The Tapes Archive

By Osiris MediaMusic Music Interviews

The Tapes Archive episodes

September 07, 2022 Steve Vai - His First 30 Years | Audio Documentary
PLEASE WATCH ON YOUTUBE.
https://youtu.be/ui_kEJ7C3O0

The documentary has hundreds of Vai-centric facts and stories that even the most ardent fan will not have known. Complete with a Vai’esque quirky sense of humor, the video covers Vai’s life growing up, attending Berklee College, playing with several artists like Frank Zappa, Alcatrazz, the David Lee Roth band, and Whitesnake, the recording of both his solo albums Flex-Able and Passion and Warfare, plus Vai’s role in the movie Crossroads, and how he helped create the JEM guitar.

To watch the video version https://youtu.be/ui_kEJ7C3O0
Other information, photos, etc. can be found here: https://bit.ly/3B9P0ZH
Link to Arlen Roth's SoundCloud https://bit.ly/3cLQHTL

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1 hr 18 min
May 04, 2022 Black Sabbath - Master of Reality | The audio documentary
PLEASE WATCH ON YOUTUBE.
You can watch the video version here. https://youtu.be/A6GTf6rOepQ

We take a look at Black Sabbath's masterful third album Master of Reality.

For more information including other credits, articles, and images, please go here. https://bit.ly/385aj2L

Timestamps:
00:00 - Start
00:43 - Intro
01:19 - Evil Woman and Paranoid
02:29 - Changing Management
03:07 - Jim Simpson is fired
03:37 - Sabbath plays Top of the Pops
04:22 - Was Sabbath a bubblegum band?
05:13 - John Peel hates on Sabbath
06:04 - Sabbath’s Peel Sessions
06:35 - John Peel talks about Sabbath
07:05 - Sabbath’s ban on singles
07:41 - Sabbath and Satan
08:54 - First attempt going to the US
10:14 - Confusion with Black Widow
11:31 - Sabbath using Satan for their benefit
13:08 - Coming to America
13:55 - The trial of Charles Manson
14:35 - Arriving in the United States
15:01 - Sabbath’s first concert in the United States
16:20 - Blowing the Small Faces off the stage
16:43 - Playing the West Coast
17:02 - Smoking Angel Dust with Joe Walsh
17:55 - Was there a parade in Sabbath’s honor?
18:40 - Ending the year 1970
20:06 - First day in the studio
20:42 - Spanish Sid
21:14 - Weevil Women 71
21:30 - Paranoid comes out in the United States
21:52 - Myponga Festival
22:13 - Denied entry to Japan
22:44 - The Four Musketeers
23:10 - Touring the United States for Paranoid
23:50 - Playing Union Catholic High School
25:53 - Returning to England
26:31 - Ozzy and his first family
28:10 - Master of Reality will be heavy
29:05 - Tunning down
30:17 - Why they called the album Master of Reality
30:37 - Sweet Leaf
33:51 - Ghost Titles
34:28 - After Forever
34:49 - Geezer Butler as a priest
37:59 - Children of the Grave
39:15 - Mars Bringer of War
40:13 - The Haunting
41:04 - Orchid
42:07 - Lord of this World
44:14 - Solitude
45:52 - Tony Iommi in Jethro Tull
47:35 - Into the Void
49:09 - Soundgarden does their version of Into the Void
51:35 - Various versions of Master of Reality
53:25 - Master of Reality Radio promo
54:02 - Black Sabbath’s Golden Ticket
55:01 - Reception of Master of Reality
55:46 - Nobody but the public digs Sabbath
57:00 - Outro
57:36 - Credits

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58 min
January 22, 2022 Black Sabbath - Sabotage | The audio documentary
PLEASE WATCH ON YOUTUBE.
https://youtu.be/CH8c4TKrIOo

Sabotage is the sixth studio album by metal pioneers Black Sabbath, released in 1975. It was recorded in the midst of litigation with their former manager Patrick Meehan. The stress that resulted from the band’s ongoing legal woes infiltrated the recording process, inspiring the album’s title.
This documentary looks at all the drama surrounding the band at the time and how shady managers took advantage of Sabbath’s kind nature. The video also examines every song on the album and offers up unearthed facts some fans may have never known.
– Intro
– Writing and Recording Sabotage
– The Tale of the Mangers
– Why Sabbath needed to break away from their first manager
– Don Arden’s thugs
– Jimmy Page gets Threatened
– Don Arden making moves
– The introduction to Patrick Meehan Jr.
– Jim Simpson sues the band
– Some Sabbath Success
– Sabbath starts to crack
– Tony Iommi collapses
– A religious freak tries to stab Tony
– Manipulation by Management
– California Jam Festival
– Quotes from Ozzy/Geezer/Tony on Meehan
– The dark reality of their finances
– The worst part
– Does Sabbath even need a manager?
– Don Arden comes back
– The shadow cast from Patrick Meehan
– Crap Compilations
– Meehan robbing Sabbath
– Sabbath is beginning to fracture
– Crank it up! “Hole in the Sky”
– “Don’t Start (Too Late)”
– Symptom of the Universe
– “Megalomania”
– “Thrill of It All”
– “Supertzar”
– “Am I Going Insane (Radio)”
– “The Writ”
– The band Queen diss track
– “Blow on the Jug”
– The Making of Sabotage’s Album cover
– Reception of Sabotage
– One more stick in the gut by Meehan
– Closing thoughts
– Who made this video?

Credits:
Editor/Writer/Voice/Producer: Alan Berry

Co-Writers:
Mark Enochs
Jason C, aka Godshifter

For all credits go here https://www.thetapesarchive.com/black-sabbath-sabotage-documentary/

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31 min
December 15, 2021#57 Joey Ramones (The Ramones) interview 1988
In this episode, we have the Ramones’ frontman, Joey Ramone. At the time of this interview in 1988, Ramone was 37 years old and was in Japan for a tour.

In the interview, Ramone talks about whether he considers The Ramones a punk band, the most exciting time in music history, how most bands lack originality, and whether rock and roll have paid him back for all of The Ramones' contributions.

The interview is conducted by Steve Harris. To learn more about Steve, please check out our podcast-only interview with him, which is out now. You can find the podcast at thetapesarchive.com.

In the interview, Ramone talks about:
The distinctive sound of The Ramones
How most bands lack originality
The most exciting period for music
His admiration for David Byrne
What The Ramones did with their influences
Why he loved The New York Dolls
His thoughts on David Johansen
Whether he considers The Ramones a punk band
Whether he considers himself a punk
How the Ramones are commercial without trying to be commercial
How he feels about bands like Bon Jovi and Poison
Whether there is a flaw in the kids that likes that type of music
How The Ramones are a multi-dimensional band
Why they wrote "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg" and participated in “Sun City”
Ramones Aid
Whether decades from now will he be still singing “Blitzkrieg Bop”
Why the Rolling Stones can go on forever
How The Ramones are always changing
His reaction to hearing that The Ramones are a big influence in Japan
Whether he thinks rock and roll has sufficiently paid him back for all The Ramones’ contributions

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24 min
November 10, 2021 #56 Brad Delp (Boston) 1978 | The first known interview with Delp
A never-before-published and first known interview with Boston's original singer Brad Delp.
At the time of this interview in 1978, Delp was 27 years old and was in the midst of recording Boston’s second record.
Two years earlier, Boston released what would become the best-selling debut album of all time until Guns ‘N Roses’ first album.
Full transcript The Tapes Archive
In the interview, Delp talks about how the second album is coming along, if the band Boston is a democracy, his feelings on a recent insult from Elvis Costello, and his self-doubt.
00:00 - Intro
01:04 - Where is the new album? (Start of interview)
01:42 - The flooding of Tom Scholz’s basement
02:59 - Whether the band has recorded any new songs
04:28 - What happens when Tom gets a song idea
05:22 - How the record company feels about a two-year delay between albums
06:51 - Whether he was surprised by the success of the first album
07:17 - His self-doubt
08:45 - The history of Boston and how he got involved in the band
10:40 - The cover songs they played
11:08 - His love for the Beatles
12:42 - How they got signed to Epic Records
14:59 - What type of record deal they got
16:14 - Their “horrendous” early concerts
17:16 - Playing with Black Sabbath
17:59 - What his thoughts on Elvis Costello saying about Boston, “They may sell 9 million records, but they’re about as exciting as a plate of tripe.”
19:21 - Looking up to Rick Derringer
20:40 - How many overdubs were made on the first album
22:03 - What kind of an audience Boston has
23:30 - How the Beatles got him into music
24:16 - Whether the band Boston is a democracy

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27 min
September 29, 2021#55 Adrian Belew (King Crimson) 1981 Interview
A never-before-published interview with Adrian Belew from 1981.
Full transcript The Tapes Archive
In this episode, we have a multi-instrumentalist and the secret weapon for so many bands, Adrian Belew. At the time of this interview in 1981, Belew was 31 years old and was promoting King Crimson’s album Discipline. In the interview, Belew talks about various aspects of playing with the Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and King Crimson. He goes in-depth on King Crimson’s Discipline, he tells the story about when he got jumped by a gang and finishes the interview telling Marc about his deep love for his family.
In the interview, Belew talks about:
What brought him to King Crimson
Where is currently with the Talking Heads
How he expresses his own personality in the band
The “D” section of Elephant Talk and the meaning behind it
His part in the writing of the album
How he gets that elephant sound
What the lyrics in the song Indiscipline represent
The song Matte Kudasai
What Frame by Frame is about
How his being in the band frees up Robert Fripp
How well Fripp and drummer Bill Bruford get along
If King Crimson as a band has malice and ill will as a constant part of its daily diet
The dynamics of King Crimson
His own plans for solo work
The meaning of the song Thela Hun Ginjeet and how he was beaten up by a gang
Why they don’t play 21st Century Schizoid Man
Younger audiences
What he thinks is attracting new fans to King Crimson
What his solo albums will be like and who’s playing with him
His fascination with rhinos
Where he grew up
Starting with David Bowie
His assessment of the King Crimson’s show at the Metro
How he looks like Mark Knopfler
How he was blasted the night Fripp called him
His surprise when Fripp wanted to call the lineup King Crimson
The very beginnings of his career
His first band
If he is the most famous alumnus from his high school
If Frank Zappa was tough to work for
His Bob Dylan impersonation
If had any problems with Zappa’s lyrics
Why he left Zappa’s band
His deep love for his family

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40 min
September 15, 2021 #54 Pete Townshend (The Who) 1996 Interview
In this episode, we have a founding member of The Who, Pete Townshend. At the time of this interview in 1996, Townshend was 51 years old and was promoting his greatest hits record. In the interview, Townshend talks about his plan to no longer make records, the remixing process of Quadrophenia, what’s now important to him, and finding a Jimi Hendrix master in his warehouse.

The interview is conducted by Steve Harris. To learn more about Steve please check out our podcast-only interview with him, which is out now.

Full transcript

00:00 - Intro
01:00 - Start of Pete Townshend interview
01:38 - His non-defined image of himself
04:19 - His ability to write story-oriented albums
05:41 - Why it’s very hard to write songs
06:51 - His plan to no longer make records
08:26 - Why he is releasing a compilation album
09:33 - The notion that he hates the Japanese
11:30 - Developing Quadrophenia for a concert theater piece
12:57 - Which album he thinks is The Who’s best
15:08 - The backstory of when The Who revived ‘Quadrophenia’ for Prince’s Trust Concert
18:58 - Remastering old Who albums
20:23 - Writing chamber plays
21:32 - The difficulty of working in movies
22:26 - His lack of enjoyment for music theater
23:28 - What connects music from the ’50s and animation
24:37 - What’s important to him now
26:12 - The remixing process of Quadrophenia
26:57 - The previous poor mastering process of Who records
28:36 - Finding a Jimi Hendrix master in his warehouse
29:38 - The unfinished rock opera “Lifehouse”
32:04 - The mods 30 years later
33:35 - What he found hypocritical playing Black music
37:39 - Chapter 25
39:01 - The songwriting that went into “My Generation”
41:32 - Kurt Cobain and the song “My Generation”
43:18 - Seeing Jimi Hendrix a couple of weeks before he died

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46 min
September 01, 2021#53 Roger Daltrey (The Who) 1994 Interview
A never-before-published interview with Roger Daltrey from 1994.

In the interview, Daltrey talks about:
Whether he has gotten his due from his solo albums
Which album was a writing breakthrough for him
Why he thinks fans have a hard time accepting him outside of The Who
What’s great about The Who’s music
Why The Who isn’t touring
How hard it is singing Who songs
How anger changes in middle age
If he feels competitive with Pete Townshend
If he knew Townshend was competing with him
How Tommy really became a hit record
Why Townshend is the way he is about The Who
Why it was a constant struggle to make more records
How he feels everyone in the band but Pete did not get the recognition they deserved
The chemistry in the band
What was something he was proud of from the Carnegie Hall gig
Playing with the Spin Doctors on the Dave Letterman show.
How his upcoming concert differs from the Carnegie Hall show
What Townshend said to him after the Carnegie show
The challenges with the Carnegie Hall concert
The bad sound at Carnegie Hall
When he knew he was going to take the show on the road
Whether he ever considered hitting the road with a three-member rock band
Whether they considered playing Woodstock ‘94
The story of how he started spinning the microphone
How the music biz is so “bloody corporate”
Whether he thinks he will ever just sit back and relax
Whether he goes to see his contemporaries in concert
Whether he worries he’s going to disappoint fans
Why didn’t the Who do encores

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21 min
May 19, 2021#52 Axl Rose (Gun N' Roses) 1987 Interview
In this episode, we have Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose. At the time of this interview in 1987, Rose was 25 years old and was promoting an upcoming tour of Japan. Appetite for Destruction hadn’t even cracked the top-selling 50 albums, and it would be at least another seven months before the band really took off. In the interview, Rose talks about growing up in Indiana, the making of Appetite for Destruction, whether he murdered a dog, and which band is the biggest sellout.

The interview is conducted by Steve Harris. To learn more about Steve, who is new to The Tapes Archive team, please check out our podcast-only interview with him which is out now.

In the interview, Rose talks about:
Going back home to Indiana
How closed off Indiana is
What he draws from conservatism
How he left home at age 16
Whether he murdered a dog
Guns N’ Roses’ early success in England
How the crowds are different in the United States
Gaining more confidence as a live band
Fred Coury, Cinderella, playing for Steven Adler
How he stays fit for concerts
Whether he’s ready for a long tour
People he aspires to be
Mötley Crüe
The recording process for Appetite for Destruction
What would he change on the album
Producers who were considered before Mike Clink
Paul Stanley of KISS as a potential producer
His vision for the record
What success means to him
Whether it bothers him to be compared with Faster Pussycat and Poison
How long it took to get the right lineup for Guns N’ Roses
The tepid response so far to Appetite for Destruction
The limited radio and video play the band was getting
What happens if Appetite for Destruction sells poorly
Slash drinking and driving
What he will do if he leaves the music biz
Working with Izzy Stradlin
When he is happiest
When he is most frustrated
Why he feels Guns N’ Roses is not getting played on the radio
What band he thinks is the biggest sellout
His hopes that Sweet Child O’ MIne will be a hit
Whether he objects to being labeled as heavy metal
His love for the band Queen
Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend
His thoughts on fellow Hoosier John Mellencamp
How he and Izzy cannot wait to play Japan
Some ‘80’s racist comments that were not considered racist at the time

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42 min
May 19, 2021#51 Steve Harris (Japanese translator) 2021 interview | (Podcast Exclusive)
Today we are releasing two interviews -- one with Axl Rose and one with the man who interviewed him, Steve Harris.

Steve grew up in San Francisco but went to Japan as a college exchange student and loved it there. He felt like it was the place for him. After graduating in 1980, he started to work as a freelance translator in Tokyo. Through one of his college buddies, he got connected to a music magazine that needed an interpreter. This led to Harris conducting interviews himself. Over the next 17 years, Steve would interview the biggest of names in the music world. Recently, we asked if we could publish some of those interviews here on the Tapes Archive and he agreed. Over the next couple of months, we will be publishing some of his most notable interviews.
Marc Allan, our usual interviewer, called Steve to talk about his life as an ex-pat working for a Japanese music magazine.

They talked about:
The magazine Steve worked for and its unique place in the market
His worst interview and some of his best
His personal musical hero he was able to interview
His thoughts on interviews with Axl Rose, David Lee Roth, Pete Townshend, and more.
Why he kept these recordings and why he is allowing us to publish them
How some questions would get lost in translation and would lead to awkward moments.
His frustrations when he interviewed “slacker genius” Beck
What led him to leave the music scene in 1997
A very funny conversation with Brian Eno about Russian women
He clears up the question of whether Cheap Trick is big in Japan
Marc tells the story of when he was called “old man” at a Rage Against the Machine concert and how he got his job at the Indianapolis Star

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34 min