Paul June 8, 2012
Davey, I’m just back from seeing you and himself rock Belfast! WOW!! What a night!!
I’m not sure you may remember me, but at the stage rush I was the guy with the long blonde hair and glasses standing just in front of you wearing the retro Watford shirt. You gave me your pick after the solo on I’m Still Standing…I know the last thing it did its life is one of my all time favourite solo’s. Thanks so much for the kind gesture.
Grey Seal and Mona Lisa’s And Mad Hatters were the highlights, for me anyway. Can you pass on to Elton and the rest of the boys and girls in the band of all our appreciation of how wonderful they all were last night and hurry on back to Ireland ASAP!!
Davey June 8, 2012
You’re welcome – yes, I remember you. I’ll tell the band.
I thought the crowd were quieter than usual – Belfast is usually raging! Maybe just my imagination….
Paul June 11, 2012
Davey, I’m still feeling the buzz from Belfast!! Here’s one of the many pics I took at the show:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2878798827358&l=10210deeeb
As you know, Nigel signs all his drum skins with the location and date of every show he plays. I was just wondering what happens to them when he finishes a show? One would look good on my wall…
Davey June 13, 2012
Good shot – usually they go to charity, especially if the whole band signs them. At the Jubilee show, I was the ‘artist’ – it’s good to have memories like that…..who knows? Maybe he’ll wallpaper his very clean garage with a zillion signed drum heads….might look cool.
Paul June 13, 2012
Davey, my good friend Silvia from Italy asked you earlier about the time you did Have Mercy On The Criminal on tour in 2002. In case anyone doesn’t know, on that tour American Triangle segued straight into Have Mercy. That moment when the death knell piano note at the end of AT suddenly sped up and started that wonderful intro by yourself on guitar will always stick in my mind. One of the all time spine tingling moments at an Elton concert, for me anyway.
Can you tell us what was the thinking behind the welding of the two songs together, especially with their (not unrelated) emotive subject matter.
Davey June 13, 2012
That idea came to me purely from a musical/dramatic perspective, as AT ends on ( one of the saddest of all keys ) C minor, and Mercy STARTS on C minor, and it seemed like a good idea….I remember us doing it in either Verona or Nimes ( some beautiful outdoor venue) and, yeah, my spine also tingled!
Paul June 14, 2012
Davey, I was very lucky see you perform that combination in Killarney in 2002. Thanks for the information. You used a guitar with a reverse headstock on both songs that night, if memory serves. Can you tell us what the guitar was and how it differs in sound with a normal headstock model.
Davey June 15, 2012
Hmmm, can’t remember – may have been one of my old Jacksons or even the John Jorgenson signature Strat he gave me which has a reverse headstock and is gold and black?
There’s not much difference in sound quality re the headstock of an instrument – it’s usually the body mass, or lack thereof, or more usually the pickups – single coils, hum buckers, soap bars etc that make the real difference.
Paul June 16, 2012
Davey, the lights show on this tour is amazing. I’ll not ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen the shows yet, but the lights on Rocket Man were stunning. Simple yet breathtaking. It’s a pity of lot of the shows in the UK this year had early kick offs in daylight…not sure they get the full benefit of the display unless you’re indoors like I was. Anyway, thanks again for the great show in Belfast, highlight of the year as always for me…I need something to cling to after Ireland’s disaster in Euro 2012!!
Davey June 16, 2012
I’ll be sure to tell Stick, our lighting director.
Yes, I can’t see Spain being beaten – although haven’t watched Germany yet, and Croatia are always interesting….hey, you guys did a LOT better than Scotland!!
Paul June 16, 2012
Davey, we’re all agreed on Gus Dudgeon’s mastery at production. I remember seeing an interview with Elton some years ago saying how good an editor he was. Can you expand on that aspect of his contribution please, especially in respect to leaving out certain songs off albums and the determining of running orders on albums etc.
Davey June 16, 2012
The courage to suggest to an artist that maybe this or that part of a song could be better is one of the main themes here – artists can be extremely defensive and downright pissy if someone dares to make those types of inroads….Gus was a master, and not being a musician himself was probably a good thing – just my opinion.
The enthusiasm and excitement necessary to get the atmosphere ‘happening’ is the other wonderful thing about Gus – and these gifts I mention are totally separate from his technical ability, which was phenomenal – he inspired trust, and that’s the thing that really makes it all work. I still get a shiver when Your sister can’t twist goes into Saturday Night on the GBYBR album….
Paul June 17, 2012
Davey, that’s interesting what you say about Gus not being a musician. Do you think having that disconnect from you guys on that level and maybe hearing things more from a listener point of view put him in a unique position in the production world? Seeing things from the other side of the fence, so to speak.
Davey June 17, 2012
Absolutely, and being such a music fan didn’t hurt.
Paul June 21, 2012
Davey, I was listening to the Wembley ’75 show the other night. Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter contributed some great pedal steel on the Captain Fantastic songs, a sound that was in perfect keeping with the songs. I remember reading ages ago that Elton wanted him to join the band at that time. How do you think he would have fitted into the lineup had he joined you guys at that time?
Davey June 21, 2012
Skunk is a dear friend, but it would not have worked in the long run, because me & Caleb were the tapestry section! It was only a one time deal. But Jeff Baxter is a wonderful player and very interesting character.
Paul June 21, 2012
Davey, I loved Hello, Hello from the Gnomeo and Juliet soundtrack. It was a real throwback to the Crocodile Rock, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart style single. That’s the great thing about Elton, in my opinion, is that he can mix it up in terms of the pop stuff and then the more serious stuff. With such consummate ease. I’m not sure why it wan’t released as a single…I’m not mad about Lady Gaga to be honest, but the duet version may have made more of an impact, certainly on the radio if nothing else.
DaveyJune 21, 2012
There’s so many gems in the can from all the weird projects we’ve tackled over the years – there was a brilliant demo we did for the South Park movie – unfortunately, when the producer got hold of it, he missed ALL the good bits! I wonder if someone still has a copy of that? Probably our friend, guru and archivist Adrian Collee…..it’s always surprising to me when someone completely misses the boat….
Paul June 23, 2012
Davey, can you tell us just how bad the studio in Jamaica was that you intended to record GYBR in?!
Davey June 23, 2012
We sensed there may be some limitations when the head engineer yelled to his assistant, "Carlton, get de macropone"
Paul June 24, 2012
Davey, I have visions of egg trays on the walls…on a more serious note regarding that escapade.
I remember reading that as a result of that brief spell in Jamaica, Trident Studios had to be paid for Ken Scott’s time over there (because he was staff at Trident and he had no control over payment issues etc), Elton’s manager at the time decreed that he was too expensive and subsequently never worked with Elton again. Can you give us an insight into Ken’s contribution to the albums you worked on with him.
DaveyJ une 25, 2012
How do you guys find this stuff out? Classic!
Last time I saw Ken was around 5 years ago – he made some great records back in the day… I remember when we were doing "Don’t shoot me.." Ken was also working on Ziggy Stardust – Bowie and us would be ‘fighting’ over studio time at Trident. It was like a doctor’s waiting room – we would be doing a mix and David would keep coming in saying, "Aren’t you done yet?"
Ken is a great engineer and turned us on to vary speed double tracking, which is featured on "Elderberry Wine" – we used it later on Better off dead and also Bitter Fingers – cool sound, like the piano is on the verge of being out of tune….
Don’t ask me about politics – I was too busy dreaming up guitar parts!
Paul June 29, 2012
Davey, forgive me if someone has posted this already, it’s hard to keep up with all the questions you’ve answered this year!!
http://imaginelovingart.com/portfolio.html
That looks fantastic!! What’s the story behind the creation of it?
Davey July 1, 2012
My brilliant tech, Rick Salazar asked his girlfriend Tracy to customize one of my mandolins. Since we use it on Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Rick asked Tracy to paint an image on the mandolin to represent themes in the song. She did an amazing job, and I use that instrument on our MDP show in Vegas.
Also, her work is even more remarkable because this is quite a small instrument, so she did not have a large area to work with. We call the instrument Mandolisa.
Paul July 6, 2012
Davey, I was just watching Queen in Kiev on the Youtube. I don’t know whether you caught any of their performance on the night when you were there, but I have to say Adam Lambert sounded pretty good with them. I’d never heard of him before this, but he seems to have a good stage presence about him, which is half the battle of being a great front man. Apart from being able to sing of course…
Davey July 6, 2012
Adam has a wonderful voice, he reminds me of Ken Stacey who used to work with us, and sang back- up for MJ before he passed on….poor Adam has some bib boots to fill, but maybe, if Queen write some new songs, Adam’s contribution will become more evident – he needs some songs that can belong to HIM, not just the late, great Freddie M……
Paul July 12, 2012
Davey, I was listening on the radio the other night to a doc about the making of Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here. Just the opening the part of Shine On You Crazy Diamond had so much work put into it in technical terms, that I’d be here all day retelling it!!
Is there any Elton track that was so time consuming in terms of putting so many effects on it that you were nearly at your wits end by the end of it?
Davey July 13, 2012
Not really – when you are in the middle of a creative drive, the energy carries you through.
Although, we did spend a full day doing background vocals for "Harmony" on the
Yellow Brick Road album.
For me, the most frustrating stuff is when you have studio breakdowns and you end up sitting around going nuts…..
Paul July 14, 2012
Davey, Elton is on record saying that he never thought Bennie And The Jets would be a hit and we all know how that ended up!
Has there been any similar incidents with yourself over the years, where a song became a hit that you never thought had ‘hit’ written all over it, if you know what I mean. And are there any songs that didn’t become hits that you thought were nailed on certainties?
Davey July 15, 2012
You never, ever really know what is going to capture the public’s imagination. When the Queen guys played me Bohemian Rhapsody and told me it was going to be a single, I told them I LOVED it, but was way too long to be a hit single! What a dork!
Also, when a record company executive hears a song for the first time, they hear something entirely different…..although, if ANYBODY could say for certain what was going to be a hit, and what wasn’t, it would take all the mystique out of it……I must admit though, the first time I heard Let Love Rule by Lenny K, I not only was convinced it was going to be huge, I felt strongly that there was an aura around him that was going to make him a star…..with EJ stuff, I haven’t a clue, but I adore the P’NAU tracks and would love to see it doing well.
Paul July 17, 2012
Davey, I’m sure you’ll agree the Ovation Adamas has a beautiful sound to it. One instance I remember in particular is you using it doing Harmony live around 2003. A lovely strong twang to it. Can you tell us what they are like to play and any notable appearances they’ve made on Elton recordings over the years.
Davey July 18, 2012
Blues for Baby and me, Step into Christmas, too low for Zero
Paul September 7, 2012
Davey, the terrible news of Bob knocked me for six, I’m still in shock to be honest. I’m sure you know how much all you folks in the band mean to me and every other fan. You’ve been top class letting us into your world since the start of the year, so we all share your pain. I can’t begin to imagine what you wonderful people have been through in the last few weeks. Needless to say, Bob left us some wonderful memories. I’m sure you’ve been inundated with messages etc, but I just wanted to share with you and everyone else here something I wrote a few weeks ago. Just something from an ordinairy fan about the tremendous impact he had on me and many, many others in the Etlon world.
Best wishes to yourself and everyone else in the touring party.
Davey September 8, 2012
Thank you, take care and God bless you…
Paul September 12, 2012
Davey, I’ll not dwell on the sadness but on the joy of Bob’s legacy. The baton has been taken up by Matt, someone who can use his personal knowledge of Bob to keep him alive onstage.
By the time you’ve read this, the first show will have come and gone. Can you give as insight into Matt’s musical persona and what we can expect from him in the upcoming shows.
Davey September 13, 2012
Matt Bissonette is just a brilliant musician and person, which is why I hired him…
His brother Gregg is the drummer’s drummer who currently plays drums for Ringo – that should give you an indication of how amazing HE is! I think Ringo would forgive me when I say Gregg plays Ringo better than Ringo!
We will all be learning to play together and develop in another direction – so far it’s a wonderful trip, so I expect it’s going to get even more amazing.
Paul September 14, 2012
Davey, that’s certainly some recomendation! I see Matt is using a Stingray at the shows just like the one Bob used. Nice touch, that.
Davey September 14, 2012
It was Matt who suggested he use the same guitar and Bob’s bass rig in order to create a more ‘seamless’ transition for the band and our sound man. You gotta love this guy…
Paul September 15, 2012
Davey, I know Leather Jackets gets a poor going over from some Eltonites (not from me!). As far as I am concerned it has some great tracks, the title song and Heartache All Over The World (the 12” remix is outrageous!!) are as good as anything on any 80′s Elton album. But I have to say Gypsy Heart in particular is on my list of all time great Elton songs. The uplifting chorus gives the song it’s hook. Plus I love the guitar sound on it too!!
Davey September 15, 2012
Holy Shit! You really know our stuff…..
I actually had a blast doing Leather Jackets – it was just a difficult period in Elton’s life and perhaps reflected some negativity.
Angelyne really was fun to put together…
Paul September 16, 2012
Davey, I love Angeline too!! With half of Queen on it, how could it be bad!! It’s the only Elton album from that period that hasn’t been remastered. Shame that. Maybe because it’s considered very 80′s in it’s sound(a sound which I like), it’s been sort of sidelined. I still think it stands up today, a great melody or lyric will always shine through in any era, no matter what the sound is.
Davey September 16, 2012
I agree, but now I’m crashing as we’ve just worked 6 days out of 7 and traveled almost every day. And we still have to do one more show before flying to London for….1 show.
This is not easy, and although it’s going so well, there is still a big piece of sadness over Bob. Life can be so hard.
Say another prayer for Michelle & Jonathan Birch – this should never happen to anyone….
Paul September 17, 2012
Davey, I pray every day for them. And for Guy’s family too. You folks have always been there for us in our bad times to try and lighten the load on our minds. It’s now our turn to be there for all of you in the touring party and to try and help you all. And each other. No matter how far away from you we are, we are there in spirit. You can count on our love and support, always.
Davey September 17, 2012
God bless you, thanks.
Paul September 16, 2012
Davey, I was listening the other day to the best Elton tribute ever, the 2003 NAMM concert in Anaheim. To have top artists like Brian Wilson, Ray Charles, Diana Krall and Randy Newman to name but a few honour Elton’s music with you guys in the band backing them must have been some experience and a great thrill. I thought Michael McDoanld’s version of Take Me To The Pilot was brilliant, his voice took the song to a different level.
Davey September 16, 2012
It was a stunning week – also John Mayer, one of the best players around.
I’m grateful that these wonderful artists enjoy working with us
Paul December 30, 2012
Davey, happy new year!! Both myself and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road will be 40 in 2013. One of those anniversaries I will be celebrating, the other will be my birthday…
I was listening recently to a documentary on Blue Mink. Apart from the fact that members of the band played on all the albums recorded at Trident Studios and indeed also on Honky Chateau, they negelcted to mention the fact that they backed Elton (not as Blue Mink though) at your very first show with Elton at The Royal Festival Hall in February 1972 with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Can you tell us any memories from that first show. It’s one of my favourite Elton concerts ever and needs a full dvd release ASAP!! I’m curious also to know why Blue Mink members were chosen to join with you to back Elton for the orchestra part of the show whilst Nigel and Dee had to join the singers for the remainder of the concert. Especially after the 3 of you had already done a set with Elton.
Davey January 5, 2013
Blue Mink were a band made up of the top British studio cats back then : Roger Cooke & Madeleine Bell were in the background section, Ray Cooper was the percussionist, Barry Morgan on Drums, Alan Parker on guitar and Herbie Flowers on bass! All these guys played and sang on EJ albums. I was also a part of the section playing guitar and mandolin.
Dee and Nigel didn’t play on the studio albums (apart from some backgrounds on Where to now St Peter on Tumbleweed)
I was a session player on Madman and then myself, Dee & Nigel did the first EJ band album : Honky Chateau in January 1972, and we decided to debut the album on that show – one half with the Orchestra conducted by Paul Buckmaster, and the other half the band.
It was a slightly strange atmosphere, as Dee & Nigel were kind of upset they weren’t part of the orchestral set.
