Author of "Fleetwood Mac - The Complete Recording Sessions 1967-1997"
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Peter Lewry is a respected rock journalist with several books to his credit including "Cliff Richard - The Complete Recording Sessions 1958-1990" and "The Ultimate Queen", both written with his colleague Nigel Goodall, and their work with EMI on the Cliff Richard re-issue programma and input to various TV and video projects has earned them respect from fans throughout the world. He is also the editor of the only UK fanzine dedicated to the career of country music legend Johnny Cash and since the first issue was published back in 1994 "Johnny Cash - The Man In Black" now has subscribers all over the world. "Fleetwood Mac - The Complete Recording Sessions 1967-1997" is his latest book and i am pleased to have an exclusive interview with Peter. |
P: There have been several books on Fleetwood Mac, very good books but none that looked in detail at their recording career.
D: Was it easy finding a publisher willing to take on the book?
P: I was lucky that Blandford, who had published the Cliff Richard Recording sessions book were interested. It took several months to get the project of the ground but i feel it was worth the wait.
D: I understand you have also written articles for the UK music magazine "Record Collector" and worked as a consulant for EMI records, can you tell us more about these projects?
P: Record Collector published an article i had written on Linda Rondstadt. The EMI consultancies were a result of the books on Cliff. I worked on two projects, "Cliff Richard - At The Movies" a 2CD set of songs from his movies which included several unreleased tracks and an illustrated booklet and this was followed by a 4CD set "Cliff Richard - The Rock And Roll Years 1958-1963", again featuring previously unissued material and a large format colour booklet.
D: Back to Fleetwood Mac. Can you tell us a bit more about the book. Is it illustrated? Does it contain information on the studios?
P: The book traces Fleetwood Mac's career through their recording sessions. Each entry gives detailed information on where and when each sessions was held, the tracks recorded-released and unreleased, the musicians and the producers and engineers who worked on the session. The text throughout the book gives a brief history of the group that supports the main entries. It is illustrated with photos, sleeves, rare memorabilia and much more.
D: Does it contain a discography?
P: There is a UK/US discography with details about their singles and albums. This covers first issues, not the numerous re-issues and compilations.
D: Are only official releases covered or do you also include bootlegs?
P: The book covers both official and unofficial releases. It should be appreciated that there are many unofficial releases available and i decided to only include the important ones in the book, for example those containing material from the Boston Tea Party tapes and material from the groups BBC radio sessions.
D: How about their solo careers?
P: I made reference to their solo work in the discography and at times in the text, but the idea was to trace only the career of the group. To have included all their solo projects would have taken years to research. Maybe next time!!
D: Are there any other sections in the book?
P: I have included brief biographies of all the members of the group and also a list of awards showing platinum, gold and silver discs awarded by both the BPI in the UK and the RIAA in America. Mike Ross has written a great technical guide that gives an insight into recording procedures.
D: There's a lot of information in the book, how long did it take you to research and write?
P: I had been working on and off for several months before i finally got a publishing deal, but in total i suppose you are talking between 9-12 months. This was as well as holding down a full-time job!!
D: Did you get any co-operation from the group?
P: Not from the current line-up. Bob Brunning, the original bass player, provided invaluable help, as well as writing the foreword to the book. Mike Vernon and Mike Ross (producer and engineer of the early Fleetwood Mac material) gave up time to talk to me about the early days and gave me an insight into the recording techniques employed on the sessions held in the sixties. All three deserve special mention as their help was invaluable and the book would definitly have suffered without their astute knowledge.
D: How about record companies?
P: Not from Warner Brothers, but Sony Music Entertainement helped with certain elements of the book as well as clarifying some points.
D: Where can people buy the book and how much is it?
P: Hopefully in their local bookshops, but it is also available via the internet at Amazon Co UK for £11.99 and in the States at EQS for $31.99. The usual price in bookshops in the UK is £14.99.
D: Is it already been released in the USA?
P: No not yet, but it will be, although i don't know when.
D: Thanks for your taking the time for this interview Peter.
P: It's been a pleasure, thank you.