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JOHN DEVLIN |
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Dear Mr. Oldham,
I know that you were a big
part in helping the Rolling Stones become so big, and it was you who
put Mick and Keith together to write music.
Why didn't you go
to Brian Jones and put him in the mix? He was one of the leaders...
neither Mick, Keith or Brian at the time could write music. I never
understood why you didn't go to Brian and Mick? Plus HOW much of
their music did you really help write in the early
days?
John, You looked
at the likely lads... the ones who were not confused by the game and
that was Mick and Keith. In fact, I did try and get the songs out of
Brian he professed to have in him. I put him in a hotel room with
Gene Pitney, who was no slouch in the song-writing department
["Hello, Mary Lou" and "He's a Rebel" etc] and the results were C
sides. You cannot write down to pop music, it smells out the fake.
And in that department Brian was a fake... he wanted the rewards of
pop , but viewed himself a purist, and Mick and Keith's early
efforts junk, though he did not mind jumping around on stage and TV
to them. A convoluted, talented, very talented, tortured annoying
human being. As for the " HOW much" of your question I did not write
any of their music save change the title and edit some verses on
what became " as tears go by" and write a couple of songs with
Keith.
Very best, ALO |
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GLENN J AVENI |
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Much thanx for helping get some of the greatest
music made and pushed out to the hungry masses!! but in doing that
at such an intense level in the early days, as was done with other
great bands/artists i.e. zeppelin, who, Dylan, Beatles, Elvis,
cream, Neil young, etc., thus building the music industry empire,
what repercussions do you see today controlling the music/musician
environment that restrict the flow of truly inspired art??? or has
it mostly been the case that it's just someone of your capacity (as
few as there may be) that decides to push a talent (either true or
manufactured) into the mass market thereby reaping the
$$$$$$$$/power benefits? And on another note, how do you see the
progress of technology in the music creating environment that is to
"allow greater musical creation" but actually hinders the primal
creative muse connection? These and other
meanderings....
Glenn,
In the words of the great songwriter, Boudleaux Bryant, " unless you
know in your heart that you're great, feel in your bones that you're
lucky and think in your soul that God might just let you get away
with it, then pick something more certain."
Nothing changes, the
zeros just get bigger and smaller, but the road will always tell you
who you are. Very best, ALO |
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RUBEN LEAL |
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Hello Andrew, I am a person who like all of us
have been given a gift and my gift is I am unlike millions of
people.....I have been given the gift of happiness it's truly an
amazing gift and what makes me happy is helping people and the great
thing about helping people is YOU CAN help someone without money
...we all have one go round on this earth and I'm so glad I am not
chasing after nor am I driven by money it literally means nothing to
me...yes I know we need it to live but I don't need much...so with
that said..........some people with money such as yourself may help
people and don't like to let it be known they like it to be kept
anonymous......so my question to you is give us another side of you
that most people might not know....do you help people? i.e....how do
you give back? ....is there a charity you give to or school or
something that is something you absolutely love and makes you very
happy? ........also of all the things in life ...family is a
given....what is the ONE thing that TRULY MAKES YOU
HAPPY?.......sorry for ranting but it's not everyday that someone
gets A CHANCE to ask a legend ...one question...I've got so many
more. but that was my one shot ...thanks so much ...health and
continued happiness to you and everyone you love...if this question
is not used at least I got to say hi!!!
Ruben, Hi tambien. One of the old sages,
probably Freddie Gandhi, or one of the Gandhi lads said that "the
first 30 years are for learning; the second 30 for earning and the
last 30 for giving back." I am actually not rich in the present time
meaning of the word. I can afford to fly to the Rolls Royce
showroom, but could not afford the car, but Bogota to Berkeley
square in business ain't bad, is it?... We support a dog shelter
here in Bogotá, specifically we have adopted a few dogs and pay for
their care; we support a young girl through med school who was in a
street gang and a few things on that level. About twenty years ago a
Colombian money runner pal said something that harnessed my material
code into better condition. He said "Don't have tears for the things
that don't have tears for you." That helped me a lot. You cannot be
truly happy, or serve family or any entity if you do not have a
healthy respect for yourself. This time you must excuse my rambling
... I'm being interrupted by my dog Gruff, who has just come back
from school and wants to play. He turned up outside our house last
December run over by a motor bike and the rest is happiness.
Finally, are you absolutely sure we only have one go round? If so,
be so kind as to share the source of the certainty. Best &
wellness, ALO |
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BENJAMIN ROLFE |
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Do you feel the Columbian music scene could
exposed be to the wider world with a similar influence to Ry
Cooder's Cuban experiments? Many thanks,
Benjamin, In truth Colombian music, (with an
O, dear heart, it is not Columbia Pictures....) at least the rural
country type that would equal the Cuban scene cooder exposed gives
me an extreme headache. Even in my drinking days, drink being what
usually accompanies this habit, it still sounded like a dentist's
drill on Ritalin. I much prefer Colombian pop music, Shakira and
Juanes, and the maestro Carlos Vives who managed to dig into the
countries musical tradition and make music and records that appealed
to grandparents, parents and kids. Colombians have a problem
succeeding as groups - look at our football teams, so in the main,
it's only solos that succeed. I've been to Cuba and it would seem
that God gave the whole country languid sensual rhythm. Anyway even
on a Holiday Inn level, if you've been to Cuba, I'm sure you'll
agree that their sense of space and rhythm is a more exportable
entity than, alas, Colombian cumbia, which are less jazzy anyway. In
any event our pop stars have utilized our roots with great success.
Hmmm, this sounds like a conversation. Saludos,
ALO |
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ROGER |
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Which was the bigger mistake - letting the
Stones go or launching Immediate?
Roger, I'm going to assume this question is not sent
in with inbred malice and comes from a straight forward higher
ground. If it is the former a total jinx on you, dear heart, if it
is the latter it is a good question.
I did not let the Stones go
- I left. No doubt only a short while before I might have been asked
to leave, but that short while is an all-important matter of decorum
one owes the people one is working with. Basically, my sell-by date
had been reached. There was nothing in my particular box of tricks
that would serve the Stones as they attempted to move on beyond the
grimmer end of the 60's ... the end of the first golden run. They
vacillated for a short while and then returned in triumph masters of
the 70's and their game. As for Immediate it was God's way of
telling me I had too much money, but on the other hand it continues
to make a lot of people happy with it's music, and it performed a
great service for my well-being by providing adventure and new
delights at a time that the Rolling Stones were starting to get
heavy as we got entangled with lawsuits and financial games that I
had no interest in or qualifications to deal with. Immediate,
therefore, for that while was something worth getting up and going
to work for. As I'm writing this from my penthouse in Bogota,
Colombia at 6.30 pm with a glorious sunset outside my window bathing
the mountains in super-glow , and with my family well , food on the
table, and my dog comfortably at my feet ... well, you decide. Best,
ALO |
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TERJE NILSEN |
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Dear Andrew, I have been
collection records from the Immediate and the Instant label for
years, plus your own releases (A. L. O. Orchestra), but I still miss
some. Besides the Stones, which other artists (from
Immediate/Instant) you think could have reach the same fame...If
they have been lucky enough, and Are there Stones tracks who are
still not released?
Terje, As regards the other artists and their possibility
of reaching the same fame as the stones it's just not possible.
There's the Beatles; The Stones; The Who; Dylan and Hendrix... the
rest are second division, either because of luck, ability or ability
to be totally pro. If I bring to mind the acts I worked with at
Immediate/Instant they all had their shot and, if they really had
the goods, like Duncan Browne, Peter Frampton or Rod Stewart, they
got to the top on another train in another, and correct, moment. As
for unreleased stones track not on my watch, but from the later
periods I'm sure there are. In fact, on my radio show that I do for
Little Steven's underground garage in the US & Canada I play
things like the version of " Brown Sugar" that features Eric
Clapton; a couple of great versions of things from 79 with Billy
Preston that have not been officially released , so I'm sure there's
a whole heap there in their vaults. Best, ALO |
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FLAVIO |
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Dear Mr. Oldham, I'm
writing from Italy so my (first, I might have more later) question
is focused to my country. In the last 5 years appeared (as acetate
originally and then officially on a Sanctuary collection) the
Italian version of "Green Circles" (translated Raggi Verdi) never
released at the time and sung in Italian by Plonk.
Before I
had the chance to listen to it I did a research, asking to many
Italian collectors, 60s beat historians etc, but nobody did remember
the Small Faces coming to Italy for a session, even if just to
record the vocals, and couldn't believe this version even existed.
Can you enlighten it? Do you remember when, how, who was the
lyricist translating in my language? Any other Italian related story
for Immediate and, back, for the Rolling Stones ("Con le mie
Lacrime")? Kindest regards
Flavio, You kinda have me confused. Perhaps my pal and
audio shaman, Christian Diemoz < diemoz.c@tele2.it > can
assist on this. Plonk is the nick-name for the late Ronnie Lane of
The Faces. He could order Italian food, but could not sing in it. I
wonder if it's a version I cut with Twice As Much? Anyway, if you
have it plz e-send it to Christian and we'll sort this out. As for
the last part of your question many Europeans got rich and fat doing
awful translations to UK and US songs. In Italy, it is alleged that
the head of RCA personally did the translations on all Elvis Presley
songs. Of course, there was no way then of checking on the quality.
And for the Stones we were both bright and naive and did not know,
in France and Italy etc, that once there existed a local lyric the
sub-publisher could take forever 50% of the copyright as opposed to
the 15% we had appropriated him. So the crooks who published us in
Europe, Essex Music, had a little recording studio in the basement
turning out cheesy covers of everything The Stones; The Move; The
Mamas & Papas; Procol Harum etc recorded so that they could have
50% of the work and a cut of the composers share for a lyric that
was not even heard. As I have said if you cannot get over the first
fucking find another game. Bye the way all this data is in my first
book STONED, published in 2000, and it has never been disputed by
the thieves that did us. Abrazos, ALO |
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