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Then, to mark our 30th Anniversary, Universal Music are putting together a boxed set of 4 cd’s, the first two cd’s being the entire singles release, A sides and B sides from 1980′s ‘Love Meeting Love’ to ‘Just For You’ from our last studio album ‘Retroglide’ (2006), cd 3 being crammed with rarities for the die-hard’s, and cd 4 will be a cd of acoustic versions of 10 of our songs from over the years.

This particular project has been very rewarding to undertake as the new versions take on a whole new dimension, and far from being limited by keeping them in the acoustic domain, they have been re-invigorated and are sounding really fresh.

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There should be five brand new songs on an EP that will be packaged with a “Running In The Family” Deluxe edition in time for our October tour in Europe. So a September release would be my guess and it’s all good funk. But in the meantime, I’m working on some acoustic interpretations of a few of our songs from over the years that will be included in the 30th Anniversary 4-cd set that Universal Music are putting together right now for a summer release.

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Drummer/keyboardist/composer Gary Husband’s original intent was to form a new trio. But after hearing trumpeter Richard Turner he changed his mind and formed a quartet he calls Drive. For reasons stated later we will realize why this was a good idea.

Husband is best known in jazz circles as a highly sought-after drummer and keyboardist for such heavyweights as John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Jack Bruce and Billy Cobham. He has also released two highly acclaimed solo piano records that offer his unique interpretations of McLaughlin’s and Holdsworth’s music. As composer and bandleader he has helmed several interesting projects, including a critically acclaimed series of concerts under the moniker “Force Majeure.” Though Husband is best known for his contributions to the progressive jazz and jazz-rock genres, he is also familiar to some as the drummer for two stints in the English pop-rock-funk-fusion band Level 42. His interpretation of Level 42′s “Heaven in My Hands” evokes his first time through with that band.

The opening melody is very beautiful. Husband’s piano notes and the reverberating phrases from young trumpeter Richard Turner and saxophonist Julian Siegel hang in the air. You can reach out and pluck them. Once the introduction is put aside, a more aggressive up-tempo section enters. Bassist Michael Janisch takes his bass for a fast jog to offer rhythmic support along with Husband for some fine playing from trumpeter Turner and saxophonist Julian Siegel. This music wouldn’t quite have worked right with only one horn. Some electronics are heard. A Milesian vibe takes over. Influences from the spatial elements of In a Silent Way and A Tribute to Jack Johnson are clearly heard and explored. Turner’s trumpet in particular benefits from this reference. I suggest you listen to the tune six times. The first time listen to it as an organic piece of music. Then the next four plays, focus on one instrument each time. Finally, listen the sixth time for a full understanding. After hearing this music I am very interested in where Gary Husband’s Drive will take us next.

Love Meeting Love – 1981

“It was our very first single, and it was only a single, not on an album. It was so left of field when we wrote it and it was limited to 50 copies on white label. It’s so long ago now I can’t even remember the name of the band that had a song on the other side of the record but it became quite a hit with DJs in the clubs. John Peel liked it and he put it in his festive 50 in 1980, which was probably the only time in our career we ever had any credibility.”

Love Games – 1981

“It got us in the charts for the first time and got us onto Top Of The Pops, which at the time was a big thing. Things have changed now though. If I mention Top Of The Pops to my 11-year-old daughter she hasn’t got a clue what I’m talking about. I remember being in the TOTP studio that time and calling my parents because it was just such a big thing for me, and for us as a band.”

Sun Goes Down (Living It Up) – 1983

“It was our first big hit but this is special to us because we recorded it in Los Angeles with Larry Dunn and Maurice White from Earth, Wind and Fire and it was affirmation for us from our peers. It was amazing that some of the people who had inspired us actually wanted to produce our music. It was also great because it gave us our first No.1 in the UK.

Hot Water – 1984

“I had just watched a documentary on Afrika Bambaataa and it was the first time I had ever heard of sampling or looping, and this thing they were calling hip hop. The very next day we were due in the studio to mix Hot Water with our engineer and I just started toying around with it in terms of what I had heard them talking about on the documentary. You could only actually sample 1.6 seconds maximum at the time, but it completely changed the colour of the track. It also proved to be a big hit for us as a dance tune. From thereon in it was a very steep learning curve because so much about music changed for me in those couple of days.”

Something About You – 1985

“This was a real concerted effort for us to come up with a song that would be a hit around the world, because we had done well in the UK but we had never had much luck in the US or anywhere else. We all got together at my studio in Streatham in London because our contract with Polydor was up and if we wanted another one we had to widen our sound a bit.

The result of that was Something About You and it was No.1 in 17 countries. That we actually sat down and tried to do it and succeeded was pretty cool. The funny thing is, I remember our manager and the guy at the label at the time weren’t that keen on it. But we were very persistent about it and it proved us right. It was also our first top 10 US hit.”

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