Re: Nicky Hopkins : The Ultimate Session Man

[Wu wei]

merci je ne connaissais pas... ce titre est sublime !

[Bloomers]

[Bloomers]

[Bloomers]

Nicky Hopkins interview, 1977 in Argentina



- Did you start playing with Screaming Lord Sutch's Savages?
- My God ... Where did you find out?
- I found out .. He was the same who later sang accompanied by Jimmy Page and John Bonham?
- Yes
- How was the sound of that group?
- Let me remember ... was terrible, a bad group ... was not very good.
- Was the first group named in which you played?
- Yes, I was with them in 1960, then we make an LP, more or less in 1966-7, which was released in '69. Did you hear it?
- I heard the one of the Rolls Royce with the English flag on the roof...
- Yes, that. It was awful.
- How was the music scene in London in '67?
- It's so hard to remember ... At that time the big bands were the Kinks, the Hollies, The Who, Rolling Stones, the Beatles ... That was ten years ago. Things have changed a lot since then.
- Who played with Cyril Davies?
- Find that too...! Cyril was good singing and playing the harmonica. Then also played Mickey Waller on drums, Bernie Watson on guitar, Ricky Brown on bass, John Baldry was the second voice, and me in piano. We make Chicago-style blues.
- After that you played in "My Generation" by The Who?
- Yes, it was one of my first jobs as a sessionist.
- How do you see that record today? In his time was almost a declaration of principles ...
- Yes, absolutely. Everyone felt identified, especially with that song.
- What did you do between "My Generation" and the Jeff Beck Group?
- Well, it was almost four years of sessions with many people, like the Rolling Stones, whom I started in 1967 with "Their Satanic Majesties." Although the first thing I did with them was a single called "We love you"
- How about London?
- I lived in London past eight years, and I could not stand it.
- Are you now living in San Francisco?
- I was there until six months ago. Then I moved to Los Angeles.
- What can you tell me of "Truth" and "Beck Ola"?
- I like "Truth". We did it very quickly, in one or two weeks. We did not have material ready so - how he had to record - we did old things, like Old Man River, Greensleeves and Morning Dew. "Beck Ola" I also liked and did it quickly. I was no longer part of the band, but appeared as a guest musician. Between the two discs we make a tour in the United States and it went very well.
- Then you joined Quicksilver...
- Yes, I was with them about a year. Are here any of Quicksilver’ records?
- Well, it has not been edited, but I heard the first and a live cassette.
- My God ...
- What do you think about white blues boom at that time? John Mayall, Alexis Corner, Yardbirds ... Do you like it?
Yes, I liked it. That no longer exists now. Nobody does this music. Joe and a few people are the only one left. Well, if blues can be seen as what we do. I think it's mostly rhythm & blues and rock'n'roll.
- What do you think of punk-rock?
- I do not know much about that. The little I saw and heard did not like. I watched Televission the U.S.. It's annoying, silly. No musicality. It sucks. I can not stand.
- It seems like a return to roots, but perhaps not to the real roots...
- That's it. It just like if they want to relive the music of the 50s and 60s part without having lived.
- Maybe much of that audience has never heard things like "Truth".
- Of course, not even the Beatles ...
- Do you like what’s Jeff Beck doing now?
- Well, I didn’t listened him with Jan Hammer. I heard the previous album, Blow by blow. I liked it, especially a song produced by George Martin, "Diamond Dust"
- Do you like jazz-rock?
- Yes, very much. I think those players are now reaching a much wider audience, and it seems fine.
- What keyboard players do you like?
- There are so many ... Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans ...
- Do you go to concerts?
- Not very much.
- Prefer the records...
- Yes, I can not remember when was the last time I went to see a concert ...
- How do you connect with the musicians on the east coast?
- I get a called for the sessions of Quicksilver’s third album, "Shady Grove". It was originally planned that will last three weeks, and took four months. Then I fell in love with the movement of San Francisco and stayed there. There was plenty to do.
- But you played earlier in "Volunteers" by Jefferson Airplane.
- Yes, I was on tour with Beck for USA. That was in 1969 or 1970 before moving to California.
- Do you still like those records?
- I heard "Volunteers" once or twice after, but I don’t liked it. It's funny because a lot of records from that time I listen to now and I like more than at the time, but "Volunteers" not.
- What do you remeber of your work with the Rolling Stones?
- Record with them was boring. It's much better to be on tour than in the studies.
- What can you tells us on touring with them?
- It was barbaric, had a lot of work. In 1972 we did something like 58 concerts in seven and a half weeks. Then in '73 we did the tour of Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, which was the opposite. A concert every three days. We had plenty of time to walk around and see. Very interesting. Never been to Australia. Nor in South America ...
- You are the second rock number to come to Argentina. The first one was Santana.
- i was told so... Is that true?
- Yes
- My God ...
- Do you also played with Steve Miller?
- Yes, it was interesting. I played on several of his albums, the most important was "Your Saving Grace"
- What about your solo albums, "Jamming with Edward"?
- Well, that was really a jam session. It was released at half price.
- And "The Tin Man Was a Dreamer"?
- That sold good enough, but not enough so, because just then had internal problems in the CBS. It Was when they fired Clive Davis, who was the president. A single of that album was very well located in the rankings, but soon they took the album out of catalog. That happened to most of CBS artists, except for important ones, like Chicago.
- Voorman, Harrison and Mick Taylor played on that record ...
- Yes
- Were you satisfied with your work on it?
- Yes, I made another one in '75 that was terrible, very bad. I had no interest.
- Why did you do it?
- Needed money.
- Who played on that record?
- I do not remember, really. I called anyone.
- What about your work with Lennon and Harrison?
- Lennon's fast. I made two LPs with him, "Imagine" and "Walls and Bridges". I played both and was almost the same. We recorded it in one week: "Imagine" was made in seven days and two days to add strings and mix. Nine days in total. Not bad, huh? George’ ones took more time, four or five weeks.
- In what George Harrison album you played?
- "Living in the material world", that was the main thing. Also a couple of songs in "Dark Horse"
- What do you remember of the Stones in Brian Jones’ era? Do you think they lost something after his death?
- Yes, That's when things started to get very monotonous. All of his albums since "Their Satanic Majesties" to "Let it bleed" included, were quite different. As a direct kind of thing, strong. After that, "Sticky Fingers", "Goat Head Soup," "Exile on Main Street", "It's only rock'n'roll", and "Black and Blue" is all bullshit. For example, "Black and blue" I heard two or three times and really don’t liked the LP. There were only a couple of good songs. Nothing memorable. Discs after the death of Brian ... I do not know ...
- What do you think that was the role of Brian in the Rolling Stones?
- Well, he was at the core of the band: the leader. Then Mick, because he was the center of live attention, began to grow, and challenge the leadership of the group.Brian felt then that his contribution was not being appreciated. That's when he began to exceed dangerously. I think after the death of Brian they lost their musical direction, if they had any.
- Nicky, how you see the scene in San Francisco acualmente?
- Ah, is dead. Nothing seem to happen.
- And the scene of the west coast in general, like the Grateful Dead?
- I never liked that group.
- What do you think about Joe Cocker?
- It's big, one of the best singers.
- Will you write songs togheter?
- I hope so. Let's see if we do something with Joe, when we finish the tour.
- Are you going to do something as a soloist?
- Not at the moment. I want to do only one thing at a time. Joe and I might write something together.
- How old are you. Nicky?
- 33 .. but I feel like I have 93 ...
- What did you think the Argentine public?
- Incredible. None of us knew what to expect. There was a lot more reaction than in Australia. People really showed that they have like the show. The more heated the public, they give us more energy and everything went better.
- How do you see the future of rock?
- I keep thinking about it ... but I have no answer.
- To us it's the same
- For how much do you sell the recorder?
- Do not sell it, Nicky ... listen to me: why you always play on a acoustic piano?
- I like the sound. I do not like the electric piano.
- You never touched synthesizer or electric organ?
- I'm not interested. I have played a little organ in recording sessions and used electric piano live, but aside with an acoustic piano. In this case I have no need and no other keyboard players in the group. I think it should never be used electric piano instead of acoustic piano. It should be used as it is. Many people used to record an album with acoustic piano and touring with electric piano, because it is easier to carry and no amplification problems specific to an acoustic piano, but the sound is totally different ... How much you want for the recorder?

[Bloomers]

Nicky 1st 45' (1961)

David ‘Lord’ Sutch ; Vocal
Bernie Watson : Guitar
Rick Brown (better known as Ricky Fenson) : Bass
Carlo Little: Drums
Nicky Hopkins : Piano

[Bloomers]

[Bloomers]

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