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Jimmy Kay from The Metal Voice recently spoke to former AC/DC, Manfred Mann Earth Band, The Firm drummer Chris Slade. Slade talks about his new album THE CHRIS SLADE TIMELINE “Timescape”. The album will be released worldwide on July 19th. “

Timescape” contains completely original new tracks and some of Chris Slade’s  favorite covers. 

Also in the chat Slade talks about the various stories and inner workings of the bands he played with over the years.

When asked about the misunderstood lyrics of Manfred Mann Earth Bands cover of Bruce Springsteen  ‘Blinded by the light’ was it  Douche or Deuce or Wrapped
“Yes and that came about by accident because Chris Thompson the singer of Earth band at that time. He has a New Zealand accent and the recording head was not set up properly so it made everything very sibilant and he was saying Deuce. We didn’t know what the lyrics were by the way we made the lyrics up you know and we’d sat around for hours going what do you think? We we’re writing down literally around a record player the whole band going uh what do you think that line was? Let’s do it line by line okay. So I came up with, for that line, I came up with ‘wrapped up like a deuce’. Like when you you wrap your hand playing cards that’s maybe a British saying but you wrap it you throw it away like it’s good, it’s a terrible hand. We could not make out and I know the lyrics are now ‘revved up like a deuce’ so I I got the R right. But when you hear Springsteen original  we just couldn’t make out what it was because there were no lyrics printed on the on sleeve and how do you get a hold of Bruce Springsteen?”

When asked about his AC/DC audition
“I went to the audition with ACDC and uh no pressure Angus and Malcolm (Young) put their chairs 10 feet in front of the bass drum and went okay uh Back in Black (play it) looking straight at me, no pressure at all of course (laugh). Basically  It was like learn these songs like um Back In Black I can’t remember the rest of them. They were about three or four classic songs of ACDC and then at the end they went well can you learn song (new song) this just take us take as long as you like. So I did it in about 20 minutes. They sat there with no expression with their guitars on their laps. They were playing Back in Black along with me.  Those guys, Angus and Malcolm they don’t talk you know they didn’t they just used to look at each other and they knew exactly what each other was thinking.  I promise you it’s uncanny never seen anything like it with anybody else. They wouldn’t even make a sort of quizzical  expression. None of that they just looked at each other and then they looked away. Brian (Johnson) was singing but he was over there somewhere and uh Cliff (Williams) was also there he was over there somewhere but they (Angus and Malcom) were 10 feet from the bass drum.”

When asked about his contributions to the song Thunderstruck
 “Well I went boom boom on thunderstruck. Bruce Fairbairn (Producer) wanted that. I had to overdub that quite a lot, he asked me if I could  overdub on that one just go boom boom when they go Thun-der. I go yes and he looked to be he’s like are you sure? And it’s like to me it’s a walk in the park and to many drummer that would just be a walk in the park. So I don’t know why Bruce was  surprised that I could do it and do it as many times as he wanted to get as big a sound as he wanted. “

When asked about the inner workings of AC/DC that he learned about 
 “It was Malcolm’s band. It’s not Brian Johnson’s band it’s not Angus’s band it was Malcolm’s band, he ran the show musically and any other way I suppose.  Angus had the input with the the songwriting of course.  Malcolm was a genius guitarist, the best Rhythm player I have ever worked an absolute genius. He was always on time and he just played fantastically well and made my job so easy. “

When asked about working with Axl Rose 
” I was amazed at the the way Axel sounded actually. I didn’t know he had that voice  and he used to warm up before show for two hours every day and warm down for an hour afterwards. I know cuz I was next door to him He’d have his piano there and he’d be playing the scales and singing the scales and so he was very much concerned about his voice and the way he sung. and he sung great.” 

Why asked about how he felt when he quit AC/DC
“Malcolm called me he says nothing you not doing, nothing you haven’t done but we’re going to trying out Phil (Rudd) on drums and I thought well that’s me gone. I said to him that’s me gone, well because  if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it is exactly what I said to him. So I resigned on the spot. I was devastated that’s why I resigned. I was doing demos for Ball Breaker at the time, just Demos in a studio. So I’ve been working with them for like  two three months already on those demo most and uh this came out of the blue it’s just a thunderbolt out of the blue.” 

Chris Slade launched the band ‘THE CHRIS SLADE TIMELINE’ in 2012 to mark 50+ years as a professional rock drummer. For this project, Slade took on phenomenal vocalists STEVE GLASSCOCK and PAUL “BUN” DAVIS with the added stunning musical techniques of guitarist JAMES CORNFORD along with keyboard and guitar player MICHAEL J. CLARK you most certainly have a band to be reckoned with and worthy to mark Slade’s illustrious musical career.

This is a concept for Slade that will include performances from a varied set list from Tom Jones, Manfred Mann’s Earthband, Uriah Heep, The Firm, ASIA, MSG, David Gilmour, Gary Moore along with a fair degree of AC/DC numbers and many surprises to be unwrapped along the way.

“After all these years recording and playing with some of the world’s greatest rock musicians such as Tom Jones, Manfred Mann’s Earthband, Gary Moore, Gary Numan, Denny Laine, Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, David Gilmour, Uriah Heep, Asia and of course AC/DC.

THE CHRIS SLADE TIMELINE is:
Paul “Bun” Davis vocals
Stevie Gee vocals, Bass
James Cornford guitar, vocals
Mike Clarke Keyboards, guitar, vocals
Chris Slade Drums, vocals