John Jones Music

There will never be another original like Johnny!

Memory Pain by Johnny Winter from Second Winter, 1969.

Love is Strange has some history. They say the song is based on a Jody Williams guitar riff from 1956.
Mickey and Sylvia released it first, but Bo Diddley recorded it earlier. See it on Wikipedia!

Paul McCartney and Wings from Wildlife, an album that was recorded in a week in 1971 to catch the magic!

Back in the day, when time moved slowly, Gerald O’Brien was one of my super talented friends in Toronto. And he still is a great keyboard player, and composer, and songwriter, and one who I looked up to in those olden days, and who I learned a lot from!

Gerald joins my blogroll of friends on my p-log.
Here is music, with photos and some video from his fantastic 1970’s band NIGHTWINDS! Produced by Dee Long & Terry Draper!

I went to Apogee Digital in Santa Monica last week to hear Bob Clearmountain and Chris Lord-Alge talk about mixing and recording music, in a special event put on by Vintage King.
Behind me is the recording studio’s control room, with it’s lovely NEVE desk, where Bob mixes the live KCRW concerts. The event will be on-line at some point.

John Jones and the Neve, with Bob and Chris on stage in the background

I was dreaming of the past…

The Freddie Mercury Concert For AIDS Awareness

Thanks to humans only having two hands, I was able to help keyboard ace Spike Edney, by climbing through the choir, to get to the Hammond B3, and hold the opening note for Liza Minelli, only letting go at the ultimate moment, her ‘spot’, the one that we rehearsed at Bray Studios in Berkshire, U.K.

I found this link to a Backstage video of the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness, that includes the musicians arriving in their cars for rehearsal. Who was that in the blue Aston? Did Elton drive his black Turbo Bentley? It looks live George Michael drove his.

I remember being terrified when I got to rehearsal! I was pretty much the only person that no one knew (although no one knew Nick Faldo either). The band were Roger Taylor, Brian May, John Deacon, and Spike Edney. Queen were playing their songs with the many guest singers, who were coming and going through the day. Queen were going to be everyones back up band! And Freddie was going to be everywhere.

I had my camera with me, but they stopped me after a few pictures. I was taking one of George Michael, who was singing his ass off with the band, when his large assistant grabbed my Minolta 7000i, and pushed it off the shot. No photos!
Later when he saw me playing with Liza, George was nice to me, so I forgave him. It was an amazing scene.

Spike Edney at the keys during rehearsal 1992 – the 1st photo!

Here is a fresh link to a video of Queen and Liza Minelli performing We Are The Champions in the finale of the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness at Wembley, on April 20, 1992, with me guesting on organ.

What a treat it was!
We rehearsed for a week in Los Angeles at S.I.R. Studios on Sunset boulevard in Hollywood. And then we rocked it on the stage, and around the world, at Sony Studios New York, on November 17, 1993.

Warren was an unbelievably good music director, and this was a great band!
I’m the guy with all the buttons on the piano!

And what you hear is what we did. No overdubs or fixes. Live. Unplugged. I think that’s what they meant it to be! I had tears in my eyes. Magic!
This video is the entire show, I think…

;

Sir Jack Brabham was a legend of motor racing for most of my life. I met the man once in Monaco in 1992.

Sir Jack Brabham passed away last week.

Somehow the father and son were destined to meet, and to pose for my photo. I took it in 1992 in Monaco harbour on the boat Operetta, that James Hunt was renting for the weekend.

David and Jack Brabham. Monaco 1992 © J.Jones

A great influence, on many of us, has passed away. Nash the Slash is no more!

Long Live Nash the Slash!

From the Worth’s basement on Bayview avenue listening to Clear rehearse, to his time with the Canadian band FM, with my former bandmate, Cameron Hawkins, we crossed many paths.
Nash the Slash was a master musician and innovator. A true rebel without a cause. I’m not sure he could be born today… R.I.P. Jeff Plewman.

When I first visited Los Angeles, I stayed at the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood. Grant Black brought me from London to take meetings with record companies because of Ordinary World’s success in North America. I met Chris Evans and Michael Palin, who were headlining at the pool, on my first day.

Chris Evans paying off John Jones by the Sunset Marquis swimming pool in West Hollywood 1993

This past November the Sunset Marquis was celebrating 50 years, and Julian Lennon and Steven Tyler were the headliners by the swimming pool!

I camera’d this video of their performance of their song Someday.

I found a few tracks from Adam Faith, Freddie and the Dreamer’s and Manfred Mann, that John Burgess produced. This was really groundbreaking music in it’s day, and influential around the world. Where would the Doors be without Manfred Mann?
What magic did John Burgess and George Martin have?
Listen to the songs here on Spotify – John Burgess Productions Playlist 1959-1966

John Burgess, from 1977 A.I.R. Studios brochure

If you follow the Spotify LINK, you can listen to the awesome recordings listed below, that were produced by AIR Studios’ John Burgess, and mostly recorded at E.M.I. Studios, Abbey Road.

1959 – What Do You Want – Adam Faith – John’s first Number One! – Arranged by John Barry – Engineered by Malcolm Addey

1960 – U.K. #1 – Poor Me – Adam Faith

1963 – U.S.A. #1 (1965) – U.K. #2 (1963) – I’m Telling You Now – Freddie and the Dreamers – Columbia EMI – Tower 125, USA

1963 – If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody – Freddie and the Dreamers – Inspired the Rolling Stones to ‘get writing’, said Oldham.

1963 – U.K. & U.S.A. #1 – 5-4-3-2-1 – Manfred Mann

1964 – U.S.A. #86 – Do Wah Diddy Diddy – Manfred Mann – Norman Smith Engineer

1964 – Smokestack Lighting – Manfred Mann – The Five Faces of Manfred Mann – album

1964 – Sha La La – Manfred Mann

1964 – U.S.A. #21 – You Were Made For Me – Freddie and the Dreamers – Columbia EMI – Tower 125 USA

1964 – I Put a Spell on You – Manfred Mann

1965 – If You Gotta Go, Go Now – Manfred Mann

1965 – U.K. #1 – Pretty Flamingo – Manfred Mann – Engineer Geoff Emerick

Well that’s the start of the John Burgess Discography. More to come!