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The Magic Highway

 

Michael Stover interviews Jeff on the ORDINARY PEOPLE single and his plans for the future. The article appeared in Apricot Magazine.


MS: Your career in music spans decades, starting with the phenomenal success of Yellow River. How has your approach to songwriting evolved over the years?

Jeff: I think in general I’m more relaxed nowadays than I was in the early days when I was literally on fire. In those days if I sat down to write I wouldn’t leave the room till I finished the song. I was very prolific and very driven. I also had the responsibility of being the only one in the group either capable or sufficiently motivated to come up with a song in order to get a record contract for my group The Outer Limits, and in ’67 I was able to come up with the goods. We got signed to Decca’s ‘progressive’ Deram label and were stable mates with Procol Harum, who had just released A Whiter Shade Of Pale.
     My song Just One More Chance was released and bubbled under the top 50 in the UK and reached #1 in Berlin. This was a couple of years before I wrote Yellow River so you can see the trajectory. These days when I write, I don’t force the issue and don’t worry if I don’t finish something in one sitting, I come back at some point with fresh ears and mind and complete the song.
     My very first attempts at songwriting were as you would expect quite amateurish, very moon and June type of thing but like everything in life practice makes perfect, that and listening and learning from the greats allowed me to improve.

MS: Your latest album, Here & Now, marks a new chapter in your music. What inspired the themes and direction of this project?

JC: "New chapter" is apt as I feel in some ways that’s correct. Apart from reworking a few older songs, the main body of the album songs were much newer additions and in many ways a departure from the working practice of the past in the way I would develop the songs. Over the last decade I worked mostly alone and would build up the tracks myself only using one or two extra musicians to cover what I couldn’t do myself. Then when I felt I had the basis of an album and not long before the pandemic between 2019-2023, working alone with engineers in one or two studious, I completed the album. During the pandemic whenever I needed to bring in any extra musicians it was done remotely using the internet.

MS: The single Ordinary People has resonated deeply with fans. Can you tell us the story behind the song and what message you hope listeners take away from it?

JC: I started by simply naming these ‘ordinary people’ e.g. citizens of town and country, husbands and wives etc. In just a few sentences I wanted simplistically to convey life’s journey for the many people who don’t live exotic or exciting lives and their struggles to get by in a tough and often unforgiving world.
     As the melodic notation and lyrical journey meandered into more complex themes, I let my imagination run to include positive scenic sequences to go with the unpredictable turn of melody to symbolise the desire to experience life-enhancing scenarios, like Rocky Mountain vistas and blue horizons to counter the humdrum of everyday life. There’s something dreamlike how the lyric interacts with the melody at these points that I feel hopefully lifts the listener up as it did me as the song developed. I think/hope the song conveys hope albeit entwined with a dose of realism.

MS: Reflecting on your journey, what do you consider the most pivotal moment in your career, and how did it shape the artist you are today?

JC: There’s been a few pivotal points, but I think getting my first recording contract with my self-penned record release in ’67 must top the list because in a way it said I’d arrived. From that point on it fostered the belief and determination to grow as an artist and songwriter.
     Touring with Jimi Hendrix in ’67 was also pivotal and inspiring as I learned a lot more stagecraft watching Jimi and also Keith Emerson of The Nice on the same tour. It also gave me the confidence to play my own songs to bigger audiences in theatres and City Halls all over the UK. Up until then the gigs were mainly smaller clubs and dance halls.

MS: Collaboration has been a significant part of your career. Did you work with any notable musicians or producers on Here & Now? If so, what was that experience like?

JC: Well actually it depends on what you mean by collaboration. I’ve always written songs alone, words and music. Historically I usually worked with the musicians in whatever band I had plus the odd session musicians and producers, but for a long time now I’ve worked alone mostly, apart from using studio engineers to help finalise my recording arrangements.
     In the last couple of years I’ve collaborated with a talented young Italian artist called Lorenzo Gabanizza, who originally asked me to guest on one of his songs, which then led to a fruitful second tier of output for us both on continued collaborations.
     The recording process of Here & Now was over the period 2019-2023 with me working with a limited number of key musicians filling in the parts that I couldn’t do. After demo’ing the songs I would lay down acoustic guitars and sometimes lead guitar work, keyboards and all vocals before adding extra texture with other musicians like drums, bass, violin, sax and occasional keyboardist and a different guitarist. A totally painstaking but wonderful journey seeing these songs come to life. After every take everything was scrutinised carefully to get it all as sonically good as possible resulting in the feeling that I delivered a worthy album of songs that I am really proud of.

MS: You’ve performed for audiences around the world. How do you feel about the connection between your music and your fans, and has that dynamic changed over time?

JC: I think they’ve grown older like I have and hopefully whilst enjoying my older songs are still able to enjoy what I’m doing today. I have had some really good feedback on the new album from some diehard fans so that’s encouraging, although there are bound to be those from a certain demographic who unfortunately will miss out as they will want to listen through physical means only, not digital, which dominates recorded output these days by most Indie artists. Touring these days is a tough prospect due to many factors so my newer music is only available to download or stream on digital platforms.

MS: Looking ahead, what’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects, tours, or collaborations that fans should keep an eye out for?

JC: I am writing all the time and plan to go into the studio in 2025 with new songs and re-working some older ones, plus more collaborations with Lorenzo, so there is plenty more music lining up to keep me busy and out of trouble.