Intervju - Tony Martin, ex Black Sabbath, The Cage, Giuntini, Rondinelli You´ve really kept yourself busy since leaving Sabbath, with The Cage, Giuntini, Rondinelli etc. Which of these projects did you enjoy the most and why?  I guess they all have lasting memories for one reason or another. I loved working with Dario Mollo on the Cage project, we got on very well. The Giuntini project was much more stressfull but I actually like some of the tracks. The Rondinelli album was hard work but I loved workin in New York with Bobby, I also got to go pay my respects at the Twin Towers site just after it happened, that was very memorable. More recently I've been touring with a theatre show called Whole Lotta Metal, if you can imagine buying a CD of the songs from a certain era, we put that, on stage. That is GREAT fun. I'm also desperately trying to do my solo stuff, so yeah I have kept busy. I can´t really figure out where I have you musically. You´ve been on some really heavy albums like the Sabbath ones and The Cage, yet your solo album "Back where I belong" showed a whole other, lighter, side of you. Which direction do you prefer and are you happy with that album in retrospect? Great question! I've struggled with it, because I am a child of the 70's and grew up with every kind of band from Slade to Led Zeppelin and of course Sabbath so my influences were contaminated by EVERYTHING!!!! I've worked with Reggae bands and Rock bands. The Back Where I Belong album was where I was THEN! The kind of Brian Adams type thing was an inspiration. And since I left Sabbath I have tried to leave those days behind, I wanted to move on again and forget the Sabbath thing. I didn't think I could ever take that sound with me. But the Record companies and EVERYONE I speak to won't let me forget it. No body is really interested in a Tony Martin that doesn't do Sabbath, so recently I came around to the thinking that maybe 10 years associated with a band gives me the ideal direction to take. Now I'm writing with Geoff Nicholls of Sabbath and my solo album is going VERY much down that road. I have no regrets about BWIB other than somehow my manger got the entire rights to it and not me! Still not sure how that happened but hey, thats the music business for ya! And when I rejoined Sabbath, Polydor deleated it from the catalogue and took it off the shelf! So in answer to your question, I'm afraid Tony Martin is ALL those things, but I have to focus on one thing at each time. For sure there will be stuff I do that will suprise you but I hope you'll give it a shot. One often overlooked album you were on is "Forcefield 2", which I loved. How did that constellation of musicians come together? Basically my involvement was through Cozy Powell. He got me the session, I have to say it's one of the least favourite albums of mine, I'm not a good session singer, I find it difficult to stick rigidly to the direction of other peoples ideas, my brain just won't let me do it. If you put a sheet of music in front of me and said sing that.... I'd leave!  While in Sabbath you were forced into the shadow by people who couldn´t accept any other singer than Ozzy and, in some cases, Dio. Still, the albums you were on, and especially "Headless Cross", were so much better musically than any of the Ozzy albums. Wasn´t it frustrating trying to convince an audience who was so narrowminded and conservative?
I struggled with that too! I was'nt experienced enough to be able to walk into a MAJOR rock band and start throwing my weight around, I am 10 years younger than they are and they had all been in that position for many years already. So I was always the misfit in the band, they liked my voice, but I didn't fit in the circles. So not being able to demand that certain things went my way meant that I had to try and fit into theirs and that's the problem with steppin into other peoples shoes. You MUST make your own mark or you'll be lost in the struggle. I was never able to shake off the chains. Fortunately I was able to reach a certain following that began to see me and what I do and so all is not completely lost. Was there ever any songs on the Sabbath-albums you did that you didn´t like and which of the Sabbath albums are you most/least happy with? Forbidden! How do you consider yourself as a singer today, compared to 15 years ago? It's harder work these days, I'm nearly 50 and all singers find age a problem in that your voice changes and so I have to prepare to sing these days, I never did that before! But I'm much more comfortable on stage now and I feel like I've done my aprenticeship. I feel better about it all. Since I was originally a guitarist and didn't start seriously singing till I was 27, I started playing when I was 7 so most of my time was spent as a different kind of musician. Who´s your influence in terms of singing? Anyone with a good voice. You were offered a spot on the new Ayreon album "The human equation" but turned it down. What does it take to get Tony Martin on an album? I guess with anything in life you have preferences and you are guided by those. For me the Ayreon thing didn't appeal to me but I was also workin on other stuff, To get me on an album is easy you have to show me something I think I can be part of and make somethin of it. As I said I'm not a good session singer, and I don't fit in to other peoples ideas well at all. That has benefits but also dangers.  "Back where I belong" is the album where your whole musicianship, not only as a singer, comes through since you´re also playing on it. I know it was taken out of print pretty fast and that really was a shame since it was a masterpiece. Has these distribution problems scared you from doing another soloalbum?
No, but the industry is different these days, and so I'll probably bypass them as much as possible in future. I know you just finished with M3 and that you´re doing som gigs with Twin Dragon. What does the future look like in terms of projects and albums? I'm workin on my own stuff because I'm tired of singing for other people I want to do my own thing and thats taking a long time to put together, so in the mean time I'm working with Twin Dragons and Whole Lottat Metal and other people to pay the Reaper if you get my drift! Anything you like to add? Well I don't know what I can say, I want to get back out there, and I want to thank everyone for their support. Sounds like an award ceremony performance don't it! Just hang in there and I'll be back. See you on the other side!
|
|