Show Notes
He's back! Join me and Reeves Gabrels for more tales from the rock'n'roll frontline.
It's not surprising that the calm, can-do polymath Reeves, who barrels from rock to roll in the blink of an eye, so appealed to David Bowie’s need for a foil, friend and co-conspirator. It had been apparent from their first proper collaboration, the 1988 Reeves/La La La Human Steps performance in which Reeves oversaw a coruscating rendition of 1979’s Look Back In Anger, at London’s ICA. Explaining to Bowie what he wanted to do to the song, the guitarist said he wanted “the repeated forms of the buttresses going down the sides of the sculpture”. Bowie instantly clicked with him. And as Tin Machine I melded into Tin Machine II, the pair’s creative sparks were flying.
In this episode, we find Reeves still belongs very much in rock’n’roll as he talks Strats, Steinburgers, the Sales brothers, vibrators, eclairs, male pattern baldness and of course, DB. Along the way, via an abundance of entertaining Gabrelsian digressions, we revisit the making of Tin Machine II in Sydney, and the stories behind the otherworldly rhythms, tones and textures Reeves summoned to Bowie’s songwriting whilst keeping that back-to-basics ethos live feel and how, despite the energy pouring into the project, the cracks in the machine began to appear…
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As Carlos Alomar's THE D.A.M. TRILOGY'S "Back to Berlin Tour 2025" winds to a close, hundreds of fans across Europe have enjoyed seeing the man himself in person alongside the dapper don of the deep end George Murray, axe spanker extraordinaire Kevin Armstrong and their smokin' hot band, performing hits and deep cuts from '76 - '80. It's been a joyful experience as anyone who's been lucky enough to catch one of their shows will affirm and in this, the second part of my conversation with Carlos taped before he hit the road, his enthusiasm, good humour and inexhaustible fund of memories, anecdotes and reflections colour our chat with good vibes and positive energies.
He's the man who went from Philly soul to Scary Monsters by way of Station to Station and all things Berlin - yes, it's Carlos Alomar, guitarist, songwriter, collaborator, bandleader and all round musical machine joining me on this episode for a wide ranging conversation spanning technology, working with David Bowie, James Brown, George Murray, Dennis Davis, The Monkees, Jimi Hendrix, watermelons, cherries and pineapples and much more. He even gets his guitar out and demonstrates where just a couple of those legendary licks originated from.
Part Two of my conversation with Tin Machine co-producer and amanuensis Tim Palmer takes in the aftermath of the 1989 debut LP and the fractured coming together of elements to make up the arguably stronger second album - a smorgasbord of some classic Bowie songwriting, noise, avant garde guitars, sex toys and good time rock'n'roll. In this episode Tim reflects on those sessions that took place simultaneously with David's round-the-world Sound + Vision tour (in which he set out to lay his back catalogue to rest) as well as the frequently astonishing level of innovation, invention and energy that went into Tin Machine 2.
What have U2, The Mighty Lemon Drops, Pearl Jam, Robert Plant, The Mission, The Polyphonic Spree, Gene Loves Jezebel oh and - David Bowie all in common? That's right - superproducer Tim Palmer has worked with them all, and countless others over the decades and is regarded as one of the most accomplished and renowned names in the biz.
Sorry! Join me for the second part of my conversation with author, musician, professor and all round superstar Leah Kardos on Tin Machine II – the overlooked, underrated work by Hunt and Tony Sales, Reeves Gabrels and David Bowie, from 1991. So underrated, in fact, that it's not even properly available - a mystery in itself. There have been occasional rumours of a Tin Machine box but this never quite happens. Leah and I feel this is a great tragedy, as to ignore Tin Machine is to ignore a crucial, transformative and vital moment in Bowie’s evolution.