David Readman Interview

David Readman’s self titled debut album is a current favourite here at HardRockHouse, our reviewer describing it as an “an almost flawless record that deserves wide attention” and “a definite contender for album of the year”. It was back in 1994 that David left England for Germany to become the new lead singer with Pink Cream 69 and since then they have released seven studio albums and toured all around the world, gaining widespread acclaim along the way. In spite of his hectic schedule David recently found the time to make a guest appearance on the debut release from Eden’s Curse.

David Readman

Hi David and thanks for talking to us here at HardRockHouse. So, how the devil are you?

DR - Hi there I'm doing fine, I've had a crazy ride these last few weeks, checking the Net for reviews. I feel confident about the album, but you never know until it hits the streets….

As you will have seen from our review, your album is a clear favourite of ours. Have you been pleased with the reception so far and are you happy with the way it has turned out?

DR - Oh yes I'm very happy, believe me I wouldn't have released it until I was 100% happy with the way it sounded, and the quality of the songs. Yeah I read your review a while back and was blown away, it made my day!

What made you decide to put together a solo album? Was this something you had been thinking about for some time?

DR - Yeah I've been playing with the idea for a while now. I guess it was around six years ago as recording technology got better, it made it possible for me to record a very good in my own studio. A few years later I had just recorded the Three album in my own studio, and my confidence to do most of the recording, was stronger then ever.

Pink Cream 69 band mate Dennis Ward produced the album. Was he always the first choice for you, how easy was it to work with Dennis away from the band?

DR - For me there was no doubt in my mind as far as Dennis was concerned. As I said most of the recording was done by me and the other musicians in their own studio, be it Scotland, USA, Sweden, Germany. I brought Dennis in to record the two drum sessions, and of course to mix the album. I had already worked with Dennis on the Adagio albums, so no problem there, and to be honest, as far as recording vocals, if it's not with Dennis, then I will do it on my own!

Take us through a few of the songs on the album. Lets start with 'New Messiah' which seems to be a tribute to Jimi Hendrix?

DR - Oh yes indeed, this is my tribute. As a kid I would buy his albums and try to copy his guitar playing, even today if I catch a show on TV I'm still amazed by his playing. A lot of players from today who concentrate on playing clean, have lost the whole reason about playing guitar. For me singing is a direct connection to the soul, playing guitar is almost the same except you have to teach your fingers to understand what you mean. And that’s the hard part. Guitar is a very important part of a song, a good riff is everything….

Our review draws comparisons with late 80's Whitesnake on the track 'Take These Tears'. Were David Coverdale and co a big influence for you?

DR - If I said no…then I would be a liar. I guess the 1987 album was a big deal for me, but I started with the Beatles. When I was 14 you would find me on Burnley market buying second hand albums. For me that was my education, I was always upstairs playing guitar and singing, and my Father would always shout, "I cant hear the telly“, he would go mad, but as soon as they were gone I would go crazy on the guitar.

You chose 'Don't Let It Slip Away' to shoot a video for. Tell us a little about this song and the video to go with it

DR - This was a song I was working on with Paul Logue. He had sent me some mp3‘s over the Net and I had put some vocals down on the track. About a year later I needed a few more songs for my album, so whilst checking some songs on my computer I discovered this song again and I knew it would be perfect for the album. I had worked with Marco Müller from www.starfotographie.de, he had done the pictures for the album, the whole thing was just a crazy idea and luckily I'm surrounded by very creative people. I had asked him if I could bring my video camera and film me and the guys in his studio. It would be cool for the fans as I had not been on video since, Shame, around 10 years ago. After a few days he called me and said, “David we‘re gonna do it better than that, were gonna get an HD camera and do it over two days”. And that was it. We decided to use “Don't Let It Slip Away” because we felt it was the best song to represent the album. My favourite song was “Without You” and it was also considered. I think it's an important tool in this genre, there is a general lack of quality videos to represent the songs.

You mentioned Paul Logue there and I know you have been involved with the Eden's Curse album and Paul has returned the favour on your record. Can we expect to see you guys working together again? How about a joint tour, I'm sure that would be very welcome.

DR - That would be cool. I need to give him a call! I guess next year I will try to get some shows going, the rest of the year is already planned for me and PC69. I would have loved to come to the Firefest, but I will be in Brazil with the guys. And working together I'm dammed sure we will do something again, he is writing all the time, he‘s a machine…. lol

Are you conscious of having to maintain the quality control with the various projects you are involved with? Do you find yourself having to be selective as to the number of request you can say "Yes" to?

DR - Sure I get quite a lot of requests over the Net and that’s cool, but I decided a while back only to do things that are serious, basically to do things that get me further as a singer, not only to just make a fast killing. I‘m not in the mood to read bad reviews.

I know you relocated to Germany to hook up with PC69. What do you miss about the UK, and do you get back over here very often?

DR - I miss the UK a lot, but after all its been 13 years and you get used to it, I used to wake up in the morning and think, God I'm in Germany! But these days its no big deal. But Germany has been very good to me. I think I miss the language, I speak German a lot these days, but I do have English TV at home so that saves my life. Of course my family, who have only been a voice at the end of the phone for years, I try to get back as much as possible, it's not far after all. But still its not easy to find the time.

So what's next for David Readman, both with your solo career and with Pink Cream 69?

DR - Busy, busy as usual for me and PC69. As I said we tour at the beginning of October, and then we're off to Brazil. I will then do a small tour with a few cool guys, one being the drummer of Simple Minds, Mel Gaynor he lives in Germany too. So lots to do.

And finally, is there anything else you would like to add that we haven't already covered?

DR - Well I could go on forever, but I think that’s it, and my fingers hurt!

Check Out the HRH review of David's Album

As mentioned earlier we think that this is an excellent album. But don‘t just take our word for it. Head over to http://www.davidreadman.com/ for some samples and to discover more about David and his career.