In the second part of this interview with Alan Parsons there's more of the stories behind the hits of the Alan Parsons Project as well as more about his work as a record producer. He is of course famous for working with The Beatles but did you know he also produced hits for Steve Harley and Pilot? If you missed Part 1 it's here.
This is Part 1 of a chat with Alan Parsons of the Alan Parsons Project. He tells how he went from being a recording engineer to leading his own band, whilst at the same time not touring or having his photo taken very much. He recalls his ground-breaking work with Pink Floyd and why he argued with Al Stewart. Make sure you hear Part 2!
Few artists have had as many different names as the late Alvin Stardust. He adopted his most famous moniker when he became a "glam-rocker", though his work as a singer goes much further back in time. He talks about the various names of his career and has an amazing story about an incredible autograph collection he amassed on a guitar his mother gave him.
In 2012 Australian music fans mourned the loss of Darryl Cotton. He first came to attention as singer of the Zoot which also featured Rick Springfield and Beeb Birtles of the Little River Band. Darryl has a great yarn about how an Australian Rock Icon gave Zoot their name, talks about the hit he wrote for Mississippi and reveals the story behind "Same Old Girl".
Bands don't come much bigger than Fleetwood Mac. Co-founder Mick Fleetwood always has plenty of hit stories and did you know that he played on a huge Warren Zevon hit? What about Mick Fleetwood's acting role as an alien? "Rhiannon", "The Chain" and "Tusk" are a few of the hits discussed in this chat from 2003 as the Mac toured for the "Say You Will" album.
Two of the biggest Canadian bands of the 70's were The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive and Randy Bachman was behind both. He reveals what changed his life and led him to make rock'n'roll his life's work. He recalls confronting the British band The Who and how he didn't want to release one of his biggest hits for fear of embarrassing his brother.
For Australian teenagers in the mid-70's the band Skyhooks were a revelation! Skyhook's bassist Greg Macainsh was the band's major songwriter and with Ian Keenan he discusses the huge relevance of the band. Produced by Ross Wilson and championed by the TV show Countdown Skyhooks generated an impressive catalogue of hits, some funny stories and great memories.
Doc Neeson's vocals combined with the guitars of John and Rick Brewster gave The Angels band it's distinctive sound. The brother's tell how they came up with the Australian band's sound and talk about some of the crazy shows they've played. They're often asked about their song "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" and that's one of the hit stories you'll hear.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Rascals made a major contribution to music in the 60's. Their singing/songwriting team of Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati came up with gems such as "Groovin'", "How Can I Be Sure", "People Got To Be Free" and who could ever forget their version of the rock'n'roll classic "Good Lovin'"!
The Rolling Stones are often referred to as "the world's greatest rock'n'roll band" and Bill Wyman was there from the start until the early 90's so he knows plenty of secrets. He talks about the credit he WASN'T GIVEN, the story behind his big solo hit "Je Suis Un Rock Star" as well as the band that's been Bill Wyman's passion of late.
