Up next in 10
Geoff Britton 2
825 views
Jan 13, 2025
Legendary drummer Geoff Britton chats with Kal and Rosy. Part 2 with more about playing drums for Paul McCartney and later projects.
View Video Transcript
0:00
Bobby Darin beyond the sea with us this
0:03
afternoon Geoff Britten drama with the
0:04
wild angels manfred Mann's Earth Band
0:06
wings also the keys number of other
0:08
things down the years what did you think
0:10
your performance stand in rehearsal with
0:11
Formica in wings before the break on
0:15
Jack it was great I think your tummy was
0:17
better than is that he did not happen
0:19
well you know credit support well I mean
0:22
he's a multi-instrumentalist but it's
0:23
not his it's not his prime instrument is
0:26
it no he's a genius but even geniuses
0:28
Cantor you've got to agree with this
0:30
that you before the Beatles they used to
0:42
towards like a trio didn't know him
0:44
George and John and he was on the drums
0:53
amazing musical talent but getting quite
0:55
a lot of people talking and about you
0:58
Jeff this is from actually he's our
1:00
political correspondent Stephen Burke
1:01
who said that he saw you playing with
1:03
the wild angels a long long long time
1:06
ago and also a messaging from Mike in
1:11
that via longer saying a very
1:12
interesting interview jet Britain sounds
1:15
a cool guy absolutely not bad with a
1:21
stick side he's right I'm Gordon in
1:23
Valencia amazing drumming so yeah
1:25
absolutely we have to say you were
1:27
telling us off air about an appearance
1:30
at the Royal Variety Performance that
1:33
you did in which case well I believe it
1:36
you tell it because I don't want to do
1:38
the punchline
1:38
oh no I see yeah it's 1981 the Royal
1:42
Variety show the annual one attended in
1:45
this that year buyer are quoting Her
1:48
Majesty and I was playing backing alva
1:53
Stardust and just just for a crack
1:56
during the rehearsals they say it's it's
1:58
it's filmed a few days before it comes
2:01
out on sis usually Sunday night the
2:03
Sunday night
2:04
you to be at the Palladium this
2:05
particular was the cotton guard theater
2:08
and so during the solo of the guitar
2:13
solo I jumped up on the drums and this
2:16
is what I used to do with the wild
2:17
angels and then the technicians came
2:20
over at the end of the song said you've
2:21
got to do that on the night because
2:23
we've turned in on you and click mark
2:25
the cameras so ok no problems well not
2:30
having anything around me any props are
2:31
in the I put my spare drumsticks in my
2:33
back pocket so I'm standing up on the
2:35
drums and actually my back and my rear
2:38
half is facing the box it's gone because
2:52
they recorded it most watched it with
2:54
you mom and dad
2:54
yeah queen and then that happened yeah I
2:57
gotta say it was it was great my mum and
3:01
dad and my girlfriend my quietly yes and
3:04
watch that and yeah it was it was quite
3:08
electric and at the end all the staff
3:10
are lined up also stuffed all the acts
3:13
are lined up on the stage and seeing a
3:16
national anthem and they and some of the
3:20
guys were at the back and we're sort of
3:22
mimicking the Queen's little wave that
3:24
she used to do when she drove around
3:26
I've never seen as a schoolboy and I
3:28
tried to pass the school and you've got
3:30
little bit away and you can see it on
3:34
the telly tell us about the making of
3:40
that Venus Mars only because you were
3:42
not all of the tracks no but that was
3:44
what the one that you that's really the
3:45
only we're auditioning for was it
3:47
because the jet was actually part of a
3:49
rehearsal for a film I think was it yeah
3:51
that was that was yes you're right that
3:53
was done it to Abbey Road did a lot of
3:56
the stuff off the yeah the band on the
4:00
run album which was
4:01
monster solo and yeah we did some track
4:05
yeah that was for the one hand clapping
4:07
film that I don't think ever got
4:09
released actually hang on a minute yeah
4:13
it came out no I'm getting mixed up the
4:16
Sun came out across a film that
4:19
McCartney music we shoot on let me get
4:22
this let me get my facts right no it
4:24
didn't come out and but it was it was
4:27
earmarked as a little feature so we
4:31
recorded all those or rerecorded stuff
4:34
that already been done that were popular
4:35
and and I record some new things but
4:40
they they didn't make it onto the film
4:43
and it's on IMDB so it might be
4:45
available now he know through various
4:46
different mediums or what rarely-seen
4:48
rockumentary says so yeah probably not
4:51
on general release but you might be able
4:53
to find it that yeah it's amazing in
4:55
those days you did things like we did a
4:57
swings we did a TV advert for mothers
5:00
pride brave neighbors a great effort but
5:03
because bread went up a penny
5:05
the next day through the government or
5:08
something it was scratched so lots of
5:10
weird things you did in those days and
5:12
just never saw the lights of time how
5:14
come I read you the cast list from the
5:16
from from the one hand clapping film
5:18
from 1974 it's I think it's it's like
5:24
this Jeff Britain has himself Danny Lane
5:27
himself Linda McCartney Paul McCartney
5:30
himself Jimmy McCulloch himself there
5:32
you go you're at the top of the list so
5:35
[Laughter]
5:39
yes right I just start out by asking
5:41
about how the Venus Mars over the house
5:44
how did that come together with Paul
5:46
just tell you this is what we want this
5:48
is what we're on to play or were you
5:49
actually there with in creating the
5:51
tracks right um certainly with letting
5:56
go we wanted to get the feel of an our
5:59
green track and there was a bit of an
6:03
issue actually it's a great story of
6:07
this you don't mind me do with it that's
6:09
why you're here we're not bored at all
6:11
well as it happens we sent out and it
6:16
got like an 8 inch deep snare drum
6:18
because was to get this hell green now a
6:22
week before that in time out magazine
6:25
there being this great article about
6:28
Robert Mitchum and Robert Aldrich they
6:31
were making the film farewell my lovely
6:33
and Robert Aldrich was is a really top
6:36
American film director done some great
6:38
films and obviously Bob Mitchum was a
6:41
big Hollywood star so they come to a
6:43
part in the film where Robert Aldrich
6:45
the director asked for Mitchum if we
6:48
could do that line again because he
6:50
thought he could do it better and Bob
6:52
Mitchum says no he can't do it any
6:54
better that's the best he can do so
6:57
evidently there was a silence on the set
6:59
because you've got the big the big
7:01
director and the big star anyway Robert
7:03
Aldrich capitulate says okay okay and
7:06
they carried on shooting now at the end
7:08
of the day of filming they they do a
7:10
thing called looking at the rushes and
7:12
when they showed that saying Robert
7:15
Aldrich walked up to Bob Mitchum shook
7:17
his hand I said you were right that's
7:19
right so what happens when you made
7:21
records in those days I'm not up to
7:23
speed with today but you made records as
7:25
the whole group and then you normally go
7:28
into the control room which had the late
7:30
great Geoff Emerick only passed away a
7:32
few weeks ago who was the genius behind
7:34
all the Beatles sound you know all their
7:37
unusual sound things so we go into the
7:40
control booth and they played the track
7:43
which is done letting go and then
7:46
there's always this like pregnant pause
7:48
and silence after it's playback and
7:52
someone usually pipes up because you
7:54
kind of listen to yourself no I could do
7:58
yeah it's not good enough or it's not
8:01
right and it's that the other so you've
8:03
got all this negativity going around the
8:05
room and then they said well what do you
8:08
think Jeff what do you think of it and I
8:10
just did a Bob Mitchum you see I just
8:12
said I can't do any better than that
8:15
and we've got it but you don't realize
8:18
it so there was silence on that was like
8:20
oh wow so I said tell you what Paul's
8:25
house at that time was just around the
8:27
corner from Abbey Road I said why don't
8:29
we someone on the road crew and get an
8:31
Al Green album before we let the
8:34
computers new they just died up and
8:36
compare it stop showing us that we took
8:39
that too bright and then that kind of
8:41
rarities with the Al Green so up in the
8:44
control booth again put on our green and
8:47
we put on letting go and we all dance
8:51
around the room because we know it got
8:54
it and I I knew but all I was doing was
8:57
quoting Robert Mitchum yeah I've got my
9:00
courage from his article shall we ever
9:02
listen and then go yeah because I'm not
9:05
really happy with what kinda they added
9:06
a lot of brass it kind of killed anybody
9:09
killed a bit of it for me but I haven't
9:11
heard it in a long time so maybe I
9:12
changed my mind
#Concerts & Music Festivals
#Music & Audio
#Music Videos
#Recording Industry
#Rock Music
#Vocals & Show Tunes