DIAMOND HEAD
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 18th November 2011.
UK band Diamond Head may have never hit the sales heights of the bands they inspired, but an inspiration they definitely were to many...and they are still going 35 years after their inception. With the re-release of their classic album "Lightning To The Nations" this month, what better time to chat to founder member and guitarist Brian Tatler?!
Hi Brian, does it really feel like 35 years since you guys started, or are you still far too young to have been in a band that long?
Brian: I am 51 now and the band was formed in 1976 when I was 16, so it is indeed 35 years. It feels like a lifetime ago, so much has happened, even the formats have changed several times since 76, vinyl, CD, mp3s. I still have a very nice vinyl collection that was my pride and joy and now I never play any of them.
Was there ever a master plan to Diamond Head’s existence or have you always taken it day by day?
Brian: The original plan was to get gigs, then it was to get a record deal, then it was to write more songs get bigger gigs, then it was to get another record deal and since about 2002 its been about keeping the band together and moving forward, overcoming obstacles. We react to what the band is offered now, when something as huge as Sonisphere comes our way we try to build on it and keep raising the bands profile. We are very lucky to have a band like Metallica as friends.
If you could go back and do it all again would you live it the same way?
Brian: No of course not, we all make mistakes and learning from them is part of life’s journey. I always say Diamond Head would have been better off with a more experienced and professional manager. We were managed by Reg Fellows who ran a cardboard box factory by day and managed (along with his girlfriend and mother of lead singer Sean Harris) a rock band by night. Neither of them had ever managed a band before so had to learn as they went along. Because it was family they were very protective and probably overly proud and confident that Diamond Head were the best band in the world and would become huge by virtue alone. One thing is for sure, I would have learned to play the guitar again, that has been my one true companion.
I saw you guys supporting Europe last year and you were damned good. What is the secret to still keeping the fans happy in 2011?
Brian: I think as long as we play the songs the fans want to hear with the enthusiasm they expect then we can continue for many years to come. We always try to play some new stuff but as long as we do a good selection of oldies they go away happy, it’s a great band.
Your debut album “Lightning To The Nations” is being reissued. What was behind the decision to bring it out again?
Brian: The last time this album was available was back in 2001 when Sanctuary records released it. That deal expired in 2006 so it has been unavailable since then. I thought it was about time this classic album was made available again and with the help of Steve Hammonds at Universal Records we made it happen. Also with our busy year opening for the Big 4 plus an American tour and dates in Canada we thought the timing was perfect.
What are the technical aspects of the remastering? Is this simply a spruce up of the original sound or a full remix?
Brian: This is not not a remix, this is mastered from the original quarter inch stereo master tapes, so it still sounds exactly like the original album but run through modern compressors and EQs to bring out as much life as possible from the now 30 year old tapes. Mainly the job is done by a mastering engineer who knows the speakers and the room and who does the job everyday. I was there to offer advice about how it sounded to me and to make sure that I was happy with what the engineer was doing.
Do you have any personal favourite moments on the album?
Brian: I think Am I Evil? is still my favourite track on the record, it still sounds great even today. It has great dynamics and a definite mood. I have always been very satisfied with my guitar solo in that song, it was the peak of my playing at the time and I still play the solo very similarly live to how it is on the record.
Are you likely to apply the same makeover to your other releases?
Brian: Good question, I would like to but it’s really down to Universal Records if they want to re-release the albums. They recently put out Borrowed Time and Canterbury along with ‘Live at Reading Festival’ as a three CD box set called ‘The MCA Years’. Diamond Head’s fourth album ‘Death & Progress’ is currently unavailable and i would like to arrange a re-release for that at some point.
Are there plans for another new studio album to follow 2007’s “What’s In Your Head”?
Brian: Yes the last album What’s In Your Head? came out in 2007 and we were very pleased with it although none of the bigger Independent labels like SPV, Roadrunner, Sanctuary or Eagle Rock would take it so it came out on Cargo. Cargo also released All Will Be Revealed in 2005 which sold about the same amount of copies and got us no further. So unless something changes I am not thrilled by the prospect of making another album that will come out on Cargo Records and sell a few thousand copies, it’s not worth it for a year’s work, I have other things to do. The older I get the harder its becoming to write original material.
How many interviews have you done where the interviewer managed to not mention Metallica?
Brian: Since about, 1985 probably none.
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Brian: I always say my favourite band is Led Zeppelin and my favourite song is Kashmir, I have been loyal to both for over 30 years, nothing to my ears has beaten them yet.
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Brian: Boring stuff like doing the washing and walking the dogs, I have to practice for a bit because I have a student coming for a guitar lesson in a couple of hours, I like to take my time warming up these days.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Brian: I have been invited to take part in the forthcoming celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Metallica in San Francisco next month so that should be fun. Diamond Head have been offered some festivals for 2012 so I am sure we will see you out on the road somewhere at some point.
Thanks again to Brian for his time.
