Das Mischpult SILVESTRIS – Ein Vollröhren-Mischpult für ... - EMSP

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Abschlußbericht Mixed Signal Baugruppen 2008/9 Mischpult SILVESTRIS (Teil 1) Einführung When Elvis went into the Army, were you guys just left on the shelf? “Sure were. We were left hanging out to dry!” Were you simply salaried musicians? “Well, when he went into the Army the salary stopped. That’s basically when I got in with a guy in Memphis and we started Fernwood Records, and I got interested in the engineering side of it. We had one hit record, Tragedy, a million seller, and spent all the money trying to get some more! I did that until Elvis came out of the Army, and then we went back to work with him, went in and did the sessions, did an album in Nashville, got on a train, went to Miami and did the Frank Sinatra show. Of course, not long after that he got into the movie thing.” But you did quite a few of the movies, too, didn’t you? “Yes, we did a lot of the soundtracks and we were in the first four or five. It was an interesting first time out, but after a couple of them I realized it wasn’t my cup of tea.” Was it Elvis’? I don’t know whether he was actually forced into it, but I think he did it well… “I think he really enjoyed the first few, then the stories and the music got so trite, but he’d go ahead and do them. I guess the management, and the bottom line, won out.” Do you think Elvis understood that you were people who needed to make a living on a day-to-day, month-to-month, year-to-year basis? “Well, management definitely didn’t. I think that’s probably come down through the years and things are still that way for musicians: get them as cheap as you can and never give them the credit that they deserve.” Were you thanked? There are stories of Elvis being a very generous person, not just financially but on a personal basis… “Oh, he was very generous to all his friends, but we always seemed to be in the wrong line.” So someone would come and clean his car and he’d give it to them, yet you would work your guts out for a fairly modest salary… “I honestly don’t think he ever gave us anything. I’ve never held it against him, but I’ve always wondered why. I think he must have just looked at us as guys who could take care of themselves, no problem.” Maybe it was a compliment, though I’m sure the odd Cadillac wouldn’t have gone amiss. Did the band actually split up? Was it like, ‘Okay, it’s all over…’? “Yes, Bill Black and I quit in the fifth year, just before Elvis went into the Army. Basically, we struck for more money, that’s all. And we never did go back on the payroll after that. We went back to do one tour, I guess about a month after we quit, around the actual time he went in the Army.” Seite 1- 54
Abschlußbericht Mixed Signal Baugruppen 2008/9 Mischpult SILVESTRIS (Teil 1) Einführung So when he called you for the Comeback Special, was that something you did happily? “Yes, well there again, after he came out of the Army he was still doing a lot of movies, and I had a recording studio in Nashville; D.J. here was living there, too, doing sessions. So when he called us to do the – well, it wasn’t the Comeback Special, it was the Christmas Show originally – it was fine, it really was. He was just like he was in the very early days; he asked us to come out to his house and have dinner. And for all his fans over here, I’d like to let them know that he called D.J. and me aside then and asked us if we’d be interested in doing a European tour. We told him we sure would, and he said, ‘Well, I really want to do one.’ Of course it never happened, but he definitely wanted to do it. “The only reason I can imagine is – again, going back to the management and the bottom line – that he went into the Vegas thing. But I’ve heard him quoted as saying that one of the reasons he didn’t come was because they didn’t have a venue large enough, because people would want to come from all over Europe. But I don’t quite buy that. I think something big could have been found – a cow pasture or something like that!” Of your own playing with Elvis, what were your favourite, most memorable things? “Well, I don’t really have a personal favourite. There’s so many things that after we recorded them we never played them again. And if I had to play them today, I’d have to get off in a room with a record player, probably for a couple of hours and learn them.” But when you hear some of the songs, you must think, ‘That really worked; yes I’m glad that I had that bit of inspiration there’? “I suppose I’ve been kind of labeled with the Mystery Train riff…” Hören Sie hierzu von der Begleit-CD: Track 46: Elvis Presley Mystery Train 1955 Did you invent that? Was it just out of thin air? “Yes. Of course it’s faster than the Junior Parker version. I never tried to copy those guitar players, but I tried to steal it and kind of change it a little bit” You play with a thumb pick and fingers, don’t you? “On a lot of the stuff. But I was kind of forced into that because it was only bass and guitar and I was trying to do as much rhythm as I could, but stab a few notes in here and there to make it sound like there was more than there really was. But the thumb and fingers was not where my head was at, really, even though I was a great Chet Atkins fan, and Merle Travis and all those guys. But gosh, I was listening to everybody, jazz guitarists like Tal Farlow…” I suppose your playing is kind of country, but with a jazz sound. “Well, I always thought I was just trying to be abstract, in some form or fashion, just trying to get something different. I always looked for the sounds; whether it was musically correct or not didn’t bother me, but it had to have a certain sound to it.” Seite 1- 55
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Das Mischpult SILVESTRIS – Ein Vollröhren-Mischpult für ... - EMSP

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