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.
Enjoy this awesomely powerful guitar solo from Ricky Gardiner in Electrofire Invasion/ Beggars Opera / Lose a life.
AI says : "Electrofire Invasion" is the opening track from the Beggars Opera album Lose a Life, released on August 31, 2010. The album is a concept album written by Virginia Scott and Ricky Gardiner, and the song and entire album are about the experience of living with electrical sensitivity.
electrofire invasion
my brain hurts my eyes blur i am crushed i am numb and motionless from electrofire invasion save me save me
my head spins my cells shiver my thoughts dissolve i am numb and motionless from electrofire invasion save me save me
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.
Ricky Gardiner guitarist dances in Tango for the End of Time by Beggars Opera. This avant garde progressive rocktrack comes from Beggars Opera/ Lose a Life an album which has incredible presence as a result of Ricky Gardiner’s ability to create massive sound structures with his choices of guitars and effects. Ricky’s extended melodies and string bending are unique in the guitar world.
This interesting doodle was created when Beggars Opera were working on their 2 covers of the Passenger with Virginia Scott on vocals and Andy Milner on acoustic guitar. Such a great song.
The Flood is a little known but hauntingly beautiful track from Ricky Gardiner’s solo guitar archive. The Beggars Opera website hosts a collection of Ricky’s solo work which includes Kumara Confluence, Auschwitz and Songs for the Electric all released on RGS label
Photo: Ricky Gardiner on Tour with David Bowie and Iggy Pop.
This villa is situated behind the legendary Chateaux Marmont Hotel, Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles where Ricky Gardiner stayed during the Idiot Tour of 1976 with David Bowie on Keys.
David’s piano was set up with an electronic pick up and a Lesley cabinet which gave it that tremendous spooky sound. How about that for a prepared piano 🙂
From David Bowie News – I came across this post today about Ricky’s vintage photos of the Low Sessions at Chateau D’Herouville, Paris 1976 taken on his trusty Nikormat.
There are other great images in the film of the musicians who were there, but this one is especially rare as apparently, according to Tony Visconti, it is the only image there is of David Bowie, Tony Visconti and Brian Eno together.
Ricky Gardiner 