In a first step beyond his work with The Chemistry Set, Paul Lake releases his debut solo single, a homage to two musical masterpieces, “Dear Mr. Fantasy” and “Child of the Moon.” Inspired by personal memories and renewed artistic purpose, Paul discusses what led him to remaking this pair of classic songs.
What led you to release a solo single at this stage in your career?
A couple of events gave me the impetus to make a solo recording. Firstly, in August last year I had a cycling accident that, aside from causing several broken ribs and a punctured lung, resulted in a smashed collarbone and a subsequent operation to fit a plate to hold it together. Consequently I was advised that there was a possibility that I wouldn’t be able to regain full movement in my right arm and hand which was a little concerning to say the least. (Fortunately this turned out not to be the case). I didn’t play the guitar for six months.
Then around this time Dave told me that he was going to release a solo single, which I fully encouraged and supported him to do, but it got me thinking that this is something I could aim to do as soon as I had recovered.
When my daughter, Hannah, heard Dave’s record she told me “after all these years of you playing and singing there isn’t a Paul Lake record in existence…only Chemistry Set stuff…why don’t you make a solo record too?” . So that was it, decision made! (Chem Set Trivia: Hannah provided the voice of the professor’s assistant on “Psychotronic Man”).
“Dear Mr. Fantasy” and “Child of the Moon” present challenges for anyone attempting to cover them. What drew you to these songs?
Between 1984 and 1986 I attended a sixth form college in South London to study A Levels, but in reality spent most of my time playing guitar in bands with other students who were very committed to developing their musical abilities. One of these, Simon Jackson, was a classically trained guitarist who went on to pursue a great career as a renowned guitar tutor.
We jammed together in a Hendrix style blues/ rock band, performing a few local gigs, in which we would take turns to sing and play lead guitar depending on who had chosen a particular song. I bought Traffic’s “ Mr Fantasy” album and instantly loved the title track which became my vocal/lead guitar ‘showcase’ in the band…complete with overlong, self-indulgent guitar solo, that probably bored everyone senseless…!
Recently I learned the sad news that Simon is no longer with us, and so memories of those care-free, music- obsessed college days came flooding back. Therefore it was a no brainer: I had to record this song.
I wanted to pay homage to the more folky side of Traffic as exemplified by their later recording of “John Barleycorn Must Die” so played open tuned 12 string acoustic and sitar at the start and also wrote a part in deference to their flute/saxophone player Chris Wood. However, not knowing any flautists, I asked my wife Helen if she would play her old school recorder on it. Once she had retrieved it from the loft we were good to go! The song grows heavier as it moves towards the guitar solo but then returns again to the folk vibe book-ending the start.
I went through a phase in the early ‘80s of collecting original Rolling Stones vinyl with money saved from doing paper and milk rounds. One of the first singles I bought was “Jumping Jack Flash”, such a confident, swaggering, energised Stones classic. However, I became intrigued by the B-Side “Child of The Moon” . It seemed such a contrast to the A-side: Mysterious and brooding and kind of disorganised. In my version I wanted to retain the heavy Hammond organ and sitar strums but with something of a more “Revolver-esque” flavour as there is a similarity in the verse melody to The Beatles’ “Rain”, a song which is another favourite B side of mine.
In my opinion, when you record a cover version, especially of songs that are well-known, there is no point in making a carbon-copy. Part of the enjoyment of working on songs like this is to try to make it your own, almost as if you had written it yourself.
How did your approach to recording these covers differ from your work with The Chemistry Set?
When I write a song for The Chemistry Set, or we plan to record a cover version, there is naturally always consideration given for what parts each of us will play or sing. Dave and I bounce a lot of ideas off each other and have an innate ability to know what the other is thinking and agree on what we feel will or won’t work.
This was therefore slightly different in that I only had to be concerned with what I was going to do, what instruments to add and how I wanted it to sound overall… then you hope that it all comes together as you envisioned.
You have a deep connection to music from the late 1960s. What stands out to you most about that era?
What stands out for me is simply the enormous depth of creativity, experimentation and the imaginative zeitgeist of the time. In such a short time, from 1966 to 1969, so much was achieved: Astounding.
While the development of music from established bands like The Beatles and Stones is well documented, amazing to think that this period heralded the emergence of a multiplicity of legendary acts across all genres: Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Cream, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Stooges and embryonic punk, Frank Zappa, as well as the Texas based psychedelic groups, plus developments in American soul and funk…. the list is seemingly endless… David Bowie achieved his first hit in this period…and even Elvis staged a back-to basics comeback…
The fashions, art, literature, film, politics, societal attitudes…everything seemed to be constantly evolving and the music was at the zenith of this ever-shifting new world order.
Are there other classic tracks you’re considering covering in the future?
Not particularly. I really enjoyed recording these songs but have no plans to record any other covers at this time.
How did working closely with Tom Savage influence the final sound of the single?
I’ve known Tom and worked with him on and off for around 12 years. He has a studio in a village close to where I live in Lincolnshire so it is incredibly convenient to be able to record there. During this time he has engineered many of the songs I have written for The Chemistry Set plus a few cover versions we made including “Love or Confusion”, so we have a great mutual understanding.
With Dave and I not living near each other it has been much easier for me to record my vocals and instruments with Tom who then sends the files to our producer in London for Dave to add drums and other parts to and from where we get together to produce the final mix. So this was the first time Tom and I have ever been able to work through to complete the end product which is something I was really pleased to be able to do with him at last.
Tom’s influence on the final sound was important. Not only did he play the powerful drums on both songs, he intuitively understands what you’re trying to achieve and helps you to realise your ideas. On “Moon” for example he came up with the idea that I should use an ebow to create the guitar solo and slide the bass notes on the verse intros. He also had subtle ideas of how I should approach my Hammond organ break to achieve the best effect.
Tom is a humble guy, with a wealth of experience managing the sound desk at all of the major UK festivals and the list of artists he has worked with runs like a who’s who of British pop & rock.
However, he is certainly not averse to getting the best out of me: “Go again…you can play this better than that..” or “this isn’t really working…let’s come back tomorrow with another idea!” Interestingly, Tom had never heard of these songs and resisted listening to the originals until we had finished and mixed the tracks so as not be influenced by anything outside of what we were doing.
Fruits de Mer Records is known for limited-edition releases. How do you feel about the single’s collectible nature?
I’m just very happy to be able to work with a record company that is as supportive as Fruits de Mer is. If the limited-edition route is the company’s preferred method of distribution I’m fine with that. In fact maybe this adds a certain finality to the release: Once it’s pressed and gone out, it’s done – onto the next project.
How does this solo release impact or compliment your work with The Chemistry Set?
I do not have any further ambitions right now to release further solo records, so I would hope that this single will be viewed as supplementary to the work of The Chemistry Set. I really enjoyed making this and being able to involve and share the experience with members of my family in the process: My wife Helen playing recorder and my parents creating the artwork for the front and back covers.
Are there plans for any further solo or upcoming Chemistry Set material and live dates?
Dave and I have been working on new original ideas individually and will be getting together soon to share these creations and hopefully finish them off ahead of a planned EP release next year.
Performing live is not on the cards at the moment as we would really prefer to go out as a four or five piece band rather than a duo. However, never say never! It may be possible at some point in the future…
