A recently discovered set of answers to a Q and A from a Spanish music journalist , which Ricky Gardiner typed out, that give an interesting insight into the Low David Bowie session at the Chateau d'Herouville . Go intuit the questions ! Ricky also took this enigmatic kodachrome image (see below ) of the Brain Eno at the Chateau d'Herouville during these sessions
ANSWERS FOR SPAIN
1: DAVID PHONED ME AND ASKED IF I WOULD GO TO THE CHATEAU AND PUT ON SOME LEAD GUITAR. I AGREED.
2: THE IDIOT TOUR WAS GREAT FOR ME, AFTER BEGGARS OPERA, BECAUSE IT WAS ALL FIVE STAR—— MARVELLOUS.
3: I SEEMED TO FIT IN VERY WELL—- TALKING TO CARLOS, GEORGE MURRAY AND BRIAN ENO WAS A LOT OF FUN.
4: I DID PRETTY MUCH AS I WISHED. DAVID SEEMED TO BE TAKEN WITH THE TREMOLO ARM.
5: BREAKING GLASS. I LIKE YOUR DESCRIPTION ‘ LIKE MECHANICAL FUNK’.
6:’WHAT IN THE WORLD’. YOU SAY IT HAD A POWERFUL RHYTHM. IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED THAT TONY VISCONTI, BEING A BASS PLAYER, TOOK DRUMMING VERY SERIOUSLY.
7: ‘SOUND AND VISION’. THIS WAS VERY MEMORABLE BECAUSE MARY SANG SO BEAUTIFULLY ON IT.
8: ‘ALWAYS CRASHING IN THE SAME CAR’. THIS WAS THE FIRST OF THE SOLOS I OVERDUBBED. I BELIEVE BRIAN WAS THERE. THEY, DAVID, BRIAN AND TONY, SEEMED TO LIKE IT.
9: ‘BE MY WIFE’. I LIKE THE PIANO AFTER THE INTRO. IT STRIKES ME THAT ROY WAS ON SONG THERE.
10: ‘A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN’. THE THING I TAKE FROM THIS IS GEORGE MURRAY’S RIFF ON THE PRECISION BASS AT TWO MINUTES AND TWENTY THREE SECONDS.
11: CARLOS AND I GOT ON VERY WELL. OUR COLLABORATION WAS VERBAL.
12: THE ‘LUST FOR LIFE’ ALBUM JUST HAPPENED. I DO NOT REMEMBER ANYONE DIRECTING AS SUCH.
One of the last things Ricky Gardiner worked on before he fell ill was his solo album Songs for the Electric.. This is Ricky preparing for a photo shoot for the album cover. The exclusive download from the Beggars Opera website contains 11 tracks of chilled out guitar songs from the master of melody himself, with Virginia Scott on Keyboards.
This atmospheric picture was taken by Ricky Gardiner at the Chateau D’Herouville during his time at the Low sessions with David Bowie. As you can see Mary Hopkin and Brian Eno are at the far end of the breakfast table. David Bowie is seated at the far right in one of two comfortable chairs. In the other chair is Morgan Visconti, son of Mary Hopkin and Tony Visconti, who kindly revisited this image. I love the vintage paraphernalia at the far end of the room: the old TV, video player, which I believe was used to watch Monty Python, the upturned blue heart on the pink poster and the random potted plants.
I think the person next to Brian Eno may be Pat Gibbons who was David Bowie management at the time
A rare photograph of Beggars Opera from 1972 which was first uploaded on Beggars Opera 1969/1972 Facebook group by Martin Griffiths, from one of the last Beggars Opera tours of Germany.
Ricky Gardiner 