- Place – De Lane Lea Studios, Wembley – Nashville
- Time – 1974 – 2007
- Artist – Louis Clark
Louis Clark
Born 27 February 1947 Died 13 February 2021, was an English music arranger and keyboard player and a dear friend.
He is best known for his work with The Electric Light Orchestra and Hooked On Classics.
He also worked with artist such as Roy Orbison, Ozzy Osbourne Roy Wood and the band America to mention just a few.
Meeting Louis for the first time
Although the ELO album Eldorado wasn’t exactly my favourite gig, it did introduced me to Louis Clark.
In January 1974 Jet Records booked the studio for a new ELO album starting on Monday the 11th February.
Dick Plant
Dick Plant was the engineer requested as he recorded the On the Third Day album with the band the previous year.
As Dick was already booked with another client for that week Louis Elman, the studio manager, asked me to start the recordings.
I seem to remember that the band were to continue the sessions the following week, so I made it clear to Louis that I was getting married on the 16th February and going on honeymoon, therefore I couldn’t work after the 15th.
A few years ago I did contact Dick and Mike Pela too ask if they can confirm the dates of the overdubbing and mixing time. Unfortunately Dick Plant and Mike don’t remember what year it was never mind in what weeks/months the album was recorded.
Every session in those days was “just another day in the office” in a very busy three studio complex.
Dick and Mike did the completion of the tracks and deserved a full credit.
The recording engineer for the orchestra and choir sessions was John Richards.
John, like myself, was not credited on the album, no big deal in those days – it was just another gig.
I recorded the backing tracks in Studio Two and the slurring guide vocals and some overdubs were put down in Studio Three.
When Dick took over, they remained in Studio Three to complete the album, including the mixing, however the orchestra and choir were recorded by JR, in Studio One.
Unfinished outtakes from the album
There were two tracks put down for the album that went unfinished.
One, a piano and slurred vocal, with a chorus line The First Days Of September.
The second, was again with a slurred ad lib lines vocal with a chorus idea of Indian Queen.
Some years ago, I found a copy of both tracks in my loft and sent the unfinished recording of The First Days Of September to Lou to ask him if he knew why Jeff never finished this track and why he thought this track never made it on the album.
Question answered.
His reply was as follows.
“I think the track could have come to something. Well it kind of did in as much as, the sequence at the intro, outro and bridge is pretty well Can’t Get It Out Of My Head and the vocal line above it is what the choir sang on that song.
I remember Jeff calling me a couple of days before the sessions singing that line and asking me to include it”.
Jeff and I
My overview of the album is that the guys were really easy to get on with, although Jeff and I never had what would be called a close working relationship.
I have often said, Jeff would probably be the first to say he was difficult to work with and I would be the second.
With most artist you would get and idea of what they wanted, but this was difficult with Jeff as I am not sure he had a definite idea, or maybe he just found it hard working with me as he had already built a good relationship with Dick Plant on their previous album.
Whenever I heard the finished album over the years, the edits I did on the original multi-track’s were appalling.
Cutting 2 inch in those days was in its infancy, but this is no excuse the edits are truly dreadful.
Looking for major success in the USA
I can tell you honestly the only time that week I thought those backing tracks might have any legs, was when Jeff slurred through the guide vocals, hitting occasional lyrics.
The slurred chorus line for, Laredo Tornado was originally I’m dying, at that time with the feel of the backing tracks, I believed the album was going to be a concept album relating to the American Indians.
Johnny Cash had recorded an awareness album to the plight and the true story of the suffering of the American Indians.
The Movie Soldier Blue had been a huge success, along with Jane Fonda and many other American artists were promoting the same plight.
The second unfinished track I mentioned above Indian Queen, would have also fitted very well into the genre.
All the backing tracks had a very different feel before Lou’s additions and the final overdubs were in place and of course Jeff really was looking for major success the USA.
Destroying a piece of history
A few weeks later I had a session in studio 3, it was the morning after Dick had been recording the vocals on Can’t Get It Out of My Head.
I arrived early to set up my session and I knew the vocal session the night before had finished early that morning.
Engineers rules, you must clear the desk and leave the studio completely clean and ready for the next session.
On this particular morning the studio was a mess the desk hadn’t been reset and the studio still had the vocal booth and Mic still in position.
On the music stand there was Jeff lyrics, Midnight on the water etc.
I read them through and thought he’s up to his Lennon lyrical style and put the lyrics in the bin.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
It would be easy today to say I thought the whole album was a masterpiece from the start, but honestly I stick by my original thoughts.
When I first heard the finished playback in the studio, with the strings and choir and no reverb NONE!
Only plenty of Echo, The Jeff’s vocal sound achieved by using a 28-ips tape delay through the Studer B62.
Expensive demos or a classic
It all just sounded like a bunch of expensive demos and I also think JET records and Mike Albuquerque could have thought the same at the time.
Albuquerque, I think summed it up in an interview with ELO fan/writer Martin Kinch some years later when he said,
“I thought the Eldorado thing, was again Jeff trying like mad to find a direction, there was a lot of pressure on him don’t forget, you’d got all those mouths to feed, all those management people looking at you, and secretaries, and so forth you know.
And you know you’ve got this desire to do things, without maybe the correct inspiration getting in place.
I felt that again it was him pushing for a direction that still maybe wasn’t there”.
And of course Albuquerque left the band at this time.
Listening to the final playback of the finished album
Even with Louis Clark’s wonderful additions, it appeared to be a total mish mash of Jeff’s imagination.
On release
Once the album was released in the USA, it went Platinum; I then listened to it again. What a wonderful drum sound and the most amazing dry technique on all the instruments.
It was probably the only time I ever agreed with Don Arden, it was a MASTERPIECE!
“Nothing succeeds like success”. There ain’t no rules in rock n roll.
Stuart Taylor & Lou Clark’s way out
In the mid-late 70s into the early 80s Lou and I were partners in producing many music projects together.
I introduced Lou to my good friend and manager Stuart Taylor.
Stuart and Louis hit it off immediately.
Stuart, was the master at selling ideas to record companies and came up with the idea of Lou writing the arrangements for 100 piece orchestra with a rock rhythm section playing ABBA songs. The Album was to be called ABBAPHONIC.
Unfortunately Stuart’s efforts to find a record company who shared enthusiasm for this idea was not forthcoming.
Although Lou did complete this project some years later after his Hooked On Classic success.
Enters Status Quo
Immediately, Stuart soon came up with an alternative idea to do Status Quo songs and called the project Quophonoic.
He then managed to raise enough money from Quo’s management and publishers to record a couple of tracks, which he would then have something to play for the record companies, hoping this would convince them of the sales potential for such an album.
Louis set about writing the arrangements and the huge orchestra and rhyme section with two drummers was book for EMI’s (Abbey Road) Studio One.
Just as the first run through had started Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt arrived into the control room.
Lou’s fantastic arrangement had married the sound of ELO and Status Quo with the a huge rock orchestra.
It sounded amazing. As the last chord hit, Francis was so knocked out he said “Jesus did I write that”
When the recordings were complete Stuart approached the Major record companies, but once again no one was interested.
With the tracks sounding so good, we could only think it must have been the large costs of recording and the uncertainty of the sales the companies were afraid of.
Same Idea different time
It would be a few years later that Lou had Worldwide success with Hooked On Classics with the K. Tel compilation record company.
A somewhat similar idea but without the heavy rock rhyme section and more safe choice of classical music.
Lou decides to leave the music industry when fate stepped in
At the end of the seventies Lou was very disillusioned with the Music industry.
I called him to say I was coming up to Birmingham as I had a new project I needed him to write the arrangements for.
When I arrived he told me how fed up he was the way Jeff was treating him and the rest of the band.
All credits on the ELO singles/albums were basically Jeff, Jeff and Jeff.
We went for lunch and talked about my up coming album project and I was pleased to be able to hand him a cheque, which he was very grateful for.
I knew finically, things were difficult, he even mentioned to me that he was thinking of returning to teaching.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
When we returned back to his home, he said, “I have just finished one other project with, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” and played me the single due to be released shortly called Hooked On Classics (Parts 1 & 2)
It sounded awful, Although the music couldn’t be faulted as it was various famous classical masterpieces and the string arrangements had all the hallmarks of Lou’s genius.
Unfortunately, the basic rhythm track was a hideous cheap sounding bass drum and snare plus handclaps drum machine, which to me made it sound like a budget record.
It crossed my mind, that Lou would be returning to teaching sooner than I thought.
I wished him the best of luck with it and look forward to seeing him soon at our recordings.
Major success arrives
To my amazement the single I hated, took off like a Ballon in a hurricane.
A few months later, the single peaked at number 2 in the UK and later in the US at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Stuarts original idea sometime before was really the precursor to this successful project, which now allowed Lou to move away from his ELO chains.
ELO goes on tour
Although around the same time ELO were embarking on a USA tour and Jeff Lynne had asked Lou to join them on the tour.
I remember he wasn’t that bothered whether he did the tour or not but with Lou’s success in his own right, permitted him to make certain requests that had previously been denied to the members of the band.
Usually, Jeff would fly first class and the band always traveled coach, but on this occasion many of the rules were relaxed.
Lou & ELO arrive in Nashville
Lou had invited me many times to see ELO at various venues over the years but somehow there was always a reason I couldn’t go.
When I was working in Nashville and ELO rolled into town, they were appearing there for one night.
I called Lou at his hotel to say hi and he invited me to the gig that night.
He said, he would leave a ticket at box office in my name.
I told him I was working on session in a local studio I promised him I would try and make it if the session finished on time.
That night I didn’t finish until around 3am.
Funny phone message
When I arrived back at my hotel a red light was flashing on the phone indicating I had a message, being so late I left it until the next morning and retired to bed.
The next morning I rang the reception to get the message.
The receptionist, with a broad Southern accent and in a completely straight voice said,
“The message is from a Mr. Louis Clark and he said, Bollocks to you, you wanker for not coming.”
I fell off my bed laughing.I rang him immediately. When he answered I was still in hysterics, before I could speak he said,“You got my message then?”
Still laughing I said, “It was not only hilarious but you should have heard the young girl giving me the message in her straight spoken southern drawl.”
He continued, “They have no idea of the meaning of those two words, I have done many a TV and radio interview using one or the other.”
Time for lunch?
I asked Lou if he fancied to meet up for lunch, he agreed but stated he must be back at his hotel by 2.15pm at the very latest as the band were leaving to catch the plane to Atlanta, where they were playing that night.
I picked him up from his hotel around midday and we had a great lunch, we left the restaurant at around 1.30pm.
To our horror my car had been towed away. I can still see the look on Lou’s face to this day.
We ended up running five or six blocks in sweltering heat to a publishing office where I knew I could loan a car.
The race across town
Our drive across town was like a scene out of Starsky & Hutch.
As we were approaching the hotel, the traffic lights turned red.
We could see the black limousines parked with their engines running, obviously waiting for Lou.
He leapt out of the car and shouted,
“I’ll see you back home.”
He took off, at a speed that would have made Roger Banister jealous.
As the lights changed to green, I saw Lou jumping into one of the limos and to my relief they were all off to the airport.
A night at Wembley with pure Rock n Roll
Some months later ELO were ending their tour at the Wembley arena in England.
I received a call from Lou, telling me he had left six tickets for Saturday night at the box office, for Sue and I and a couple of extras for any of our friends I might want to invite.
Being busy all week, I had put this on the back burner until Saturday afternoon when to my horror Lou rang,
“I’ll see you tonight, I’ve also left passes for you and your guests for the after-show backstage party.”
Oh shit! We lived an hour and half from the gig and at such short notice we needed to find a baby sitter and four other friends to go with.
Well, of course we did it.
We had fantastic seats right at the front and this without a doubt was one of the best rock ‘n’ roll shows Sue and I had even seen.
No spaceships, no thrills just a band playing pure rock ‘n’ roll.
We had a lovely time and went backstage afterwards sadly I didn’t get a hug from Jeff just a polite hello, but Lou and the guys were great.
ELO Part Two
In 1988 the drummer Bev Bevan approached Jeff wanting to record another ELO album.
Lynne declined to participate, so Bevan decided he would carrying on with the band without Jeff.
However, Jeff objected over use of the ELO name.
After some negotiations an agreement was reached between the two resulted in ELO officially disbanding and Bevan forming a new band in 1989 called Electric Light Orchestra Part Two.
It was agreed that Jeff would get a percentage of ELO Part Two’s record royalties.
Bev set about forming the new band.
Roy Wood co-founder of ELO was asked to join but declined.
Bevan then recruited various musicians along with Lou Clark but not as an official member, as surprisingly Lou never was a band member of ELO.
A sell out that led to court
After ten years, as Lou describe told me, Bev did a deal to sell his rights to the ELO name back over to Jeff Lynne, therefore the band could not use the name ELO Part two.
The remaining band members wanted to continue with the name and the whole thing ended up in court for the next few years.
I remember, Lou phoning me when the court had reached its final decision, telling me they had won.
I congratulated him and said, ”Well done great result”
Not really, he told me,
“We kept the name, but the American court decided we had to pay all costs”
Ouch! There ain’t no rules in rock n roll.
Lou went back to touring with orchestra’s, doing what he did best.
Living on different continents we only spoke occasional over the later years but his health was deteriorating and he took a back seat for performing to spend more time with his family.
Lou Clark was one hell of a talent and one loverly guy.
I miss him to this day and I’m so grateful for the good times we had and the friendship we shared.
RIP Buddy: 27 February 1947-13 February 2021
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