Record Mirror, March 8, 1986: Difference between revisions
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They remembered the sessions – I thought they’d be lost in the blur of the many session they’d done. James Burton spoke fondly of the sessions which was quite pleasing to me because those records, ‘GP’ and ‘Grievous Angel’ mean a lot to me as a music fan. I was pleased they meant something to him because he’s played on thousands of records and they can’t all mean something special. | They remembered the sessions – I thought they’d be lost in the blur of the many session they’d done. James Burton spoke fondly of the sessions which was quite pleasing to me because those records, ‘GP’ and ‘Grievous Angel’ mean a lot to me as a music fan. I was pleased they meant something to him because he’s played on thousands of records and they can’t all mean something special. | ||
When you talk to Ray Brown about days gone by, he goes back considerably further. T-Bone was talking about some Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong record and Earl Palmer interjected: ‘Of course you know that Ray was Ella’s first husband.’ Then Ray came back and said ‘Well actually I think I played on that record.’ For us it was like ‘God he played with Louis Armstrong – what’s he doing here?’. | When you talk to Ray Brown about days gone by, he goes back considerably further. T-Bone was talking about some Ella Fitzgerald and [[Louis Armstrong]] record and Earl Palmer interjected: ‘Of course you know that Ray was Ella’s first husband.’ Then Ray came back and said ‘Well actually I think I played on that record.’ For us it was like ‘God he played with Louis Armstrong – what’s he doing here?’. | ||
After a while you think why worry about what he thinks, you can’t impress him anymore than anybody else he’s ever played with. You can’t expect to be the greatest. | |||
It wasn’t meant to be a superstar session. There’s no virtuoso showing off no this record, they play simply and with economy. Everybody who played on that record was the best we thought we could get for each song, and that includes The Attractions and that also includes the bloody vocalist - and that’s me. | |||
*'''Why is the album called “[[King Of America]]”? | |||
It’s from the first line of the album. It’s a good title -it makes people think ‘What?’. It’s a double-edged sword; on the one hand it’s shocking and provocative to people who are too sensitive, on the other hand, there are certain thematic things within the record – without making it sound like a concept album – that recur. | |||
Certain concerns dealing with going to America, with hopes and dreams and having disappointments, or having acceptance or accepting. There are other concerns which are the fascination of America, morbid interest in celebrity and greed. But they aren’t exclusive to America, so it’s very easy to read too much into it. | |||
I think people will think it’s a sort of love letter, but it’s neither a love letter or criticism. There’s no political intent in the title – it’s just a title. “ | |||
‘[[Brilliant Mistake]]’ is about dreams. Each verse deals with a different disappointment with going to America. One of the elements of America is that it’s based on very noble principles, that have been denied over the years. I didn’t want to write something philosophical, so I chose little scenes that would illustrate something of that disappointment. | |||
‘[[American Without Tears|America Without Tears]]’ is about acceptance, following GI brides who can accept things as they are without denying themselves. It’s comparing their pride with my disappointment . A technique I’ve used throughout the album is to tell a story to illustrate a point, and then add a personal footnote to it rather than write a personal song. | |||
*'''What was J Henry (T-Bone) Burnett’s contribution to the album? | |||
He taught me how to leave a song alone and stop worrying it – like a dog worries a bone. He wasn’t a producer who’d say ‘we’ll be alright when we got the girl singers on the track’. He was a producer in the sense of what is this song about and why are you singing it. He was interested in the motivation of the song and it reminded me of why I’d written it. | |||
If a false note crept into my voice he wouldn’t let me get away with it. Sometimes you can do a performance that’s quite dazzling – dazzling to the point where you don’t realise the hollowness and it’s an empty gesture. There are a lot of rock ‘n’ roll records like that. | |||
I consciously left some songs off which would have changed the nature of this record. It’s clearer but it’s also more loving in some ways . There’re still some aggressive songs where I feel bitter and angry about certain things. A song like ‘[[Little Palaces|Little Places]]’ isn’t exactly benevolent, but I didn’t want the feeling of these songs like ‘[[I'll Wear It Proudly|I’ll Wear It Proudly]]’ and ‘[[Jack Of All Parades]]’ which are fairly open love songs, to be unbalanced by having a bitter and spiteful personal song next to it and confusing people. | |||
That’s not to say these feelings don’t exist, so I think I’ll make another record about the darker side of my feelings. I’m planning to make another two and a half albums this year. | |||
I’m also planning some shows. I want them to be shorter, for one thing, and really just pack eight or 10 songs in, that I feel are essential to that night, and concentrate on the greatest performance of those songs rather than try and do a retrospective view and recreate every night of my life. | |||
*'''Why did you choose to produce [[the Pogues]]’ debut album ‘[[Rum, Sodomy & The Lash|Rum, Sodomy And The Lash]]’? | |||
They just chose themselves. Somehow a suggestion that I might do a single with them developed into an album and an EP. They’ve got really good songs and a great attitude. They don’t give a damn about anything. They’re not virtuoso but they’re exciting. I didn’t bring anything to their sound. I just made sure the songs got onto record without the interference of some idiot producer who didn’t understand them. | |||
[[The Specials]]’ first album and the Pogues’ were the most enjoyable records to produce because they were like catching lightning – the moment would have gone. The Pogues couldn’t make ‘Rum, Sodomy And The Lash’ now – it would be beyond them. They’ve gone past that moment. The new EP is very different. That’s not to say they’ve turned into a reggae band or something, but that was the moment to record that record. | |||
*'''Another string to your bow was acting in the TV series ‘[[Scully]]’, as a mentally retarded train freak, and in the new film ‘No Surrender’ as an inept magician – both written by Alan ‘Boys From The Blackstuff’ Bleasdale. How did you get involved? | |||
Just because I knew Alan Bleasdale and he thought I could do that role in ‘Scully’. I don’t know how complimentary that is. Wait till you see the role I’ve got in the new film. I have a few lines, but the difficulty is that because I’m well-known in another field the film gets blown out of all proportion, which is disrespectful to the main actors. I’ve got a lot of publicity for the film and I’m only in it for three minutes. But, I have no desire to take on any massive dramatic role and make a complete idiot of myself. | |||
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Revision as of 21:50, 5 October 2014
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