In the summer of 2005 Doyle went to Nashville under the producer Harry Hinde (the man who discovered Shania Twain !) There he recorded six tracks at Emerald Studios. Doyle co-wrote a couple of songs with Denis Morgan (who had previously written dozens of massive hits including “Knew You Were Waitin” performed by George Michael and Aretha Franklin. The co-writes were ‘Angel’ and ‘God’s Gold’. This material is pending release and distribution as Doyle would like to mass distribute the London 2005 recordings first and provide these additional Nashville recordings to interested fans.
The recordings included a shorter version of Doyle’s epic album closer ‘ the Second Coming” as well as versions of ‘Sold’ and ‘Survival’.
Doyle selected Denis Morgan’s ‘ Down Life’s Ever Winding Rd’ as his Nashville title track.
Magic was sprinkled on the live recordings by an all-star line up of musicians including no less than Elvis Presley’s former guitarist who was responsible for the licks on ‘Suspicious Minds’ and ‘In the Ghetto’. Doyle said of him ‘ I didn’t really know what to say to him, I was sort of scared, it was too much, Elvis was my idol as a kid”.
Additionally, Doyle had some other pretty awesome musicians from the Motown fraternity and Van Morrison.
The backing vocals featured Angela Cox from Australia, Teresa Collier, Scat Springs, Greg Edmondson who were led by the “best singer in the world bar none” Marcia Ware. Doyle said of them “ they were absolutely awesome, check out their backing vocals, these guys singing was a sight to behold, I really look forward to working with them again”.
The project took some eight weeks over two trips, Mick having a few singing lessons with the top Dixie Chicks vocal coach, Renee Grant Williams. “She had a very weird cat, and as a cat lover, take it from me, the cat was weird’ said Doyle.
“I spent the whole eight weeks wondering why Harry was so precise with time. He would say – I’ll meet you in 13 minutes etc, strange. I ate too many steaks and spent many a night mesmerized at the various Nashville live musicians. I saw two guys playing that totally blew me away one night. They did this circular act around their instruments playing about 200 different songs from memory at breakneck speed, it was unbelievable. It made me realise that I have nothing but personality and energy, musicianship is all theirs”.
Doyle checked out of Nashville for Memphis where he met the inevitable Robert Johnson the Flying Mojo from Memphis Music Limited. Here Doyle also saw awesome Florida based band The Spoon Benders for the first time and was mesmerized again. Johnson (who once auditioned for the Rolling Stones and has a massive guitar collection) hooked Doyle up with a couple of New York music consultants, a lawyer named David Glinert and a freelance record company consultant named Lou Mann. Doyle signed a six-month Consultancy agreement with Messrs Glinert and Mann whereupon they introduced Doyle to the music of Phil Roy. Doyle loved Phil Roy’s music.
Doyle and Johnson also found time to write and record the beginnings of a track called “Cheerio”, about a guy who leaves the UK for the US and everyone he meets keeps trying to take the Brit (Cheerio) out of him”. Apparently, the recording studio was opposite a café owned by U2, so Doyle went in their for a cup of tea. “Well, I have always like U2’s music, so I thought it only right to go and drink tea in their café”.
London to Nashville to New York back to London.
Following our advertisement in NME (12th July Edition) entitled “Faraday Productions Seeks Musicians” we have now made some important contacts for regular musicians to join the forthcoming tours. We are collating a cohesive unit (a band) to hopefully stay together and see it grow. The guys that have come forward and who have been selected for initial rehearsals will post short biographies and pictures on the homepage shortly.
The good new is “they are positive, professional, London orientated up for it people”.
P.R.
First feedback from the music industry suggests that our music is better placed directly on the mainstream radio - we are currently considering our options. It is important that we remain in control of our own destiny and that we are not misrepresented. We deliver music and entertainment and it is the job of P.R. to bring that to the widest possible public in order that they have a choice. Our public is our God - they will make us what we are to become. The music industry are but servants of the public, if we all do our jobs properly and keep a sense of true perspective no one will get hurt! Music industry and P.R. - let the public hear us!
Following the mastering session of the Doyle E.P. it looks very likely that the E.P. (which naturally precedes any single or album release) will now be available to the public from the beginning of June 2005.
In readiness for the release of the Doyle E.P. during June 2005 preparations are now under way for a series of live performances including an official launch. Castle and Doyle have purchased a P.A. system which is capable of supporting gigs of around the fifteen hundred people mark.
“We need to start doing plenty of gigs. The question is the type of venues to play. We also need to start having a lot of fun. All we have done for the last eighteen months is studio work. It’s time to get out there and start enjoying it”.
Paul Castle
Gigs don’t get much harder than this!
Picture in your mind an idea of the worst and most nerve-racking gig of your life. Imagine if you can, a potentially humiliating night in front of an unappreciative crowd of disinterested unhappy random beer swillers who hate you because you are interfering with their quiet chat. Pile on top of this a shit P.A. system that will not allow your support musician to be miked up so that you must play the entire set solo and acoustic. Add on top a heavy dose of tonsillitis, tiredness and Ibuprofen body swell. Throw in for good measure losing your guitar in the airport on the way and arriving late. Only now are you beginning to get close to the St Patrick’s day gig that Mick Doyle performed on March 17th 2005 at the Pheasant Inn in Gloucester.
Doyle performed twenty two songs including several of his own mixed up with a heavy dose of Irish songs. He also chose to perform some covers of John Lennon, Elton John, Depeche Mode and U2.
Interview
“I walked into the pub and it was packed. As I started setting up, the place practically emptied all at once. They had all arrived together from the Cheltenham Gold Cup Races and the coaches were leaving all at once. It was awful. I felt as though they were waiting for me to arrive so they could leave. When I started playing no-one joined in with any of the Irish songs even though it was St Patrick’s day. I wanted badly to bottle out but Emma advised me that this was the time to really prove myself. She said that if I could do this gig I could do anything. So I got up and did it (during which she made matters worse by buggering off to the restaurant next door during my set). It was a breakthrough. These are the gigs that really make you ask yourself what your true motives are and if you pull it off you acquire bundles of confidence. On that night,for me, the act was launched and so began my journey. Where will it lead…..” (MD) Follow this editorial as, event by event, we promise to tell only the truth as the story unfolds.
Special thanks to Emma Turner, Brian Conroy, Mark Axtell Powell & family and to the land lady and barman for your friendship and support.
