![]() ![]() The result is a record which has bits of (Bruce) Springsteen, a lot of Bowie and - of course - Gord at his loosest just making a record for us influenced by the music we both loved.Gord Downie, frontman of the Canadian rock band Tragically Hip, has died, his family said in a statement Wednesday. ![]() “That was always to serve the song and avoid having any kind of a consistent string throughout. And a lot of Lustre Parfait follows what he taught me about producing records,” said Rock. “Ronson was my main guy and always has been. Ronson produced the Payolas’ 1982 breakout album No Stranger to Danger and 1984’s Hammer on a Drum. Nowhere is this more evident than the soloing in the Moment is a Wild Place, which finds the musician practically channelling the legendary Mick Ronson, of David Bowie fame. Getting to that final sound also meant that Rock got to pull out his own axe to do some serious shredding in places. “I made some decisions, such as adding horns to Is There Nowhere, which Gord never heard, because that is what you have to do when you set out to make the best record possible. “I’m very lucky to have some very talented friends who were more than willing to lend a hand for free to get the project finished, mostly because they all cared about Gord,” said Rock. Rock brought in a select group of supporting musicians on the sessions, including the Offspring’s Dexter Holland and Noodles, jazz great Tom Keenlyside, drumming star Abe Laboriel Jr., Steve Madaio, as well as Camille and Saffron Henderson. Having cut his teeth as guitarist and co-founder of the Payolas, Rock’s compositions are infused with glam-rock swagger, which is a very different dressing for Downie’s signature lyrical flow. This is a record that sounds fabulous cranked up, which is one of Rock’s trademarks in his work with everyone from Metallica and Cher, to Michael Bublé. This isn’t to say that Rock’s musical backing isn’t key to the success of the songs. As a producer, I needed to do what I do and home in on the most important aspect of the recordings. “When it became clear that someone would be interested in releasing it, I went back and listened to it and really felt that the music was too bombastic. “I was trying to finish the album after he got his cancer diagnosis and, after he passed, I just couldn’t listen to it or continue working on it for awhile,” said Rock. The album cover and art for Lustre Parfait,the posthumous release from Gord Downie and Bob Rock which has an image taken by musician Matthew Cardinal. He couldn’t be happier with the end result. Rock stresses that the final mix came years after the original sessions. The vocals are more upfront than anything Downie did before, and he sounds fantastic. Lustre Parfait is the sound of two artists stretching out in all directions - and finding considerable common ground. The results range from the hooky opening riffs of the single Greyboy Says to the trippy indulgences of the almost eight-minute-long the Moment is a Wild Place and the mellow farewell final cut, There Goes the Sun. Written to reflect the North Shore of Maui where sessions on We Are the Same occurred, as well as the north shores of Vancouver and Cape Breton, the track was followed with another 13 tunes, each exploring different areas of interest to the two collaborators. Rock recalls the first song the two finished together was the North Shore. “So began the journey which wound up as Lustre Parfait.” Every one I sent came back with something unbelievable added. “At the end of the We Are the Same sessions, he asked me if I had any music because he would like to hear it and I started sending him tracks I had written. “I had worked with Gord on the Hip albums World Container and We Are the Same,” said Rock. Westcoast Homes & Design Previous IssuesĪrticle content Promo shot for the album Lustre Parfait by Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie, left, and producer Bob Rock Photo by Austin Nelson / jpg.Vancouver Sun Run: Sign up & event info. ![]()
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