Wayne Swinny Interview: SALIVA Rise Up with Vengeance on Brilliant New CD

By Ray Shasho

An Interview with Saliva guitarist Wayne Swinny:  

An exciting new chapter has been written in the Saliva saga that entails a sensational new singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, a brilliant new CD that may be their finest recording to date, a new record label, and the launch of a new tour. Saliva is back with rock ‘n’ roll vengeance!

SALIVA has been conquering audiences with their eclectic mix of rock, metal, grunge, rap, and hip-hop … ceremoniously labeled as nu metal or hard alternative …since the band’s inception in 1996. The Memphis based band released their self-titled debut album the following year under the Rocking Chair Records label. Saliva’s second studio album Every Six Seconds would not be released until 2001 but had catapulted the band into the mainstream while achieving commercial success. The album spawned the proverbial favorites … “Superstar,” “After Me,” “Click, Click Boom,” and “Your Disease.” Many of the songs were featured in such motion pictures as The Fast and the Furious and Dracula 2000. Saliva also financially benefited with their music by being featured in various video games and sporting events including Monster Jam and WrestleMania. Every Six Seconds also instituted the band’s relationship with Island Records.

In 2002, Saliva scored commercially again with their first single entitled “Always” from the Back into Your System album. The single reached #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks and became Saliva’s biggest hit to date. The track was also featured in the game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. The album also spawned the hit “Rest in Pieces” penned by James Michael & Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and a third single “Raise Up.” Saliva was also chosen to support Kiss and Aerosmith on tour in 2003.
Survival of the Sickest (#20 on the Billboard 200) was the group’s fourth studio release in 2004. The album launched two singles …"Survival of the Sickest" and “Razor’s Edge.” The band continued to reap rewards for their music being included in video games and pay per view specials. Guitarist Chris D’ Abaldo parted ways with Saliva in 2005. Jonathan Montoya (Full Devil Jacket) eventually replaced him as the new rhythm guitarist.
Saliva released the single “Ladies and Gentlemen” in 2006 reaching #2 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock charts and became the band’s best- selling single. The single was followed-up with the album Blood Stained Love Story in 2007. The release sold 31,000 copies in its first week.

In 2010, Jonathan Montoya exited the band and Saliva announced it would continue as a four piece group.

In 2011, Saliva released Under Your Skin their seventh studio effort. It would also be their final studio album with longtime frontman Josie Scott. The album spawned the single “Nothing.”The track “Badass” co-written by Wayne Swinny was featured in the film Saw 3D.

SALIVA TODAY: Their back to rock basics line-up is … Bobby Amaru (lead vocals), Wayne Swinny (guitars), David Novotny (bass guitar) and Paul Crosby (drums/percussion). Their brand new single “Rise Up” is available to purchase at all digital stores. Rise Up …their incredible new CD on their new label… Rum Bum Records will be available to purchase on April 29th. Saliva is currently on tour and recently performed several dates in Florida.

I had the great privilege recently to chat extensively with original Saliva guitarist Wayne Swinny. Wayne and I chatted about Rise Up… their latest album and its lyrical meaning, new lead singer and songwriter Bobby Amaru, the departing of Josey Scott, touring with Kiss and Aerosmith, a rock and roll comeback, Football … and so much more!
Here’s my interview with lead guitarist and songwriter for ‘Saliva’ and die-hard Oakland Raiders fan…WAYNE SWINNY.
Ray Shasho: Hello Wayne, how you doing man?
Wayne Swinny: “Hi Ray, I’m all good, sorry about the mix-up, my daughter’s afternoon nap kind of screwed up my schedule (All laughing).”
Ray Shasho: That’s all right, how old is she?
Wayne Swinny: “Two and a half, she’ll be three this June. She’s a hoot right now; it’s really cool, something new every day almost. When you get time you’ve got to just get with your family, fast forward, and spend as much time together as you can. And thank God with iPhones you’ve got Face Time to try and see your family when you’re away. So it’s a little better than it used to be and don’t have to go to a pay phone (Laughing).”
Ray Shasho: So where are you calling from Wayne?
Wayne Swinny: “I’m in Gulfport, Mississippi, that’s where my daughter and wife live. I’m a Memphis boy who moved south in my later years. There are a lot of characters down here that make for some great stories. I did find that out in my years … I meet some unusual characters the more southern that I migrated. We’ll be performing in Memphis in a few days to rework the entire show. It’s going to be a completely new deal and our fans won’t have to worry about seeing us play the same thing they saw before, that’s for sure.”
Ray Shasho: Saliva’s new lead singer Bobby Amaru is terrific and such a great find.
Wayne Swinny: “He’s got a great voice and is an all around professional. The guy can write songs and is a great producer in the studio in his own right as well. But just having him in the band is an adrenaline boost … just getting new blood. With Bobby it’s great and he has respect for all the older Saliva music and he’s not coming in with an attitude. He actually enjoys doing the older material, so he’s the perfect balance. I tell everybody all the time that we hit the lottery when we found Bobby.”
Ray Shasho: Is Bobby also playing rhythm guitar in the band?
Wayne Swinny: “He hasn’t started playing live yet. We do some songs that include a medley of some of the slower songs and covers that we do, so I’ve been on him to grab an acoustic guitar and help me out on that. There are some songs that would be really cool for him to play, so I’m going to stay on him and see what happens with that.”
Ray Shasho: So what is Josey Scott doing nowadays, I heard that he was into Christian music?
Wayne Swinny: “The last I heard, that’s where he was headed. I’m not even sure if he’s still doing anything to be in the business that way. I just know that he got to the point where his family and personal life became more important to him than his musical life, and you’ve got to respect a guy for that. It works for some people and doesn’t work for others, if it wasn’t working for him than I think he made the right decision. It’s a good thing, it appears to be that he’s very happy and content now, and we got very lucky to keep going too, so it worked out for both parties involved, and we’re all very lucky to be where we are in life today.”
Ray Shasho: Wayne, who were some of the artists that got you interested in playing guitar and becoming a professional musician?
Wayne Swinny: “It’s a laundry list of all the classic rock guitar heroes… Angus Young, Randy Rhoads, Jimi Hendrix. Then you’ve got the metal guys … I was a huge early Judas Priest fan so Glenn Tipton and K .K. Downing … all the pre-modern era of metal. I was able to catch some of those guys live early on and made quite an impression on me. I tried to soak in everything, from early Kiss stuff to listening to Rush and Ted Nugent. I was a huge Michael Schenker fan of UFO. The way Michael Schenker played sort of spoke to me, just an awesome player. One of these days I’ve got to get on with Eddie Trunk on ‘That Metal Show,’ I swear, I could probably talk with him for an hour just about UFO. He’s the only guy that knows more Michael Schenker and UFO trivia than I do.”
Ray Shasho: Have you had any kind of formal musical training?
Wayne Swinny: “I didn’t, unless you could call when I was a kid; my father and his father before him were both song leaders in church. Our whole family sang at the church, so all that traditional music was either based on old classical songs or based on traditional blues and gospel. So man … what great knowledge! The ABC’s of rock which is blues and a little bit of classical thrown in to give you a little schoolin’. It was a great place to learn music and that was really the only formal training I had. If you put down sheet music in front of me, you might as well put down Russian dialogue and ask me to speak it, I’ve got nothing there.”

“Literally, when I got my first electric guitar and amp, it was the cheapest one they had. I also bought the Dressed to Kill album, and that is how I got started. So Ace Frehley taught me how to play guitar. I didn’t read music. For me it was the best way to learn. And from there I went to a Kiss concert, I think the ‘Love Gun Tour’ and there was this band from Australia opening up called AC/DC. And holy cow dude! So from Ace Frehley to Angus Young… it just exploded. Those two guys were amazing!”
Ray Shasho: It really is amazing how so many legendary musicians haven’t had any kind of formal training.
Wayne Swinny: “You are right, it’s amazing how many guys aren’t trained, but also intentionally didn’t seek musical training. I kind of wish I hadn’t had this philosophy because it would have been good to be able to read music at this point in the game. I intentionally refused to go back and learn it, even earlier on in my career. I felt if I had that regimented technical knowledge it was going to affect my improvisation or the way I naturally interpreted music. So I stayed away from it literally on purpose.”
Ray Shasho: The bands brand new CD… Rise Up will be officially released on April 29th. It opens up a whole new chapter for Saliva. There’s not a sleeper track on the album and I truly believe its Saliva’s best work to date! I’m giving the album (5) stars!
Wayne Swinny: “I have said that myself. The first album you do, you’re always kind of partial, like your date at the prom. But honestly, I had more fun doing this record and I actually listened to this record. I enjoy listening to this CD more than anyone we’ve ever made, and maybe because I felt more involved and hands-on with it.”
Ray Shasho: The music and lyrical content on Rise Up are extremely intelligent with a clear-cut agenda and definitely not a headbanging rock album.
Wayne Swinny: “We can credit Bobby for bringing in that fresh attitude in the songwriting aspect. I’ve got to hand it to the guy; he’s an all around great musician. He can play anything; he’s also a great drummer. He was a drummer for Burn Season back in early 2000 and can session drum with just about anybody. He can also pick up a guitar or a bass and lay down tracks on a record with no problem.”

“Bobby Huff was also quite an asset in the studio too. As a producer he didn’t over produce, he kind of let us by ourselves with Bobby Amaru. Being his first record with us, he knew there was sort of a growth process. I think we were actually able to give each song the time that it deserved in the writing process …so credit to both Bobby’s.”
Ray Shasho: Did Bobby Amaru write most of the lyrics on the new album?
Wayne Swinny: “He either wrote or co-wrote on a lot of the songs. I don’t think there was a single song that Bobby didn’t have his input on. There were several that he already had written before he got in the band. When we heard demos of them we thought they were really cool. So we kind of reworked them with the Saliva twist. Bobby was open to changing things up and making things work. It was the most enjoyable process that I’ve had in the business to date, and I think everybody in the band would say the same thing.”
Ray Shasho: There’s an obvious strategic message or theme to the new album. For instance, a few sample lyrics off the newly released single “Rise Up” … It's time we choose a side … It's time for do or die… Some things are worth the fight… It's time to set it off. Talk about the meaning and intention behind those powerful lyrics?
Wayne Swinny: “I think there are multiple levels to the message. It not only applies to us as a band, to rise up from the reformation of the band sort of speak, but it also speaks to the times right now. There’s so much turmoil in the world. You can either let it all get you down or you can take it and let it inspire you to rise to new heights. That’s kind of where we are as a band, as a country, and a world … we’re all kind of in that same spot too. If the message reaches one person, than it’s worth it, so hopefully we can reach a few people.”
Ray Shasho: Some other tracks on the new album … “She Can Sure Hide Crazy” features awesome guitar licks with Soundgarden overtones.
Wayne Swinny: “A little bit … I broke out the effects for that one and had to do a little whammy. I had fun doing that one.”
Ray Shasho: “No One But Me” was probably my favorite track.
Wayne Swinny: “Wow, no kidding? Thank you very much. I actually had a slightly different form of that music. We put out three records since I wrote that music and it just kept getting passed over. I threw it out there this time and Bobby Huff and Bobby Amaru took the idea and sat there right in front of me and turned it into the song that it is now. So kudos to those guys and Bobby for coming up with the whole direction of the song.”
Ray Shasho: Another track that I really enjoyed, and also think should be played on mainstream radio is “Redneck Freakshow.”
Wayne Swinny: “We had a thought that with all the reality TV that is happening, maybe eventually somebody might grab a hold of that and use it for a theme song.”
Ray Shasho: Talk about the meaning behind “1000 Eyes.”
Wayne Swinny: “That’s a good question. We had a friend of ours that’s a writer and does screenplays. One of his ideas was getting looked at for a zombie show on TV called The Walking Dead. He had a script that was being considered and wanted to get music for it. So literally … that quick, Bobby took the idea and ran with it. He came back with a song and we’re like, dude, that’s freaking amazing! We loved it and it made the record. We’re still hoping with all the undead stuff out there we’ll get usage in a show, a movie or something. So the song is from the point of view of the last guy that’s not a zombie …and he’s fighting his way through all the zombies.”
Ray Shasho: I think teens today are way too passive when it comes to issues affecting our country and the rest of the world. They’re not getting involved and I think Smartphone’s are probably partially responsible for that. My generation got involved and inspired because of the lyrical content in the music recorded by our favorite bands or artist …and then it became ‘us and them.’
Wayne Swinny: “We have these electronic pacifiers now. I love technology, don’t get me wrong, and I’m just as guilty of having a version of each kind … I have a tablet, iPhone, and all the other electronic pacifiers. So I am guilty, but I do feel like you may be right, it sort of keeps people from stepping out physically and doing something. You can blog or rant about it on your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter account all you want, but it actually takes getting out of your house and doing something to get it done sometimes. I think we are lacking a little bit of that, but as soon as we say that, somebody’s going to step out and prove us wrong.”

“I really don’t even remember my life before rock. I was around thirteen when I got a guitar. All I remember before that was riding my bike and going fishing and that’s really all the early memory I’ve got. So all of a sudden, when I found music is when my eyes became open. I became aware of not only music itself, but issues outside of music.”
Ray Shasho: The music industry definitely hasn’t been a factor for inspiring young minds nowadays.
Wayne Swinny: “My big soapbox is with American Idol and all these popular shows. Music is not a competition and it’s not a sport people! They’ve turned it into something that it’s not. But if people want to watch those shows, I won’t judge them. It’s kind of the sign of the times and they’re just trying to make it in this world and it’s a great jumpstart. To me, the experience more people should bring away from competitions are not who wins or loses, but it’s about meeting other musicians and expanding your horizons.”
Ray Shasho: A lot of the greatest musicians in the world were discovered in their garages.
Wayne Swinny: “That’s it. You got in your garage, turned it up as loud as you possibly could and attracted as many angry neighbors and teenage friends as you could. That’s how I did it!”
Ray Shasho: Can rock music make a comeback in the mainstream?
Wayne Swinny: “As far as the cycle goes we’re at six o’clock right now. I think it’s working its way back around the cycle. As long as there are still a handful of us out there still rockin’ it will survive. It may be in a little bit different shape or form, but if the idea, the feeling, and the emotion of it survive … it will live on!”
Ray Shasho: You’re right, we may be in one of those cycles. Between Elvis and the Beatles there was a cycle, and during the disco era there was another cycle. Today’s mainstream radio is reminiscent to the disco phase.
Wayne Swinny: “Right, we are kind of in that phase right now. I’ve had that same thought myself. I was a kid, and I remember slapping a ‘Disco Sucks!’ bumper sticker on my mom’s car. She got really mad when she found out, but I had to do it to support rock. (All Laughing) But it also seems that people are listening to a much wider range of music. So you have to catch people when they are in that rock mood and give them something to hold on to.”
Ray Shasho: One of the financial advantages to modern technology is that you can collect music royalties from video games.
Wayne Swinny: “Absolutely! We pay a lot of bills with video games and movie soundtracks. I remember seeing a comment from one of the fans that said, “Hey man, can’t you write anything that doesn’t have anything to do with sports or wrestling? (All laughing) But I am a big sports guy! I wake-up every morning and watch ‘Mike & Mike’… that’s a big part in my everyday routine.”
Ray Shasho: Wayne, are you a Tennessee Titans fan?
Wayne Swinny: “I’m not an anti-Titans fan, because I am a Tennessee boy. I was an Oakland Raiders fan way before the Titans were even a franchise. I’ve got two Raiders Tats. And I’m talking from back in the day when “The Snake” Ken Stabler was there. Kenny Stabler was the guy I wanted to be when I was a kid. He was like the rock and roll quarterback of all-time. Kenny Stabler and Fred Biletnikoff were probably the reason I grew my hair long in high school.”
Ray Shasho: In 2003, Saliva supported Kiss and Aerosmith on tour … what was that like?
Wayne Swinny: “Crazy and most surreal time of my life. It’s insane to even think about it now. I had to wake up every day and pinch myself on that tour. Joe Perry was just too cool for me at first. Aerosmith had a reputation and they lived up to it for being a little out of it. Every single night, just because the way the stage was laid out, Gene Simmons setlist would be out there every night on the stage, and I don’t recall a night where I didn’t rip his setlist completely to shreds. It was right where my effects board was and my backup mike and close to his too. It would strike all of his stuff, but his setlist would be taped down. So right where I planted my left foot every night was usually at the Kiss setlist. As soon as I did a turn or spin it would just tear to shreds. I was always terrified that Gene was going to get mad because when they were in their garb he was like twelve feet tall and they were quite imposing figures. He was my first rock idol. Luckily, Gene was very cool and he laughed it off. He always had a stack of extra setlists on hand. It was never intentional, I wanted to make sure he knew that, and it wasn’t me thumbing my nose at the man or anything like that (All laughing).”
Ray Shasho: Wayne, here’s a question that I ask everyone that I interview. If you had a ‘Field of Dreams’ wish like the movie, to play, sing or collaborate with anyone from the past or present, who would that be?
…And it can’t be Kenny Stabler; it has to be a musician. (All Laughing)
Wayne Swinny: “If I built a band on stage … “I’d like to hangout one night with Bon Scott, write some music, and just see what that was like. That guy was crazy! He would have been fun to be in a band with. As far as drummers, I would have to say John Bonham… Are you kidding me? John Paul Jones on bass, he did some really cool and innovative stuff. He could play progressive and play straightforward rock songs too. If we started adding guitar players, that would be a crowded stage … Angus Young, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry …and the list goes on and on …all the guys that laid the foundation for where we are now.”

“The most star struck I’ve ever been in my entire life was a surprised meeting. We were staying on Sunset Boulevard and I’m out walking the halls on my cell phone and I come back around the corner toward my room. Coming out of the room across the hall from ours was Little Richard. He had the two biggest bodyguards I’ve ever seen in my life. When I saw him I literally dropped my cell phone and I know my jaw went wide open and I started pointing and saying … You! You! I was just in shock. And he had the biggest grin from ear to ear and motioned for me to come over. He gave me a big hug and handed me three of his prayer books. Maybe he took one look at me and said one of these isn’t going to be enough. It was the greatest rock star moment of my life.”
Ray Shasho: Wayne, thank you for being on the call today but more importantly for all the incredible music you’ve given us with Saliva and continue to bring.
Wayne Swinny: “Alright man …thank you brother!”

Saliva’s new single … “Rise Up” is now available to purchase on iTunes and amazon.com
Saliva’s incredible new CD also entitled … Rise Up will be released April 29th via Rum Bum Records.
Rum Bum Records official website www.rumbumrecords.com
Saliva official website Saliva on tour
Saliva on Facebook
Saliva on Twitter
Saliva on Myspace
Very special thanks to Chip Ruggieri of Chipster PR

Coming UP … My interview with singer Joe Bonsall of The Oak Ridge Boys, the legendary Judy Collins, Jesse Colin Young, and Travis Barker of Blink-182

Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com


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Michael Pinder Exclusive: The Moody Blues Founder Admits to Seeing UFO Formations

 By Ray Shasho

An interview with The Moody Blues legendary keyboardist Michael Pinder

Michael Pinder was affectionately labeled “Micky the Moonboy” as a youth for his preoccupation of the moon, stars, music and electronics. But who could have predicted that a silly nickname perhaps more suited for a sci-fi cartoon superhero would actually forecast his destiny. Pinder’s fascination with the cosmos and a life-changing realization that we are not alone in the universe became the basis for composing intricate and surreal musical masterpieces.

Michael played Hymns on the piano in Church every Sunday at his Colonel’s request; in return Pinder received an early discharge from the British Army. Pinder asked for the early-out after hearing The Beatles “She Loves You” on the radio. Ten days later, Pinder was back in Birmingham, England. He quickly found a job working with Streetly Electronics where he learned the mechanics of the Mellotron. Michael Pinder would become an illustrious keyboardist and trendsetter for the instrument.

In 1964 … Michael Pinder (piano, organ and vocals) and Ray Thomas (tambourine, flute and vocals) formed The Moody Blues along with members …Denny Laine (guitars, harmonica and lead vocals), Clint Warwick (bass guitar and vocals) and Graeme Edge (drums and vocals). The R&B/Rock/Pop Birmingham band scored a Top 10 hit in the U.S. with “Go Now” (1965) from their debut album The Magnificent Moodies.
The Moody Blues became part of ‘The British Invasion’ and supported The Beatles on their final UK tour in December of 1965. They followed the tour with their first trip to the U.S. appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show.

In 1966 … after the departure of Denny Laine and Clint Warwick … The Moody Blues reformed with old friend John Lodge (bass guitar and vocals) and Justin Hayward (lead vocals and guitars) who was recommended to Pinder by Eric Burdon of The Animals. The band had an awakening after a disgruntled audience member visited their dressing room complaining about their music. The group immediately changed their musical direction and style, hence … the commencement of one of the most amazing transformations in rock history.
Meanwhile …Michael Pinder suggested to his friend John Lennon that The Beatles use the Mellotron on Magical Mystery Tour …and they did. Pinder’s Mellotron influence is undeniably detected on “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Pinder and bandmate Ray Thomas were also invited to play harmonica on the tracks… “I Am the Walrus” and “The Fool on the Hill.”

“In 1967 …The Moody Blues first attempt at a dissimilar musical direction had consummated with an awe-inspiring masterpiece entitled… Days of Future Passed. It would be the first Decca/Deram Records release in stereo. Michael Pinder’s Mellotron ingrained a brave new transcendental manner and Progressive Rock was born. The proficient players of The Moody Blues were also accompanied by The London Festival Orchestra while creating the band’s first concept album. Days of Future Passed spawned two of the band’s biggest commercial hits with its new lineup … “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon.” Pinder wrote the tracks… “Dawn is a Feeling” and “The Sunset.” Pinder’s dramatic reading of “Late Lament” added a mind-blowing conclusion to a superlative album. Producer Tony Clarke’s influence also had a huge impact on the group.

The Moody Blues subsequent release … In Search of the Lost Cord (1968) was recorded without an orchestra … although Pinder’s ingenious performance on the Mellotron often sounded like a symphony. Pinder composed “The Best Way to Travel” and “Om” on the album. “Ride My See-saw” became a commercial hit for the band.
In 1969 … The Moody Blues released On the Threshold of a Dream. The group’s signature sound became exclusive to the rest of the rock world. Pinder had considerable songwriting duties on the album with … “So Deep Within You,” “Have You Heard (Part 1),” “The Voyage,” and “Have You Heard (Part 2).”
Inspired by the 1969 moon landing …To Our Children’s Children’s Children was their first album released on the band’s newly formed Threshold Records. The band followed the critically-acclaimed release with … Question of Balance (1970). Pinder penned … “How Is It (We are Here)” and his proverbial classic … “Melancholy Man.”

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour was released in 1971. For the first time, the entire band lyrically collaborated on “Procession” the opening track. Michael Pinder also penned the final track on the album entitled … “My Song.” The release spawned yet another Top 40 hit with … “The Story in Your Eyes.”
Also in 1971 … Pinder played tambourine on John Lennon’s Imagine album on the track … “I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama.”
Seventh Sojourn released in 1972 brought an end to the classic Moody Blues era. Michael Pinder penned … “Lost in a Lost World,” and “When You’re a Free Man.” The album also spawned… “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) and became one of the bands highest charting hits reaching #12 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the U.S. Pinder also substituted the Mellotron with its precursor the Chamberlin.

In 1976 …Pinder released his solo album entitled … The Promise.

After a lengthy hiatus, The Moody Blues released Octave (1978). Michael Pinder departed the band during the sessions but contributed… “One Step Into the Light.” Pinder was replaced by YES Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz. Without Pinder’s Mellotron and Chamberlin influence, The Moody Blues intricate progressive period was over.
The Moody Blues continue to tour and record as a band with Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge (the only original band member left in the group).

In 1994 …Pinder released his solo effort … Among the Stars (a private mail order release).

MOST RECENTLY … Esoteric Recordings has released Michael Pinder’s 3-Disc CD & DVD set of ‘The Promise (1976) & Among the Stars’ (1994) plus new bonus material featuring Michael’s sons (The Pinder Brothers) and Ray Thomas (The Moody Blues) on flute.

I had the rare pleasure of chatting with Michael Pinder recently. We chatted about his remarkable days with The Moody Blues, his relationship and influence on The Beatles, and UFO’S!

Here’s my interview with legendary Moody Blues singer, songwriter, keyboardist, Mellotron pioneer, and technological beneficence to the music world …MICHAEL PINDER.
Ray Shasho: Hi Michael so glad that you could be on the call today. How’s California weather treating you?
Michael Pinder: “Actually it’s not a bad day, there’s hardly any clouds with a little bit of sunshine and it’s about 68 degrees.”
Ray Shasho: I think we’re both lucky because the rest of the country is really suffering … Michael, Esoteric Recordings has released your 3-Disc CD & DVD set of ‘The Promise (1976) & Among the Stars’ (1994) plus new bonus material featuring your sons (The Pinder Brothers) and Ray Thomas (The Moody Blues) on flute.
Michael Pinder: “Yes, Mike and Matt, two of my three sons are on the album. They recorded four albums as The Pinder Brothers and have their own business teaching music. Matt does a lot of gigs playing bass, like with Kevin Russell’s Cream of Clapton. Dan is the third son in Los Angeles; he’s a film editor in the movie business. I have a talented family. My dad played piano and banjo and my mom sang a little bit. Because my dad was a piano player, I was exposed to a lot of early music from the 20’s, 30’s 40’s, 50’s. But after the Elvis period and the first time I heard The Beatles first tune …that was it, the signal for me. I was in Germany at the time in the military. I happened to be in good with the Colonel at the camp because he was very religious and every Sunday morning he would send for me.”

“One morning he said, “Pinder, I understand you play piano?” I was playing for the guys in the Mess. He said, “How about playing a couple of Hymns for me on Sunday? I said, yes sir, no problem sir. I also found out that there was a guy who played bass and a guy who played drums. The Colonel gave us the equipment to play and he said all I want you to do is to play a few hymns on Sunday mornings. So there I am in Germany and I’m listening to the radio on Saturday morning and I heard The Beatles “She Loves You” for the first time …and that was like, oh yea! I thought, I’ve got to get out of here, but I was already signed up for quite a few years. So I went to see the Colonel and I told him what was happening. He said no problem and within about ten days I was back in England.”
Ray Shasho: That’s an amazing story… why did the Colonel give you an early discharge from the military?
Michael Pinder: “The Colonel was the camp. I played for him every Sunday morning because he was very religious. He said thank you for all the music you’ve played for us and we’ll take care of you. Prior to that, I had a band called The Rocking Tuxedo’s which was my first band. Ray Thomas also had a band and we sort of got to know each other. By the time we got to about the third Beatles hit (All laughing), Ray and I decided to put a band together and we called it The Moody Blues. The reason we called it The Moody Blues was because my mom ran a big seven bar British Pub and the name of the beer company was called Mitchells & Butlers …M&B. I thought we could get on the circuit because they had probably about a hundred different pubs. So I thought “Mood Indigo” because the song stuck with me as a kid and we were playing blues tunes. So that’s how I came up with The Moody Blues.”
Ray Shasho: During the British Invasion …the early Moody Blues had a very different sound and musically ahead of their time, much like The Animals, Yardbirds, and Rolling Stones. I guess not being from Liverpool and hailing from Birmingham may have had something to do with it too?
Michael Pinder: “Yea exactly, we were all on the road but all took a different direction.”
Ray Shasho: What was it like touring with The Beatles?
Michael Pinder: “It was absolutely fabulous! It was just them and us. There was a guy who was like a comedian that would open the show and his name was Pinder … I can’t remember his first name.”
Ray Shasho: At what point did you begin playing the Mellotron?
Michael Pinder: “When the Colonel let me off because I heard The Beatles song … I was looking for a job. There was a company located about three miles from where I lived and was born. I read their ad in the newspaper saying they wanted somebody that had mechanical ideas and knew music. So I applied for the job, got it, and it turned out to be a Mellotron company.”
Ray Shasho: I’m really fascinated with the Mellotron as a musical instrument … an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replaying keyboard. It basically plays a tape when you press a key. But you altered it in some way when you began playing it?
Michael Pinder: “What I did … on the left hand keyboard there would be rhythm sections and things like that, the right side was used for soloing. I didn’t need the cheesy rhythms so what I did was took those out and put another right handed version in the left and created two mellotron’s … one on my left hand and one on my right.”
Ray Shasho: Michael, you became a trailblazer for the Mellotron.
Michael Pinder: “I was lucky enough to turn The Beatles on to the Mellotron. I called them and they sent four Mellotron’s to The Beatles.”
Ray Shasho: It would have been awesome if you had actually played the Mellotron on the track … but we should all still thank you for your very critical contribution to “Strawberry Fields Forever?”
Michael Pinder: “Yes (All laughing). I did play harmonica on “I Am the Walrus” and “The Fool on the Hill” … me and Ray both. They had every kind of harmonica you could imagine. Ray Thomas and I were also lucky enough to get on the final Beatles UK tour.”
Ray Shasho: You also played on John Lennon’s Imagine album?
Michael Pinder: “I played tambourine on “I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama.” I turned them on to the Mellotron but when I got there all the tapes were hanging out and nobody knew how to handle it. I couldn’t play Mellotron on that so I grabbed a tambourine, got on the drummer’s high-hat, and went for “I Don’t Want to Be a Soldier Mama.”
Ray Shasho: Was Days of Future Passed …The Moody Blues Sgt. Pepper’s?
Michael Pinder: “I would say so. It was apparently the first stereo record that Decca ever did.”
Ray Shasho: Michael, you were so inspirational and important to the success of The Moody Blues, and composed so many intricate and beautiful arrangements, for instance… "Have You Heard/The Voyage/Have You Heard (part two)" from the album On the Threshold of a Dream. Where do some of your songwriting ideas come from?
Michael Pinder: “It comes from the heart, mind, and things that I’ve listened to over the years.”
“I was born in 1941, at the end of 1945 my mom called me in from the garden while I was collecting spiders. She called … “Michael, I want you to meet somebody,” and there was my dad. He was a sergeant in the military and had just gotten back from France. So she introduced my dad to me … I had never really seen him.”

“My dad used to do deliveries and would bring big crates home so we could break it up and light the fire with it. So we had one in the garden, it was kind of like a coffin without a lid on. I would get a blanket and a cushion and just lie in there and couldn’t see anything except the sky. That was one of my favorite things to do and just watch the skies.”

“When everybody was at work and the older kids were all at school … I used to get a privet stick, strip all the leaves off and turn it into a bow. Then I’d put it behind the little spider webs, onto the web, then go to another one and put it on there … and then watch the spiders fight. There weren’t any spiders left in my garden so I’d go across the street. “So I was in the neighbor’s garden picking spiders off the web and watching them fight. The neighbors weren’t at home. I turned around and there was this guy standing at their front door. He looked like Michael Rennie from the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. So I turned around and this guy was standing by the door of the house. He points and says, look up there. I looked up and saw formations of different types of spaceships. Then they both sort of disappeared, it was one of those miraculous things. So I’ve always been into the outer space thing. It’s one of those things that stay with you your whole life.”
Ray Shasho: Was that the only time you witnessed a UFO?
Michael Pinder: “In 1966 … with the first band, we were coming back from Manchester around midnight and we always wanted to get back to London before dawn, otherwise we’d have trouble getting to sleep. We were coming down from Manchester on the day they opened the M6 motorway. So we’re driving home about one o’clock in the morning and I’m sitting in the back, and I’d put my head back and look out the back window and look at the stars. So we’re driving and probably doing sixty miles an hour. There was this red light and I said, I don’t remember that radio station around here. So I told the guys to pull over and we got out. We all looked over the top of the car and there was this red ball kind of thing moving across the freeway that turns into a square … like a red dice. As it approached us, it got bigger and bigger, and we were all sort of bathed in this blue light. We ended up getting home three hours late and wondering what the heck was that? …So that really solidified my nickname of “Micky the Moonboy” as a kid. I was always interested in the moon. …Read Zecharia Sitchin … he’s the guy!”
Ray Shasho: Michael, any regrets on leaving The Moody Blues?
Michael Pinder: “No, I don’t because I was really quite happy with what Ray and I achieved. We had what we wanted… we conquered it.”
Ray Shasho: Do you still talk with your old bandmates?
Michael Pinder: “I talk with Ray a lot; we’re still the best buddies. We’re the guys who started the band.”
Ray Shasho: I was part of a family retail electronics business in Washington D.C. and we were among the very first in D.C. to carry Pong, the Atari 2600 console and all the game cartridges. After you left The Moody Blues you actually went to work for Atari?
Michael Pinder: “Yes I did for awhile. I was demonstrating for them. I think I still have my original Pong and Atari in the garage (All laughing).”
Ray Shasho: Graeme Edge lives about 15-20 minutes from me. He’s made headlines in the National Enquirer most recently …did you read it?
Michael Pinder: “Yes… misperforming in back of a car. He kind of deserves what he gets.”
Ray Shasho: Michael, here’s a question that I ask everyone that I interview. If you had a ‘Field of Dreams’ wish like the movie, to play, sing or collaborate with anyone from the past or present, who would that be?
Michael Pinder: “I think I’ve already gotten to play with who I’d want to play with and that’s The Beatles. When we did the last Beatles tour in the UK that all made sense. Do you remember the song…“Those Were the Days” by Mary Hopkin? …Paul gave the song to us first. I told Paul thanks a lot but it’s not quite us. So it turned out to be a one hit wonder for her and I could kind of sense that. But we were so lucky to have played with so many great bands… especially The Beatles.”
Ray Shasho: Michael, thank you for being on the call today but more importantly for all the incredible music you’ve given us and hopefully will continue to bring.
Michael Pinder: “Ray I appreciate you calling and giving us the chance to chat about it. Cheers!”

Esoteric Recordings releases a Deluxe 3 Disc CD &DVD Set by Moody Blues founder and keyboard player Michael Pinder. -Purchase ‘The Promise/Among The Stars’/DVD set at http://www.cherryred.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=4389
Michael Pinder official website
Michael Pinder on Twitter
The Pinder Brothers official website
The Pinder Brothers on Facebook
Ray Thomas official website

As always ...very special thanks to “the great” Billy James

Coming UP … My interview with guitarist Wayne Swinny of SALIVA, Joe Bonsall of The Oak Ridge Boys, the legendary Judy Collins, Jesse Colin Young, and Travis Barker of Blink-182.

This article is dedicated to my Brother Harry who has always been a devoted fan of The Moody Blues.

Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

Purchase Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business … You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST .99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com - Please support Ray by purchasing his book so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music reporting.

“Check the Gs is just a really cool story ... and it’s real. I’d like to see the kid on the front cover telling his story in a motion picture, TV sitcom or animated series. The characters in the story definitely jump out of the book and come to life. Very funny and scary moments throughout the story and I just love the way Ray timeline’s historical events during his lifetime. Ray’s love of rock music was evident throughout the book and it generates extra enthusiasm when I read his on-line classic rock music column on examiner.com. It’s a wonderful read for everyone!” …stillerb47@gmail.com


© Copyright rayshasho.com. All Rights Reserved

Petula Clark Exclusive: An Unprecedented Musical Journey Spanning Seven Decades

-An interview with legendary performer Petula Clark

By Ray Shasho

Internationally renowned singer, actress, and composer Petula Clark has been exquisitely entertaining audiences since she was a child performing for the troops during World War II. Clark has sold more than 68 million records. She’s recorded over 1000 songs while landing 15 U.S. Top 40 hits and two #1 hits. She’s charted an astounding 159 recordings worldwide. She’s won Grammy Awards in 1964 and ‘65. The incredible musical collaboration between composer-arranger Tony Hatch and Petula Clark generated hit after hit throughout the Swinging 60’s. She may even be labeled as the ‘First Lady of the British Invasion.’

Some of Petula Clark’s amazing string of U.S. hits include … “Downtown” (1964), “I Know a Place” (1965), “You’d Better Come Home” (1965), “Round Every Corner”(1965), “My Love” (1966), “A Sign of the Times” (1966), I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love”(1966), “Who Am I” (1966), “Colour My World” (1967), “This is My Song,” (1967), “Don’t Sleep in the Subway (1967), The Cat in the Window(The Bird in the Sky)” (1967), “The Other Man’s Grass is Always Greener”(1968), “Kiss Me Goodbye”(1968), “Don’t Give Up” (1968), and “Happy Heart”(1969) to name just a few.

Petula Clark has also appeared in more than 30 British and American motion pictures including … Finian’s Rainbow (1968) with Fred Astaire and Tommy Steele and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) with Peter O’Toole. Clark was also a popular television personality starring in three of her own American TV specials and as a guest star on countless other shows including her enchanting duets with Dean on The Dean Martin Show. Throughout the 70’s, Clark became a celebrated Las Vegas performer. In the 90’s she performed on Broadway in the production of Blood Brothers. In 2000 … Petula showcased a one-woman show, a concert highlighting her life and career. In 2003, she was the recipient of the Grammy Hall of Fame Award for her everlasting worldwide smash hit “Downtown.”

At 81 … Petula Clark is more brilliant and radiant than ever. Her latest release is entitled … Lost In You. The album is beautifully produced and arranged by John Williams and features twelve magnificent tracks of musical bliss. Petula’s vocals are superlative and her skills as a composer splendor on a track entitled “Reflections.” Her phenomenal lyrical content is brilliantly assimilated to music by Johann Sebastian Bach. The album spotlights a breathtaking cover tribute to an old friend John Lennon. Petula’s “Imagine” is probably the best cover version of the song that I’ve ever heard. She creatively added hints of “Strawberry Fields” to the track. The other two covers are a beautiful rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” and an exciting new version of her 1964 mega hit “Downtown.” Every song on the album sparkles. “Cut Copy Me,” “Imagine” and “Reflections” are personal favorites.

I gave Petula Clark’s Lost In You … (5) Stars!

Petula lives in Switzerland and is as busy as ever. She continues to tour and is anxious to get right back in the studio again. I was extremely honored to be able to speak with Petula Clark recently. She’s glamorous, brilliant, witty, and charming all at the same time. She’s an incredible lady and a worldwide treasure.

Petula and I chatted about her latest album … Lost In You, her signature #1 international hit “Downtown,” a longtime collaboration with Tony Hatch, the British Invasion, the infamous Harry Belafonte story, Dean Martin, my notorious 'Field of Dreams' question and so much more.

Here’s my recent interview with International Singing Superstar, Top 40 Hits Musical Legend, Composer and Actress … PETULA CLARK.
Petula was in the Rhône-Alpes region at the south-eastern part of France in Megève during our interview.
Ray Shasho: Petula how are you?
Petula Clark: “I’m well Ray; we’re up in the mountains here. We have a chalet up here. It’s been a beautiful day, and it’s always perfect when you have lots of snow and blue skies. It’s not Florida …but not bad at all.”
Ray Shasho: You live in Switzerland?
Petula Clark: “I’ve been living in Geneva, Switzerland for many years. There’s a German and Italian part … we’re in the French speaking part. It’s actually an interesting country.”
Ray Shasho: What enticed you into becoming a professional singer?
Petula Clark: “I started very young. My mother was from Wales and I spent quite a lot of my childhood in Wales and I used to speak Welsh. The first time I sang in public was in Chapel. But I didn’t make up my mind to become a professional singer; I was about five or six years old. In fact on the new album there’s a song called “Reflections.” I wrote the lyrics to some music by Bach and I decided to write about that moment in my childhood in Wales. That’s when I first became conscious of music within me and then it was important to me.”

“From then on … the first time that I sang in a big way was on the BBC in London, it was during the war and there was a lot of bombing going on. It was a fairly dangerous kind of place to be. But the BBC used to do a show at a theater in Piccadilly, which is still there; it’s called the Criterion Theatre. The BBC used this theatre because it’s underground and in fact it’s still there underground. They used to do this show especially for the troops and I had an uncle who was in the service. It was just a show for kids who could send messages to their dads, uncles or brothers… just say we’re fine and I hope you’re okay kind of thing.”

“In the middle of the rehearsal for this show there was a huge air raid. So some of the kids were really getting scared and the producer asked if somebody would like to come up and say a piece of poetry or sing a song to calm things down a bit. No one else volunteered so I got up and sang a song. I think I was eight years old. I sang into the microphone and they heard it in the control room and decided it would be nice if I sang for the show too. So they recorded me and it went out to the troops and had a huge positive reaction. From then on I became a regular on BBC radio. So that was the beginning of my career in England.”
Ray Shasho: What types of music were you listening to back then?
Petula Clark: “I was listening to jazz then and swing and then of course rock and roll came along but the BBC was not playing that kind of music. You had to tune in to Radio Luxembourg or there were pirate radio stations where you could hear that kind of thing. Sometimes you’d get records smuggled over from the states. In general, we in the UK were listening to American music. We had some good performers but we wanted to hear American music because that was the real thing. What happened eventually in the 60’s, all the American music which was really a one way traffic coming from America to the UK, suddenly turned around and was coming from the UK to America. It was still basically American music which we had in some way digested. When I say we, I’m talking about The Beatles, Rolling Stones and all the groups… we had digested this American music and as it got into our system we somehow touched it with our Englishness and made it sound a little bit different. I think that’s what attracted Americans when they heard it.”
Ray Shasho: I think Lonnie Donegan also gave the Brits a taste of things to come, perhaps a precursor to Beatles music.
Petula Clark: “Yes, with the Skiffle music. Lonnie, who I knew, he was basically copying American music. But The Beatles put something else into it. They put music into it. And of course eventually with George Martin it became something very special and orchestral. Many acts were using an orchestra in a very interesting way. If you want to talk about the English side of it … that’s where we were coming from, taking the kind of music that we had grown up with and putting out our own personal feeling into it.”
Ray Shasho: The collaboration between you and Tony Hatch which produced a seemingly endless string of Top 40 hits throughout the 60’s was extraordinary.
Petula Clark: “It was interesting stuff too because it’s musically well constructed. The problem that I have basically with rock and roll when it first happened is that it sounded a bit basic to me. I had grown up with Swing and listened to Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. I was used to hearing great harmonies and for me rock and roll was a bit flat, I understood the beat but I wanted to hear some music in there too.”
Ray Shasho: Well after saying that … I believe you also represented the women of the British Invasion.
Petula Clark: “I suppose so and do know what you mean of course. There was this sudden invasion by all the British groups and I kind of got sucked into it in a very pleasant way. (All laughing) And let’s face it there was Dusty Springfield too, she was the best, and then there was Lulu and a few others. I really was fortunate because I had Tony Hatch writing great songs for me. Really what matters is having the right songs to sing.”
Ray Shasho: “Petula, is it true that Tony initially wanted The Drifters to sing “Downtown”?
Petula Clark: “You know I don’t know if that’s absolutely true, I know Tony very well, in fact I saw him the other day. We’ve talked about that and I’m not even sure if that story is really true. It might be… but I honestly don’t know.”
Ray Shasho: Well that’s why I get to substantiate these stories directly with the actual artist. (All laughing) I also read that Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) was a session player and contributed in the studio on the “Downtown” recording.
Petula Clark: Oh yea, we had great musicians on all those London sessions, they were the cream of the crop, and Jimmy was just one of those great musicians. At the time we didn’t know he was going to be Jimmy Page. (All laughing) It’s funny, I saw him recently at a party at the Royal Academy of Arts, it’s everybody who is anybody in British show business is there. I was just strolling through there and this guy was leaning against some painting and he said … “Hi Petula do you remember me?” I looked at him and saw this good looking guy with silver hair and I said …I think so. He said of course, I’m Jimmy … Jimmy Page, I used to play on many of your sessions.”
Ray Shasho: Petula, I must ask you about the controversy regarding holding singer Harry Belafonte’s arm in 1968.
Petula Clark: “Oh please … this story just keeps coming back. I saw Harry very recently, we were in Dublin doing a thing for Amnesty International and the story has kept us very close. It was my first special for NBC and it was very important. They had asked me who I would like as my guest and I had always admired Harry, I had mentioned his name, they asked him and he said yes. Obviously I was delighted. We rehearsed for about two or three weeks and really got along well. We liked each other, had fun, and had the same feelings about a lot of different things. The song that we decided to do as a duet was a song that I had co-written called “On the Path of Glory” a kind of anti-war song. Let’s face it, I wasn’t Bob Dylan going around waving banners and things … but I am anti-war of course.”

“So anyway we liked singing the song together and when we came to tape it I put my hand on his arm. What happened was the guy that was representing the sponsor went crazy of course, saying, “I’m not going to have my star touching a black man’s arm” … and we didn’t know about this because we were in the studio. We didn’t hear all this. So the producer Steve Binder (Produced Elvis: The ‘68 Comeback Special) who is absolutely great said okay we’ll try something a little bit different. We then tried it where we were not actually standing together using special effects. But later my husband and I decided that we were going to use the take with me standing next to Harry. So we had to get rid of the other take, which is what we did. I couldn’t figure out what this was all about … my piano player and choreographer were black. For me it was what we call a storm in a teacup. At that moment it was very important. It made the news and I was very surprised that it got out.”
Ray Shasho: I’ve always admired you, not only for your incredible success of Top 40 hits, but also for the legendary singers and actors you’ve befriended and performed with. I’ve always enjoyed the duets you did with Dean Martin.
Petula Clark: “I’m not really nostalgic and sit around saying, yea, those were the good old days. But performing with Dean was such fun. We laughed all the time. It was the easiest thing in the world because he never rehearsed. Everybody else had to rehearse so that they knew what was going on, but he never really knew what was going on, which was part of the charm. He always looked like he was a bit dazed, which in fact he was because he actually didn’t know what was happening next. After I had done the show, which was about three times, they realized that I was a very fast learner and that Dean liked working with me. I used to come in just the day before and they would make all my clothes for me, I didn’t need fittings because they knew what I liked to wear. They didn’t have to work on the music because they knew my voice and so I would just slip into the show. It was just fun.”
Ray Shasho: I always admired Dean Martin’s cool and laid-back persona.
Petula Clark: “I think he was very talented. People sometimes thought that he wasn’t Sinatra or Jerry Lewis … but he had a very special talent, there was nobody quite like Dean. I’ve watched and worked with him often enough to see the skill of what he did. That sort of casual thing he did is not as easy as people think it is.”
Ray Shasho: Petula your latest album entitled … Lost in You is an absolute masterpiece and I gave it (5) stars. If I could give it more stars … I would. You are truly an amazing woman, you not only look as beautiful as ever, but you continue to sing as beautiful as ever.
Petula Clark: “Thank you! It was so easy to make this album. We made this in a tiny studio. It didn’t even look like a studio but almost sort of like a garden house. I think on a couple of tracks you could actually hear the birds in the garden because my vocal microphone was in front of a window. I could actually see flowers and birds and the cat chasing whatever he was chasing. It was only the engineer, John, and myself in that tiny studio. We didn’t go to Abbey Road or anything like that and frankly if you’ve got the right songs, the right engineer, and you’re feeling good… that’s all you need really. We had a little moment where John suggested that we do “Downtown” and I said no way. Then I had to go to Paris for a few days and when I returned he sat me down in the studio, pressed a button and said just listen to this. I said that’s really nice what is it? He said that’s “Downtown.” I said are you sure? He said just try singing it. And it was just like singing a new song. I don’t know if it quite works but it was interesting for me to do it.”
Ray Shasho: It was difficult to single out my favorite tracks on the album because they were all equally great. But if I had to name a few favorites … loved “Cut Copy Me”… “Next to You,” and your artistic and awe- inspiring rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” which cleverly embraces Strawberry Fields-like overtones.
Petula Clark: “Well, I liked John and he was very sweet to me. When we were choosing songs for an album like this we said we should do some covers. One of them was “Downtown,” “Love Me Tender” because I met Elvis a few times and then John Williams the producer said how about a Beatles song? I said yes but there were so many to choose from. We tried “Blackbird” but I didn’t think it worked for me. I was very close to doing “Long and Winding Road” and then I thought, no, it’s got to be John. So “Imagine” is my tribute to him and it was my idea to do the Strawberry Fields bit.”
Ray Shasho: I think besides John’s original version of “Imagine,” I have to say that I enjoyed your cover version of the song better than any previous covers that I’ve heard.
Petula Clark: “Oh thank you! I loved singing it. I have sung it before but never recorded it before. But we’ve got it down now.”
Ray Shasho: “You penned the lyrics on “Reflections” a beautiful and heartfelt composition about how music became your life since a child in Wales. Talk about the song.
Petula Clark: “I wrote the lyrics and the guy who wrote the music is Johann Sebastian Bach. (All laughing) So I didn’t write the music. This was John Williams’s idea, he said why don’t we take a piece of classical music and put lyric to it. So he played me this piece by Bach and I thought, that’s beautiful, but who’s going to write the lyrics to that? He said well you are. I said oh really, well give me an idea. So he said make it very personal and so I did.”
Ray Shasho: I watched a collaboration you did with Irish rockers ‘The Saw Doctors’ on You Tube singing “Downtown.”
Petula Clark: “That was just having fun. I actually did my bit in Paris. I was doing a concert in Paris and wasn’t able to be with the guys.”
Ray Shasho: You also collaborated with French/Armenian singer Charles Aznavour recently?
Petula Clark: “I did a French album just before I did the English one. We were going to do a duet and I went along to his office, I know him quite well, and just as I was leaving he gave me this piece of paper with some lyrics and said write some music to this. I don’t take myself very serious as a songwriter but in this case I was writing the music. So I did the music to this Aznavour song which is actually quite pretty.”
Ray Shasho: Petula, here’s a question that I ask everyone that I interview and the responses are always fascinating. If you had a ‘Field of Dreams’ wish like the movie, to play, sing or collaborate with anyone from the past or present, who would that be?
Petula Clark: “Oh dear. It’s difficult to just pin one down because I’ve performed with a lot of great people. I wouldn’t mind performing with Pink Floyd. I did this thing in Dublin and got together with Roger Waters. We had a long chat together. Looking back …Pink Floyd was a great band. I don’t think it will ever happen but I think it would be fun to play with them.”
Ray Shasho: How about upcoming concert dates … I noticed various Australia dates in April and May and then limited engagements in Singapore and Canada?
Petula Clark: “Yes, April and May and I’m going to be doing some French dates too. For the moment that’s sort of it. They wanted me to do another UK tour in the spring next year but I don’t think I’ll be able to do that because I’ve got some French dates coming up. But I’d like to go into the studio again… that would be nice. I’ve talked to John and I’m going to London next week, so I’ll probably have some meetings with him and other people and do some songwriting.”
Ray Shasho: Petula one last question … and I know you should never discuss age with a woman, but you turned 81 last November. You look stunning and frankly sound better than ever. Do you have any secrets to share?
Petula Clark: “No secrets … I don’t do anything. Seriously I think I’m just lucky. I don’t think about age to be honest with you. I have no idea how old you are and I don’t care. Either you can do it or you can’t … it’s got not much to do with age frankly.”
Ray Shasho: Petula it’s been a real pleasure … thank you so much for being on the call today, but more importantly for all the incredible music you’ve given us and continue to bring.
Petula Clark: “Thank you very much Ray, I enjoyed it.”

Very special thanks to Claude Wolff
Petula Clark’s incredible new album Lost In You is available at amazon.com
Petula Clark official website
Petula Clark concert dates
Petula Clark on Facebook
Petula Clark on Twitter
Petula Clark on Myspace
Teenage Cancer Trust
Operation Music Aid

Coming up NEXT … My interview with Michael Pinder original keyboardist and founder of The Moody Blues

Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com


Purchase Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business … You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST .99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com - Please support Ray by purchasing his book so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music reporting.

“Check the Gs is just a really cool story ... and it’s real. I’d like to see the kid on the front cover telling his story in a motion picture, TV sitcom or animated series. The characters in the story definitely jump out of the book and come to life. Very funny and scary moments throughout the story and I just love the way Ray timeline’s historical events during his lifetime. Ray’s love of rock music was evident throughout the book and it generates extra enthusiasm when I read his on-line classic rock music column on examiner.com. It’s a wonderful read for everyone!” …stillerb47@gmail.com

© Copyright rayshasho.com. All Rights Reserved

Geoff Downes Interview: YES /ASIA Keyboardist Diligently Creates Without Musical Boundaries

 By Ray Shasho

Virtuoso keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Geoff Downes has been legitimizing the art of great music since the inception of The Buggles with Trevor Horn in 1977. Downes symphonic savvy has allowed him to venture into multiple musical genres while perpetuating Prog- Rock prominence as the illustrious keyboardist for supergroups YES and Asia. Geoff Downes is undeniably one of the hardest working musicians in the business. Downes is currently in the studio recording a new YES album while awaiting the release of a brand new Asia album entitled Gravitas, targeted for an April release.

Then there’s his remastered New Dance Orchestra –Electronica release which epitomizes the type of Pop music that should be played on mainstream radio stations these days. The vocals are superlatively performed by Anne- Marie Helder (Panic Room) and every track on the album is exceptionally strong. His collaboration with Helder clearly demonstrates Downes ingenuity for musical diversity. I gave New Dance Orchestra –Electronica by Geoff Downes (5) Stars!

 In 2012 …Downes shared his musical foresight with singer, songwriter and producer Chris Braide (Producers w/Trevor Horn). The collaboration entitled DBA (Downes Braide Association) spawned the critically-acclaimed release Pictures of You. Braide has written and produced for Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera to name just a few.

Geoff Downes with YES will be performing …The YES Album (1971), Close To The Edge (1972), and Going For The One (1977) in its entirety as the band embarks on a Canadian tour beginning in March. The current YES lineup is … Geoff Downes (keyboards), Chris Squire (bass, vocals), Steve Howe (guitars), Alan White (drums) and Jon Davison (lead vocals).

YES will also set sail from Miami, Florida on April 7th with Cruise to the Edge. The ship will visit Isla de Roatan, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico. Some of the incredible Prog-Rockers scheduled to perform on the ship include … YES, Marillion, Steve Hackett -Genesis Revisited, UK, Queensrÿche, Tangerine Dream, Renaissance, Patrick Moraz, Stick Men (featuring Tony Levin), The Strawbs and many-many more. For cruise information visit http://cruisetotheedge.com/

Geoff Downes with Asia will begin touring in June for a couple of dates in the UK followed by a Japanese tour. The current Asia lineup is … Geoff Downes (keyboards, vocals), John Wetton (lead vocals and bass), Carl Palmer (drums, percussion) and Sam Coulson (guitars).

I had the great pleasure of talking with Geoff Downes last week while he took a timeout from recording in the studio for the new YES album. We chatted about his most recent studio albums … New Dance Orchestra –Electronica, DBA -Pictures of You, brand new YES and Asia releases, the inception of The Buggles classic Top 40 hit “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the current state of the music industry and so much more.
Here’s my recent interview with virtuoso keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, longtime member of YES, co-founder of Asia and The Buggles … GEOFF DOWNES.
Ray Shasho: Geoff, thank you for being on the call today, how are you doing man?
Geoff Downes: “I’m good Ray, how are you?”
Ray Shasho: I’m doing fine thank you, are you in LA?
Geoff Downes: “I am, yea, in sunny Cal.”
Ray Shasho: Your most recent solo releases are …New Dance Orchestra -Electronica (2010) featuring you and Anne-Marie Helder (Panic Room). You also released DBA (Downes Braide Association) Pictures of You (2012) with Chris Braide (Producers, Squeeze).
Geoff Downes: “We remastered New Dance Orchestra -Electronica and it was given a full release recently. I’m looking forward to seeing the response from it.”
Ray Shasho: You performed most of the music on Electronica?
Geoff Downes: “That’s all basically me and an approximation of an orchestra using technology. Ann- Marie is a fantastic vocalist. She’s been voted Prog Magazine’s ‘Best Female Vocalist of the Year’ for two years in a row. I first met her when I was doing a project with John Wetton called Icon and she performed on a couple of songs on that. When I had the opportunity to put together that album, I chose her because I knew she would be able to do justice on all the songs.”
Ray Shasho: I’ve always enjoyed the progressive side of Geoff Downes being with Asia and of course YES. But I also enjoy the Pop Music side of Geoff Downes with The Buggles.
Geoff Downes: “The style of playing and style of production from those two albums… Electronica and DBA are very much a Buggles style and very much part of me from the early days. That’s what we really started out doing, me and Trevor Horn, creating songs from technology using synthesizers, so it’s really an extension of that in many ways. The very interesting thing is that Prog music is great and a lot of our roots are in that music, but I wanted to have a diversion and be able to try something different, and I think that was the whole thinking behind those albums, obviously to do something that was not sort of Prog in its direction, but something that was more similar to Pop music.”
Ray Shasho: One of my favorite tracks from New Dance Orchestra -Electronica is “Shine On.”
Geoff Downes: I particularly like “Shine On.” It has elements of the early 80’s Pop but at the same time we tried and break new ground as well.”
Ray Shasho: “Many of the tracks on both albums should be played on mainstream radio. Sadly commercial radio doesn’t seem to care about spotlighting talented musicians and songwriters these days.
Geoff Downes: “It’s all kind of a karaoke. It’s a shame that Pop Music hasn’t got the elements that it had back in the 70’s and 80’s with some fantastic songs being written … I don’t think that’s the case anymore.”
Ray Shasho: Isn’t there anything we can do to try and change mainstream music?
Geoff Downes: “(Laughing) I don’t know. People are now only interested in the vocalist rather than the band. When you think of bands like The Eagles and Abba, they were mainstream Pop and writing fantastic songs while out performing themselves; somehow we’ve seemed to lost that element in the music today.”
Ray Shasho: Mainstream music nowadays has become mostly visual and choreographed.
Geoff Downes: “Video Killed the Radio Star” actually did make that prediction and in many ways that’s what has happened.”
Ray Shasho: I was actually on Top 40 radio when “Video Killed the Radio Star” first hit the airwaves in 1979. Our playlist included an eclectic mix of new music from Blondie to Zeppelin. I also remember playing a very catchy techno tune entitled “Pop Muzik” by a group called M.
Geoff Downes: “Yea, that was about the same time as “Video Killed the Radio Star.” And of course you had all the stuff like Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet which came out around that time as well. So it was a very-very exciting time for music. When you think about the songs that were written in that period, they are the same songs you still hear walking down a shopping mall today. I’m not sure you’ll hear the stuff that’s done recently in 10, 20, 30 years time.”
Ray Shasho: Maybe one solution in bringing back good music to mainstream radio is to bring back payola.
(All laughing)
Geoff Downes: “Yea exactly, at least you’d have a chance.”
Ray Shasho: My favorite track on DBA Pictures of You is definitely… “Ride the Waves.”
Geoff Downes: “I think that was a very interesting collaboration, Chris has had an amazing career. He’s written songs for Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. He’s got a phenomenal pedigree in working with the X factor people and that kind of thing. His real roots were very much in Pop Music, I remember him saying that the first album he bought was The Buggles The Age of Plastic on vinyl and after that we really struck an accord together. We’ve worked together at different times and developed certain chemistry, so he said I’d really like to do an album with you. So when I was in Europe a couple of years ago we started working on it. It became very natural and it came together very quickly. We were just taking about doing a second album as well, so it should be exciting times.”
Ray Shasho: Geoff, I’d like to chat a little bit about YES. The most recent YES album is entitled Fly from Here… released in 2011 and produced by Trevor Horn.
Geoff Downes: “That’s right and we’re working at the moment on another one. The new album should be released around the summer or just afterwards depending on when the sessions are completed. We started a few weeks ago with producer Roy Thomas Baker who did all the Queen stuff; he’s worked with Aerosmith and all kinds of people. So he’s producing the album. Then we’re off on tour in a couple of month’s time and touring extensively till the end of the year. We start in Canada in the middle of March and that takes us to ‘Cruise to the Edge’ in April which is the second time we’ll be sailing out of Florida again on a Prog Rock cruise, which is pretty interesting. It’s really a dream ticket for any Prog fan because all the ingredients for those early bands like King Crimson, ELP, Genesis, YES … are all there on one boat.”
Ray Shasho: The cruise is going to be incredible! I’ve interviewed a lot of artists that will be performing on the ship including … Steve Hackett (Genesis), Annie Haslam (Renaissance), Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson) and of course Chris Squire and yourself from YES. And it’ll be interesting to have former keyboardist Patrick Moraz (YES, The Moody Blues) there as well.
Geoff Downes: “It’s going to be fun! At the end of the day we’ve all bumped into each other at some stage or another throughout the years. To have everyone in one place is a fantastic thing for fans of all that era and they get to see what everybody is doing now.”
Ray Shasho: I chatted with original and longtime YES lead vocalist Jon Anderson back in August of 2011. Do you ever chat with Jon?
Geoff Downes: “No, I’ve never really had the opportunity to do anything with Jon because any time I’ve been in the band he’s not been in it. I don’t think there’s any acrimony or anything like that …it’s what it is and YES is still ongoing. Jon has a fantastic legacy and is a brilliant artist in his own right.”
Ray Shasho: Vocalist Benoit David was replaced with Jon Davison because of a respiratory illness?
Geoff Downes: “He was having a lot of difficulty with his voice. He wasn’t giving what we thought he should be giving in terms of his performance because his voice wasn’t treating him very well. We had to move on because we had a lot planned.”
Ray Shasho: The other legendary band that you are a member of is of course Asia. Not only will there be a new YES album coming out in 2014, but there will also be a new studio album entitled Gravitas from Asia released this year?
Geoff Downes: “That will be coming out at the end of April. It’s a very-very strong record .It’s a lot more rock than some of the other albums but has all the Asia hallmarks and we’re very pleased with it. We’ve got a few dates coming up in June in the UK and then a Japanese tour.”
Ray Shasho: This will also be the first Asia album featuring new guitarist Sam Coulson who replaces the retiring Steve Howe?
Geoff Downes: “Sam does some great stuff on there. I think it was too much for Steve because he’s got his own separate career as well. He’s also got his three piece band that he does. I think it was too much for him to be doing that band at the same time.”
Ray Shasho: No U.S. dates yet for Asia?
Geoff Downes: “Not yet, I think it’s going to be more like September or October to do some shows across America.”
Ray Shasho: What was the thought process behind the making of “Video Killed the Radio Star” by your first commercially successful group … The Buggles?
Geoff Downes: “Trevor wrote the lyrics. It was inspired by a short story called The Sound-Sweep by writer J.G Ballard. It was all about this boy going around recording studios and sweeping up the sound. That was really what inspired the original lyric … finding a band in the studios and technology playing a big part in people’s lives. “Video Killed the Radio Star” was more of an idea from the title and not a great statement or anything like that. The song is more to do with technology change and the people’s opinions of art. The fascination of when the old guy on the radio didn’t have a job anymore because television had taken over. That could relate to things like when the talkies came out and the silent film stars suddenly became unemployed because their voices weren’t suited to the screen.”
Ray Shasho: Geoff, I didn’t think you were that old where you could remember silent film stars?
(All laughing)
Geoff Downes: “No, I’m not that old yet, I’ve still got a few more albums to go.”
Ray Shasho: I chatted with Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) last year and I wanted to applause all your efforts on the ‘Rock Aid Armenia project.’
Geoff Downes: “Ian did a really great job. I was happy to be invited to that. We’ve managed to do what we set out to do and build a new music school on the site of the earthquake …so eventually it did happen.”
Ray Shasho: I wouldn’t worry too much about the bands snub from The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I’m gambling YES gets in next year … that’s usually the pattern, supposedly adding drama.
Geoff Downes: “Prog Music has not been well represented to be honest and hopefully that’s going to change soon.”
Ray Shasho: YES, Jethro Tull, ELP, Deep Purple, King Crimson, The Moody Blues … all bands that should have been inducted years ago.
Geoff Downes: “Those are bands that really laid the foundation for a lot of other bands. Bands like Rush got a lot of their influences from British Prog music …but we’ll see what happens.”
Ray Shasho: Geoff, here’s a question that I ask everyone that I interview. If you had a ‘Field of Dreams’ wish like the movie, to play, sing or collaborate with anyone from the past or present, who would that be?
Geoff Downes: “I would have to say Sting.”
Ray Shasho: Geoff, thank you so much for being on the call today … but more importantly for all the great music you’ve given us and continue to bring.
Geoff Downes: “Thank you Ray … cheers boy!”

Very special thanks to Ellie Schwartz
Purchase New Dance Orchestra –Electronica on amazon.com
Purchase Pictures of You -DBA by Geoff Downes and Chris Braide on amazon.com
Pre-order Gravitas the brand new Asia album on amazon.com
Geoff Downes official website
Geoff Downes on Facebook
Geoff Downes on Twitter
YES official website
YES on Facebook
YES on Twitter
Asia official website
Asia on Facebook
Asia on Twitter

Coming up NEXT … My interview with the incomparable PETULA CLARK

Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com
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