www in full bloom by now, you must have realized there was still an interest in your music, perhaps even more than ever !

If you're talking about a renaissance of interest in my stuff, that was sparked by r.p.m.'s fictitious release of the "A Teenage Opera" CD

- Starting with Teenage Opera, you note 'movies on record' on your Fantastic Story set. I think that is an element that has always been there, even down to the songtitles...

It's still there in everything I do. I make movies, just not projected on a movie, or TV screen, but in people's heads.

An intended bridge between the past and the future. After an initially luke-warm reception in the UK (to raves in the USA among music aficionados), the CD is finally gaining momentum as a cult gem... Word of mouth is spreading and int'l radio stations are picking it up. As always, my stuff grows on people before it is appreciated. Mind you, I don't have another 40 years left before my new stuff is finally accepted, LOL.

- Now there's the first Spyderbaby cd. An amazing cd, yet its release was not evident. Visions of Teenage Opera all over again ?

Even though, from EMI down, the labels loved the album, they refused to release it because they felt that the Spyderbaby gang was too old. So, a couple of months ago, my partner Dieter and I released it ourselves on our own Dreamtunes label to at least get it on the market. But Dieter and I are not a real record company, so it's a very low-key release, so far only known about by collectors. I am still hoping that enough excitement will spread and prompt a distributor to get involved.

The only project on the map right now is my "Cooking For Cannibals" show/CD-DVD/book. A big undertaking, and quite, quite different from what people are used to from me. Exciting!?