Friday, January 11, 2013

Chapter 13- The Hammer Comes Down




 

 

JULY OF 1974 SAW more changes of personnel in the band. Blair was expressing unhappiness with the rhythm section (bass and drums) and the "silver chalice" was spilling over both Stephen and me. He wanted a much heavier sound than we were coming up with, having no real bass player (Stephen, Chas and I were trading off in that department). But I must say now, in retrospect, Miguel Ferrer was the perfect drummer for the band, but as fate would have it, his career would soon turn in the direction of his father, Jose Ferrer's. He did go on to secure some major roles in television (Crossing Jordan) and movies (The Stand) with his dead-pan delivery that always reminds me of Jack Webb. Just the honor of securing and pulling off the role of Lloyd in a Stephen King movie is amazing enough on its own, It's a career maker.

        While I was south of Pico snuggling up with a much older woman of at least 28; I am struggling to remember her name, but I think it was Cheryl or Vickie. She was athletically built with short dark hair and a scar on her left cheek. I think everybody has scars, some show and some don't. I still thought she was beautiful, and I think I was in love with her for about three or four weeks. This was 1974 remember, and I didn't have a cell phone and beepers were just coming into place, but usually reserved for the wealthy or for drug dealers, neither of which I was. I had to call in to the "Village" or to Larry Gordon's office if I wanted to know what was going on. I didn't even have a phone machine until the eighties. It was easier then to slip away and not be contacted if you wanted to go incognito.

        Even though I had no idea it was taking place, there was a meeting called to order by Mal and Bob at the Record Plant and Stephen was named to be my proxy. According to Stephen, “I was hanging out in the pinball room when Joey came down the hall to find him and tell him of the little gathering.” With a concerned look on his face, confused by the sudden news he asked, “What's this all about?” Joey said sheepishly, in that little boy lost way, “I haven't got a clue,” but Stephen knew something was up. 

      Mal was seated behind the desk in Chris Stone's (co- owner of the Record Plant) office and Blair. was sitting cross-legged on the desk with a dead pan smirk on his face. (I didn't know until later that he and Stephen had been given a choice with the five dollars they had. Either food or acid. They chose door number two). Miguel was pacing around the room wearing a path in the carpet, and Chas was over in the corner in a chair reading a magazine or something trying to seem aloof. Mal said, “Out of the six members of Silverspoon only four people should remain in the band.” Chas felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach. Could it be him, or Jimmy, who isn't even here?” Mal continued, “Now you boys can do whatever you want but if you want Bob and myself to continue with this project I feel we need to make some changes in the rhythm section. Sorry Miguel, but I feel we need a different drummer, and Chas, you just don't have the Spoon vibe. I'm sorry."

          Chas was devastated and Miguel was extremely upset, especially at Stephen; they went back a long way. He felt betrayed and told him to not so kindly piss off before jolting out of the door for the last time. I hope he has forgiven us. When I finally walked home I got the message from my brother, Robbie, that Stephen had called, and it was urgent. I called him back and nearly dropped the phone when he told me what went down at the Plant. How could they do that without me being there? What could we do? We could have pulled up our bootstraps, banded together and tell Mal and Bob to go stick it where the sun don't shine, or we could go along with the politics of the situation and continue the journey without Chas and Miguel. We chose option number two. Fortunately, we did have the two of them on tape, recorded on the basic tracks to You Hurt Me So

          Now came the search for a new drummer and bass player which continued for years and could go on to this day, if the band were still together. It was also the time to make a hit record and You Hurt Me So was a definite contender.  Mal said, “It needs a harmonium just like we used on We Can Work It Out”. That was all we needed to hear to get our Beatle juices flowing. Are you kidding? This was one of the guys who was there in the studio with John, Paul, George, and Ringo when they were writing and recording that song. It is ironic that Lennon came up with the middle eight, with the lyrics, “Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend.” Tragically, his life was cut short just six years later.

          With all the tracks recorded and the vocals finished Bob and Mal attempted to mix the tune. It sounded good but not great. Something was missing. One night after Bob had gone home and Mal was at home dealing with his troubled relationship with his girlfriend, Mike Stone came into Studio B. He had been given a copy of the Merritt/ Evans mix and was impressed by the direction of the band. He was a brilliant young engineer with experience way beyond his years, being the son of co-owner, Chris Stone, he had plenty of hours behind that console. He agreed to give it a shot. He had that sixteen-track machine humming with the compression pumping away like gangbusters. It sounded brilliant, hands down the best mix this novice band had ever been a part of. How could we play it for Mal and Bob without some egos being badly bruised? This would prove to be a moot point soon.

No comments:

Post a Comment