Interview by Stephanie Thorburn (www.abstractlogix.com)
A.L.: There has been a lot of interest at the prospect of new material in the near future as more recently featured have been re-releases of old and new L42 live material, (Live at the Apollo ‘03, The River Sessions) I gather you recorded for the new album a few weeks back? How is the progress on this going?
G.H.: I think it’s going very well.. Periodically I make calls to Mark to find out how things are going, initially just to find out what my drum passes were sounding like, because I ended up completing about eleven tracks in two days and subsequently came back home with hardly any memory of what I’d done at all. No idea! All I’m told is that they sound fine andthat he’s working in his studio at home and having people come down separately to do their parts, which is one way of recording an album. I think for the kind of way Mark writes and for the kind of album it is, it’s probably a good way to be making an album like that, getting detail right from everybody. It does herald a debut for the present day line-up to be recording new material, which is something I am really happy to see.
The album has a lot of elements to it as Mark’s been listening to a lot more current things. It’s not obviously a hark back to the old days which a lot of people would like to hear, it’s an album that Mark feels Level 42 should be making in 2005. Of course it should be about now, which isn’t to say there isn’t a considerable funk element to the songs, because there is. Mark listens to a huge amount of varied and interesting influences from James Brown, to Todd Rundgren and has his own interest andbackground in fusion and jazz of course too, so he’s drawing from a lot of areas all the time. I think I can really hear that he’s been checking out some more current things, and all in all I’m very excited about having this as a new album and new material to play live potentially. It’s been a while. The last actual new one came out in 1994 I think.
A.L.: Although as you say, this is an album about the new line up of the band, apparently Boon Gould and Mike Lindup have contributed too?
G.H.: Yes I was aware of a guitar solo that Boon had submitted, so it’s nice to have him put something on there as a performer. I also hear that Mike Lindup has been involved in some of the keyboard playing on the album too, so that’s going to go down very well with the older fans of course. I don’t think he has been involved in any vocal capacity from what I have picked up.. and I know little else really. We’ll all hear it when we hear it!
A.L.: So, Mark has worked on the musical side and Boon Gould wrote the lyrics?
G.H.: Yes that is absolutely right. All Mark’s writing and all Boon Gould’s lyrics.
A.L.: So hopefully this will get an airing in 2005?
G.H.: I very much hope so and knowing Mark, he likes to get on with things. He’s a propulsive character and I’m not sure what ideas he has in so far as who it’s going to go with, maybe the way it’s going now is to keep it independent and to find distribution offers. I’m sure he’s getting it all in hand in the way he wants to do it and with the opportunities that are open to him.
A.L.: Is there any possibility of a tour with the new material in 2006?
G.H.: I hope so yeah. If it can work out I guess it will happen, and I hope I can make it when it does. It would be ironic if another drummer had to come in and copy all my parts after I spent all these years playing Phil Gould’s! This would be the most fulfilling way to be touring with the band now, in terms of my own involvement, simply from the point of that it is new music and I always, really only want to be involved in ‘new music’. I do get tired of being a “covers” drummer so much. I did much of that with Jack Bruce too with the Cream catalogue…I love to play with him, but I’m not very good at being Ginger Baker anymore than I am at being Phil Gould.
A.L.: So there will be elements representing both the best of the old and new line-ups of the band..
G.H.: Yes there is a nice balance there with old and new. Through the Level 42 history of course Mark has always known what he’s all about and knows what he wants to put over and I think he’s worked very hard on these new songs, so I’m just going to hope people respond favourably to it. From what I remember there’re a lot of strong things, but as I say I was only there for two pretty manic days! I’ve heard nothing since, and I honestly can’t remember much about it.
A.L.: So a fast and furious recording and hopefully it will work out so the band will be able to tour on this next year?
G.H.: Absolutely and Mark is sounding and playing as strong as ever and as far as I am concerned, better in fact. So whilst that’s the case I’m happy he is still in there keeping his band going and not simply appealing to just an obvious market in terms of ‘retro pop’ . As we said earlier in the interview, when people are confronted by a strong, committed sounding instrumental performance on stage, I think they respond. The band as it’s been the last few years delivered a fine performance on the recent Live At The Apollo DVD. Actually that’s my favourite of anything I’ve done with the band from any period of my involvement. I tend to feel that the band there sounds as good if not better than it ever did, in any period quite honestly. There’s not that much I’m incredibly pleased with out there that I’ve done with the L42 guys but that one does kick butt! If I say so myself!
A.L.: The Forum gig caused quite a stir this year when Mike Lindup rejoined the band onstage.
G.H.: Of course. We have to think, what would happen if the Mahavishnu Orchestra or something would come back together and play, people would go crazy. You have this with new things even in the area I’ve been working in now; Chris Squire, the Syn and Yes are coming together again in different ways and the Yes fans seem to be buzzing about that too.