To the casual concert goer, especially those who prefer their rock classic and timeless, Bernard Fowler is probably best known for his powerful and dynamic vocal work doing back tracks on every Rolling Stones release since 1989, as well as on every tour over the last 30 years.
But he is also a renowned vocalist, songwriter and producer in his own right, with a pair of acclaimed solo albums; Friends with Privileges (2005) and The Bura (2015), as well as collaborations on songs and albums by the likes of Living Colour, Herbie Hancock, Yoko Ono, Duran Duran, Herb Alpert, former INXS vocalist Michael Hutchence, Alice Cooper, Toto guitarist Steve Lukather and even Johnny Rotten’s Public Image Ltd.
For his new project, Fowler wanted a challenge, and also wanted to celebrate the music of the band for whom he has worked for the past three decades. Inside Out is not so much an outright tribute to the Rolling Stones, but a reimagining of some of the band’s repertoire, done in a manner that only someone as accomplished, adventurous and well respected as Bernard Fowler could get away with.
“I am always thinking about doing stuff. And I am always trying to push the envelope and push myself to do something a little different. I have spent most of my career trying to do things that were interesting to me musically. So when I was working on my last solo album, The Bura, as we were finishing up the last overdubs I was already starting to think of my next record,” said Fowler, who was supposed to be on tour with the Rolling Stones, but the tour was delayed but the emergency surgery required by frontman Mick Jagger. The tour has now been rescheduled, but the one Canadian show so far, June 29 at Burl’s Creek near Barrie, Ontario, retains its original date, now coming closer to the start of the tour, as opposed to closer to the end.
“I was talking to some of the guys I was making the last record with and said I was thinking about making another record, but I don’t want to make one like the last two solo records. I want to do something really different. And it was a thing that I thought about and thought about and then I came up with the idea of, ‘you know what, maybe I should do a spoken word record. But not just any spoken word record, I want to do something really different.’ The Rolling Stones have some really powerful lyrics and I just through that a spoken word record of Rolling Stones’ stuff – hmm. Might be interesting. And that’s where it all started.”
Fowler said he started trying out some of his interpretations of Stones’ songs before sound checks on the band’s last tour, seeing which songs work and how they would come across. Before long, it caught the attention of Jagger who thought his spoken word covers idea was great. With that seal of approval, work began on compiling the songs, arranging them, and putting together the impressive cadre of musicians who could help Fowler realize his vision.
With such an incredible, accomplished and resonant voice, it may have come as a surprise to those who know of Fowler’s vocal prowess that he chose to do Inside Out in what amounts to a lyrical spoken word format. It was the challenge of covering the words and music of The Stones that was part of the excitement for Fowler.
“When I was thinking about my next project, I wanted it to be really different. And some of the things I was thinking about included making a country and western record. That was one thing, and then I was thinking about making an orchestrated record with me and an orchestra. But I felt that the spoken word idea was the best and beat them all out. I learned a new word during the process of making this record. It’s called Sprechstimme, a term used in operatic music where it’s a cross between singing and speaking at the same time. For me, when I listen back to the recordings, it sounds like I am speaking, but to other people, it sounds like it’s a combination of both. I had a journalist point that out to me a couple of months ago and I had to look the word up, but it’s exactly what I am doing,” he explained.
“And I have heard from some die hard Stones fans and they absolutely love the record. They’re saying that the lyrics for the songs have taken on a new life for them, that some of them didn’t even really know what the lyric was until they heard it spoken on my version. They are getting more meaning of what was written and getting it in a different light and hearing it in a different light. A song like Dancing With Mr. D [originally from 1973’s Goat’s Head Soup] was one where I think this technique really put a spin on the original. You can give different words different emphasis. It doesn’t give the lyric a new meaning, but a different focal point for the song. It’s easier to put those emphases on words when you are speaking them than when you are singing them. You have to take into consideration the music and how the music is flowing, and you can’t hit things too hard, because in songs the melody is the most important thing. As a listener of the original recordings you have the drums and you have the guitar melodies that are playing, and you have harmonies – you have all those things that your ears are dealing with.
“Whereas this way, they hear it so clearly because, well, first of all it’s very primal. And it’s percussion, drums and it’s voice at the core. All the instrumentation is also very percussive and rhythmic. And, you know, when I was recording it, very people heard what I was doing. At the studio where I was working, there are a few rooms and occasionally I would let someone come in and I would play a song for them. And these are rock and roll musicians and Rolling Stones lovers; they would sit and listen to the song and at the end of it they would say, ‘wow, that was strong.’ And I would sit and wait for their reaction, because they didn’t recognize what it was at first. And then when I told them all of the reactions were like, ‘holy shit, it is!’”
Choosing the technique for portraying these classic rock compositions was one thing but choosing the actual songs to cover was another challenge. With one of the most famous, most beloved and most covered catalogues in the history of rock and roll, picking songs that would appeal to listeners, but which also suited the technique and vibe Fowler was hoping to achieve meant he had to go back to Stones’ school in essence.
“The most obvious songs, some of the biggest hits, just didn’t work. The most obvious songs weren’t strong enough for what I needed to do, what I wanted to do, what I was going to do. There was one song for sure that I was definitely going to do, and I already decided and knew it even before I started recording and that was Undercover of the Night. After that, I got out The Rolling Stones Songbook – there’s a Volume 1 and a Volume 2, and I just sat there and kind of scrolled through the books, reading all the lyrics. And as I was reading them, the strong ones started standing out to me,” Fowler said, explaining his methodology.
“And then as I am reading them, I am kind of reciting them as I go. Not only were the lyrics that I picked strong, but they flowed well with me reciting them in my head. And that’s how I chose what songs to record. As arduous a task as it was, everything that I chose worked. I knew what I wanted and what I wanted was strong lyrical content. There had to be strong lyric content and if there was something that was relevant to how we’re living now to give it extra meaning, that was even better.”
There is wonderful diversity of tracks, spanning a good portion of the Rolling Stones venerable career. Highlights include Fowler’s compelling interpretations of Sister Morphine, Tie You Up, Time Waits for No One, while Sympathy for the Devil may be the best known track, but it is also one of the most imaginative of reinterpretations.
Fowler was helped on Inside Out by a plethora of top musicians, spanning a huge cross section of genre, from guitarist Ray Parker Jr., former David Bowie pianist Mike Garson, trumpet maestro Keyon Harrold, drummers Clayton Cameron, Steve Jordan and Vince Wilburn Jr. among many more.
On a different subject, Fowler said he has a deep appreciation for the culture and music of Canada. He is currently producing an album by Montreal-based band The Respectables (or Les Respectables), their first record in nine years.
“Last year I was up in Montreal and I was producing a really good band called The Respectables and the record is called The Power of Rock ‘n Roll [you can find out more at https://www.respectables.ca] and not to toot my own horn, but it’s a really good record. I think it was some years ago, maybe 15 years ago or more, I was on the road with the Stones and we were in Montreal and had a day off. I got bored in the hotel room, so I went out just to check out the place. I never had really spent any time there, and I found a street with a bunch of bars on it and I was walking up the street and heard some live music. I went inside and there was this band playing and I thought they sounded really good. So, I sat down, had a drink and enjoyed the band,” he said.
“One of the guys saw me and recognized me, and I don’t know how he did, because it was pretty dark in there. But we started to chat a bit and he invited me up to sing a song with the band and I did, and we became friends. And we have been in touch all this time, which, when I think of it, might be 20 years. It was the singer Sebastien [Plante] and he said he wanted to work with me. I think he had heard the stuff I produced for Ronnie Wood and wanted to work with me, and I felt the same way. We stayed in touch and last year some time he called and said they were going to do a new album and that they would love it if I could come and produce the record. And I did: I went up there and stayed for a few weeks and we went into the studio and got it done. And I think it’s an incredible sounding record. It was a really great time. It’s great to work with band that is not only so good, but so dedicated and a band that really loves rock and roll.
“And, listen I love any chance I get to go up to Canada. Canada is one of my favourite places in the world, and I have been all over the world. Second to New York City, I have to put Canada right up there. There are a lot of really nice people. And for me, it’s like New York City without having to look over your shoulder every five minutes. It’s just a beautiful part of the world, man. I am totally into nature and you guys got a lot up there. It’s so beautiful.”
For more information on Bernard Fowler, Inside Out and any possible touring plans, visit http://bernardfowler.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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