Thanks A LOT, Ed.
Fun as always.
I don't know if you will read my follow comments, however. Here is
Thanks to all who bothered to give this a listen , I hope you enjoyed the music choices ( some HAD to be obvious otherwise I would have chosen differently ) .
As anyone who has ever done a radio or TV interview will know, the greatest enemy is TIME , or rather the lack of time.
Just about everything we see/hear that isn’t “ live ” has been edited.
Yep. How can I forgot about the word 'edited'
On this "era" of podcasts. Edit will fit only for small cuts.
Damn I hate this 'cuts'. They are all over the place. Should I read a book? YES!
...and I know he had to spend quite a bit of time ( ha! ) and several attempts to cut it back, because my second favourite thing is the sound of my own voice and I don't much care if anyone is listening.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
( fine with me ..I always though LH was one of M’s finest moments, up there with The Bug ).
I think that you missed the best M's song ever. Golden Farts
First album.
No offence, slight correction ( probably Rolo’s translation, no prob with that or anybody’s ) …….
Muff actually said in a VERY thick Birmingham accent which I can't imitate in print but imagine Ozzy Oz or Tony Iommi, “ Pick, just play time, nothing else, just play time “ ( unintentionally funny, if he couldn’t play IN time he wouldn’t have been in the band ) and “ if you boys stick together you’ll do alright, just stick together ”.
Remember Muff had been bass player in the early/mid 60’s with the Spencer Davis Group which contained his sixteen year old brother Steve ( a fuck off singer for sure ) so he had a previous experience ( of brothers ) to go by though I don't think the Winwood's came close to the Knopfler’s for sheer brotherly wingeing, at least back then.
Still, I’m not sure anybody took much notice since he repeated this just about every day…….little did he know just how many musicians wouldn’t stick together starting with two in front of him.
I took no offense at all.
I "learn" how to communicate in english watching movies from the best austrian/american actor from all time, Mr. Schwarzenegger. LOL
Did Pick say that?
Yes. And there is a YT video from a guy who interviewed Pick and also David. There are a few moments that, if I remember well, Pick seemed a bit angry remembering his Straits past.
You need to remember Pick was by far and away the most experienced at that point and had done alot of studio work, mainly at Rockfield in South Wales where he existed in a local cowshed for quite a while and lived on unpasteurised milk.
The others were completely new to a “professional” studio/producer who was really intent on getting on with it, no pissing about.
Ironic that Rolo recognises the elements Pick’s style which hardly constituted just playing “ in time ” , so it contradicts what Muff was saying BUT, in my view Pick carries that first album and I don't mean any disrespect to the other three.
He was EXACTLY the right drummer for his time in the band and he had the foresight to quit at exactly the right time…for him AND for them ( I’ve covered this previously ).
This is exactly what I wanted to say. hahaha
Pick's drumming is flawless and yes, indeed, he carries the first album. OK, Mark's guitars are in the front row. However, people forget that the kitchen is THE responsible a restaurant sucess (or failture).
Few people really pay attention to Paul Chambers basslines when alongside of him we got Coltrane, Cannonball, Bill Evans and Miles.
Muff basically recorded their live show as it was then, so the songs had been played ALOT and were as tight as a crab’s arse in water eg the last solo on Sultans Rolo has referred to, twiddle-de-dee .
I can't recall but I think tracks were cut at the rate of two a day, then overdubs then mixing. I have 12 days in my head.
Muff had been to see the Wire Crates at Friar’s Aylesbury on the Porking Smeggies tour and he was leaving Island to go to ( then ) CBS to become Head of Um and Aaaah and had a window of about two and a half weeks to record and mix and a pretty tight budget, so it was “ ok, that’s fine, next…”
Thank goodness. He did a great job, no indulging anybody.
Honestly I can't remember who did what guitar parts. I’m not disagreeing, I just can't recall and I wasn’t there every day ( not really part of a manager’s job ).
What I can say is that there were no visitors except John Stainze, no girls, no grannies, no crew except Pete Murdoch, no going to the pub until the end of the day and Mark managed to show remarkable patience with…well you know…and I can't remember any arguments ( Muff would have shut that down very quickly, I should add he has a great sense of humour).
Yes.
Muff's said on that famous documentary about DS that DK was good as M (or something like that). However, to my ears, the rhythm guitars are too good to be you know who.
One funny thing.
I have a clear memory of The BoomTown Rats and DS and myself watching the very first video of Bat Out Of Hell by Meat Loaf on the Old Grey Whistle Test one evening.
They played the whole thing.
At the end ALL the musicians rubbished it, "crap, rubbish, WTF, load of shite" etc etc.
“ That will be number one next week” I said.
“ Ah begorrah,you have to be faaaaackin joking….” ( that’s probably Bob).
And guess what……
Having a sense of what’s commercial and NOT being a musical snob can sometimes be a gift ( I did miss out on YE though. And Taylor ).
I can't think of anything else to tell you that you don’t know except the fucking sleeve took longer than the record and in the end it was a compromise voted for by M and maybe J.
Ridiculous really and plenty of sibling arguments about what constitutes “art ”.
Where was Pavel when we needed him?
HAHAHA.
Maybe the environment wasn't gray enought for that artistic sleeve.
NHB’s.
I agree with Rolo’s summary though I never thought about it up to now and I doubt the others did…...anyway my wrists hurt too much ( drumming, not wanking ).
White folks have been stealing EVERYTHING since time began ……..Elvis Presley doing Arthur Crudup, Pat Boone doing Little Richard, Mark Knopfler doing Bo Diddley, Rod Stewart copying Sam Cooke , Beatles/Isley Bros , Led Zeppelin/everybody, Rolling Stones/everybody , the list is endless and in reverse Jimi Hendrix/ Bonnie Dobson, sorry I'm getting bored with this ( and I’m not too sure about the yellow contribution unless that’s a reference to jaundice.)
Yes, of course.
My comments about the 'Born of the Blues' and NHB was about a band of white british people playing, not essentially black music, but music from everywhere mixed up that we call Blues.
Stealing is a very common thing.
We steal everytime.
Not sure it was a “celebration” …...it didn't seem like that on day 37 of rehearsals.
HAAHHAHAAHAHAH I laught loud.
It was what got a tick on the blackboard …as I keep saying ALL THIS STUFF was way, way more random and accidental than you seem to think and as the NHB’s progressed we did audience requests for THE FUN of it.
No other reason..you don’t NEED another reason ….FUN is enough and we certainly had fun in the NHB’s.
Fuck I miss Brendan.
We all miss Brendan.
Dire Straits. Surf music. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm Check out "Third Stone From The Sun” Hendrix first album. He has some thoughts about that ..pretty funny. .
I never read the lyrics:
Although your world wonders me
With your majestic and superior cackling hen
Your people, I do not understand
So to you, I shall put an end
And you'll never hear surf music again
HAHAHAHAHAHAAH!
And don't worry about lack of knowledge, this is a fan site..without ignorance what would you have to speculate about? Argue about?
If you knew everything there would be no point in AMIT existing.
Imagine….
“ I KNOW Steve Gadd is the worst drummer in the World ”
“ I agree ”
“ Right then. Settled that. Now what? Ah yes, I think Guitar George played a copy Stratocaster with no tremolo.”
“ He did. My mate Stan saw him at the Blue Balls Gastric Pub in Leeds, it was red, had to be”.
“ Great. Tick for that, now is it true the crew called John Illsley The Penguin?”
“ It is”.
“ Ok. Well, that was a productive exchange. I love this site, we agree about everything, I’m off for a piss”.
And everything could be different if M would played a blue Gibson.
Thanks Ed.
Damn, you are a funny guy.
Thanks to be, in a way, part of this forum.
Let's celebrate. Pay us a drink.
We deserve it.
