TORONTO – Even for the established likes of Randy Bachman, some stiffly worded advice from Neil Young can have a galvanizing effect.
This particular conversation between the Winnipeg-raised guitar sorcerers took place at a 2014 Musicians Hall of Fame ceremony in Nashville, where Bachman was inducted and Young performed.
“Neil said to me: ‘You’ve got the chance of a lifetime. Don’t do the same old R&B crap and say it’s brand new,'” recalled Bachman in a recent telephone interview.
“He said, ‘You can just write stuff and put it out, as I do. Every once in a while I shake it up, or I get acoustic, or I record with a rock band, or I do something different.’
“And keeping that in mind, I thought, ‘What can I do? I can go back to what I really love.'”
That was the genesis for Heavy Blues, a rocking 11-song detour down thunder road. Bachman had help with all the heavy lifting from expert backup: Ladies of the Canyon bassist Anna Ruddick and drummer Dale Anne Brendon.
The Guess Who/Bachman-Turner Overdrive noodler also had a battery of gifted guitarists with whom to solo-spar: Peter Frampton, Robert Randolph, Luke Doucet, Rival Sons’ Scott Holiday and the late Jeff Healey.
And of course there’s Young, whose inimitable fretwork enlivens the distorted “Little Girl Lost.”
Mostly, the collaborations were developed over much distance. Young, meanwhile, was tied up, attempting to stage a show in Israel despite overwhelming security concerns. He thus gave Bachman his blessing to find something he liked amid a long unreleased recording of Young soloing.
Hearing the work of such talented but diverse guitarists flow in gave Bachman a different perspective on their styles.
“I couldn’t believe Scott Holiday’s noises — I thought they were mistakes. I called him and he said: ‘I went to great pains to to get those CRRRKZ sounds,'” the 71-year-old reminisced, imitating the shrieking guitar effect.
“It’s the same with Neil Young. His statements are his solos. He’s not just playing licks — he’s playing emotions.”
So what did making an album of guitar duets teach Bachman about the perfect solo?
“It’s like sex — there’s gotta be foreplay,” he laughed. “It’s kind of gotta be built out. It can’t just be ‘BLAM!’
“The solo’s gotta hold your interest and hold your interest and hold your interest and finally, at the end, you go: ‘Wow. That’s amazing.'”
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