1968 Conqueror of American Rock - Chapter 154



Only Noblemtl

154. Share Your Heart (4)

The Queen has arrived in LA.

This time, the company had already made a reservation at the Kings Hotel. I went to Sunset Strip to meet Brian.

“Brian, you came really quickly.”

“I came a little early because it was supposed to start in December. The weather in California is really the best. It’s so sunny and warm even in November.”

We sat at an outdoor table in a cafe. It was a cafe on King’s Block. We had a view of The Age of Rock to our left and The Devils across the street to our right.

“In the south, they’re forming an alliance with the Devils at the center, and in the north, they’re joining forces with the Kings and CW at the center. This is just like the Civil War in American history books.”

“We just started a clean zone campaign, but somehow it ended up like this, haha.”

Buildings to the north of Sunset Road, which runs east to west, were mostly brightly colored, such as wine red, beige, and mint green, while buildings to the south were mostly dark, such as black and gray.

The North Line was inadvertently visited by a diverse mix of men, women, and children, while the South Line was mainly visited by young white people. I never once thought of competing with the South, but as Brian said, it felt strangely Civil War-like.

“James, I watched KMTV at the hotel last night. It was a great show, incomparable to pirate radio. Our members were shocked when they saw Sparkling Ripple’s ‘Road Movie’ and ‘Jekyll & Hyde.’ Even now, the members are only watching KMTV at the hotel.”

“Thank you for your kind words. The video for the song ‘Sk8er Girl’ will be released soon. It was really hard to film, but I feel proud. After this festival, Queen, please film a few music videos with our video team.”

“I’ve already cleared my schedule for early next year to film videos while I’m in the US, haha.”

As I continued to talk to him, the main banner at The Devils was being replaced. The letters were large enough to be seen from quite a distance away.

[ Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, KISS ]

“Oh my gosh… Black Sabbath and Deep Purple are coming? And with The Devils? James, didn’t you say it was just a street festival?”

Black Sabbath had just released their second album, ‘Paranoid’, and were starting to make a name for themselves, while Deep Purple had just completed their second lineup, which was considered the band’s greatest golden era, and were gaining popularity with their first studio album, ‘Deep Purple in Rock’.

So they’re coming to Sunset Strip where I’m planning a little neighborhood holiday party?

“It was definitely Michael Lang who moved.”

“Michael Lang is the guy who ran the Woodstock business, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I also happened to hear rumors that they were involved in this, and now that I see that banner, it’s confirmed.”

Black Sabbath is understandable, but Deep Purple had a successful US tour last year and even performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl this August. But The Devils? That was really unexpected.

“Ritchie Blackmore, that difficult guy, isn’t there a reason he comes to play in this little club?”

Brian said that he respects Ritchie Blackmore, but that his perfectionist personality often causes discord among the members. There was even an anecdote where he swore at vocalist Ian Gillan over a single wrong line in the lyrics.

“I don’t know the exact reason, but I’m glad that this street is so active, haha.”

“James is always positive and I like him. I think he came to the show to check Sparkling Ripple, although it was a show. He must have had a lot of questions about KMTV.”

“They’re probably working hard in their own way, so we just have to work hard at what we have to do.”

This is really a small street festival that has grown into quite a big one. But the fact that it has become a hot topic means that it can raise a lot of donations, so I decided to think positively.

* * *

I visited Garage Brew after a long time.

After the street festival in December, there is the NAMM Show, a musical instrument fair, in January. The EGO members say that their wish has come true 10 years ahead of time and they have developed an innovative synthesizer. It has a sound that you would hear in Duran Duran or Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ in the 80s. It is also half the size of a Mini Moog.

“Wow, you did it. You guys are really amazing.”

I gave them a round of applause.

“It was all thanks to the support of the company. It costs a huge amount of money to obtain a patent, and if it were up to us, we would never have even thought about it.”

Brad smiled contentedly.

“Then we can present both products at the Nam Show next year.”

“Yes, the whole world will be surprised. By the way, James, you heard the news too, right?”

“Yes, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple are coming.”

“That’s true, but sales of LA Metal pedals are skyrocketing right now, so they’re constantly sold out because they’re being made. If we have to prepare for the Nam Show at the December festival, we might not have enough stock… … .”

Even though it was a local broadcast, the promotional effect of the video advertisement was great. The current members are too high-level personnel to just make pedals as a home-based industry. In addition, they are now members of EGO.

“How about leaving it to my friends or juniors at school who are good with their hands and need money?”

“UCLA’s engineering school is full of such people. But what worries me is that the technology might leak out.”

“It doesn’t matter. Since the overdrive and booster pedals have simple circuits anyway, I was thinking of revealing the circuit diagrams as well. Even if there are circuit diagrams, durability and sound vary greatly depending on the materials and the expertise of the manufacturer. The pedals that will be made in the future will be marked as V2.”

“So that’s why this pedal is marked as V1, haha. Now this is going to be a very precious pedal. I’ll have to make one more so that we can have one of each.”

Now that the booster pedal has been released into the world, other bands can now produce some pretty powerful sounds. But with that increased sound comes a level of noise that must be dealt with.

I regularly invited CW guitarists to my studio and taught them about shielding techniques and pickup modifications for electric guitars. These were techniques that could dramatically reduce noise. Van Halen was always the best student, beating out his brothers.

In Super Band, each instrument has a technician who takes care of it separately, but I think that a guitarist should know how to do everything himself. I taught him not only playing techniques, but also guitar maintenance, management, and even settings so that he could do them all himself.

The guitar-making skills I learned from Brian May and his father were a huge help, and I will continue to repay that favor for the rest of my life.

* * *

The December festival is ten days away. The song is also complete. We will film the recording and make a music video, so the work will be done simultaneously.

There is currently no studio in California that can accommodate all the members of the large project I created. We decided to record and film at the studio in Bethel Farm. It is far away, but it is completely private, can accommodate a large group, and the film crew can set up their equipment with ease.

“Gona, are you sure it’s okay to go on a tour bus?”

“Yeah, it’s a hassle to move a large group to the airport and then from New York Airport to Bethel, and people will recognize us a lot. I think it would be better to sleep on the tour bus.”

I’ve been on a lot of tours already. Life on a luxury tour bus is more comfortable than I thought.

“Diana Ross and Joan Baez said they would come in person?”

“Yeah, Michael Jackson will be taken by Diana Ross too.”

When the project I was working on became known, Diana Ross expressed her interest in participating. And not long ago, Joan Baez, the singer-songwriter and human rights activist, contacted me. Of course, she also wanted to participate. Of course, I welcomed it.

“Hey, there are plenty of new bands that will be playing at the club while we’re gone, right?”

“Don’t worry about the club. There are so many support teams right now that they have to wait. But I will put on stage the teams that you pass the auditions for.”

Although I had a separate person in charge, Kevin knew how much I cared about the club, so he took special care of me.

It was a schedule where over 40 people would move around and record and film, but they were all skilled and there was only one song to record. A week would be enough time.

* * *

We arrived at the Bethel Woodstock Motel in total comfort aboard two dedicated tour buses that could accommodate a sleeping arrangement.

It was a residential studio, but construction was still in progress. Because of this project, only the studio was completed in a hurry. So I called Mrs. Tyver in advance and told her that I would use the motel for a week. It wasn’t as nice as a hotel, but it had clean air, nature, and the Milky Way in the night sky.

Those who didn’t see Woodstock in person viewed photos and videos at the motel’s memorial, while Jake and I visited the barn, a place of remembrance where amplifiers and instruments were covered in white cloth.

“It’s already been more than a year. Half of my guitar skills were actually practiced here.”

“No, Jake. The way I see it, aside from performances and ensemble practice, 90% of your purely individual practice time is here, haha.”

Jake really practiced like crazy in this barn. Hugo, who practiced even harder than Jake and got sick, came into the barn.

“Hey, so this is the barn I’ve heard about.”

“Hugo, I heard that your rehab went well. From now on, don’t overdo it. Don’t forget to relax your shoulders, elbows, and wrists.”

“Yeah, I also realized it. I couldn’t play guitar for months and I really thought I was going to die. I felt so sorry for the members… … .”

I brought my guitar and plugged it into the amp. I emphasized to Hugo again that I should play with my thumb snap, not my strength.

I’m going crazy, …!

“I understand that feeling now. And why I overdid it. I couldn’t use my thumb and index finger as efficiently as I thought, and I was just trying to increase speed. Oh, wrist, I’m so sorry.”

Hugo had a great awakening after being seriously ill. The valuable picking form he acquired this way will now be remembered by his body, not his head, for the rest of his life.

“Come on, kids. Diana Ross and Joan Baez are all here.”

Annie ran into the barn and said.

When I came outside, there was a bonfire burning in the middle of the wide front yard, and a grand banquet was already laid out on the outdoor tables.

The White Light members helped prepare the food, as there were a total of 47 people participating in the project.

As the person in charge, I came forward and briefed the schedule here.

“Hello. This is James Choi, who is working on this project. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Diana Ross, Joan Baez, and my eternal friend Quinn for willingly taking the time to work with our CW artists.”

The 43 participating members, the motel staff, and the White Light members gave loud cheers and applause. Seeing everyone gathered like this made my heart swell.