New DS Live Box Set, 3rd November 2023!

[Jules]

In my mind I was never contracted for two years. I don't think I would have agreed to two years. I was already fearful and hesitant to agree to one year.
Most of the time, in my experience, the first six months or so are heavily penned in, with additional legs only pencilled in.
On the McCartney tour he agreed to play the first European section, followed by the first North America section. as we started the North America section he agreed to the next European shows and another North America leg (and that's where it ended, nine months on the road).
DS: In my mind, we knew we were playing UK and Europe, then Australia, then USA/Canada, then UK and Europe again. That took us to nearly 12 months. I'm not are I knew any more than that.
I AM sure Mark, John, Ed and the promoters might have discussed other legs and probably planned for them (like S America and Eastern Europe), but I can't remember being asked to tour beyond 1992.

Yes Chris, thanks, but what I mean is if they would had planned more gigs further than Zaragoza, they would had to ask and sign a new contract, or that's automatically extend.

[Chris W]

I'll briefly put it another way.
The tour was originally contracted to start 6 months earlier. When it was postponed due to the Gulf war, many people protested. Band members and crew had turned down other work in order to be available for DS. A note went out from the managers that people would be compensated by DS for the lost work.
Now...
As the tour drew to a close in September/October 1992, no one was angry that proposed employment was being cancelled and as a result they were financially poorer. It seemed to naturally draw to a close. There was no message from management that additional legs were now cancelled and that band and crew would be compensated for lost earnings. So in my mind (at least) the legs were more provisional and it was fairly obvious (at least by the USA February 1992) that they wouldn't be happening.
Mark and John still made a financial killing from the tour.

[Chris W]

Yes Chris, thanks, but what I mean is if they would had planned more gigs further than Zaragoza, they would had to ask and sign a new contract, or that's automatically extend.

Sure. I can't remember. Maybe there was an option to extend?
I'm not sure I would have committed to 2 years, which was more 2.5 years with rehearsals etc. Maybe I did???
At the time (80's and 90's), most huge bands would undertake a 12 or 14 month world tour. These days bands are almost permanently on tour (U2, Taylor Swift, Coldplay etc). But in the vinyl/CD era bands made more money from record sales and tours weren't as profitable.
So maybe that's why I assumed it was going to be around a 12 month tour?

[Jules]

Yes Chris, thanks, but what I mean is if they would had planned more gigs further than Zaragoza, they would had to ask and sign a new contract, or that's automatically extend.

Sure. I can't remember. Maybe there was an option to extend?
I'm not sure I would have committed to 2 years, which was more 2.5 years with rehearsals etc. Maybe I did???
At the time (80's and 90's), most huge bands would undertake a 12 or 14 month world tour. These days bands are almost permanently on tour (U2, Taylor Swift, Coldplay etc). But in the vinyl/CD era bands made more money from record sales and tours weren't as profitable.
So maybe that's why I assumed it was going to be around a 12 month tour?

Thanks for all your explanations. It's priceless to have information from someone that was IN the tour.

There is something curious for me. After they asked Jeff Porcaro and Manu Katché, the drummers in the OES record first, their first choice was you, and as you said you refused, they insisted, you refused again, and they insisted until you said yes... that made me wonder, how is it possible they didn't had any plan B in case you kept saying no?

It's great to know they wanted you that much but with a tour being planned, a musician says no to you several times, and instead of search for another, you insist asking the same musician...

[Chris W]

I guess they thought their case was compelling and I would eventually agree.
I didn't speak to them personally after the 'audition' at Air Studios. I had a manager and he was talking to DS management. I wasn't violently against doing it, I was inclined not to do the tour because I had already decided to go back to recording studio work.
So I'm not sure how strongly my manager told DS management that I wouldn't do the tour, or whether it was an ongoing conversation.
This was many weeks before the rehearsals were supposed to start. I don't know of they had a Plan B or not - which would have actually been a Plan D.

[Jules]

I guess they thought their case was compelling and I would eventually agree.
I didn't speak to them personally after the 'audition' at Air Studios. I had a manager and he was talking to DS management. I wasn't violently against doing it, I was inclined not to do the tour because I had already decided to go back to recording studio work.
So I'm not sure how strongly my manager told DS management that I wouldn't do the tour, or whether it was an ongoing conversation.
This was many weeks before the rehearsals were supposed to start. I don't know of they had a Plan B or not - which would have actually been a Plan D.

As I said, for me you were plan A if you think about musicians not involved in the record. It kinds of makes sense to ask the musicians that played in the record as they know those songs, if they say no, which they did, then you have to look for a drummer that had nothing to do with the record, and this is when you are plan A.

All the rest of the touring band played in the record, more or less, but played, you were the only one that didn't, as far as I remember.

[Chris W]

Did Phil Palmer play on the record? I'm not sure if Chris White did, although he had a looong history with DS and Mark.
Phil had of course already played at various DS gigs through his Eric Clapton connection.

[Jules]

Did Phil Palmer play on the record? I'm not sure if Chris White did, although he had a looong history with DS and Mark.
Phil had of course already played at various DS gigs through his Eric Clapton connection.

Both Phil and Danny are credited in the record. Danny's playing is listenable throught the entire record, Phil, I think he played for sure in the song OES, the outtro as he mentioned it in his book, I think he mentions he played others songs too but can't remember exactly.

[Chris W]

OK 

[Love Expresso]

Chris, you are visible in the Calling Elvis video clip, in those very short "real" snippets between the puppet sequences. Do you remember that video shoot? I guess it was filmed during the rehearsals? The release of the first single was a very big thing after a six year gap since the last album back in those days in 1991.

LE

[jf9081]

I also like the different eras and arrangements. But currently I prefer the early years to the middle period (Alchemy etc.).

Some of my issues with Alchemy:

- R&J outro on acoustic guitar
- Hal playing lead lines in Sultans
- Long, overdone and repetitive opener in Once Upon
- Odd structure, with first half mostly slow
- Sound of cymbals

Curiosity: I'm not a drummer and I don't understand much about it... what don't you like about the sound of Alchemy's cymbals? maybe the hi-hat? it's never uniform and in the foreground throughout the concert.. I have to say that the cymbals on Portobello belle seem better than on the whole album... could it be the new mix?

[Matchstickman]

I also like the different eras and arrangements. But currently I prefer the early years to the middle period (Alchemy etc.).

Some of my issues with Alchemy:

- R&J outro on acoustic guitar
- Hal playing lead lines in Sultans
- Long, overdone and repetitive opener in Once Upon
- Odd structure, with first half mostly slow
- Sound of cymbals

Curiosity: I'm not a drummer and I don't understand much about it... what don't you like about the sound of Alchemy's cymbals? maybe the hi-hat? it's never uniform and in the foreground throughout the concert.. I have to say that the cymbals on Portobello belle seem better than on the whole album... could it be the new mix?

It is of course a minor thing and I mentioned it partly as a joke. But it seems to me that the sound of the cymbals die or fade very quickly, whereas I like it when there is a longer sound. Level: details 🙂

[jf9081]

I also like the different eras and arrangements. But currently I prefer the early years to the middle period (Alchemy etc.).

Some of my issues with Alchemy:

- R&J outro on acoustic guitar
- Hal playing lead lines in Sultans
- Long, overdone and repetitive opener in Once Upon
- Odd structure, with first half mostly slow
- Sound of cymbals

Curiosity: I'm not a drummer and I don't understand much about it... what don't you like about the sound of Alchemy's cymbals? maybe the hi-hat? it's never uniform and in the foreground throughout the concert.. I have to say that the cymbals on Portobello belle seem better than on the whole album... could it be the new mix?

It is of course a minor thing and I mentioned it partly as a joke. But it seems to me that the sound of the cymbals die or fade very quickly, whereas I like it when there is a longer sound. Level: details 🙂

 

[Chris W]

Chris, you are visible in the Calling Elvis video clip, in those very short "real" snippets between the puppet sequences. Do you remember that video shoot? I guess it was filmed during the rehearsals? The release of the first single was a very big thing after a six year gap since the last album back in those days in 1991.

The Calling Elvis video was made before rehearsals - don't forget the band line-up was completed, then the tour was postponed by 6 months.
They modelled the Gerry Anderson drummer figure exactly on me, and also modelled my Noble & Cooley drum kit exactly.
We had to take numerous photos of my drums, plus detailed measurements. I was also measured and photographed (wearing the clothes I would wear in the video).
From memory we spent a whole long day being filmed playing the song, of which virtually nothing appeared in the final video.

[Jules]

Chris, you are visible in the Calling Elvis video clip, in those very short "real" snippets between the puppet sequences. Do you remember that video shoot? I guess it was filmed during the rehearsals? The release of the first single was a very big thing after a six year gap since the last album back in those days in 1991.

The Calling Elvis video was made before rehearsals - don't forget the band line-up was completed, then the tour was postponed by 6 months.
They modelled the Gerry Anderson drummer figure exactly on me, and also modelled my Noble & Cooley drum kit exactly.
We had to take numerous photos of my drums, plus detailed measurements. I was also measured and photographed (wearing the clothes I would wear in the video).
From memory we spent a whole long day being filmed playing the song, of which virtually nothing appeared in the final video.

I remember you posted in instagram pictures of that video clip shooting, one of them showing Guy Flecther pretending to play the pedal steel guitar!