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GibsonBass Your next release was The Andy Fraser Band in 1975; that was yourself on bass and vocals, Nick Judd on keyboards and Kim Turner on drums. After the Sharks record were you keen to get back to being the singer in the band?
Andy Fraser Exactly. It was important to start digging in, learning all I could, strengthening my voice, and getting all the experience I could if I was gonna sing the songs I was writing. Nick Judd is a very talented keyboard player, and Kim Turner quite the energy on drums. It was to later to come full circle, when later, Kim who went on to co-manage the Police with Miles Copeland, managed me through the Fine, Fine Line period. Last year, sadly he died of cancer - which is unbelievable to consider - he was younger than me. We must make the most of each moment. A great, very very generous guy!
GibsonBass With no guitar on this record the bass is used more as a lead instrument - something you were thinking about whilst playing with Frankie Miller? Did you put the Andy Fraser Band together intending not to have a guitar player?
Andy Fraser I suppose so. Without giving it that much thought. Nick Judd made a great sound with just keyboard and bass pedals, and I was tweaking around with the very early pedals available them - laughable when you consider what is available today, so it didn't seem like we needed anything else.
GibsonBass Following quickly in footsteps of the Andy Fraser Band, you recorded a solo record In Your Eyes in the latter part of 1975 at the Muscle Shoals studio with a larger band consisting of yourself on vocals and bass guitar, Roger Hawkins on drums, Barry Beckett on keyboards, Pete Carr and Jimmy Johnson on guitar and the Muscle Shoals studio horn section, what memories do you have of that recording?
Andy Fraser Being in awe of their talent. This was the band that had backed up so many of my favorite singers. Aretha, Staples singers, Wilson Pickett. I was a little overwhelmed by the situation I think. It was one of those record 2 tracks a day, 10 in five, 10 vocals on day 6, and mix on day 7. Finish. I would need to be Aretha Franklin, to come out smelling pretty, and I didn't yet have that experience. So, a sharp learning curve. Jump in the deep end, as it were. (Sounding so British today).
GibsonBass First Water, Andy Fraser Band and In Your Eyes are three very different sounding records but all demonstrate consistency as a strong songwriter and bass player. Was it your desire to constantly put out very different sounding records or just that you didn't feel settled with any one of these bands?
Andy Fraser Still reaching towards a place I felt far from. Truthfully, with this latest release, Naked... and finally Free (see part 6) it is the first time I have felt - OK we are starting to lock in now. It feels and sounds natural, I can still listen to it, which was rarely the case before.
GibsonBass Fine Fine Line (1984) was released ten years after In Your Eyes - why was there such a long gap before it's release and why did you choose not play bass on that record?
Andy Fraser I had moved to the US. Made a complete break, and spent most of my time writing and strengthening my voice. It was the aforementioned Kim Turner, who was the motivating force to do the Fine, Fine Line project. I chose not to play bass on the record, so as to give full attention to the vocals. We all have only 100% to give at the best of times, and I felt sub-dividing my energies with both Bass and vocals, would have short changed the singing, which I was intent to making stronger.
GibsonBass The production on that record sounds very much of the time but the songs again show off your song writing ability, was that a hard record to make after such a long break?
Andy Fraser Not from that point of view. Because I was concentrating solely on the song and the singing, it was starting to get easier. I think Michael Thompson is an incredible guitarist, and Bob Marlette a one of a kind keyboard player, very talented. Actually it fell apart for very strange reasons. In my mind I thinking of them as band members, although I was paying them to rehearse - (I know, does not compute), and after we finished the record, the label says great, but we only want to sign you, not the other guys. As you can imagine, things go down hill fast after that. We went out on tour, with a bunch of different guys, and everything starting going sideways.
Go to part 6 - Naked... and Finally Free | Check out Andys own website
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