Chaz Charles and Dr. Glund welcome a new voice into the Den of Audio Iniquities — Colosseum keyboardist Nick Steed, a musician who stepped into the Hammond chair and somehow managed the rare feat of honoring the legacy without attempting to impersonate it.
Nick joins the program to talk about joining Colosseum, growing up in a house filled with instruments, and the early musical influences that shaped his approach to the keyboard — everything from ELP and Focus to Jimmy Smith and the deep well of jazz organ tradition.
Along the way the discussion wanders — as it must — into the strange physics of Hammond organ, the joy of improvisation inside long-form Colosseum pieces like Valentyne Suite, and the realities of performing with musicians who helped invent the genre you are now playing in.
RECORD RELEASE DAY!
Nick also talks about his own compositional work, including A BONELESS PODCASTING EXCLUSIVE FIRST LISTEN to the his solo project Secrets of the King’s Court: Themes and Variations, a richly arranged recording featuring harpsichord, Moog, Colosseum bandmates, and even a violin recorded on a 17th-century instrument, because subtlety has never been the point.
Meanwhile, the episode’s musical centerpiece becomes “First in Line,” Nick’s songwriting contribution to Colosseum’s album Restoration. The track becomes the launching point for a discussion of collaboration with Clem Clempson, the lyrical pen of Pete Brown, and how new material finds its place inside a band with a very long memory. And how Mark Clarke came to replace Tony Reeves not once, but twice, in Colosseum-related projects!
Throughout the proceedings the sacred commandments remain firmly in place:
The guitar must rock.
The music must expand the mind.
And it must never — ever — sell out.
The Doctor listens carefully.
The blade of judgement remains within reach.
YOUR PRESCRIPTION
Recommended Indulgences to Satisfy the Voluptuary
(Listener Discretion Encouraged, Authority Not Recognized)
Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.
Dosage may be increased arbitrarily.
Recommended Conditions
Best consumed in a room where the lights are low and the hi-fi is honest
Volume set slightly higher than the neighbors might appreciate
Headphones encouraged; casual conversation discouraged
Pairs well with a proper whisky and the willingness to let musicians finish their sentences
May be taken alone or in the company of someone who knows the difference between Hammond and piano
Further Listening — Nick Steed Edition
Nick Steed - Influential Guidance
Nick Steed - Thr33
Nick Steed — Secrets of the King’s Court (RECORD RELEASE)
Clem Clempson - www.clemclempson.com
Ray Detone - www.raydetone.com
Stephen Cordiner - www.stephencordinermusic.com
Big Red Studios - www.bigredstudios.co.uk
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