8/17

Hello and thanks for checking out my site...this has been something I've wanted to do ever since I opened up some stored boxes a few years back and came across roughly 90 multi track, half inch and quarter inch tapes from sessions over my 40 or so years of tracking...a site that I could upload music, videos and stories that my family, friends and anyone else interested would enjoy, appreciate and maybe have a laugh...I'm sure as I write and reminisce, read my notes and review the recordings this site will mean more to me than anyone else as it's a fond trip down memory lane...a chance to revisit how my career in music unfolded and all the opportunities good and bad I was fortunate to experience and if you appreciate the old saying "until you walk a mile" then you'd understand why I wouldn't change or trade a thing on the road I've walked to get here...I also know that not to many people have had a chance to actually do something for an entire lifetime and never thought of it as a job or work and to that I will always be appreciative...I have been blessed and fortunate for the opportunities given and the fluke timing and situations in which things happened have made me smile pause and look skyward in gratitude...the fact is I owe so much to so many wonderful people I have met over the course of my life that lent a generous hand without asking anything in return...so to those friends, associates and those who've stole my heart along the way I wish you a sincere heartfelt thank you for being in my life and being kind enough to over look my pettiness and being such a pain ...JJ

Growing up in Boston

I was raised by two wonderful protective and supportive parents Joseph & Gloria James...I have two wonderful sisters Helen who goes by J and Elizabeth and a great brother David....they have all been instrumental in some way or another in supporting me in my life and my career and for that I will always be indebted to them...thank you....When I was a kid my Dad and I were as close as a father and son could be...I was really into sports as a preteen and he was very encouraging with me to follow what I loved...he was always so supportive and I learned so much from him in such a short time...I lost my Dad when I was 12 yrs old and I realized immediately everything would be different and it was, it took time but I realized that eventually all would heal in time..My Mother (God Bless her strength) decided it would be nice to have some music or a musician in the house in Hingham maybe bring back some happiness during a tough time....Thinking back I remember growing up in the urban landscape of Boston before moving to Hingham and my Mom would always have music playing in the house her favorite were musicals... "My Fair Lady", "The King And I", Rex Harrison or Julie Andrews singing her favorites but always music...When I would sit outside on the stoop to our apartment house in a very racially diverse area I would hear Motown artists blazing out of nearby apartment windows or the Beatles and Stones and sounds of the 60's in cars driving bye....I just remember loving it and not really knowing why other than it made me happy and loved singing along.... but I digress

Back to Hingham and my Mom wanting music in the house...she ended up buying my brother David a guitar thinking he would be the musician...that lasted about a month (lol) and I ended up picking it up and giving it try and at that moment I knew I found something special, maybe filling an emptiness of my Dad's passing I'm not sure but never the less it was something that I loved...I was a 13 yr old that just fell for the guitar... it just fit...I would spend hours upon hours trying to teach myself how to play and later educating myself by listening to my sister J's records....If I wasn't playing the guitar I was playing my Mom's bristle broom (yup lol) getting my performance chops together upstairs in my bedroom while listening to Hendrix..Beck..Page and Townshend...so funny when I think of it now cause I was so into it but my Mom certainly wasn't I ruined many a broom

Back to my older sister J...She was probably one of my biggest influences and she didn't even realize it...I am 4 years younger so when I was 13 she was only 17 and she would bring home tons of vinyl or go to concerts to see Jimi Hendrix...Jefferson Airplane...Janis Joplin...Cream...The Byrds...Simon & Garfunkel...you name it she was turning me onto it and I was eating it up like it was my last meal...I loved it and loved her for sharing with me...thanks J...I continued to lock myself away in my room listening to records for hrs upon hrs trying to learn the tunes and actually writing some of my own very basic melodies with lyrics...I would also write my own lyrics to hit songs I heard on the radio which unknowingly got me understanding melodies better... by this time it was the early 70's and yes I was smoking weed growing my hair long and rebelling just like any other teenage generation...I was having problems at school and getting hassled in the hallways was the norm and at times it was painful just to show up but I was finding my solace in live concerts...when I was only 14 I hit my first shows that included some of the all time greats, The Who in the winter of 70 when they were right off Woodstock only 7 months earlier at the Music Hall, Janis Joplin's last tour when she played Harvard Stadium, Jeff Beck at the Music Hall, his first tour after coming back from his car accident, the Boston Common shows that featured the Allman Brothers with Duane Allman, Delaney & Bonnie with Eric Clapton on guitar, Rod Stewart & The Faces, Alice Copper (with my brother David), Led Zep in 71 & 73 at the Gardens (73 with my sister J), the Stones in Montreal at the forum 72 in support of Exile on Main Street, the list goes on and on and of course my friends were with me for most of the shows which added to the memorable fun...I learned young that to appreciate life you have to deal with the good and the bad, a balancing act that never seems to go away...(I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir on that one)...lol...I am blessed to have always had my family to fall back on but friends always seemed to bring out the laughter and lent support in different ways which helped me through...Thank goodness

I remember a select group would always stop over and hang out and listen to music and get stoned...I remember my Mom would come to the bottom of stairs and say "Joey what is that smell coming from upstairs" and my response would always be it's incense Mom not to worry...believe me when I tell you my Mom was no fool she knew what was up but at least she knew where her son and friends where so no harm no foul...I loved her for that...ALWAYS...many of those friends were very instrumental in my musical growth by turning me onto bands I either hadn't heard yet or hadn't garnered a true appreciation for at the time...but when I hear those same artists today it places me right back to the location and time when we would talk music and only music...it was my education...Tom Underwood brought me the Moody Blues...Steve Miller...Santana and Miles Davis to name a few....Ronnie Means gave me the Allman Brothers...Shuggie Otis and Mike Bloomfield & Super Sessions...Peter Street gave me Bruce Springsteen and The Eagles...Tim Huskins gave me Chicago...Neil Young & CSNY... the list goes on and on...as I said I had heard a lot of this stuff but they taught me a greater appreciation as I was a pure snob of Great Britain guitarists Clapton / Beck / Page / Peter Green / Rory Gallagher etc etc....so having my friends telling me to open up to other ideas was a real awakening and something I've never stopped doing...thank you guys always

Right about this time I was around 15 and I was getting pretty good I definitely was becoming a really good rhythm guitar player...my friends kept telling me I need to start or find a band to join...so I started jamming with other people for a year or two actually getting paid by the time I was 16 yrs old...very little money but money just the same...This is around the time I met John Thomas who would later become a major influence on my playing ...an exceptional guitarist with great patience and an amazing style and technic and very much a perfectionist which definitely rubbed off on me no doubt...I think it was the summer of 72 I remember being invited to this Ski lodge in Conway NH that singer Rick Cutcliff's Dad owned and wanted us to work for several months...the idea was it's summer and we'll go up and clear the slopes of over grown brush and trees and also cut a new slope....So about 10 us all really tight friends went up and when we got to the lodge we realized almost everyone was a musician....so after work and weekends we had jam sessions that later turned into song sessions that later turned into "Hey let's open the lodge for members of the community to come and hear music and drink beers"....when I tell you this was one of the coolest summers in my life you can bank on it....This is when I really got to know John and was jamming with and later rehearsing with what would soon be the future Paul Martin Band with members Joe Baglione on bass...John on guitar...me on Rhythm guitar and my dear friend Paul Martin on drums...

This was indeed my nurturing ground and some of the most fun I've ever had playing...we would rehearse at this place called the Music Coop in downtown Hingham...an incredible indie record store that most of the band worked at...the owner was a beautiful woman who was so kind to us and really wanted us to do well so she let us rehearse in the basement of the store after hrs....we really got tight and John always emphasized timing and meter in our one on one lessons...I grew like a weed after each of those lessons...we ended up calling ourselves the Paul Martin Band because Paul was the guy who set up most of the gigs for us (lol classic) and we really had no intentions to do much more than jam but after our first gig we were like "alright now!... the audience really likes us lets do this"...so we played for like a year or so and that was it...

I was 18 now and my second group was a band called "Hands On" a suggestion from my Mom...she thought it was a cool name and she believed in me so much that I was like if you think it's cool then it's cool...the group had a few incarnations but the group I felt was the most successful were with band members Ronnie Cardonie on vox Billy Pierson on bass Charlie McCormick drums and Mike Higgins guitar...an example of how funny things work out I had seen this band called the Dudes play the summer of 73 at a beach party in the next town over (Cohasset) and the gig was literally on the beach...they had to stop the performance before the band was done when the tide rolled in and soaked the stone platform they were setup on but thank goodness someone planned it out well and a great house party broke out after....anyway the group comprised of Tracy Jeallos an amazing guitarists that played a Tele...he had the Yardbirds down pat and obviously I was blown away by that...Mark Grimm on bass and John Litwin on drums and singer Ronnie Cardonie who was the dude himself...

That was the day I said to myself I'm going to get good enough to play with this singer and as they say the rest is history...a year or three later we were gigging out and more importantly we were doing originals sprinkled in with covers....playing local clubs like Caseys, Caseys ll, White Horse, Waymana, EuDemons, The Exit Coffee House, Bell Buoy (Used to see the Cars there)...local Colleges, outside festivals...you name it we played it....we had opened for well known acts like The Atlantics & John Butchers Axis...etc...it was a blast while it lasted...what I got out of it was a ton of live experience and also a great recording session (my first professional session in 1976) at the infamous Intermedia Sound on Newbury St in Boston...we recorded a bunch of originals that I was very proud of but the coolest thing was we had a 3 day lockout in the studio and we were following The Cars that were just finishing and we got bumped out of our 3rd day by Aerosmith...we were tracking between arguably two of the greatest bands out of Boston, always thought that was pretty cool...:-)...the next and last band I formed in Boston was Kashmir...yep I named after the Zep tune....this was a good band that had many different players in and out...I formed the group but ended up getting the boot after a year because I only wanted to play originals I was writing...oh well live and learn...we played a handful of clubs but I was growing restless anyway so it all worked out in the end....

Next Stop Miami to hang with my dear Uncle John....Uncle John was my mother's younger brother...He was pretty successful in his own right...he had been in Hollywood in the 50's & 60's doing a lot of walk-on's and fill in rolls in television (Untouchables) and movies but like most got sick of working for little to no pay and ended up in Florida...I would visit him often either by myself or with my sister J and stay for months on end...What I really appreciated about my visits was that he was a real supporter of me and my career and he would impart his experience and guidance from his many years in LA...as he would say "entertainment is entertainment whether a musician or an actor it's the same business"...So I learned from him...I was blessed to have someone who really got what I was trying to do and I so much appreciated all the long conversations about business at such a young age...The second thing I really appreciated about my Florida experiences was the music...it was a totally different scene then what was happening in Boston...the original bands were different in style and content plus you had a huge Cuban scene that was happening so another element to add to the whole thing and I was a sponge just sucking it all in...I will always be indebted to my Uncle John & Aunt Carol for allowing me to stay with them and grow as a person and musician...God bless them both

My temporary home LA (So I thought)

It's 1979 and I'm back in Hingham after visiting my Uncle in Florida...I wasn't working with any of the bands anymore those relationships ended in 1978-79 ...I had some unfortunate personal issues which didn't sit well with many people including my family...I mention this only to deliver a positive message and result....during my second visit to the hospital I had the same attending physician I had on my previous visit a few months earlier...He was older than me at the time but looking back he was actually only in his 30's...I remember this like it was just the other day cause his words were so profound and changed the rest of my life forever...in retrospect I hope he realized that...He said "weren't you in here just a few months ago"...(yes)..."what are you doing"...(I just made a mistake)..."Maybe but you have to stop doing this..I've seen you in here twice now and many people don't get a second chance when it comes to this stuff...you're affecting a lot of lives including your own"...(I know)..."If you keep doing this by the time you're 30 yrs old you'll have the inners of a 60 yr old man is that what you want"...(of course not)..."you need to make a life change and I mean now or you won't make 30....what is it you do"...(I work a regular gig but music is my thing)..."if you want to continue with your music you need to make a life change...if you need to leave the influences from around here then leave...cause if you don't you won't make it"....THAT WAS IT...(You need to make a life change) I knew if I wanted to make something of myself and pursue my dream of music I had to go...So within a few weeks I was on my way to LA.

I remember on the drive across country in the station wagon my Mom bought for me (God bless her) so I could transport my guitars and amps...I was thinking it's LA...NY or Nashville to live...I was dead set to make it in the music business and be on the cover of Rolling Stone...lol...:-)...I know what a dreamer...but when you were that young and you'd been playing in bands the better portion of the 70's it did feel like you could do anything...so all those places sounded good but once I started thinking about the weather I knew LA was the place...The drive across country was awesome...I arrived Oct 79...In no time I found a little place in Long Beach near the water...it just turned 1980 and I landed a job at a local music store called McCains Records...this was an absolute blast cause I was around music day and night and the manager Steve Snook wanted me to really educate myself in all types of music so I could deal with the client base better...as I mentioned I was really into listening to everything when I was growing up back east but he wanted me to really step it up in the Jazz and Classical area and I got deeper into American blues at this time as well...So thanks to Steve it was an unbelievable education in music especially working in a Mom & Pop type store like McCains...He was also real cool about creating flexible hrs as he knew I was a musician and wanted me to be able to continue my career...I started an ad in LA weekly and started putting musicians together for jams...which in turn led me to working with a local musician Bill Greene who's record I played on as a hired guitarist...I had also met a really good player named Mike Whipple who was a regular at McCains...he was a great keyboardist and was into midi way back when...we ended up doing some of his tracks and he played on a session of mine....I will always be grateful to Steve who always took care of me and allowed those opportunities during my stay at McCains

Dhu-Ron Studio Days

It's around early 1982 the time I started making my way into Hollywood to hook up with players from the ads I was running....I had started the Joe James Group with Eric Hartman-drums, Mark Renneman-bass, Rick Lowell-sax, Mike Whipple-Keys and I needed a good vocalist..This is when I had another fortuitous situation play out..I was checking out gear at a music store on N Larchmont Blvd near Gower in Hollywood and was walking around and came by a studio / rehearsal space called Dhu-Ron Studios...I walked in to get an idea about the cost of the spaces and I met the proprietors Maura & RB Greaves...yes "Take a letter Maria" & Sam Cooks nephew RB Greaves...we hit it off and he gave me a good deal for a rehearsal space so I spent every day I could in Hollywood at the studio...after several months he asked if I was interested in working there as an assistant and he would allow me to record and rehearse for free...of course I said yes and our friendship started to grow from there....I met Bill House-guitarist / vox who would join the group and later Ralph Morman-vox (story of Ralphs meeting to follow) who also joined the band....we recorded The Morman-House Band and continued to work for another year or so before breaking up but I continued working at Dhu-Ron...

Working with Ralph was one of the most extraordinary opportunities I have ever had....for one I was a huge fan... he had sang with one of my favorite bands ever Kin Simmons & Savoy Brown and the Joe Perry Project...Meeting Ralph was a story all to it's self...My brother David was working at CBS Columbia in the music division and he had passes for us to go see the Joe Perry Project at the Country Club in the Valley...we had all access to the dressing rooms and we went to meet Joe and the band...This was during Perry's drug days and I had been around enough druggies to know when someone is smacked out of their mind...I had brought a cassette of a Jeff Beck performance I had bootlegged at the Hollywood Bowl just 6 months prior and I was bringing it for Joe cause I knew he was a fanatic fan of Beck like I was...so when we went to the dressing room just Joe and the tour manager whom I was introduced to but don't remember his name were talking while Joe was warming up on guitar...my bother and the tour manager left the room and Joe and I started talking...so right off it got weird cause after a few sentences I called him Joey and I didn't know he took offense to that so he got snippy and said don't call me that it's Joe...I said sorry and told him about the cassette and we had another brief conversation and I gave him the tape and he just kind of  "thanks" and tossed it into his guitar case...I get it he was fucked up and was warming up for a show but I was like geeeezzz dude and I called him Joey again totally unintentional and he flipped out on me and started screaming "what did I tell you" and I said look people who are close to me usually call me Joey so I thought it was a little endearing and he was like "fuck you with that endearing shit"....Ok so if you know me and my loud Boston accent and Joe Perry and his loud Boston accent it was friggin classic hearing both of us yelling at each other...I said you fucking asshole I came here in good faith and brought you a tape of Jeff Beck cause I know what a big fan you are and this is the way you treat me...and he grabs the tape and throws it at me...It was CLASSIC...So I got real mad and I say your not shit, you're nothing compared to Beck and at that very moment I thought he was going to kill me...BANG the door sprang open and my brother and the tour manager come running into the room and had to separate us...

I was escorted out of the room with him yelling at me...about 15 min later the manager comes out to the outer waiting area where all the beer and food is and my brother is laughing as I'm telling him the story...the manager says Joe let me hear your side of the story cause Joe is fuming so I told him an abbreviated version cause I knew he had more important things on his mind....and he says yah he never likes to be called that...that name is left for Joey Kramer...you guys hang out and drink and eat and I'll go smooth it over and as he walks away he says just do me a favor an don't drink the Bud just drink the Heineken the Bud is for Joe and goes back into the dressing room...Now seriously I'm not trying to be a jerk but I don't drink Heineken I drink Bud so I walked across the room and there was a huge tub of Buds & Heineken and I grabbed a few Buds and started drinking thinking he'll never notice....except a few minutes later Joe comes out with the manager to head on stage and sees me drinking a Bud and says "you fucking asshole those are for me" and I said fuck you I'll drink what I want....at that point I was escorted to the audience side of the venue and to my amazement and Joe's credit the show was absolutely awesome the consummate pro that he is...Point of all this is Ralph who was touring with Joe at the time was introduced to me by my brother at the gig and he said he laughed his ass off after he had heard about the chaos backstage...he told us about an after party in Hollywood to come too and we met him there and we became fast friends and started working after he was off the tour...It worked well for him cause he lived in the valley with his family and was a local and he wanted to work on something new...So I was the guy...as unlikely a situation...that is how Ralph and I hooked up

It's around 1985 I was now working with a lot of different musicians but continued my hang at Dhu-Ron...I developed a writing relationship with RB...he wanted to go in a country music style and I was writing in that direction for him...we ended up tracking a tune I wrote called "Which Girls for Me"....I thought it came out really good and felt he had a real good feel for country so we continued for a little while as I continued in search of my next group...I ended up jamming with a drum / bass rhythm section I don't remember the bass players name (sorry) but the drummer Steve Giba was the guy who stuck...Steve became one of my go to guys and turned out to be a terrific friend...it was now the Joe James Group 2.0 with Steve the nameless bass player and a number of vocalist we floated through...we landed on this guy named Charlie (again sorry don't remember his last name) and we went into the studio to record a few songs...The studio was Pakaderm Studios with two great guys and owners John & Dino Elefante...John was the lead singer of Kansas for years and he really liked what I was doing and he comped me a lot of studio time...much gratitude to those guy for their kindness....it was an ok session but mostly throw away tracks due to the vocals not being up to par...We were now heading into 1986 and a tough time was waiting for me as my personal life was in turmoil and more importantly my Mom was very sick...I tried really hard for almost the entire year to work on music...solicit and shop songs...do anything to keep my mind occupied  but I received countless rejection letters from all the labels (I still have the letters)... and the band and music was at a creep....it always seemed like I was doing my style of music writing rock, blues & R&B but to my fault or stubbornness I wouldn't change with the times...in the late 70's it was like an assault on what I was brought up on...in came Disco then Punk...the 80's brought the Hair bands and bang your head rock and later New Wave and Electronic Dance music but I never changed and it seemed to catch up with me...

I was not the happiest of creatures at this time...but I'll say it again my Mom was my biggest supporter...she believed in me and made me believe in myself...She always said they'll be many styles of music they'll come and they'll go but as long as you do what you love you'll always be happy...Those words meant the world to me and many a time kept me going...and as usual she was right, looking back at all the changes in music...styles and genres and me keeping the course...makes me smile thinking about it as I was so happy doing what I loved...I lost my Mom in Aug 1987...for those whom have loved and lost parents I need not explain the pain...for me all I wanted to do was make her proud of me while she was alive...She knew how driven I was and success was everything to me and she knew of my disappointment in my career to that point when it seemed like things didn't work out as I thought it would and she pained for me over that but never mentioned it and always smiled and said keep on going it could be around that next turn....

Hello A&M (Thank you Mom)

Now for those who are spiritual will understand what happened next...for the rest...well just chew on it a while and make your own conclusion....Understand I know I have been very fortunate and I also know at this point I wasn't close to where I wanted to be...So a few weeks after my Moms funeral I set out to hit every label and studio in LA for a gig and get in the proverbial door of the business that seemed to elude me or at least my expectations....it is Oct 1987 4 weeks after my Mom passed I received my first and only call back to a job...but not just any job; an interview at A&M Records...I was speechless...I'll get into the job interview and all the particulars in just a moment as I continue to write...but that morning as I sat in my apartment before the interview I only thought of one thing and that was my Mom and how she opened this door of opportunity for me...You have to believe me when I tell you she made this happen...I don't know how and I don't ask but I do know she did...She started it all with that guitar back in 1969 - 70 when I'm very young...buying the station wagon so I could get my gear to LA in my early 20's...always telling me to keep doing it..."do what you love Joey" she would constantly tell me my whole life....So many of the disappointments on my side that I didn't want to share with her verbally cause I didn't want to disappoint her although I know she knew...then she passes and 4 weeks later I have the most coveted job of all that in turn launched my career...This is no coincidence this is not happenstance...I won't give an explanation even though you know where I'm going with this....I'll say it's spiritual which my Mom was very much so...as am I...I am thankful and grateful every day for the opportunities that were given as a gift to me from above

That afternoon at A&M was the first day I met Eddie the guard as I walked in through the back gate and up the ramp at the rear guard station....As I learned later Eddie was one of the most kindest individuals you could ever have a chance to meet but he took his job very seriously and when I was walking in for the first time to interview he was like "Hey my man where do you think you're going"...I told him I had a job interview with Studio Manager Mark Harvey and he said "congratulations but you my man need to check in with the front office and Sherri Lazerus"..so he escorted me to the front door and the office...I remember my interview very well...for those of you familiar with the layout of A&M Studios I was waiting in the fish lounge for a call in to meet with Studio Manager Mark Harvey (an incredible mentor to me) around lunch time...his office at this time was down by the Tech Shop....I was summoned in and as I walk into his office I notice someone else in the room eating and he says "don't mind me I'm just going to sit and listen and have my lunch"....Mark introduces himself and says "Joe this is Shelly Yakus apparently he's going to sit through your interview"...we all smiled I sat and the interview began...there couldn't have been more than three questions out of Marks mouth when Shelly says "I recognize that accent where are you from"...I said you wouldn't know it's a small town on the east coast...now remember I was already nervous about the interview and I knew who Shelly was but it just didn't faze me at the time it was THAT Shelly Yakus...He's says "try me where are you from" I said a town called Hingham just south of Boston...He's says "Do you know Keoghs Boat House on the harbor"...I almost fell over and said yes I used to go there as a kid and borrow dingy's at night and row out and drink beer...He says "my Dad used to keep his boat there what a small world huh" and I said I guess so...he says "Mark hire him I like this guy"...lol...That was my interview a total of three questions and I'm not sure Mark asked another cause the next thing I remember is Mark saying "welcome aboard go to the front office and tell Sherri....Now understand Mark later told me that Shelly NEVER sat in on interviews especially for the hiring of a studio runner EVER....So was I hired on my own merits or just happenstance and timing that Shelly was in there during my interview either way it was  friggin amazing.... funniest interview I've ever had.

Down the Yellow Brick Road Begins

I am now a runner for A&M Studios with the idea that I would assist on sessions sometime down the road....The studios were still being remodeled by Vincent Van Hoff and his crew a bunch of talented yet funny Irish, Scottish and English dudes that spray painted everything in sight like a popcorn finish...it was hilarious...Studio D was still in pieces and I think Studio B was not finished yet...I started the same day as Keith Woods who was hired as the studio tape librarian...we both went to HR together for our briefing and became fast friends...he was a Jersey boy a very talented musician and a funny guy...at this time it seemed like there was a hiring frenzy going on in the studio...As I found out later Jimmy Iovine had arrived from NY sometime in 1986 with Shelly in tow to run operations and revamp the studios for Herb Alpert and A&M Records...it was classic because we had the best of the best tech and engineering crew anywhere...predominantly east coast guys that Jimmy handpicked and brought with him with a sprinkle of top notch guys from the west coast ...The list is extensive so my apologies to anyone I may have forgotten but from memory while I was in the studios - engineers (1st / 2nd & 3rds) and runners - Mark Harvey (Studio Manager), Bill Dooley (Mastering), Mark McKenna, Dan Nash, Mark DeSisto, Bob Vogt, Thom Panunzio, Rob Jacobs, Joe Borja, Tom Banghart, Ed Goodreau, Rob Jaczko, Randy Staub, Brian Scheuble, Ed Korango, Mike Baumgartner, John Aguto, Greg Goldman, Scott Symington, Al Lay, Vatrena King, Eric Aandal, Ken Villeneuve, Randy Wine, Alex Reed, Pat Sullivan (Mastering), Paul Horrell, Kathy Kurasch, Brad Lambert, Andrew Garver, Martin Garcia, Roland Alvarez, Ethan Johns, Todd Montgomery, Ron Rogers, Mike Douglas, Chad Muncey, Jim Labinsky, Dave Collins (Mastering), Bill Lazerus...Tech - Mike Morongell (Chief Tech) and his tech crew of Fred Bova, Stephen Barncard, Gary Myerberg, Jonathan Little, Mark Tindle, Gary Mannon, BJ Fung, Bob Borbonus, Mark Opie....and of course the terrific engineers that were independent but A&M was like home to them...Garth Richardson, Bill Kennedy, Ed Stasium, Nico Bolas, Bob Clearmountain, Don Smith, just to name of a few.....and last but not least the original Front office staff of Sheri Lazerus, Caryl McGowen & Colleen Harris and the wonderful Joycie....When I tell you this studio was a place of personalities and so much fun to work at would be an understatement of great magnitude with the biggest gift being the amount of learning and knowledge I gained by working there...it was tremendous. The tech crew always treated me well even when I first arrived...I was always in there studying the manuals for all the outboard gear or consoles and the engineers always wanted you in the rooms at the end of the late night - early morning sessions to clean up and document all the outboard gear which meant I could ask them any questions about mixing or tracking and most were always willing to answer...what a place, what a privilege to around all of the above

You Couldn’t Make This Stuff Up If You Tried

I have a million stories and anecdotes from those days but it would take pages upon pages to spell it all out and probably bore the hell out of most people anyway so I'll only mention a few classic stories from those 12 years I was at A&M. So like most of the guys that came in untested or lack of credits I started as a runner and for me most of the times if I was placed on a session I was a 3rd....meaning I was sitting quietly in the room taking care of runs for the session, keeping an eye on the slap machine or documenting session gear or moving mics....My very first session was 1987 Studio B assisting Mark McKenna & Bob Clearmountain who was mixing Robbie Robertson's (The Band) first solo LP...a friggin thrill of a lifetime...I was only on the session for 3 days...Mark McKenna was awesome and Bob actually didn't mind me asking a few questions he was totally cool....one of which was me asking him about how he could use such little outboard gear while mixing especially when Shelly would have what we called mount Yakmore (lol) because Shelly seemed to mix with a mountain of outboard gear...Bob's reply was "well to each their own but for me it's about the tracking engineer...if I roll these faders up and the tracks almost mix themselves then that's a session I want to mix just great tracking and attention to detail...if it's a mess I don't care who the artist is I'll probably pass"...that's what it was like every day going to work at A&M studios for me...what a way to learn and get an education 

The next project I was assigned was U2's Rattle and Hum...now let me be clear...this session lasted about a year or at least it felt like a year...at one point every room was being used at A&M and everyone and I mean everyone at some point was involved with the sessions...it was friggin nuts...but to be clear my job started way before the band showed up and the sessions even started...I was working in the tape copy /post production suite that was being built upstairs in the studio but because it was not complete yet we moved a bunch 1/4" & 1/2" ATR's and Studers into what would later be the lounge for Studio D as Studio D was still under construction....Studio Manager Mark Harvey approached Bill Lazerus and asked if his team (me included) if we could review the reels of tape that were coming in...Ok sounds simple right but what I didn't know immediately was that U2 had been touring for years in support of Joshua Tree and wanted to do a hybrid type combination of live and in studio record....So when a truck pulls up with cases upon cases of reels we almost shit...for one reason we already had a ton of work to do and now this....Another interesting situation that happened was that Mark Harvey came to me and spelled it out in detail as to what was involved with our end of the prep and that was that Jimmy had asked for someone Mark trusted that would listen in great detail to as many reels as possible and find the best takes of each song (and there was a bunch) and number them in order of performance (best to worst) and make side notes of what the issues if any were in each song...like "everything is awesome accept Edge's guitar is late or missed a lick or there is distortion"....if we were talking about a few takes that would be one thing but this was months and months of work and Mark said I trust you cause you're an active musician with good ears and I think you can do it...I did...along side many other guys and it turned out to be awesome...I spent over 2 months on that project listening and detailing information and passing it to Jimmy's office...I learned a ton from that project and actually got a rep for having good ears...something that if you're in this business is essential....

Speaking of good ears this brings me to my sit downs with Shelly up in Tape Copy / Post Production Suite that was nearing completion...We had probably the largest collection of vintage / classic outboard gear and microphones in the world...Shelly was a stickler for listening to every piece of gear before releasing it to the studios for client use....I was one of many guys that sat with him assisting with putting gear in the racks so Shelly could A/B each piece of gear meaning I would send audio signal though one piece (A) and then another of the same model of gear (B) and he would judge which one sounded better...as an example we would go through like (20) LA 2A compressors and he would rate each one with a star....Now I know most people would say this is impossible to hear and I myself was a little skeptical but when you sit for weeks on end with no one bothering you and you listen very close you can hear slight variables and changes from one exact piece or gear to another...I asked Shelly what is was and he said when you're talking about electronic equipment it could be as simple as the size of a goob of solder or a wire being a half inch longer in a component or a resister or tube ready to burn out....the fact is he was right and after listening so closely I really did develop a better ear and also a better understanding about what it took to be great at your job whether it's a producer / engineer or a musician...we did the same thing with the mics in the studios....once again you couldn't put a price on the learning experience with one of the best...Thanks Shelly

A few other sessions of note that I was blessed to be a part of were the Cheap Trick OD's and mix sessions for the Flame with Richie Zito producing & Phil Kaffel engineering with Bob Vogt second engineer....this was when studio D was still under construction and I was working the overnight shifts as a runner and Bob whom I consider a great friend invited me in for a few days to help out late at night with documenting gear and cleaning Studer & ATR heads and assorted other things...I got to hang with the above mentioned as well as Robin Zander and Rick Nielsen...believe me it was a big thrill as I was a huge fan of the band...one of the nights Phil wanted to do some guitar OD's and they were working in the mix room so Bob had me come in and setup amps in the still under construction studio D live space with all the lumber and scaffolding still in the room...Rick was walking back and forth between rooms listening to his amps blazing and Bob would tell me where he wanted mics placed...all and all it was a great experience both learning and hanging with one of my favs...Thanks Bob

Another great session was the Ivan Neville session his first record I believe at the time...I was again invited in cause I was working the overnight shifts...assistant engineer Mark DeSisto invited me in this time for about two days...again a lot of mic setups and documenting gear but the best part was being in the room and chatting with some of the best LA players ever...Waddy Wachtel (Gtr) / Steve Jordan (Drums) / Lee Sklar (bass) / Jeff Porcaro (Drums) and of course Ivan vox and keys...I remember one of the days I was moving mics in front of Jeff's drum kit when someone yelled out to me and I responded and Jeff who was sitting at the kit said "Hey where are you from" and I said a small town on the east coast..."he said yah where" I said Hingham and he laughed and said "I knew I heard that Boston accent do you know Rab Zildjian from Hingham"...I laughed and said yah I went to school with him...he said "Rab and I are good friends what a small world" I was like unreal...he said do me a favor go to the store and grab me a few things and get whatever you need and handed me some cash...first Shelly and now Jeff the accent strikes again...I had a chance to chat a little more with him, what a great and talented guy he was....another part of that session that I will always remember was watching and listening to how Danny Kortchmar produced a session...a consummate pro...unbelievable learning experience...Thanks Mark for inviting me in

Jack

So this little story is classic for the simple reason that it is SO LA...We had completed U2's Rattle & Hum in I think late 87-88 and I mean all of the staff had worked their asses off...The engineers and tech department deserved medals for all the work they did...the runners were hitting the wall without sleep one of the assistants Rob Jacobs was taken to the hospital for what I believe was exhaustion because he worked so many hrs on the session, I always admired him for that...I mean above and beyond the call for everyone...but the record was great and to be honest that's what we were there for...at different points during the sessions I crossed paths many killer artists but a major thrill was briefly chatting in the hallway with BB King and Little Richard..this was a someone please pinch me moment, worth every sleepless night...So what I started to realize at this point in my education was that there are wrap parties after high profile sessions and the U2 session was about as big as it gets considering they were at their zenith at this time...So the entire studio staff received invites to a party in the Hollywood hills hosted by Stevie Nicks...ok so this is cool right Stevie Nicks is hosting a party in the hills and I find out later that Jimmy Iovine was dating a playboy bunny and a bunch of the bunnies were showing up at the party along with other famous LA folks...(pinch me again..lol) the night of the party a few other staffers and myself show up at the address only to find out you couldn't drive to the house you had to park on the streets somewhere and a limo was taking people to the top of the hill where the mansion was...word had it that Stevie was renting the mansion from some wealthy Arab, true or not the place was amazing, we ended up parking and walking up the hill we arrive at the mansion and there are people everywhere... in the house...out at the pool and this amazing view of the Hollywood hills and city lights from the house...I head out back to the pool where I see a bunch of my colleagues standing around talking so as I walk towards them I have my eyes on the pool checking out all these beautiful women imagining these must be some of the playmates...I was smiling the whole walk....what I didn't notice was that as I came to a stop and started chatting with some of my friends just a few feet from the pool....standing right next me literally shoulder to shoulder to my right was Jack Nicholson....yes siree that Jack Nicholson...I turned smiled and said hi and he nodded back hello and I turned to my left and said "is that" and before I could get his name out of my mouth they were like yup it's him...LOL...

So now I'm like ok this is unbelievable...I'm talking to my friends and at the same time ease dropping on Nicholson's conversation he's having with two other guys, as it turns out they were talking basketball and the Lakers / Celtics.... I mean come on it's 88 and the Bird / Magic rivalry was tremendous at that time and I'm a huge Celts fan and we all know about Nicholson and the Lakers so as soon as I heard this I had to pipe in on the conversation and he hears my accent and say's "Oh No"...lol it was friggin classic....so now I'm tossing in lines from my soapbox while Nicholson and the guys are having their little chat....This is when the funniest thing I think I've ever heard or seen happen...a cute young girl (whom I apologize I don't remember her name) but I think worked at A&M walks directly up to me and asks "is that" and before she can say his name I said yes it is...lol...so she looks at me and pulls out a joint and says do you think it would be ok to ask Jack if he'd like to smoke a joint with me and we all said yah why not....so she walks away from me around the other two guys to my left and walks behind me only to pop up in front of Jack to my immediate right and say "Hi Mr Nicholson I'm (her name) would you like to smoke a joint with me" and she holds it up in front of him...he says "Oh thank you darling (in that classic Jack voice) but I brought my own" and as he's saying this to her he reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket and brings out a blunt that Bob Marley would have been proud... there's this pregnant pause and all of a sudden all of us simultaneously broke into huge laughter...we were laughing so hard we were crying and Nicholson grabbed her hand not to embarrass her anymore and lit up the joint....FRIGGIN CLASSIC...just to show you how things can come back to earth so quickly...I was in the house a few hrs later to grab a beer or something and I went into this huge kitchen and a guy was sitting at the counter when he lifted his head I said "hey aren't you Patrick Swayze" and he looks at me for a second and asks "what's your name" and I said Joe James I work at A&M Records...he says "huh no kidding well get your names straight Joe James from A&M Records...I'm David Keith not fucking Patrick Swayze Have a good night....I was so embarrassed thank goodness no one else was in the room...I have a tendency to do that with names I did it with Jim Belushi calling him John at a listening party at the Troubadour in Hollywood for one of our bands, thought he was going to punch me....Believe me when I say I never mean any disrespect or to get people angry...oh well up one minute down the next...Cheers

Phil S

Ok now this story is so over the top it could have only happened in Hollywood and at A&M...you have to understand we were the best studio in the world at this time I mean no one was even close...the tech team was the best...the staff engineers all had tremendous credits and were always being poached by producers....we had Jimmy & Shelly and the client base was a who's who in the industry in 80's & 90's....The Stones had just finished Voodoo Lounge in Studio A and Ronnie Wood was planning on doing a new record a short time later...when he came back he was booked into Studio D to track and mix...it seemed he had a lot of friends and guest visiting over the course of the session dates so when the record was complete (it's a great record by the way) he decided to have a wrap party and as they say let the fun begin....If I remember correctly we had Studio D the room he tracked in as well as Studio A which was easily accessible from Studio D as the party rooms for all the guests and these rooms were huge...I met and chatted with Ginger Baker (One of my all-time favorites), comedian Richard Lewis, Ginger Bakers son Kofi, Mick Jones, Phil Spector, Ian McLagan and many others...as the night unfolded I was asked by Mike Baumgartner one of the assistant engineers on Ronnie's session to help with the guests and just be a general runner for some of the clients...of course I accepted and we were off...As it happens I was out in the live room of Studio D and was playing ping pong with someone when Phil Spector who I was introduced too earlier as "if you need anything Joe can help you out" came over to me and said can you make me a drink...I said sure what would you like and he said mix me something good and he headed back to the control room...So I noticed we had a lot of Vodka thinking we wouldn't run out so I made him a Vodka Cranberry and brought it to him and he loved it and said keep them coming real friendly and cool...

I'm chatting with a ton of people and the party was rocking and tunes are playing and people jamming on the grand piano in the live room it was unreal...so about every 15 minutes I hear this squeaky voice "hey Joe how bout another"....this went on for hrs till at one point late in the night with the place still packed and the house still rocking I went to the live space to make Phil a drink and the booze was gone so I went into the control room and I said Phil there is no more booze would you like a Guinness beer and he looks at me and says fuck no get me a drink and I said Phil there's no more liquor at all only beer can I grab you one, thinking he'd just say sure, lol what was I thinking...he said I don't fucking care get me a fucking drink now you shit...OK...now I'm not the most patient guy in the world and I was building a pretty good rep in the business that I didn't want to ruin and I was treating him like a king out of respect and I'll take a little grief if it's called for and I even understood he was drunk so was I...so when he said it for the 3rd time that was it the fuse was lit I looked at him and said you fucking cocksucker who do you think you're talking too, I've spent the entire night waiting on you and you give me this kind of shit you friggin prick...lol...that was it, sitting between his body guard and Ian McLagan he jumped out of his seat a few feet from the console and came at me while reaching into his suit jacket...as he's coming at me Ian and Phil's body guard just seconds behind, reach for Phil as he pulls a silver revolver from his jacket and has it almost chest high screaming you fucking asshole do you know who I am, at that exact moment his body guard grabbed him and Ian stood in front of him...IT WAS FRIGGIN INSANITY IN THE ROOM....I just stood there in basic shock but laughing cause it was so funny it really was we were all so fucked up....Phil's body guard (Who's name I forget but was such a great guy and probably saved my life) pushed Phil out of the room and Ian with that great laugh asking me are you ok are you ok...I said I'm fine WTF...he says laughing Phil's a little nuts especially when he's drunk...I'm like no shit....5 minutes later the body guard comes back apologizing to me for Phil's actions and if I was ok...I thanked him for bailing me out and he said he was used to it and wanted to make sure I was ok...What can I say it was one for the books....not to long after that that poor girl was shot in his house...unreal

El Becko

I am truly fortunate to have had so many opportunities and this I mean with the most sincerest of heart....as I've said I grew up on the east coast from a small town dreaming of being a musician since I first picked up the guitar (my first dream was to be a baseball player but that went after my Dad passed)....so like most young kids I had my idols Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Townshend...etc etc...but for me Jeff Beck was the guy...I studied him like no other...it wasn't really about emulating him as much as it was his feel and phrasing of notes...it was like he was talking to me with his phrasing not soloing but talking....now I said this about him in the 70's when no one was using that term to describe Beck back then...he was mostly called arrogant and testy and a good player who didn't write his own stuff...to me I didn't care he was communicating with that guitar like Hendrix but different....I mention all this to set up the story of when I met him at A&M Studios...it was 1989 I believe and Jon Bon Jovi was in to do the Young Guns 2 Soundtrack and he brought in some hired guns (pun intended) to play on the sessions...Now understand word gets around our studio quick as to who is coming in especially when it's a high profile session like this but what I was most interested in was whether it was true that Jeff Beck was coming in to play guitar on the session...I didn't have to wait long because Studio Manager (and a great mentor to me) Mark Harvey called me into his office and said "we all know how you feel about Jeff Beck and this a something special but you have to control yourself and keep it professional you understand that right"...Yes I understand...but can I get in on the session...he laughed and said "Joe that's highly unlikely but I'm sure you'll see him around just keep it professional"...a few other words were spoken mostly me groveling but that was the crux of it...Ok that was that I'm not on the session not even as a runner or 3rd...

Now I was working up in tape copy / post production during these sessions and I had heard he was driving a red roadster (as many may know he's a big car guy) so I kept an eye out on the front lot for days looking for the car till one day someone working the front desk called upstairs and told me the wheels were on the lot...now everyone that worked at the studio knew I was a huge Beck fan hence Mark calling me into his office and the call from a runner about the wheels...so I think it was about a week into the sessions and I wondered into the tech room as I usually did to visit the guys and Mark Opie says hey dude look what we set up for you...he points toward the back doors of Studio D that connects with the Studio D lounge and there is a cushioned chair positioned outside but away from the door and he said since you can't be on the session we figured you'd like to sit and hear the man play...I'm telling you I was really touched...understand it's tough to break the circle of camaraderie of this tech team...they were the best of the best as I mentioned before but they accepted me as one of their own and I was proud of that but to do this for me, a simple but thoughtful thing was something that I truly appreciated...(thank you men of tech I salute you all)...so any free time I could sneak out I came down and sat in that chair listening to him play and the coolest thing about it was he was over dubbing guitar so I couldn't hear the full song track only Becks fills and solo's which was sooooo amazing...

A few days into Becks visit I caught word that Becks girlfriend was visiting the studios as well and also heard she was a knockout to boot...so I wondered by the studio D lounge and the doors to the lounge have glass windows that have blinders on them from the inside of the lounge but they happen to be open and sure enough I peek in and this beautiful thin blonde is in there sitting with what looks to be a sketch pad... I leave and said if I'm ever going to meet Jeff it's through her so I waited a day and went back when I knew Beck was tracking and went to the lounge door but this time it was open so I went to the entrance and knocked and this beautiful girl looks at me and says in a wonderful English accent "Hi can I help you" I said well I hope so I had heard Jeff was with this beautiful young woman and by looking at you I can only assume you must be her...I'm not kidding she looks at me and says "well aren't you the cutest thing please come in"...I almost fell over, in my mind I'm thinking it actually worked..lol...I go in and sit down and we started to chat and I asked her what she was doing and she responded just drawing and writing and staying busy...I told her please don't misinterpret what I'm saying I'm not a stalker but I'm Jeff's biggest fan since I was a kid and I gave her a detailed verbal dossier on what he meant to me and my career and that I wanted him to sign my 59 Stratocaster...She was blown away, she said "listen let me talk to Jeff when he comes in for a break and I'll see what I can do...do you have an extension where I can reach you in the studio" I said yes and thanked her for being such a nice person and spending time with me....

The next day about 3pm the phone rings in tape copy and I hear this voice "Hi Joe this is Sandra Jeff's here right now and wants to meet you can you make it"...I'll be there in a second...now please understand I'm about to meet the person that has meant more to me in the music business than anyone and I had my Strat in tow and to be honest I was as calm as a cucumber and I think it was because I had already broken the ice with Sandra so I wasn't nervous or anxious...I grab my guitar case and tell the guys I'll be back in a while...I head downstairs walk down the hallway and to the studio D lounge door...the door is shut but again the glass window is open and I look in and there he is two feet away holding and kissing Sandra....I cracked a big smile and when he was done smooching I knocked and he turned and opened the door and said "Hi Joe come on in" I look to my left and Sandra had this ear to ear grin on her face knowing what this moment meant to me...I came in and Jeff shut the door and put his hand out and we shook hands and the first thing I noticed was how huge his hands were I'm not kidding they were like all his fingers were the size of my thumbs...I was like no wonder he can do what he does on the guitar neck...he said please sit...now I'm like in my mind this is the coolest thing ever...He says "what do you have there" oh that's my 59 Strat that I wanted you to check out but I have something else for you but can I first explain a few things to you...He smiled looked at Sandra and said "mate I'm all yours what would you like to talk about" and I said first I'm sure Sandra has already told you what you have meant to me... that I know more about you than you know about yourself...he started laughing and I said no I'm serious I'm like the younger brother you never knew you had, he continued to smile and laugh...I told him about the way he seems to talk with his solo's and how he interprets melodies like no one else...that I can tell when he's having a bad live performance by his reactions and if the sound isn't right within the first 15 min he basically loses interest...he looks at me and says "Wow you do know me" I said that's why you get the rep as being difficult and I just always thought it was you just thinking can't the sound guys get it right after all these years, he said "what's the point if it isn't"...now I laughed and I told him I hadn't missed a show since he came back from his car accident in 1970...he was blown away

I open up my guitar case and I pull out two cassettes and hand them to Jeff and said this is your show from the Greek last year...these are from your fist night... I went to both and the second night was your better night he smiled and said "you think" so I broke down the first 20 min of each show and he was totally blown away, he very appreciatively excepted the tapes...while we chatted he asked me a few things about where I was from and how I ended up in LA and how my music career was going and life in the studio...he was genuinely interested...I said would you do me a favor, would you sign my 59 Strat...I pulled it out of the case and as I was handing it to him he says "No I can't" I said what! he said it again and I said smiling why not...he says as he grabs the guitar "mate this is a 59 Strat do you know what it's worth I can't sign this"...I look at Sandra and look at him as he's sitting with my baby on his lap picking at it and I said Jeff this is my girl and we've been through a lot together and I know how you feel about guitars, you're my all time favorite guitarist and it would be an honor if you would do me the favor and sign it...I remember him kinda taking a deep breath then glancing at Sandra then back at me and starts playing my strat and at this time I'm kneeling in front of him and the first song he plays in its entirety is Jeff's Boogie...it took all my strength to hold back the tears because the first thing he plays on my guitar, is the first song I ever learned on the guitar, not near as good of course but the first song I ever learned...I couldn't even tell him cause I was so amazed watching him play it 2 feet in front of me knowing this may be the highlight of my career...he stops and says 'Joe there's nothing to this" I said what do you mean and he said "there's nothing to this neck it's so thin mate"...I said really and he repeated it again as he's playing and smiling (he knew what a kick I was getting out of this)....he places my guitar in the case and reached for another strat....he plays it for a second and hands it to me...I'm like alright a jam..lol...(NOT)...he says "see what I mean" as I played it, it felt like a tree trunk in my hands I understood what he was saying...he says "that's one of the prototypes Fender is working with me on"...I was blown away...all this time Sandra is sitting there chatting a little but just listening to us and I think she knew it was a thrill for both of us to meet....Jeff says I have to get back and I hand him my guitar and a blue marker and he takes my strat and asks me "where would you like me to sign" I said on the back please...his inscription reads "To Joe best wishes Jeff Beck" and draws a small guitar...I was the happiest guy in the world, we both got up and I gave him a hug I turned kissed and thanked Sandra and turned back to Jeff and said thank you Jeff for everything it means so much... have a great session and see you around...we shook hands again and he said it was a pleasure to meet me...as we both walked out the lounge door I was a few feet ahead and I turned and asked if you wouldn't mind I write a lot of music would you ever consider if I sent it your way...he said "get it to my manager"...about a 25 min meet that felt like a whole day but what a great 25 min it was...that was it or so I thought

Two days pass and I'm upstairs in tape copy it's about 1 pm... I know this because the lunch truck is out in the back parking lot and a lot of people are walking in and out of the entrance....I hear this growling voice "hey is a guy named Joe James up there...one of the assistant engineers opens the door to a second level outside balcony and I hear it again and I'm like WTF...I walk to the balcony and I see this guy calling for me in a loud voice...he's so loud that as people walk by they're either stopping to see what's going on or they're curious and walking by...I said hey I'm Joe James, he says "Joe what did you say or do to Jeff Beck"...I said what...he repeated it again and I said what are you talking about if I did something wrong I apologize, now a crowd of people, a few that I know from the label are congregating outside listening to us...I said all I did was talk to him about what he meant to me and if he would sign my guitar, I didn't mean to cause any problems...he started laughing and said "problems no problems I just wanted to let you know I've known Jeff for a lot of years and I've never seen him so happy on a session, all he talked about was the meeting he had with you and how happy he was to have met you" I said are you kidding with me are you screwing around with me, he said "nope he was thrilled and I wanted to let you know and thank you... it made for a great performance"...I said I'm sorry I didn't get your name, now mind you at this point there are a bunch of people standing around this guy smiling and laughing...he says "I'm Jon Bon Jovi's manager Doc McGhee, he smiles, waves and just walks into the back door of the studios...it was classic...10 of the best session days ever...thank you God

Mikey Bong & The Stones

Like many of my generation I idolized the Rolling Stones as a kid, I had all their records, (still do) posters, magazine articles, etc and having them come to record what later would be Voodoo Lounge at the facilities that I work at was just mind blowing...I mean who would have thought...for starters I knew I was not going to be on the project...there were way more qualified guys than me to be on the session but my dear friend Mike (Baumi) Baumgartner was, as a 2nd engineer...I was on the late night shifts and Mike knowing how I felt about the Stones would let me hang out every night after the sessions usually inviting me in after everyone had left so I could get a feel for how the vibe was in the room and checkout the guitars, mics, the overall setup and help out straightening the room if needed, I mean this is legendary stuff at least to me it was...on one of these nights while hanging with Baumi in the studio he said you know the weed that Keith is smoking has to be good cause I'm getting a contact high from being in the room and I'm not even a stoner...now I can only speak for myself but I wasn't exactly getting rich working as assistant meaning I couldn't afford weed never mind good weed so Mike said to me I'm going to throw out whatever is in the ash trays so have at it if you want...I'm like Hmmmmmmm should I or shouldn't I and 2 minutes later I was re-rolling Keef's left over stamped out blunts and smoking them that weekend...I crack up now thinking about it but then again what the hell waste not, want not...it was very good weed by the way

On another late night I went into studio A (the voodoo lounge) Mike knew I wanted to meet Keith big time and said he was hoping I could meet him that night...Mike said I thought he was still here cause he's usually the last one out but he must have left already...Mike yells Keith's name a few times and then pushes the studio talkback on the console and calls his name one last time in the live room...I leave the control room to use the restroom and I hear Mike in a raised voice "OH SHIT" as I'm walking down the hall I don't really think anything of it…about a half hr passes I’m now in the fish lounge waiting on him...Mike approaches me in the lounge red faced and smiling he says you're not gonna believe what just happened...remember when I said Keith must have already left for the night, well as I'm heading toward the door walking out of the control room I take one last look into the live space and see two feet sticking out beyond the drum set...I ran into the live room I was like WTF...Mike said he looked down really worried and paused then reached out and on the other end of his arm was a laughing Keith Richards…"Joe I swear that scared the hell out of me I didn't know if he was dead or alive he was just lying there, I didn't want to be the guy known for finding Keith Richards dead in a recording studio"...(mind you I'm laughing my ass off as he's telling me)...Mike said Keith's words were "I was bloody tired and just fell out" lol...Keith liked Mike a lot and he had an endearing name for him...he'd call him Mikey Bong...not surprising Keith liked his weed and according to Mike it was always, Mike get me the bong or Mike find me the bong…he said every time Keith wanted to get stoned he kept saying hey get me the bong...until he just cut to Mikey bong (code for get me the fucking bong)...still makes me laugh...

I have a 1965 Dan Armstrong guitar...for those who don't know the guitar look it up on google or watch the Stones Altamont concert and that clear body guitar is a Danny...I bought one cause it’s a great guitar for slide work…not to mention it’s so cool looking and it didn't hurt that Keith owned one too…of course with the Stones being here I have to get it signed by Keith...I didn't even have to ask Mike he came to me and said do you want me to ask Keith if he'll sign your Danny...I was like are you kidding I'll bring it in tomorrow...I brought it into studio A the following night and two days later Mike brings it to me and says here you go...I open the case as fast as I could and it says on the front of the body "To Joe Pick it Keith Richards"...I gave Baumi a big hug I was so appreciative...Mike says oh by the way Keith doesn’t remember owning this guitar…I said what?…he said Keith knelt down in front of the case and said "is this your friends guitar what's his name " Baumi says yup Joe....he opens the case and pauses for a minute and says "nice guitar I think I had one of these bloody things at one time, not sure but I think I did, I don't remember"…Baumi laughs and said you did Keith, you did and probably still do...lol what a classic...Mike said Keith picked up the guitar and strummed it for a little, I took the lower E string off and tuned it to an open G how Keith likes to play it, I guess he was thrilled..I know I was...you're the best Mike "Baumi" Baumgartner

OK the final Stones thrill for me was when the sessions were winding down the Stones had a scheduled date at the Pasadena Rose Bowl and Baumi got us tickets plus two all access passes...I was totally blown away...Mike and I drive to Pasadena get all access parking near the bands trailer trucks...we go to the cook-out area for Stones personnel only for a meet and greet and end up meeting some of the stage crew and label folks...we get a good meal and a few drinks and head toward the stage for soundcheck...mind you this is early in the day way before they're letting people in for the show...we get to the stage and walk up the rear stage stairs and run into a few studio peeps including one of my favorite people, producer / engineer Ed Stasium...Within a few minutes Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts and the great sax player Bobby Keys all show up along with bass player Darryl Jones, but still no Keith Richards...so for the next 60 min we were all chatting and I mean there were some funny and interesting conversations happening...first, Charlie was dressed in a three piece suit and believe me when I say you wouldn't have expected anything less from him as he was always dapper in the studio...he's like a Duke or Lord he's so cool and cultured...Ronnie who I chatted with first was very cool and we got into a great conversation which wasn't even about music, but about painting and art which he is extremely fond of and quite a good artist in his own right...he talked glowingly about Joni Mitchell's art and how much he admired her work...next I introduced myself to Bobby Keys who handed me a beer...just a wonderful guy and someone I have been a huge fan of since I first heard him on Mad Dogs and Englishmen and always wanted to meet...I started mentioning many of his past session work with Jim Price and Jim Horn...he loved the flattery and with that great Texas accent he said "I should keep you around maybe they'll pay me more when they hear how great I am, have another beer"...lol..what a guy

As I'm walking around the back stage area taking it all in I hear Charlie in this most eloquent accent say "where the fuck are all these dead fags coming from"..."I dread smoking and someone keeps putting them out on the bloody floor"...I see Ronnie light up a cig and take a few drags and stomp it out and a minute later Charlie comes across it and says the same thing again this time louder...Ronnie does it again...I mean it was so damn funny watching these guys still bust each other's balls after all these years...Charlie walked by me and said "are you smoking" and continued walking and mumbling "why are these bloody fags on the floor and who keeps doing this"...lol...soooo funny

Now for the best part...Baumi taking a cue from what Charlie had been complaining about says I'm going down the back steps to smoke cig want to join me...sure lets go and we head down the stairs and stop at the bottom where we are standing right in front of the tunnel that the football teams use during games at the bowl...so we're chatting and laughing it up and we notice a limo pull up at the other end of the tunnel...now this tunnel has to be at least 50 yards in length, it was a beautiful day with the sun shining but we were standing in the shadows and you could see the sun illuminating the opposite end of the tunnel from where we were standing, so we could plainly see silhouettes of anyone walking into the tunnel...so the driver door opens and he walks to the rear door of the limo and opens it and out pops this figure barely recognizable but a thin wiry guy with a scarf or two, you could see he was smoking and remember we can only see the silhouette cause the tunnel is so dark...I'm like "is that" and Mike says "yup it's Keith"...ok cue the Clint Eastwood music from the Good the Bad & the Ugly, cause watching Keith saunter down that tunnel towards us with just enough light to see him moving kind of side to side and pausing as if to gain his pace was a sight to see...I was laughing and smiling saying to Mike look how cool he looks...he gets to our end of the tunnel and into the shaded light...he's wearing shades and dressed in the Keith Richards classic threads and see's Mike and says "Hey Mikey" and shakes his hand and Mike says "Keith this is Joe the guy whose guitar you signed" and Keith says "Hey Joe how are yah" and shakes my hand with a big smile...I was floored...I really was...he heads up the stairs with us in tow and we watched the best band in the world rehearse their set from backstage minus Jagger...who apparently was known not to enjoy sound checks back then...honestly one of the best days of my life...JUST AWESOME

PS; the wrap party was amazing as you would figure it would be...it was the friggin Stones...it was held at a masonic temple off Highland in Hollywood not far from the Studio...it reminded me of what the photo shoot for Beggars Banquet would have been like with all this fabric type material and vails hanging all over the place with bright colored lights and a projector showing images on a large screen ...it was wild

Herb (What a gentleman)

I have two stories I'd like to share about a true gentleman and terrific person I had the opportunity to work for, of course that being Herb Alpert (the A in A&M)...I had no real direct working relationship with Herb but he made sure he knew everyone that worked for him and a little bit about what they did for his company including me... He is a true artist in every sense not only a great horn player and writer but a fantastic painter in his own right...you'd see his art hanging in the reception and front office area of the studio with pieces changing what seemed like every 6 months, but I believe his real love was his label and playing his horn which he excelled at both...this one time I was working in the Post Production (tape copy) suite in the studios it was around 4am and I was in charge of transferring the master from Bryan Adams new greatest hits record to cassette for the A&R department and other departments for the label to review...the LP / Cassette & CD was being released in a couple of months and we had it drilled into our heads from Jimmy and Shelly that you listen listen listen no excuses no reading the paper no magazines no books while working just listen...So we have this sheet of paper supplied by A&R which is called the blue sheet which basically gives you information about the release such as the running time on each song, the selection order of each song, hidden tracks and whether they were live or studios tracks...So I'm listening to the master and I'm more than three quarters of the way through and I hear an audience and then the song I check the blue sheet and it's supposed to be a studio track for that selection...I stop the master review the master notes and again play the tape and it's live...

Now a decision had to be made cause the manufacturing leg of our company that does all our CD, LP and cassette runs are waiting on me for a phone call to approve the masters to start the run and they are in North Carolina...what you also have to understand is that there is something called the depot date meaning that the release has to be at shipping locations around the world for distribution to music stores and whatever other locations are expecting the release...this is important because at the time all the magazines, Rolling Stone, Hits, Billboard etc are already in print and radio ads, tv spots, etc that are also promoting the record are working off a certain drop dead date that was setup 6 months earlier so this can't be messed up or we look bad...I call Carolina and tell them there is a problem and I will reach out to them later in the day...I now call Senior VP of A&R David Anderle' office and leave a message that there is a problem with Bryan's release and that it was 4am I already called the plant and I was heading home so call me when you get the message...I got about four hrs sleep when my home phone rang and it was Ellen Vogt (wonderful person) David's assistant telling me to get in asap...I arrive at his office and explained the issue and said with all due respect how did this get by your staff...David said "I don't know I'm just glad it didn't get past you"...everything worked out mastering replaced the proper track the master made it to Carolina a day late...for the next two weeks I received visits from Shelly, telling me job well done, Jimmy of all people came upstairs where TC is and actually commended me for doing what him and Shelly always tell us which is listen...funny thing is I saw Jimmy about two hrs later in the hallway downstairs and said hi in passing and he completely ignored me...LOL...still makes me laugh at what an ass he was...but I learned a lot from him I'll give him that...

The next two calls came from David and Herb...David via a phone call and Herb who wanted to see me....I go to his office and Sheryl Lawrence Herb's assistant walks me in with a big grin...Herb gets up from behind his desk smiling and shaking my hand..."can we get you something to drink Joe" water is fine "sit down I want to talk to you"...he gets right into it telling me what a great job I did and how important I was to the company and how I saved us so much money and possible embarrassment...that if the release was wrong and had gone out we would have dealt with major returns and possibly delaying the release date never mind how Bryan Adams (out biggest star at the time) would have reacted...we continued to chat for about a half hr talking music and just cool conversation making me feel genuinely wanted...such a good guy...So needless to say I was pretty thrilled but in addition I had gained even more respect for Herb because he didn't have to see me in person the issue was resolved and he's a busy guy he didn't have to take the time to greet me and say the kind words he did...the capper on all this I found out later was that Herb suggested to David that I should join his A&R team so this type of thing wouldn't happen again and I received a phone call from David two weeks later telling me he had asked Mark and Shelly if it was ok to ask me to join the A&R department...it took about a year but eventually I netted an office in the Legal department area and a year later an office in the A&R building with the title A&R Technical Manager...basically liaising with mastering / production / legal and A&R...to be honest it was one of the turning points in my career because of the all the connections I made through the position...there were many people that helped create opportunities for me along the way but Herb reaching out to me and then David was special and I will always be indebted to them both ...Thank you Herb & David

The second story was pretty cool because of the way it unfolded...remember I keep saying so many things at least for me seem to happen because of timing well this story is no different...at this time I was still in the studios but had moved from Tape Copy down the hall to Quality Control while waiting on an office space to open up in the A&R area...I was working QC with Marv Bornstein and Cheryl Engels two terrific individuals that I highly respected and the funny thing was this position really prepped me for some of the responsibilities I would have in A&R later on...so they groomed me well for what this position would be about, but basically listening was the most fundamental and important part of the job...my new office was right outside of studio H which was Herb's private room for when he wanted to write or record...so on any given day if he was working and my door was open I would see him...this one time Herb was walking into his studio and I had my door open listening to some mixes I had done with a singer who later became the lead singer of Soul Talkers...Herb walked by smiled hello to me and kept walking and a few seconds later seemingly backed up in his own tracks and asked "what's this you're listening to Joe"..I said sorry Herb was it to loud I can turn it down... "no, no, I'm curious what this is"...I said it's a singer I'm producing named Gonz Ozen..."and the song" it's a tune I wrote...he said "really, this is very good"...I was like blown away, then he said "do me a favor please, make a copy and drop it off to Sheryl in my office we have a new senior VP of A&R joining our staff and I'd like to get their take on it since I don't know them very well...would you do that for me"...lol blown away 2nd time..I was like you got it Herb thanks so much.

About a month goes bye and I get a call from Sheryl in Herb's office that he wants to see me...Herb invites me in to sit and chat and discuss a note that he wrote to the A&R Rep (Who's name I will not mention) asking them what they thought of the artist and song...now Herb is reading the note to me and at the end of our meeting gave it to me and if I can find it in my pile of papers that I retrieved from storage I will place online...the response from the A&R rep was the following cause I remember it like it was the other day....They said "Dear Herb thanks for thinking of me and sending this song along for my evaluation I appreciate it...in my opinion the song is average and not what is current today...it has a rhythm & blues feel to it but nothing special...the singer is strong but his voice reminds me of a Sam Cook or Otis Redding which isn't current right now, this is something I would pass on...hope this helps and thanks again"...Okay so as Herb read that last line I could see a smile come over his face as well as me grinning ear to ear...I've never forgotten what he said next... "Joe it's all apples and oranges some people hear one thing and others hear something totally different no one is wrong no one is right, again it's just apples and oranges...I was rejected so many times in the 60's I had to open my own label and later this place with Jerry (Moss) you know the story" I nodded yes "but let me tell you something if you or your singer are being compared to Cook and Redding believe me you're doing something right...so keep it up, listen and move on and continue to believe in yourself you're going to do just fine..thanks for helping me out and wish our new A&R person well when you see them"...I get goose bumps just typing this right now it was such an incredible experience...again I am so indebted to this guy because you can't not believe in yourself after those words of encouragement...Herb really liked the song and the singer and that was the best part...JJ

 

To be continued....

The John McClain Bubble

Moon Walker (MJ)

Drinks with the Mod

Stories from the Roof

Short Stories

East Coast boy at heart (Back to Boston)