The Hughes Turner Project album, in which wonderful vocals by Glenn Hughes
and Joe Lynn Turner clash against each other, has been finished. All the
songs on the album are of the traditional hard rock vein from the Seventies,
and make the most of the personalities of both singers. For the fans, this
is the album they have been hoping for. Let's ask Glenn, who took the
initiative in the production, to talk about the process of making this
project.
KH:
I heard that you wrote the songs for the HTP album with JJ Marsh in
February 2001.
GH:
The lyrics were written by Joe and me, and the music was mainly
written by me and JJ. The day after I finished my solo album,
"Building The Machine", I entered my home studio and started making songs
for HTP. I wrote seven songs in one afternoon. It is my way to write a
lot of songs in a short period of time in a studio.
KH:
Pony Canyon told me, even in September 2001, that they did not know what
songs written by who were included in this album.
GH:
That is probably because there were many songs which I wrote but were not
included on the album. I wanted to make this album as classic rock, which
brings out Joe's and my voice. We needed songs appropriate for ex-Rainbow
and Deep Purple singers to sing together.
KH:
Did Joe also help select the songs?
GH:
Of course. This is also Joe's project. I first asked him to listen those
seven songs. He liked the songs and asked me to write more in the same way.
KH:
How did you share in writing the lyrics?
GH:
We wrote the lyrics together. However, Joe wrote the lyrics for his
ballad "Mystery Of The Heart", which he sang alone, and for my ballad
"Heaven's Missing An Angel", myself and John Sykes, who is on a backing
vocal on the chorus, wrote the lyrics together.
KH:
The recording started in September?
GH:
We originally planned to start the day after the tragedy on September 11th
and Joe was planning to come from New York to Los Angeles where I live.
However, the airports were closed and the arrival was delayed - the actual
recording started on September 16th. Then, we worked on recording for 18
days. Joe liked the sound of my album which was due to Michael Scott, the
engineer and co-producer. Therefore, Joe and I reached the conclusion that
we should use him on this album. Because Michael has a studio at home, the
album was recorded there. Because it was an ordinary house, we could relax
a lot. The drums and a guitar were recorded on the second floor and a
keyboard was on the first floor. Finally, we recorded vocals in the living
room on the second floor by Joe and me singing together on a single
microphone. If you listen to the album, you can tell that Glenn and Joe were
singing live.
KH:
How did you decide on the guest players?
GH:
I discussed with Joe and Michael and decided that we should have guest
players to play guitar solos. We thought one of them should be Akira
Kajiyama, whom played with Joe, because the Japanese tour we played
together was the start of this project. Paul Gilbert and John Sykes came up
immediately, too. Both are my friends and understand classic rock. I knew
which song they should play. I thought Paul should play "You Can't Stop
Rock'N'Roll", because it was a type of music Mr. Big is good at. I wanted
John Sykes to participate on my ballad. I have been saying that "I will play
with John Sykes" and it finally happened. It was the best moment by Hughes &
Sykes. It was modeled on the Whitesnake sound, typically John Sykes and very
beautiful.
KH:
On the songs the guest guitarists played, did you imagine the players when
you wrote the songs?
GH:
As for Paul Gilbert, I considered him after the song was recorded. In the
case of Sykes, I wrote songs which he should play. Joe and I decided that
Akira should play "Ride The Storm". Because it's a fast song, it would not
be surprising - we thought Akira was the right player. We also thought that
"Against The Wall", which is a bonus track in the Japanese press, would be
perfect for Akira because it was Blackmore-type music.
KH:
How did you divide vocal responsibilities?
GH:
That's a wonderful question. I can say that it was mutually decided who sung
what. It was the same way as David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes did in Deep
Purple in the past. Joe is a versatile singer and I think myself so, too.
We talked about the parts, each of us sings, in advance, but we made final
decisions when we stood in front of the microphone. We did not make
pre-production. I asked him, just before singing, "How about you singing
here? I will sing there." - "How about you singing an ad-lib, while I am
singing this part?" or we both brought up ideas, or sang together anyway and
saw how it was like. I was very excited because that process went very well.
KH:
Please comment on each song in the album.
GH:
The first song, Devil's Road was the last song we wrote, and JJ, I and Joe
finished it when Joe came to LA on September 16th. Because this album needed
a big opening, like "Burn" and "Highway Star", we finished the song, which I
started making with JJ and Joe. I think it is a wonderful opening. Joe and
I wrote the lyrics and Joe came up with the title.
You Cant Stop Rock'N'Roll is the song I really wanted Paul Gilbert to play,
when I was selecting songs for the album. The music was written by JJ and
me, and Joe and I wrote the lyrics. It has a big chorus, melodic and very
simple words, so this is good for audience to sing together.
I originally wrote Missed Your Name for Paul to play, but I changed the
plan at the very end. This is one of the songs I wrote at the end, and I
wrote it because I wanted an up-tempo song, which was missing from the
album. The music was JJ and me, and the lyrics were written by me and
Joe. I think the melodic but piercing vocal chorus would grab the
listener's heart.
Mystery Of The Heart is the song I wrote for Joe. When I was walking on
the beach and asked him over the phone "what type of ballad do you want me
to write?" - he said "a song like 'Street Of Dreams'". On the way walking
back to my home, I came up with an idea, so I immediately went to the studio
and wrote the song with a keyboard. Joe made it the best ballad.
JJ and I wrote the music, and Joe and I wrote the music of Sister Midnight.
It is the most melodic rock song on the album, and Joe and I like this song
a lot. I think it's very modern classic-rock.
I wrote both the lyrics and music for Better Man. I wanted to write a song
like "Sail Away" from Deep Purple, and I think I was successful in actually
expressing the feeling of the Seventies. I am very satisfied with it because
it's a very danceable and melodic song.
When I originally wrote Heaven's Missing An Angel, the title was completely
different. I sent the song to Sykes. He responded to me one week later,
saying that "The verse of this song is one of your best. The verse is much
better than the chorus. So, I want to write the melody and lyrics of the
chorus". So, I said "If you think something better than what we have now,
of course, I will listen to it." Two weeks later, we mixed the song. I
listened to Sykes singing the chorus with the new melody and lyrics ten
times, and found that he was right. Sykes wrote up a truly wonderful chorus.
So, I left his lead vocal and, of course, it has a lot of his backing vocals.
I really appreciate John Sykes. He has a wonderful talent.
Fade Away is the last song written among the seven songs JJ and I wrote in
February. I think it is musically rich. Joe especially likes this song.
It is a deep and emotional song. I think it is one of the highlights in
Joe's and my career.
Ride The Storm was made as a result of my hope to have a song with a tempo
and rhythm similar to "Spotlight Kid". When I was writing with JJ, we made
a chorus too close to "Spotlight Kid". So, we recorded it after changing the
guitar part to a new pattern. I think this is a classic especially for Joe.
Joe and I wrote the lyrics and JJ and I wrote the music. I am featured on
the bridge, and Joe told me that it is like Glenn Hughes on "Burn". This is
also the best moment of Glenn and Joe. Akira's playing is also wonderful.
Run Run Run is one of the first seven songs I wrote with JJ. I enjoyed
writing the lyrics with Joe a lot. It is a simple song, but simple songs
are more important. You cannot enjoy songs which are too serious.
I wrote Against The Wall because I wanted to have a Deep Purple-like
shuffle in the album. Therefore, of course, we decided to ask Akira to
play. I wanted to make it with a Blackmore-like sound, and I think it went
well. Joe wrote the lyrics all by himself.
On The Ledge is the song I like very much. This is another highlight - I
think this is the best song. Because we did not have a song which was
appropriate to end the album. I went to the house of Vince DiCola, the
keyboard player, without an idea, and told him to start with a classic organ
just like Keith Emerson and John Lord would play. I wanted to make it like
a modern "You Keep On Moving". This song features Glenn and Joe's voice with
a sound of progressive Hammond organ and metrotron in the back. Joe and I
wrote the lyrics of each verse. The chorus sounds magnificent, and the
bridge is also magnificent. Glenn and Joe sing like Gods here! This is a
terrific song. I cannot express with words how much I am satisfied and
excited with this song. The Hughes Turner Project will be a project to bring
big success to Joe and me. It is not about money, but about an emotional
side and a spiritual side as an artist. This project is the favorite for
both of us.
KH:
I got the impression that the direction of song writing on HTP, in itself,
is quite different from that of your solo albums. Is it the result of
trying to make the songs sound like Deep Purple and Rainbow?
GH:
That is absolutely right. I wanted the music complete different from Glenn
Hughes albums. My albums contain a variety of songs because my soul let's me
write these songs. For HTP, I wanted to make something fans all over the
world would be pleased with. Something which is accepted by people who like
Deep Purple and Rainbow.
KH:
I had the impression that these are many songs which have strong influence by
Joe in their vocal melodies. Please tell me the songs which incorporated his
ideas significantly.
GH:
Of course "Mystery Of The Heart". Others might be "Against The Wall", "Ride
The Storm", "Can't Stop Rock'N'Roll", and "Run Run Run". For the songs which
have a rock edge, many of Joe's opinions are incorporated. In contrast, I
wrote "Sister Midnight". This sounds like a pop Glenn Hughes and has a big
chorus. "Fade Away" and "On The Ledge" were also mostly done by me.
"Devil's Road", too. Overall, I can say that both Joe and I brought ideas on
melodies. We used a melody which was more appropriate for a song. For
example, I originally wrote the melody of "On The Ledge". I told Joe the
title and asked him to write the lyrics which match with it. But,
eventually, Joe came up with a wonderful idea on the verse. On the other
hand, I wanted to make the pre-chorus he wrote sadder, and sang my idea for
him, and he liked it very much. Most of the melody making was done at my home
studio before entering the studio.
KH:
I thought "Mystery Of The Heart" has a backing pattern similar to "Stone
Cold" rather than to "Street Of Dreams".
GH:
Yes. It was originally supposed to be like "Street Of Dreams", but once we
actually recorded with a base guitar in, it surely became like "Stone Cold".
I did not send this song to Joe, but I asked him to come to my house. The
story goes back and forth, but, two weeks after finishing the first seven
songs, Joe came to my house from New York. At that time, he listened to the
seven songs at my home studio for the first time. For "Mystery Of The
Heart", I think he immediately started writing the lyrics there. It was
decided at the beginning that most of the songs were to be sung by the both
of us and to also have solo ballads; one sung by Joe alone and another by
myself.
KH:
In the middle of "Missed Your Name", there is a flamboyant battle between a
guitar and a keyboard. Didn't you think that, for this Deep Purple-like song,
you should have asked Akira or Paul to play?
GH:
Yes. This was originally written for Paul to play. But, I also wanted
Paul's guitar on "You Can't Stop Rock'N'Roll", because it is more commercial
and good for radio play.
KH:
Do you think that "Devil's Road" is also a song which needs a player like
Akira and Paul?
GH:
About that song, we didn't have time to send to somebody else because it was
written right before the recording. If possible, I would of wanted Paul to
play on 3-4 songs, but he could only play on one song.
KH:
Does JJ Marsh's solo play lack flamboyance for HTP in which two amazing
singers are aiming at something like Deep Purple?
GH:
Because you are my friend, I will take it as praise of the vocals and also as
constructive criticism. It was impossible to ask Paul Gilbert to join in on
the whole album because of a contract problem. It was a tough decision on
which song we ask him to play. However, it is my opinion that JJ Marsh's
playing is wonderful.
KH:
Why didn't you ask Gary Ferguson to play drums?
GH:
Of course I could of asked Gary this time, too. But, it was my judgment that
Shane Gaalaas is musically more suited for this project.
KH:
I think it is a shame that "Against The Wall", which has the best feel of
"Hughes and Coverdale in Deep Purple" among all, is just a bonus track in the
Japanese press.
GH:
To be honest with you, it was a very tough decision to me, too. At first, I
thought that "Run Run Run" should be the bonus track. But, at the very end,
Joe and I decided to pick "Against The Wall" as the bonus track. We really
wondered because one of them had to be the bonus track!