How do you teach John Lydon to sing? And what happens when you impersonate Ozzy Osbourne so convincingly that people believe it's really him? In Part 2 of his conversation with Fender Jackson on The Ireland Podcast, Bernard Fowler takes us behind the scenes of some remarkable recording sessions.
Public Image Ltd - Album (1986)
Producer Bill Laswell asked Bernard to become John Lydon's vocal coach for PiL's Album. There was just one problem: Bernard had never coached a singer before.
He recalls helping Lydon with phrasing, breathing and vocal technique, and explains why he considers John's performance on the record among his finest.
Steve Vai, Ginger Baker and Tony Williams
Bernard remembers walking into the studio and hearing Steve Vai record his extraordinary guitar solo on Ease. The experience moved him profoundly.
He also recalls meeting Ginger Baker, hearing how Bill Laswell found him living on an olive farm in Italy, and receiving an invitation from jazz drumming legend Tony Williams to front a proposed rock band.
Lemmy, Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper
Bernard reveals how he doubled Lemmy's vocals on Motörhead's Orgasmatron, recreated Ozzy Osbourne's voice for a soundtrack recording, and performed an Ozzy-style vocal for an Alice Cooper project.
His impersonation was apparently so convincing that some listeners believed Ozzy himself had recorded the duet.
The conversation also explores vocal doubling, the art of singing and the musicianship behind some of rock's most distinctive recordings.
And just as Bernard is about to reveal what happened to him on a memorable trip to Kildare, the story continues into Part 3.
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The Ireland Podcast - Recording The Island.
Hosted by Fender Jackson.
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