THE FUTURE'S LOOKING A LOT BRIGHTER
Alan: Before we talk about the new recording deal, I'd just like to go back to the last tour you did before Christmas. You put "Sunrise" and "Come away Melinda" in the set. What prompted you to do that?
Mick: 1 felt we couldn't go out with exactly the same set again and Hanni So who runs our web site had mentioned "Sunrise" in one of his e-mails. It was very difficult to organise because as you know, we were all in the 4 corners of the world prior to the tour, but 1 decided that we should look at those 2 songs. 1 suggested them to Bernie, he thought it was a great idea, whilst me and Phil were writing we knocked the chords up and they sounded good, and when we got to the first two shows we rehearsed them up and then they were in. "Sunrise" replaced "Rainbow demon" and "Come away Melinda" replaces "The Wizard". We did do "The Wizard" one night because it was the German tour manager's favourite song, every night he wanted to hear it so one night we got him out on stage and we played it for him.
Alan: You've just signed a new recording deal but wasn't the CBH deal originally a 3 album deal and if so, what has made you switch record labels at this stage?
Mick: We weren't satisfied with the situation that we had with CBH for a number of reasons that 1 can't really go into. It wasn't that they didn't want to take up the option for the third album because they wanted to, it was that we decided to move up and move on.
Alan: So how did the deal come about with Eagle Rock Records?
Mick: When we found we could move away we just started looking for a new home for the band and we were getting offers from all over the place. We found that this UK based company offered the best overall structure for where we wanted to be at this time. It's a new company and the guy that runs it works very well with our agent Neil Warnock so it's just tied in that everything is in synch with everything that we wanted to do. We all know each other, there is respect from a business perspective so it seemed the right move to make. Eagle Rock Records, or to give them their full title, Eagle Rock Entertainment PLC, have good distribution all over the world and the new album will be a world wide release.
Alan: Will there be any release of "Sea of Light" and "Spellbinder" in the countries that have only had these albums on import so far?
Mick: Yes, with in the structure of the deal these two albums will be released in the territory's that we had the option to deal with ourselves, ie. America, Canada and the Pacific Rim will all now get firm releases as opposed to being delt with purely on an export basis.
Alan: How long of a deal have you signed with them in terms of the number of albums or time?
Mick: It's a 3 album deal and 1 think there are time schedules but if the first album took they would want another one sooner rather than later. Times are put in for protection purposes where there may be a date set or a 6 month period where the option is taken up, but in general terms you only move into the next phase if the first album is deemed to be successful.
Alan: Are you happy that Eagle Rock will provide suitable promotion for your next album?
Mick: 1 don't think you can ever, ever have that under wraps when you go into a deal because no body is prepared to discuss or put int contracts the amount of money to be spent on promotion before they've heard the product. So it's very hard to get that commitment. If we do a great album, hopefully they will see the sense in providing suitable promotion and they'll get right behind it in all the various ways. The one good thing about this company is they do know how to sell records so it will be out there.
Alan: Who else have they got on the label at the moment?
Mick: 1 think they've got "Yes", the new "UFO" and a number of other people have been spoken of. 1 don't know if they did but sign "Thunder" was being mooted around at one point. It still in an embryo situation but it's going to grow.
Alan: At the moment you're in the pre production stage of the work on the new album, how are the songs coming along?
Mick: We've been in pre production for about 7 days and we've got about 8 or 9 songs together so far. Our main idea is to get all the songs we can possibly put together done in the first 2 weeks then our producer will come in during the third week and we'll start getting a bit selective and work our way to the next stage.
Alan: How would you describe the material?
Mick: 1 don't think we've followed any formula, we've just written good songs and what comes out comes out. If the band enjoys playing them they become us.
Alan: How would you describe the material you've written Trevor'?
Trev: Some of it's rock, there's a song in a blues vein, an up tempo one and there's also a typical Heep type shuffle one. It's hard to tell what you're writing because it can start off as one thing and turn out to be something completely different. When the band gets hold of it, it could turn out to be something else again.
Alan: When you write do you bring a very basic demo to the band with just one or two instruments involved, then the band arranges the song up?
Trev: Some songs 1 demo completely, but not in a finished state, 1 just stick things on so you get more of an idea of the song. Some just have a drum machine and a couple of guitars and vocals, it depends how far you want to take it, there's no point going too far with it because it all gets changed to suit Heep. It's just a matter of getting the song over to the rest of the band, 1 could just do it on acoustic guitar but that wouldn't get across my ideas of how the song should be.
Alan: On the last album, "Sea of Light", you specifically wrote songs with the traditional Heep feel and you even listened to some of the older material to get that feel, are you aiming for the same thing this time'?
Mick: We basically did that last time because it was the band's 25th anniversary and we wanted to try and encompass a lot of what we'd achieved in a writing capacity in those 25 years and have it all on the one album.
Alan: So would you say that the new album won't be in a similar direction to "Sea of Light
Mick: It will obviously be a natural successor to "Sea of Light" because all the same writers are involved, but we haven't concisely sat down to do what we did last time.
Alan: But it will be unmistakably Heep?
Mick: Oh yes, but 1 have tried to steer the band a little bit towards the one thing that we're missing and that's radio airplay, so I've made everyone aware that we are looking to break into radio airplay on way or another but without loosing the Heep trade mark. Breaking that field is the only way we're going to elevate things fully.
Alan: Could we read into what you've just said that the album will be more commercial sounding with songs in the "Free me" and "Love or nothing" type of mould?
Mick: No, it won't go the "Free me" route but we are looking at finding a commercial niche for the band in a portion of the album. It won't just take the overall flavour of commerciallity or progressive rock or melodic rock or acoustic rock, there will be a bit of everything in there. 1 want this album to be a typical Heep album with a commercial side to it and 1 hate the word commercial because it really doesn't mean anything, they should just good songs that wets the record companies appetite so the can get behind it and do a really good job on the promotion.
Trev: Everybody keeps saying to us:- "you need another hit single if you're going to go any further forward", so we would have to be commercial enough to be played on the radio. For the band to go forward and survive we do need to have that commercial element in there, otherwise we're just treading water. Nowadays you do need some sort of single success, even in Germany and if we get that we can elevate the band to a higher level and do more things such as bigger productions and better shows in better venues. Everybody is telling us we're one of the best bands in the world and we just need a hit record to blow everybody away, which is true and 1 think a lot of fans would like to see that.
Alan: At the time you did "Raging Silence" 1 really thought "Hold you head up" would take of because the charts were full of covers from the 70's weren't they?
Mick: They were at the time and 1 thought it would do well for us, it was a good move because it was a typical Heep number in it's own way with the Hammond and the harmonies, but there we go! But by me talking about airplay, it's getting the record company thinking about it, 1 just want a portion of the new album to have that degree of commerciallity where we can get airplay.
Alan: Was you disappointed when "Dream on" didn't get the airplay it deserved?
Mick: Very much so, yes. 1 felt that "Dream on" was a very good song and 1 felt we were very very brave by not putting any drums on the track and treating it as a beautiful acoustic balad. But one of the comments we had through out Germany was that it didn't have any drums on it! How much emphasis is put on that 1 have no idea, to me it's a stupid way of looking at a song, if it's a good song it should be treated as such and that's it. Nevertheless, we have to try and break through into that area but it was a big disappointment for the band.
Trev: "Dream on" never really got released as a single in the true sense, it was officially released as a single but you had to order it, the record company didn't press it up until orders came in for it so it never really had much of a chance as it never really made the shops, never mind the radio stations. It was a stupid idea of the record companies .
Alan: There was an awful lot of work went into the video for "Dream on", and 1 think you had a lot of hopes for it, but it was never really seen by anyone, why was that?
Mick: We didn't like it at all, it was just a video and it had nothing to do with the story book of the lyrics and 1 don't think it could compete, it just wasn't good enough.
Alan: Just going back to the commerciallity aspect of the new album. You've enlisted Pip Williams as producer and he's had success with the likes of "Status Quo", "The Moody Blues" and others, was he specifically chosen because of his past history and do you hope he'll be able to bring a commercial influence to the album?
Mick: Pip is a very well known producer and he's also a great musician and arranger, he's got a bit of everything in him. It was Trev who suggested him and with his background 1 feel that he will come in and get the best out of the band in all areas. The record company know that we're very serious about what we're doing because we've got Pip on board and we're recording at one of the best studios in the UK. It demonstrates that we're willing to go to what ever lengths are required to elevate the band's position.
Trev: 1 been in the studio when he's been working, 1 saw him do a "Moody Blues" album and he was very good on that from what 1 could see. 1 know a lot of people who have worked with him and they all praise him. We can't tell until we get in there because we've never actually worked with hi, but he looks good
Alan: Will the band or individuals within the band have any production responsibilities?
Mick: I would say that it would be a brave man who would come in to produce Uriah Heep and expect us to sit there and let him have a free hand. We had a meeting with him, he's a very nice guy, really down to earth, and 1 think he's very aware that we know a lot and we're not a young band that's being taken in to be dictated to, we will have our say but Pip will be that 6th member of the team. Sometimes you need someone to stand back and make a comment rather than being immersed in it like we are, when we try to resolve things that other point of view is very important and 1 think Pip will play that sort of role. His experience will also add something and bring different things out of us.look at how we utilise "Sea of Light", "Spellbinder" and the new album in the market place, that will have to be tied in with our agent Neil Warnock to try and co-ordinate all the possibilities of touring along with the release. We want some sort of game plan so that we're not touring where the albums not out and we're not going to places a long time after the release. That way the touring and the release dates will go hand in hand. But it will be released this year.look at how we utilise "Sea of Light", "Spellbinder" and the new album in the market place, that will have to be tied in with our agent Neil Warnock to try and co-ordinate all the possibilities of touring along with the release. We want some sort of game plan so that we're not touring where the albums not out and we're not going to places a long time after the release. That way the touring and the release dates will go hand in hand. But it will be released this year.
Alan: Would you expect to support the albums release in the UK?
Mick: I would hope so but we get back to the same old thing, if a promoter is willing to put a tour together, we'll be there to do it. It's as simple as that. I can't make up dates and say we'll do 2 weeks or 3 days, until a promoter comes in with an offer we just don't know. But we'll be out there investigating all the possibilities.
Alan: Would, you idealy want,a string of dates in the UK or would you be open to just one date if it was offered?
Mick: I don't really know until offers are made, if the album was doing well, and we'd had a little airplay and a promoter had a string of dates, then we'd look at that, if not and it was just one date, then we'd consider that. We just don't know at this stage.
Alan: During the time slot after the recording and before the release you've talked about touring in the territory's where "Sea of Light" and "Spellbinder" haven't been released yet, do you still hope to do that?
Mick: Yes, we've got a few things happening in America, I'm discussing American management at the moment because 1 feel that in America and Canada, representation of that type for the band is the most obvious step to take.
Alan: That's rather than you personally managing the band's affairs in those countries?
Mick: Yes, we must get back to the original reason why 1 took over the band's affairs. At the time they needed to be taken over, the band couldn't trust anyone else to do it and it was the decision of all 5 of us that 1 took the management over. As far as North America is concerned, we've found a couple of areas in terms of management that we're beginning to 1 feel more comfortable with and 1 personally feel that 1 can only do so much from England in that market. We need someone there all the time working on our behalf, putting the tours r together, making sure the record company do their job. We want to make America a very viable market and once again, airplay is very important.
Alan: Have you had any thoughts about using Roger Dean for the artwork on the new album?
Mick: No, the cover that Roger did for "Sea of Light" was perfect, but he only came on board as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations.
Alan: Is the writing on the album split between you and Phil working together and Trevor, or have Bernie and Lee been involved this time?
Mick: The songs we've worked up so far have all been written by Trev, Phil and myself and we're really excited about everything that's happening. we've got an new recording deal with Eagle Rock who are UK based and have world wide distribution, we're working in one of the best UK studios with a top producer, "Sea of Light" and "Spellbinder" are to be released in the territories that haven't had a release to date and we're looking at North American management. The futures looking a lot brighter for Uriah Heep.
Thanks to Louis Rentrop for the transcription !
Dave White, Rodrigo Werneck and Hani So