Life has its good surprises as I never thought I would do an interview with
ELIXIR one day ! And another really good surprise is the return of the band
! Their third album "The Idol" is a killer hammer ! But now, it's time to
learn about the ELIXIR story with guitarist Phil Denton...
Hello Phil, can you tell how you got introduced to heavy metal ? Which
were the first bands you have heard ?
Hi Patrick. I first got introduced to heavy metal
when I was a teenager, around 14. My friends played to me albums by Black
Sabbath, Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple. We started going to gigs and you would
see the names of all the cool bands on the patches on other fan’s jackets.
It wasn’t until I was 16 and earning some money that I could afford to buy
more albums, then I got into AC/DC and Led Zeppelin.
How did you meet Kevin Dobbs, Nigel Dobbs and Steve Bentley in 1983 ?
Were the first ELIXIR songs written rapidly ? The band was called PURGATORY,
then HELLFIRE, before ELIXIR… Were the two other bandnames too common ? Why
the choice of ELIXIR as a bandname ?
I moved to London in January 1983, and quickly started
to get a band together. I lived in Walthamstow, East London, then, and rehearsed
in South London. The band I was with didn’t really excite me, although they
were a good bunch of guys and we got on well together.
I saw an advert in a music paper or magazine, either ‘Sounds’ or ‘Kerrang!’,
wanting a guitarist. I noticed that the band was local, so I phoned for an
audition. I went along and met Kev, Nigel and Steve. They played me a piece
of music they had, which sounded great and was just the kind of music that
I wanted to play. They didn’t have a melody line or lyrics, so I said that
I could write that for them, and that piece of music became a song called
‘The Idol’. I played them one of my songs, ‘Devil Rider’, and we went through
it. I liked the way they played it and they liked the song, so that was it
and I was in the band.
Filled with enthusiasm, we started rehearsing around 16 hours per week, and
the ideas flowed, and the songs came about fairly quickly. We didn’t have
a singer at that point, so we didn’t write in a certain key or style to suit
a vocalist, we just pumped out the riffs.
The first names of Purgatory and Hellfire were what the boys had tried before
I joined, and they weren’t really satisfied with them. It is really hard
to think up a band name that you like and remain satisfied with. Kev was
at Steve’s flat when they opened a dictionary and without looking, Steve
stuck his finger on a page. When they looked to see the word, he had landed
on Elixir. They read the definition, and liked that as a name. When they
first told me, I wasn’t so sure, as it didn’t seem very catchy to me, but
when Steve showed me the logo he designed, I liked it.
How did you find singer Sally Pike ? You recorded a four song demo tape
with her (including « The Idol », « Death Toll »,
« Devil Rider » and « Satan’s Angel »)… How did these
songs sound with Sally on vocals ? Why did Sally Pike leave the band ?
We got Sally through placing an advert in the music
press. We auditioned several singers. Some were good but wanted us to sound
like Bon Jovi or had massive egos, some were just bad. Sally was O.K. and
had a good ‘biker-rock chick’ image.
She had a bit of a hard time singing the songs, as like I said, we had written
them without consideration for the vocalist, and they were tough! Some of
the key and time changes were very demanding, especially on songs like ‘Death
Toll’ and ‘Satan’s Angel’.
We went into the recording studio for the first time and recorded that first
demo tape, and Sally did pretty well considering, but it didn’t seem quite
right for us. We were thinking about looking for a new singer, but good ones
are really hard to find.
We played the demo to Neil Kay, who was the D.J. at the Royal Standard on
Saturday nights, and he was impressed with Sally’s singing. He invited her
to join an all-girl band he was involved with called ‘Sweet Sixteen’, which
was good for her, and gave us the chance to look for a new singer, which
is what we wanted, so things worked out well for all of us in a strange way!
Was it easy to find Paul Taylor ? In 1984, you recorded another demo tape
with three songs (« Deal With The Devil», « Born Loser
» and « Dead Man’s Gold »), followed by another one in
1985 with three songs too («Treachery », « Winds Of Time
», « Playing With Fire »)… Did these demo tapes give you
the help you needed for exposure in the magazines and finding local concerts
?
Paul answered an advert we placed in a magazine.
We auditioned the resulting batch of applicants, and Paul was the best. We
played him ‘Deal With The Devil’ which we had just written, and as soon as
he started singing it Kev and I looked at each other and smiled, we knew
there and then that he was the singer we had been looking for.
The demos did help with gaining exposure for us. We would send them to magazines
such as ‘Metal Forces’, an underground metal magazine, and they would review
them, giving us valuable exposure to rock fans in the UK and Europe.
Between the two demos, Steve Bentley left and was replaced by Norman Gordon.
Why did this event happen ? Was Steve not interested in the band anymore
?
It did seem to be that way. Steve was a very shy,
withdrawn person, and didn’t really share his thoughts with us. He was a
very original guitarist, and a founding member of the band, and we owe him
a lot in terms of influence and style. I am not sure whether he felt the
band was not turning out the way he had wanted it to, as first I was putting
a lot of my influence into the material, then Paul, so we had evolved a bit
in our style since the early days. If Steve felt that way he didn’t say.
Maybe it was too difficult for him to play live, he did get extremely nervous
before gigs, as I said, he was very shy, so maybe he felt he couldn’t do
it any more. He just seemed to drop out, and we haven’t seen him since. That
left us looking for a second guitarist, and Norms was the best of the ones
we auditioned. He was a great lead player, which was what we needed, as before
Steve and myself didn’t really consider ourselves lead players. Norms also
fitted in personality wise, with the rest of us, so when he joined in October
1984, we felt that we then had the complete line-up for the band.
The same year, you released a 7’’ with « Treachery » and «
Winds Of Time ». Were the songs re-recorded or did you take them from
the ’85 cassette ? How many copies were printed for this single ? What do
you think of its cult status now and about its expensive price in the
records shops specialized in collector vinyls ? And are you proud of the
fact that Ronnie James Dio reviewed it for Kerrang ?
The single recording was the same one, taken from
the studio master of the demo. We felt that it was time to make a record,
and Treachery was becoming a live favourite, so we pressed 1000 copies to
see if it would help get us more exposure. We sent a copy to Kerrang! magazine
for review, and were amazed and delighted when we opened the magazine to
find a picture of Ronnie James Dio holding our record, and very flattered
that he liked the song! That really encouraged us to keep going and double
our efforts.
We find it amazing that the record sells for huge sums these days, we just
wanted to put out a record that people would enjoy listening to, and never
imagined that it would become a collector’s item!
In 1985, you supported TOKYO BLADE… Did you support other big bands during
the three first years ?
We pestered ‘Big Mick’ at The Royal Standard in
London to give us a gig for ages. Eventually he took a chance and gave us
the support to Tokyo Blade. That was in January 1985, and was the first gig
of our ‘classic’ line-up. It went O.K. That got us other gigs supporting
bands such as Angelwitch and Torme. I remember playing a charity gig in London
for Kerrang! and Janick Gers used my amp. Within several months though, we
built a following around London and started playing our own headlining gigs.
Was there really no labels interested in signing ELIXIR as you self-financed
your first album ?
Unfortunately, no! Our manager did talk to labels,
and I seem to remember that every now and then he was optimistic that we
would be offered a deal, but nothing solid ever seemed to come up for us.
In the end we got tired of waiting, and decided that we should release an
album ourselves. We took out a loan from the bank and got the album out.
So, « The Son Of Odin » lp was out in 1986. That album was
regarded as late NWOBHM but is also considered as a classic one. How was
the response at the time ? Are you still satisfied with this album ?
Yes, I am still happy with this album. I still remember
wrapping up the final mix for ‘The Son of Odin’ and thinking to myself that
we have a great metal album on our hands. Up to 2001, I thought that no one
remembered it, but since we have got back together it has been great to see
people at the gigs singing all the words to the songs! Back in 1986, when
it was released, I remember that it got a good review in Kerrang! and Metal
Forces magazine, which was a nice surprise, because prior to that we had
been reviewed live, in various magazines, and had been getting labelled as
‘Iron Maiden clones’. I think this was because the writers were only familiar
with our ‘Treachery’ single, up until then, which, with the two-guitar riff,
was similar to Iron Maiden’s style. The first thing the reviews did for us,
was dismiss the Iron Maiden tag, as from the album they could see that there
was a lot more to us than that one style of song. Sales seemed pretty healthy,
we sold plenty at gigs and Shades, the legendary rock specialist shop in
London, was selling boxes of them. The other fond memory I have is when we
played a gig in Poole, England, and there was a guy in a leather biker jacket
down the front, with ‘The Son of Odin’ cover painted on the back of his jacket,
that was really cool!!
Before the release of the lp, you played four songs at the BBC Friday
Rock Show. How important was the Friday Rock Show for the NWOBHM bands ?
Because a lot of them made a four song session for it before recording their
first album…
Recording a session for The Friday Rock Show was
one of our ambitions from the start of forming this band. The rock fans from
all over the UK and Europe would listen to the programme so the exposure
would be massive. I grew up 30 miles north of London, in the countryside,
and there wasn’t much in the way of live bands or a ‘metal scene’ going on
where I lived, so we all listened to The Friday Rock Show. When I moved to
London and met Kev and Steve, they too were avid listeners, so it seemed
wherever you were, it was an important show for finding out about new bands
and what was going on in the world of rock.
We were lucky in getting on the show. We recorded ‘The Son of Odin’ in January
1986, and as soon as we got back to London with the tapes, we gave a cassette
to Tommy Vance the host of The Friday Rock Show. He liked the songs and played
them to Tony Wilson, the producer. We were invited to the B.B.C. on February
7th to record a session, mixed it on the 14th, and it was first aired on
February 28th 1986, so it all happened quickly.
You made two promo videos for the songs « The Son Of Odin »
and « Pandora’s Box ». Was it a good tool to promote the band
? Were the video songs often broadcasted ?
We were offered the chance to take part as one of
five or six bands on a promotional video, called ‘Power Cuts’ and thought
that it would be a good way of gaining exposure for the band. I don’t really
think it was ever broadcast, and I don’t know how many copies were sold.
I think those videos are hard to find these days, although we did sign a
cover for one at Keep It true for an Italian guy.
Did you tour to support « The Son Of Odin » album or did you
play local gigs ?
We played all around the UK from 1985-1987, unfortunately
we didn’t get the opportunity to play abroad. We never stopped playing
gigs, so from the ‘Treachery’ single to ‘The Son of Odin’ release we just
kept playing, it was only when Kev and Nigel left, that we stopped to take
stock and re-group.
Why did Kevin and Nigel Dobbs decide to quit the band in 1987 ? How did
you find bassist Mark White ? It took you one year to find a drummer and
it was Clive Burr… Did Clive accept rapidly to join the band ?
Kev had to quit for personal reasons, and Nigel
came off the road in support. At that time we had probably half of the next
album written. We found Mark White through word of mouth, but we had trouble
finding a permanent drummer. We auditioned numerous drummers but could never
find a suitable replacement. In the meantime we finished writing the next
album, and we had a producer and a studio waiting for us to go in and record.
We knew Clive Burr was back in London so we phoned him and asked if he would
like to record the album. Clive was in a band called Desperado, with Dee
Snider (ex-Twisted Sister) and Bernie Torme (ex-Ian Gillan Band) and had
recorded an album with them and was waiting to go on tour. We played him
the material, which he liked, and got on well with him personally, so he
agreed to do the album. We also played one gig with him before he had to
fulfil his commitments with Desperado.
How did you get in touch with Sonic Records and was it a one album deal
you signed with them ?
Paul got the deal with Sonic after I left, and it
was just for that album.
In 1988, you recorded the « Sovereign Remedy » album, but
it was only released in 1990 with a different album title (« Lethal
Potion »), and a different cover. Well, it was not the album as you
made it… Can you explain the story ?
We recorded the album as it is on the TPL release
‘Sovereign Remedy’, which was how the album was meant to have been. After
recording the album we took the tapes around every label we could to secure
a deal. We were offered a couple of deals, but not anything close to what
we were looking for at the time. From 1988 to the end of 1989 we still couldn’t
get a reasonable deal, and I felt there was nowhere else to go with the band
without a deal, as we didn’t have the money to release another album ourselves.
My first son was born in November 1989, and I quit then. As I said, Paul
got the deal with Sonic in 1990 and handed over the tapes. When Paul brought
the CD round of the album on it’s release, I was really disappointed. It
had been remixed, and half of the layers of vocals and orchestration that
had been recorded were missed off. Two of the songs were omitted, and the
song running order had been changed, losing the overall feel of the album.
The artwork didn’t seem relative to the album, the title had been changed
to ‘Lethal Potion’ which I didn’t like, and our band logo wasn’t used on
the cover!
So I was really disappointed with the release, but I had left the band by
then, and was busy with my baby son, so I put it behind me and didn’t worry
about it back then. At least the experience came in handy for dealing with
labels in the future, and I now take an active part with the labels when
we have a new release out!
« Lethal Potion » was more hard rock than heavy metal and
sounds really more accessible… Why this change in the music ?
When we had taken ‘The Son of Odin’ around the labels
looking for a deal, we were often turned down on the basis that our songs
were very traditional ‘British’ metal. Bon Jovi were the new ‘big thing’
in 1986 with the release of their ‘Slippery When Wet’ album, and labels were
looking for bands playing more ‘commercial’ sounding songs. We figured that
if that is what the labels wanted, we would write some more accessible, sing-along
type songs, alongside our usual style material to secure a deal. That was
the thinking behind that album.
Clive Burr left and was replaced by Stevie Hughes, you left the band before
the release of the second lp ... How long did ELIXIR survive after the events
of 1989/1990 ?
Yes, we finally found Stevie Hughes who came over
from Ireland to become our permanent drummer after Clive had to go back to
Desperado. We toured around the UK again and I left in November 1989. The
band got Leon Lawson, (who happened to be the ex-roadie of one of my heroes,
Michael Schenker), to replace me on guitar. They played a couple of gigs
and an outdoor festival in Ireland before calling it a day in 1990.
The story tells that in 2001 at Norman’s 40th birthday, the « Son
Of Odin » line-up played the song « Treachery » and it
was the beginning of the ELIXIR return… How was it to be again together and
playing that heavy metal anthem at this moment ?
I had seen Norman and Paul over the years, but hadn’t
seen Kev and Nigel for years. Norman invited us all to his birthday party
in a pub where live bands were playing. He told me to bring my guitar as
we might get up and play a song together. Anyway, it was great to meet up
with all the boys again, and we did play together. ‘Treachery’ I suppose,
was the obvious choice to play.
The same year, the Greek label Cult Metal Classics released in cd «
The Son Of Odin » as a limited edition. Were you surprised to
be contacted by a Greek label ? Also, this CD release seems to have sold
quite fast…
I really think that it was fate that Manos from
Cult Metal Classics tracked me down over the internet shortly after Norman’s
birthday. I was really surprised to hear that ‘The Son of Odin’ was now being
considered a NWOBHM ‘classic’ and a ‘cult’ album, and equally surprised that
a label wanted to release the album after all these years. After being assured
by Manos that I could have an input in the release packaging and content,
I went ahead and got the original tapes mastered in digital and sent it to
Greece for release. They pressed 1000 hand numbered copies as a limited release
and they sold out within a month!
What are you memories of the Heavy Metal Assault festival in Athens in
2002, as ELIXIR was the headliner for the first day ?
We have very fond memories of Athens. It was our
first gig since we got back together, (apart from a low-key warm-up in a
small pub in London), and the Greek fans were amazing. We made a lot of friends
in Athens, and they seemed to take pride in showing us a great time. They
looked after us extremely well, and we look forward to going back and playing
there again. We love those guys and it was great to see them again in Germany
when we played at ‘Keep It True’ and ‘Headbangers Open Air’.
In 2003, you recorded a new album, « The Idol », with old
songs that you re-visited and that were not on the first lp… How is the response
for the album ? Is it the album a test for the future ? I mean if it sells
well, then the plan would be to record a new album with new songs ?
When we got back together for Norm’s birthday I
took a trip down memory lane and played tapes of the old songs that afternoon
and realised that we had enough un-recorded material for an album. I asked
the guys that evening if they would be interested in getting together to
record those old songs just to have them finished, not knowing then that
we would get back together permanently. With the CMC release and the interest
in Elixir that followed, it seemed logical to record those songs for release,
so that is what we did. The sales have been O.K. but there is a lot more
mileage in the album yet. We released the CD on our own CTR label, with CMC
releasing the vinyl version. We don’t have a lot of money for promotion so
it takes time for word to get out that we are back and have a new album out.
Since we got back together we have been writing new songs in between rehearsing
and re-learning the old songs. We have half an album’s worth of new material
right now, and it really ROCKS! We love playing the new stuff and can’t wait
to get the whole album written and recorded and released, so we can play
those songs live! We have also been going through some live recordings that
we made recently, and that stuff sounds really heavy and full of energy,
so we may release a live album too!
Cult Metal Classics released a LP version of the album… No plans for
LP’s re-release of the other albums on vinyl with them ?
We discussed the idea of CMC releasing a box set
of all three albums plus the Treachery single, all on coloured vinyl, with
a few goodies thrown in for collectors, but we haven’t finalised the deal
yet.
In 2004, you played at two german festivals : Keep It True and Headbangers
Open Air… How was your trip in Germany ? Was ELIXIR well received by the
german metalheads ?
Playing festivals are always great for us. They
always seem to be very well organised and we meet lots of other bands and
contacts in the business which is very helpful. We had a great reception
at both German festivals, and as usual those crazy Greek fans were down the
front!
You will play at another festival in October 2004, in Holland this time,
at the Heavy Metal Maniacs festival… Have you other plans of concerts ?
After Holland we plan to concentrate on finishing
the writing for the next album. We have no bookings for festivals or gigs
beyond Holland, but there are plans for a NWOBHM festival in England next
year, to celebrate 25 years of the genre, and we hope to be part of that.
The plans are still in the early stages right now, but we are hoping to have
many great British bands playing at one great London venue. We would love
to play some festivals in Europe next year, so if any organisers are reading
this, and would like us on the bill, please contact us through our
website coldtown
TPL recently re-released on cd « The Son Of Odin » and «
Sovereign Remedy » (this time as the second album which was originally
planned)… Are you satisfied with these cd’s ?
Very satisfied. I worked with the label on these
releases, and they have done a great job with both albums. I am particularly
pleased to have our second album out as it should have been after all these
years.
How do you see the future of ELIXIR currently ? Do you think there is
still a place for good heavy metal in this era of trendy music ?
I think there is a hunger for good metal again,
partly because of a reaction against all this trendy music. We get young
kids coming up to us after gigs, who love what we do, and are too young to
remember us in the 80’s. That is very satisfying. Other bands from our era
are feeling the same, and I think this is a new wave happening again. All
the guys in Elixir are loving what we do at the moment, the time was just
right for all of us to get back together and do this. It is especially good
for us that we have all five original members, as otherwise, we wouldn’t
have wanted to do this again. We plan to keep writing, recording and playing
as long as we still have our hearing!!
Thank you for your answers, I wish you all the best ! If you want to add
something, feel free…
Thank you, and we really would like to say a massive
thank you to all the fans that have been there for us since we came back.
It has been great meeting you at the festivals and talking to you through
email, and we are looking forward to bringing you a brand new album!
interview by Patrick Lefevre
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