Page 16 - Classic Rock (February 2020)

As predicted last
issue, Mötley Crüe
have signed up for
a North American tour
this summer, having
torn up their 2014
“cessation of touring”
contract. They join Def
Leppard, Poison and
Joan Jett & The
Blackhearts for 22
shows between July
7 and September
5. Leppard’s Joe Elliott
says he always knew
the Crüe would break
Riches from the their vow. “Five years

rock underground ago I sniggered into
my cup of coffee, like,
‘Yeah, right’,” he says.
Sinatra and Cher all Greg Dulli
“They’re just Bowie,

FLAX rolled into one.”
One. 1976 Vertigo, Norway. £600+ Saxon frontman Biff The Afghan Whigs mainman releases his first ever solo

Byford releases his album, but he says it isn’t the end of the Whigs.
Flax were an
eccentric hard prog debut solo album,
band from Oslo, School Of Hard Knocks,
who began in 1971. on February 21 Greg Dulli has just pulled up a photo ever heard. But he had some demons.
through Silver Lining
A gem of an album, Music. It’s followed on his phone. It shows an open door and Like we all do.
beyond it a glorious desert panorama
One was recorded
in 1975, but wasn’t by a 10-date tour in bathed in bright sunlight: Joshua Tree Afghan Whigs guitarist Dave Rosser
April. The album
released until ’76, includes covers of National Park in California. “This was my also died a month after the last Whigs
record, 2017’s In Spades, was released.
view every morning,” says Dulli, the
by which time the Simon & Garfunkel’s frontman with cult US outfit the Afghan Does death inform your album?
band had temporarily split. Scarborough Fair and Whigs. It was in Joshua Tree that he For sure. I can’t go: “This song’s about
Commercially it was a strange year Wishbone Ash’s recorded Random Desire, his debut solo Dave”, or “This song’s about Shawn”, but
for an album of this nature to be released Argus album gem album, which takes the Whigs’ soul- they are in there. It’s not obvious – there’s
(hence poor sales), as it doesn’t really sit Throw Down The Sword. burnished template and daubs it with all no Tears In Heaven. It’s kind of all in the
with what else was happening, although Saxon have been manner of colours and textures. abstract. I’m not an on-the-nose kind of
vocalist extraordinaire, Hermod Falch, confirmed as special guy. But it’s a positive album. I think it’s
had a sometimes sinister snarl, which guests at the Why has it taken beautiful. There’s
was often very punk rock in execution. Bloodstock Festival you more than whimsical moments,
Having said that, it was largely on August 9. thirty years to make even – the first song,
contrasted with almost Queen-like a solo album? “It’s a positive Pantomima, it’s like
operatic harmonies. Nightwish bassist and Really, it’s because a show tune. Try
Opener Demon In Your Heart, is singer Marko Hietala I needed something to album. There’s and find the darkness
a freakish, theatrical heavy prog releases his debut do. Everyone else was in that.
masterpiece. It alone makes One worthy solo album on January busy having kids or whimsical
of investigation. Full of heavy riffs, 24 through Nuclear going back to college. moments, even.” The Whigs split in
psychotic time changes, spacey Blast. The Finn 1999 and reunited
synthesisers and evil vocals, it’s a track describes the sound How many of the in 2013. Does you
you won’t forget in a hurry. Obvious on it as “hard prog”. instruments on the record did you making a solo album mean the end of
play yourself? the band again?
‘Demon In Your Heart, Most of ’em. I can play drums but I’m not No. I love those guys. Two of the Whigs
a drummer, I can play bass but I’m not
are touring with me in the solo band, and
is a theatrical heavy a bassist, I’m a decent guitarist but I’m not the drummer was our lighting guy.
a virtuoso.
prog masterpiece.’ The Whigs never broke through to the
Your former collaborator Shawn same level as some of your early-
Smith died in 2019. How did that nineties peers. Are you happy being
comparisons/influences could be Uriah affect you? that ‘cult’ artist?
Heep, early Scorpions, Machine Head-era I hadn’t seen him in eight years when he Absolutely. At one point I did want to be
Deep Purple etc, although the complex passed away. Shawn and I had a very that. But when the lights got a little bright
Flax sound is unique. The album has Pete Townshend strange friendship. We were the best of around [the Afghan Whigs’ 1993 album]
a fantastic, multi-layered production with (pictured) has friends for seven years, then there was Gentlemen, I was like: “Oh, I’m not sure I like
dynamic range, which the band were not apologised for a stretch of ten years where I didn’t see this” – doing things you don’t want to do,
apparently pleased with at the time. comments he made him at all, then we reconnected and did meeting people you don’t want to meet.
Other highlights include the Purple- about his late Who a couple of shows together, and then he And then with [1998’s] 1965, I thought:
disappeared again. So I felt his loss, but in
“Now I’ve got songs that will get on the
colleagues Keith
esque Pain In The Arse, the infectiously Moon and John a lot of ways he had already been gone radio.” And they didn’t. After that it was,
schizophrenic Clever Man and Crusaders, Entwistle. Townshend from my life twice already. like: “I’m just gonna do what I want.”
a glorious acid-prog tale documenting the had told Rolling Stone:
plight of medieval foot soldiers. “It’s not going to make Did you part on good terms? And how’s that working out for you?
Musicianship is exceptional throughout, Who fans very happy, We hadn’t parted on bad terms. It just Oh man, it’s working out just great. DE
most notably in the wizardry of guitarist but thank God they’re sort of… stopped. He was the disappearer,
John Hesla and his keyboard-playing gone.” He says he not me. Really beautiful cat. Incredible Random Desire is out on February 21 via
brother Lars. LD meant to say the pair artist. Wrote some of the best songs I’ve Royal Cream/BMG.
“were fucking difficult
16 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM to play with”.