Gary Graff, Detroit
Despite the excitement surrounding Led Zeppelin's reunion, Paul Rodgers is hoping that fans will remember the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert on Dec. 10 in London is indeed supposed to be about the late Atlantic Records co-founder.
"I do think that the purpose and the point of the show is to celebrate Ahmet Ertegun's life," says Rodgers, the former Bad Company/Free/the Firm/the Law frontman who's a late addition to a lineup that, besides Led Zep, includes Pete Townshend, Foreigner, Paolo Nutini and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.
Rodgers -- who met Ertegun when Bad Company signed to Led Zeppelin's Atlantic-distributed Swan Song Records in 1974 -- tells Billboard.com he plans to perform two songs, most likely an acoustic version of something from Bad Company's debut album and Free's enduring hit "All Right Now."
"Ahmet was that very rare example of an entrepreneurial record company chief who was brave enough and intelligent enough to ... follow what his heart told him, and it usually worked," Rodgers notes. "It's an honor to have been signed by the man who discovered people like Ray Charles, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin, who were some of my heroes."
Rodgers says that he hopes Led Zep "can live up to the expectations, because they're huge. But God bless 'em and good luck to 'em." There are no plans for he and Zep guitarist Jimmy Page to reunite to play anything from their short-lived '80s band the Firm, though Rodgers notes, "it's not a bad idea, is it? We did make some great music."
Besides preparing for the Ertegun show, Rodgers has been in the studio with Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor working on an album of new material that should be out under the Queen + Paul Rodgers moniker next year. He says the three of them have been writing individually and "are working towards actually writing together as well."
Each of them are taking turns playing bass, and while Rodgers is inserting the blues and R&B influence that's so much a part of his style, he says May has been carefully orchestrating the "whole orchestra of harmonies" that are Queen's hallmark.
"With any band there's two sides -- there's the image and there's the music," says Rodgers. "I don't feel that I stepped into the image of Queen, although I wouldn't know that. But I really stepped into the music. It's safe to say we're quietly excited about what we're doing."
Rodgers says the group will wrap up its latest round of recording this week and take stock of what it has, then resume around the time he returns to England for the Ertegun concert. He expects a tour to follow the album's release.
I wasn't the biggest fan of the last tour, but I really think it will be interesting to see what comes of this in the studio. I've always like Rodgers music, but it seemed so one dimensional that it got boring quick. Great voice, though. Anyway, I think Brian can really add something to his music to make it more interesting. Couple that with adding Paul's voice to some of Brian's rock and bluesier stuff, and this could be a good listen.
If only they would change the name of the band...
It's good to hear they are still working in the studio, and that they might even go on tour again. I sure hope it's not strictly a European tour; I'd love for them to come visit the States once more.
I would love for this Queen+PR album to be something completely different from what we're used too. Or for that matter, something that is pure, raw rock 'n' roll. I'm tired of the ballads, I'm tired of the "lets save the world" themed songs. Boooooring!
fantasticcircus wrote: He says the three of them have been writing individually and "are working towards actually writing together as well."
I thought they were "in the studio" already. Guess not. What are they doing? Emailing tracks?
Or if they go "in the studio" do they go to separate rooms and close the doors?
I'd guess that it's not going as well as they had thought it would.
Of course they where in the studio allready, but at that time they hadn't written anything together really.
However, this is what Brian said in his soapbox yesterday;
"Today we were in the studio ... we boys have worked pretty hard on this new album - three month-long sessions so far ... and today was our last day before the Christmas Break.
I think we have some hot stuff.
I really do.
Some hard rockin' pieces, some tasty ballads, some anthems, and lots of "real people playing together in the studio" ... it's quite a rarity these days ... !"
Quite exciting :D