Look Hughes Talking

y reputation in the ‘80s was bordelloes, crack, whores, midgets and fire-breathing chihuahuas. It was all of the above. It was pretty decadent. I don’t know how I survived it. I don’t know how I kept myself intact,” admits Voice Of Rock Glenn Hughes.
Well we’re delighted he did.

Since getting clean in the early ‘90s the Deep Purple and Black Sabbath legend has guested on an impressive array of longplayers and released several lauded solo records. He even leant his vocal skills to the KLF hit, ‘America: What Time Is Love?’
His latest outing, supergroup Black Country Communion, comprises guitar ace Joe Bonamassa, skinsman extraordinaire Jason Bonham and keyboard wiz Derek Sherinan.
Their debut offering Black Country, a lavish smorgasbord of classic rock fare, is about to hit the streets. Glenn is bursting with enthusiasm for the new venture.
“Our album is one that Irish rock fans can put up there beside a Lizzy record or an AC/DC record or Led Zep Vol 4 or Black Sabbath Vol 1. It’s a big traditional rock album,” he enthuses.
The combo came together at the end of 2009 when a slew of successful dates by Hughes and Bonamassa created the impetus for a longer-term collaborative outing.
“I’ve known all these guys for such a long time. I’ve known Jason since he was in the crib and Derek for years. I’ve been hanging out, jamming and playing with Joe regularly for the last three years. Joe is the shy one and I am the brash mouthpiece of the band,” he laughs.
Hughes and Bonamassa share vocal duties on a couple of tracks and Joe takes the mic on his own for another two. Despite the fact that Hughes wrote the majority of the album it is markedly democratic. All of the musicians makes their own unique contribution to the record, the backbone of which is Bonham’s powerhouse drumming. How does Glenn feel about playing with Jason, having known his father so well?
“For about two years in the early ‘70s John was a really good friend,” he nods. “He was making Led Zeppelin 4 when we were hanging out. I was privvy to a lot those sessions and playbacks, it was fantastic. There I was hanging out with the world’s number one drummer!
“I was also at John’s house when he was tutoring a young Jason Bonham at 3-years-old,” he continues. “All these years later and Jason is saying to me, ‘Would Dad have played it like this?’
“I feel so privileged to be able to say, ‘Your Dad would have probably played it like that’. It’s a real moment isn’t it?
Unfortunately there wasn’t much time for chit-chat in the studio. The album was recorded at breakneck speed, clocking in at just six days.
“It was frantic, really frantic,” admits Glenn. “It was a little too under the gun for me. There are 12 tracks and each track was recorded no more than three times. There was no time for playbacks and no time for listening back.
“We had our breakfast at 11am and we didn’t stop til 8pm,” he adds. “ I was exhausted. I said to Kevin (Shirley – producer), ‘I know you might be used to doing shit this way but I’d like an extra couple of days next time!’”
Having played on some of the most celebrated classic rock albums, Deep Purple’s Stormbringer remains the highlight for Glenn.
“Burn was a massive rock statement but I think Stormbringer stands out most. Burn was a great statement but I think Stormbringer was a great writing statement,” he opines.
For the most part he remembers his Deep Purple stint fondly, but recalls Ritchie Blackmore being particularly difficult to work with.
“On the Burn album it was easy because I was the new guy with (David) Coverdale,” he says. “But on the second album Ritchie started to throw tantrums. Some of the people I have worked with in my life have been very, very difficult and some have been lovely. For example, Ritchie and Tony Iommi are complete opposites; one is a madman and one is very nice.”
Glenn worked with Tony on the 1986 Black Sabbath album Seventh Star and on his 2005 solo outing Fused. What was it like to work with Tony again after nearly 20 years?
“Like putting on an old pair of slippers!” quips Hughes. “Tony is like my brother, he’s really that close. He’s a very private man, with a very dry sense of humour and (slips into hilarious Brummie accent) He’s from Burrrrmingham, so he talks really, really slow and really deliberate. Know what I mean? I’m all speedy and hyper and caffeine-fuelled and he’s the opposite. I love him to pieces.”
In July, Glenn appeared on stage with Tony and the rest of Heaven and Hell at the High Voltage Rock Festival, as part of a tribute to Ronnie James Dio.
“I met Ronnie in 1973 when he was in Elf, opening for Deep Purple,” remembers Glenn. “He moved from New York in 1979 with his wife Wendy to be close to me. The Hughes and the Dios were inseparable for 10 years. We have lost the Voice Of Metal but I have lost one of my best friends. I am still mourning.”
As the undisputed Voice Of Rock, does Glenn have any advice for aspiring singers?
“Please go for the notes you can’t get!” he states. “Let’s just say Ronaldo is taking a penalty and he thinks just before he takes it. ‘I’m going to miss it’. Then he will miss it! You have to have no fear when you are singing and you have got to be slightly eccentric. You have to go out there and go for it!”
A celebrated bassist as well as vocalist, Glenn has signature models with Manne and Yamaha but chose his 65 Fender Precision Bass for Black Country.
“The P Bass just had the right feeling for this record. It is the sound of early ‘70s Glenn!” he says.
In terms of effects, Glenn uses the Digitech Wah pedal set on wah and synth to give a Bootsy Collins/Stevie Wonder sound and is a loyal user of D’Addario strings.
Throughout the conversation Glenn has been remarkably upbeat and polite; his enthusiasm for the new project and general joie de vivre are exceptional. When I comment on this he replies, “Well you’re talking to a man who came back from the edge, conquered his demons and is just about to have a massive album with his new band. And everybody wants to talk to me now! Isn’t that sweet?”