order your copy from http://shop.bigkarmarecords.com/ now
Songs: Between Us,
Heal The Rage,
Hurricane,
So Hard,
Mother Smother,
Children Of War,
Love Power,
I Heads On Fire,
Love You Till I Die,
Crawl (uncredited 11th track) Ruby
Between Us is an excellent Blondie Chaplin solo album. He has deliberately
stayed away from a large complex production in favour of a more intimate
atmosphere. The basic tracks are recorded by the "Skollie" band
featuring Keith Lentin on bass and Anton Fig on drums. Keith Lentin also shared
production duties with Blondie Chaplin and played various keyboards. Anton Fig
is well known for his contributions to the Dave Letterman Tonight
show.
On the Blondie Chaplin website this album is advertised as having 11 tracks. The disc itself appears to have 10 tracks, however the 11th track really is there. Its a beautiful and mysterious guitar instrumental called Ruby.
A fuller review will be posted soon.
www.blondiechaplin.com
www.blondiechaplin.net
Thanks to Stones Doug for permission to publish his interview with Blondie Chaplin here.
SD: How
about talking about the album first of all? Tell us, you know, the people you
put together
BC: The album is pretty much like minimalist. It's not like a
full on rock kind of thing - it's more personal, more of an acoustic level
singing and stuff like that and I think its pretty good.
I played guitar, the guy that produced it with me, his name is Keith Lentin, he
played bass. We got Anton Fig from the Letterman band - to play drums and like -
there were like four or five things that needed some drums. Those are the only
players, ok, with the exception of some string players called Tosca Strings.
They worked with David Byrne on his last couple of solo things, I think. They're
out of Texas. There weren't that many musicians, Doug.
SD: So is it mainly acoustic stuff you're doing?
BC: It's like acoustic and bass ---- it's basically me walking
up to a mike with my acoustic guitar singing with the band.
SD: Are the songs tied in, in any way, you know tied in to a
feeling, or mood, or just a number of things you had written over the past
couple of years?
BC: Mostly it's a pretty personal, honest type of album of
songs that I've written over the last couple of years and done when I'm in
between touring and blah-blah-blah. But it's hard to explain unless I send you
one, and that's gonna be soon, Doug
SD: I'm buying one, I'm buying one Blondie
BC: Whoooaaaaaaa!!!
SD: Oh yea, I'm gonna put some bucks out for ya.
BC: (laughs) It's pretty much an honest singer with some songs
that I think are good and acoustic bass , electric guitar, piano and everything
I got but it's more just kind of standing up, unadorned in a way. You're
listening to the voices playing the music and it's pretty honest.
SD: Do you play basically lead or rhythm through this?
BC: All the guitars are done by me. Whatever guitars are on
there, I've covered those, you know. It's also like, it's economical in a way,
because he doesn't have big bucks and budgets all over the place to do it , but
without saying, ah, we didn't scrimp . What we did is we just did real honest
stuff and it was just myself and the other couple of guys, just sitting around
and playing and you know getting to the studio at 10 in the morning and
finishing at 7 at night. Kind of like going to work, you know?
SD: Haha you hate that, huh?
BC: Once you got there, you sat and you sang each song and
whatever song you're recording for the day, you start at 9-10, your voice
completely sounds like a frog and than it opens up by twelve and then around
three o'clock in the afternoon or four or five, you have a decent take that you
can live with and then it's like 7 o'clock and, ok, it's knock-off time. It was
that kind of discipline just to get it done, you know.
SD: What proved the most challenging putting the album
together?
BC: I think pretty much, you know, getting up in the morning.
It's not so much a challenge because I'm a day guy. I think the challenge was
just to see it through and keep doing it because I did a thing in front of a
mike live, you know, so every take I had to do, if it wasn't perfect, we'd do it
again. Sometimes it would end up being like 20 takes on one song. It just
depends on the day. If the voice was not opening enough and it would take that
while, I guess those would be the challenging days.
SD: After your commitment in Europe, and all next year, are you
gonna play some live gigs with your guys to show the album anywhere?
BC: Yeah, but I'm trying to think. You know what I'm doing. I'd
love to, but I can't see me loosening out until like, shoot, I don't know
SD: It's a never ending story, right?
BC: I do intend to do what I can do. I'm not intending to be
vague
SD: I know, I know, what you've got to do
BC: You know what I'm doing, Doug, and I'll see you soon enough
SD: I'll be seeing you in London
BC: Good for you
SD: Is the album all original music or are there any covers on
there?
BC: These are all songs of mine, all written by me, words,
music, yeah all stuff written by myself, and they're all new, they're fresh.
SD: How did you ask who to play on the album, was it just
people you've played with before?
BC: These are all of my South African buddies, you know. Anton
Fig's from Capetown. The guy that produces it with me, Keith Lentin's from
Capetown. I've played with them before, in a group called Skollie. If you look
at it, there'll be discographies coming out. It's a group called Skollie that I
played with in New York when I lived in New York. Just a three piece, a full on
rock thing which I'll explore in the future again, you know, with those two
guys. I've known them for a long time, Doug.
SD: Now just talking about you now, what are your earliest
memories of your dad and the banjo?
BC: (laughs) You know I've never seen, I never saw my dad play
a banjo, you know I was too young. He kicked that a long time ago. All I
remember is every time I went there, there was like a spare busted up banjo. Its
skin was all broken, and my first recollection of any kind of musical
instrument, I think was my dad at 17 years old, he was like the number one banjo
player in Durban. There was always a photo of him at sixtreen in a bowtie
sitting real straight up playing his five string banjo and I think, that's the
first photo I remember of an instrument and you can imagine that kind of kicked
my brain in, asking "what is that? what is that?” and then discovering
that somebody taught me how to play a little bit and then you know one thing to
another, but looking at that photo of my dad and trying to figure out "what
does that thing do?" and than finally seeing it and rubbing my fingers up
and down and “Oh, it makes sounds" - six years old and I finally saw the
actual banjo. I was captivated like "Wow it must be nice to play" so
you know like a kud, you put it away and than you go and play your soccer and
than someone shows you one thing on the guitar and maybe you have a mind that
can remember some things and than you go and practice and you're starting to
play a little bit.
SD: Do you think that was your first real influence that got
you into music?
BC: I would think so, because he used to show me songs at 5
years old , these funny little South Aftican songs, you know, "Camptown
Ladies sing this song, Doodah doo-dah”. Yeah Doo-dah was one of them because
it was banjo. and he was coming from the Charleston era. He was born in 1898. So
around that time it was a lot of (imitates banjo plunking) so that was my first
impression of and there's a lot of people in Durban, at the time, used to have
minstrel bands. You get yourself all costumed out and you have a band
competition. There’d be like 25 people to a band, like 6 guitars, 15 banjos,
some bones for percussion, tambourines and all so that was the other influence,
but my dad was definitely the first.
SD: Have you had any recent contact with any of your old
bandmates from The Flames?
BC: I try! I haven't talked to Ricky for a while but he's
playing with Bonnie Raitt. The last I heard he was in Europe. I'll have to try
and find him. I lost touch, when the tour was postponed , we were supposed to be
in Paris at the same time, so I was gonna try and see him. And the other brother
thats alive is Steve Fataar. Yeah I'm in touch with him, not every day --
business sometimes prevails but those are two of my buddies.
SD: The CBGB's show with the Stones Crew Band in NYC was lots
of fun. Do you like to get out and play?
BC: Yeah I love to do that. I usually play guitar. That's what
I've always done, whenever I get a chance to play with the crew or whoever, just
to stretch out. It's a lot of fun.
SD: Back in '92 you toured with Mick Taylor and you did
'Semolina' -- you sang the vocals -- Do you remember?
BC: Yeah
SD: Has it ever been released? The version that you and Mick
Taylor cut?
BC: You know Doug I saw, there was some kind of bootleg
somewhere that somebody shoved in my face once. I can't even remember where we
recorded it. We were doing some gigs in Europe after being in Isreal at the Dead
Sea Blues Festival. I think somebody just got it and put it out. But officially
its not available, no.
SD: Did you ever play Semolina with Keith?
BC: What that song? No, Never. Its a song one day that I'd like
you to hear, if I played it with Keith Lentin and Anton Fig, thats kind of like
a trio, a full on rock with little African influences. It should be heard with
those two people.
SD: How did growing up during the South African Apartheid
affect your ties into music?
BC: Yeah I have feelings on that Doug. In what way...?
SD: Just in ways, like, what were you allowed to listen to?
BC: All they had was one official radio station, called
Springbok Radio. That was the official South African radio. It was like
government sponsored really, so everything was geared from the government point
of view. But to give you an idea... we never saw TV it was always radio right.
So I used to run home from school, jump on the bus to try and make it back to my
house by about 3.15 to hear the 'Best of The British Beat' - which aired every
two weeks and only for 15 minutes but it played three or four of the hits from
England. Now if I missed it, if the bus broke down... which in those days -- you
know those electrical busses -- with the runners on the top, and you know once
those things get twisted, you're fucked! (laughs) You can't get anywhere and
that would be a big bummer. Actually when people taught me chords on the guitar
I used to run home, with my ear next to this small little radio, with my dad,
who would listen with me, he loved the Beatles, loved the Stones -- that's how I
got into listening to the British side of music. Before that it was where-ever
we could get records. There was a woman that just used to like the Flames, and
she had a record shop, so we used to get all the new records before anybody
else, we'd then just practise them and go and play 'em.
SD: Living near the beach, are you a surfer?
BC: (heavy laughter) The thought of surfing Doug! No, Doug I'm
not a surfer, but I've always lived near the beach, whether it's Durban, or here
, and I've played with the Beach Boys, but no, I like the water but I'm not a
surfer.
SD: Sail on Sailor is a beautiful song. I didn't know until
about eight years ago that that was you actually.
BC: Yeah, I think you mentioned that to me. I don't know where
we were! Unless you go back to the album, now we're going back to albums! you'll
see my face on it, if you get the original -- you'll see it says singing lead on
Sail on sailor and stuff like that. Put it this way you have to dig for that
because its not like its made public. But thanks to you maybe it will be! Unless
you have the album, you know, th Beach boys I haven't talked to them in years.
You know I hadn't talked to Carl Wilson for years and we hung out, a few times
I'd go see him play back East in NJ and whatever, when he was on chemo and
everything. It was very very nice to see him, and as I'm talking to you now I'm
very touched about him, he was a good pal and he was the one who brought me
here.
SD: So the Beach Boys brought you over here?
BC: The Flames went from South Africa to England, the Beach
Boys started a record label and were looking for acts.
They came and Mike Love said we need a little more rehearsal, I stayed
there all night and he liked it. He's the one who made the plans for us even to
put our first foot in the states. I miss him (Carl Wilson) dearly. I hadn't
talked to him for a lot of years, but I knew he was very sick, but we all hoped
for the best, so thats what happened.
SD: Whats the first rock album that you can remember buying?
BC: Little Richard, the normal dudes y'know. Because my aunty
loved the same groups of the late '50s and that rubbed off a little bit until it
came into the guitar possession, then the Stones and the rest of them drove us
all crazy!
SD: Tell us about your guitars, the Oil Can and the Les Paul
gold top.
BC: The oil can is an Afri-Can, an Afri-Can (spells it out),
thats the name of the company. They just made a few. I guess the guy couldn't
get it together but it makes a really nice ringing sound. I use it on Jumping
Jack Flash, only for that song the Oil Can. I haven't played the gold top for a
while. Last tour we used it a lot. Stuff like 'You Don't Have To Mean It'. I've
had that guitar a long time. It's my guitar of choice because it takes a nice
beating. I can beat it up and bang it. I just love playing the Les Paul.
SD: Do you have any pre-show superstitions or rituals?
BC: Why would you ask that Doug (Laughs)?
SD: You know some people don't change their socks, stuff like
that...
BC: No not really, I'm pretty much normal. I get a little bit
hyper before we take the walk down to the stage. I'm just very happy to be doing
what I'm doing I don't really have any superstitions.
SD: Whats a typical day like when you're out on the road with
the Stones?
BC: I get up on the road, not real late, maybe 10:30 or 11,
watch some TV, hang out, check in with the guys. I check with Bernard, go and
say hello to Keith -- I make the rounds. It's nothing too exciting, it's like
going into the office. It's like, I put my mental clothes on to go to the...
well its a very nice office (laughs).
SD: Is there anybody you haven't played with yet that you'd
like to sit down and record with?
BC: God Doug, theres so many man! I haven't spent time in
Africa, I'd like to spend some time go and look around and play with some people
over there. I like Tom Petty. I'd like to have a chance to play with him y'know.
Theres so many, I've mentioned that name but it's not the only one.
SD: What do you think of this crazy Shidoobee Group?
BC: Yeah exactly. (laughs) I run into you guys often. You run
into me often. I'm never to bugged by anybody saying hello. I'm always there if
somebody wants to say hello. I don't, you know I'm always available. Genuine
people, who love the music, nothing puts me off about it.
SD: How many different musical instruments can you play?
BC: Well, you know Doug, I dabble. Pretty much, piano, bass,
guitar, a little drums, percussion -- thats pretty much the extent of my
ensemble.
SD: Blondie's life story in two minutes -- some of the bands
you've played with?
BC: I started playing, my first band was called the Kittens.
Then we graduated, got a little older then we were the Cats. About that time I
met the Flames, the the Beach Boys, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Butterfield, The Band,
God theres so many. You know there’s somethings that I read about later on and
I'd forgotten them y'know, just credits and stuff -- whoever you know I'm just a
working musician. You could probably find more on the internet than I could tell
you.
SD: It's scary what the internet can do
BC: You're not kidding Doug. It makes me aware, you know even
that question about 'Semolina' I'm going WOW I'd forgotten about even doing that
with Mick Taylor. That's the nice thing you can dig up all kinds of stuff.
SD: What do you like to listen to at home?
BC: I wake up early, listen to a little jazz, or classical,
later on some reggae, or rock, whatever’s happening you know, I'm kind of a
sponge. There's not one thing that I listen to. I tend to start the morning with
a little bit of classical just to keep my brain calm. Then it rapidly turns into
whatever! (laughs). Classical and jazz cleans my brain out from the rock, I love
rock, but sometimes it helps to clean the brain out before going back to it. And
that kind of music is so different. It does, it takes you away a bit and then
you can go go back to some thrashing!
SD: Are you looking forward to getting back on the road with
the Stones?
BC: Yeah, we've been hanging around for a while! I'm looking
forward to playing Europe. It's been a while, so I'm looking forward. Are you
coming to Europe Doug?
SD: I'll be in London, then I'll have to wait for you all to
come back
BC: I think, I've heard something about that, the fall and
everything....
SD: We'll keep our fingers crossed!
BC: Yeah exactly....we'll see what happens!
SD: Good Luck with the album, We'll share a drink in London
BC: Thank You! You got it brother!
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This website is maintained by Bas
Möllenkramer of Soest, the Netherlands.
Please also visit the Flames website
After leaving the Beach Boys in 1973, Blondie Chaplin had a prolific career, providing major contributions to other artists' albums and delivering wonderful solo albums. Here are some of the most important records featuring Blondie Chaplin.
| Holland the Beach Boys Brother/Reprise1973 |
Blondie Chaplin Blondie Chaplin Asylum 1977 |
Here Comes The Night David Johansen Blue Sky 1981 |
Picaresque Ray Ohara Eastworld 1988 |
Ostrich Man Skollie PVB 1992 |
Between Us Blondie Chaplin Big Karma 2006 |
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| **** | **** | * | ** | ***** |
How many great rock singers do you know? Quite a few, right? And how many of them write all their own tunes? Perhaps you realise that the playing-field is becoming a little less well populated. And of those left in play, how many also play superb acoustic guitar, electric guitar and wonderfully tasteful compact guitar solos? And keyboards and bass? And out of that small community, how many do you know who are true originals, with an instantly recognisable style that appeals to a broad range of rock tastes? Let’s write their names down for fun: Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, Lindsay Buckingham, Pete Townshend maybe……come on think hard now……..no it’s gone. Oh yes, Trevor Rabin.
Now add the prodigiously talented Terence William “Blondie” Chaplin to the list. It’s a mystery why he isn’t at the very pinnacle of his chosen profession. Perhaps he is totally satisfied putting out an average of one album every ten years, and in between supporting other stars in their endeavours. Blondie Chaplin played a leading role in the successful export of the Flames from South Africa to England and America, after joining them at the very tender age of 16. He also helped form the best 70’s albums produced by the Beach Boys, giving voice to the classic Sail On Sailor.
Between his departure from the Beach Boys in late 1973 and the present day just two solo albums were released, Blondie Chaplin and Ostrich Man (with the band Skollie).
Brother/Reprise 1973 (originally released with a bonus Brian Wilson single and a lyric sheet)
So much has been written about the Beach Boys famous Holland album that we will only mention here that Blondie Chaplin sang lead on the opening song Sail On Sailor and co-wrote Leaving This Town with Ricky Fataar. The song We Got Love, available on the In Concert live album is also from this era.
Asylum Records 1977 (often mistakenly titled “Rock & Roll”, due to
the graffiti on the sleeve photo)
On this first solo outing Blondie Chaplin is bursting with energy. The list of
guest musicians is impressive, featuring amongst others Richard Tee and the
Band’s Garth Hudson. The drums are played by none other than old Flames and
Beach Boys ally, Ricky Fataar. The album is dedicated to Henry Chaplin, shown in
an old sepia coloured photo, playing a banjo. Presumably this is Blondie’s
father, providing the musical heritage. On the whole the album has a
overproduced feel, with Blondie trying to find his own musical direction. There
are a few stand-out tracks, like Can You Hear Me, with its backward guitar solo
and Lonely Traveler with its atmospheric piano introduction. But on the whole,
the album would have benefited from a looser, more open mix or perhaps even a
live recording. The album’s main flaw is that Blondie Chaplin is trying to
write songs in an existing mold. He is deliberately writing for his audience,
instead of for himself, and catering for what he believes they want. Still it
makes a good listen, even after nearly a quarter of a century.
Blue Sky Records 1981
David Johansen, ex front-man of glam rock band the New York Dolls, made this
obscure solo album in 1981. Blondie Chaplin is the featured guitarist on the
album and provides backing vocals. Additionally 7 of the album's 11 cuts were
co-written by Blondie Chaplin and on the inner sleeve photo he is given equal
billing with the featured artist. The artists affinity for each others styles
becomes apparent when listening to Johansen's vocals which sound very similar to
Chaplin's. Who inspired who?
This is a largely forgettable record featuring unremarkable rock. Fans will be treated to some fine vintage Blondie Chaplin guitar playing.
Solo album by Ray Ohara with Blondie Chaplin taking ALL lead vocals
Eastworld/Toshiba/EMI Japan 1988
Blondie Chaplin added his vocals to a Bonnie Raitt album
(Nine Lives), which also featured Small Faces' Ian McLagan and Japanese Sadistic
Mika Band bass-player Ray Ohara. Later when Ray Ohara made his solo album
'Picaresque' for Japan-only release, he asked and got the services of Bonnie
Raitt and Blondie Chaplin to help him colour the album in. Blondie takes the
lead vocal on every track, making this almost a hitherto unknown Blondie Chaplin
solo album. There are reports that this album was originally to have been
credited to Ray Ohara and Blondie Chaplin as a duo.
Regrettably the album has sunk into obscurity since its release by
Eastworld/Toshiba-EMI in 1988, making it almost impossible to find a copy
without keen contacts in Japan. The album has a strong rich late 80's high tech
sound with thundering bass and drums. Some of the songs have an unmistakeable
and understandable J-Rock feel to them, occasionally sounding like 80's Gino
Vannelli. There is one goosebump tearjerker ballad entitled 'Everything I Ever
Had' which is this albums crowning jewel, with Blondie Chaplin at his awesome
best and the incomperable Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar.
PVB Records 1992
This South African release reveals that Blondie Chaplin has succeeded in
finding his own voice and writing uncompromising songs for himself. In
this respect Ostrich Man is an immense step forward from the first solo album.
Despite it’s brief playing time and poor availability, this is a terrific
Blondie Chaplin record, featuring fresh new songs, challenging playing and great
recording quality. Although there is strong evidence that Blondie Chaplin was
influenced by Sting’s Dream Of The Blue Turtles and Paul Simon’s Graceland,
both of which were still fresh in everybody’s mind at the time of Ostrich
Man’s release, he nevertheless manages to leave his peers behind in a flurry
of originality.
Blondie Chaplin displays his consumate mastery of a wide range of guitar styles, from huge heavy rhythmic riffs to gentle backing melodies played on a Leslie’d Les Paul, vaguely reminiscent of George Harrison. Ostrich Man is a fine record, and if you can find one it is warmly recommended to all Blondie Chaplin fans. Wait for the goosebumps to hit on the power-ballad No Victim No Crime.
Blondie Chaplin on stage with the Rolling
Stones 21st January 2003
Many thanks to Blue Lena