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 GEORGIE AND HERMAN |
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WE got Georgie Fame and Herman face-to-face - just RM's Peter Jones and a photographer to listen in. Two amiable blokes, Messrs. Fame and Herman, but you might think of two different musical worlds. Afterwards, Georgie talked on about the meeting. As follows: "To my way of thinking, Herman has a funny sort of image. People used to say he was a little boy - they're wrong. Herman is a very adult character. I found this out in less than half-an-hour - during which we talked mostly about recording methods here and in America. "Herman told me: 'I went to Detroit to see Hitsville USA, the Tamla-Motown set-up. The studios are open all night - always someone working. They're the scruffiest studios, but what equipment. I saw a complete wall covered with speakers.' "I told Herman you can record the same number, same arrangements, same musicians in an American and British studio and the results would be completely different. You can make a more exact and detailed record in an American studio - though our recording engineers are much better than theirs. "And Herman agreed, pointing out that plenty of Americans come to Britain specially to record. We also agreed that American recordings seemed more intricate . . . British material is more generalised. Said Herman: 'I'm sure American records are louder than ours. When we made 'Show Me Girl' in this country it was a bum record . . . weak. When we made it in America, with exactly the same arrangement, it was great. Equipment, I suppose . . . or maybe cutting technique. Paul McCartney told me that 'Ticket To Ride' was under-cut over here. It was supposed to be a big powerful number but something went wrong with the machinery when the record was being cut from the master. As a result, the record was quieter than it was supposed to be." "I steered Herman on to America in general . . . I can't wait to get over there myself and I'm always interested to know what's cooking. Said Herman: 'When I first went over there, I didn't know what the hell was going on. I came slap bang against this Tamla Motown |
scene. I'd never heard that kind of music before and I was confused, but I was in the best position to learn. First thing I found myself doing was listening to Jimmy Smith. 'No, I know he's not Tamla, but he's a gas. I did a TV show with him once. When he wants to start a number he doesn't say one-two-three like most people. He just goes 'huhh' and off they go.' "I said I thought Jimmy Smith an in-between guy. Though he's a fantastic musician you don't have to be an expert to understand him. He plays some far-out things and you've got to be quite a skillful musician to know what's going on, though you don't have to know a note to feel what he's doing. His new LP 'Organ Grinder' is an example. He doesn't really sing, just mumbles away, then this beautifully intricate organ comes in. It's youthful, cool, very way-out. But I wanted Herman to talk more about the U.S. club scene. West Coast specialty. "He said: 'I was surprised to find that mostly the club scene is just a phoney version of what we have over here. In the white areas, the clubs are full of ligs who just go to hang around and look at each other. All the so-called hippies come down to these places, watch the birds, click their fingers and mutter yeah-yeah. You've got to go to the coloured areas to find the real stuff. "'Los Angeles is one of the worst cities in America. It's not surprising they have so much racial trouble . . . It's like a million worlds rolled into one. All round Beverly Hills are some real drag slums and dirty filthy shack towns. The contrasts are so violent that racial bitterness is really bad. San Francisco is a great place though.' "I told Herman that Jon Hendricks had also told me that San Francisco is one of the best places in America. Herman added: 'But you must never call it 'Frisco . . . they get a bit upset about that!!' "Anyway, it was time to me to get back to the recording studios, and Herman to grab something to eat. as I was saying, he has this funny kind of little-boy image. It's only when you get to talking to him that you realise that he's really grown up, musically - and fast, too." |