Barnes has Rhythm and the Blues

BY MICHAEL FOX

Musician Jimmy Barnes may have proved he's no elite athlete during a recent skit on The Footy Show, but the former wild man of rock has proven once again he's a bonafide rock and roll legend.

The former Cold Chisel front man recently released his latest album, The Rhythm and the Blues, and will appear at the Mission Concert in Napier in February.

His latest work adds to a remarkable legacy which extends to nine solo number one albums in Australia, two inductions into the Australian music hall of fame (as part of Cold Chisel and as a solo artist) and a gained him a place as an industry legend.

But Barnes says he never expected such a successful career.

"I just wanted to make music, I just wanted to have fun and really, I mean,... even when I made this record I wasn't trying to go number one, I just wanted to make this record," he said.

"You make songs for yourself but you hope other people connect with them, you know?"

He said his success had made him less apprehensive and emboldened him to try new things.

"I mean when you first start making music you're excited about making it, but you're also very scared and you know, you're apprehensive I guess. Nowadays I'm still not sure what I'm doing, but I'm really keen to get in there and try it and learn."

Barnes says his new record didn't set out to be a tribute album.

He'd gone to the US to write and record a rock and roll record with producer and long-time collaborator Don Gehman, with whom he worked on previous cover albums Soul Deep and Soul Deeper.

"Somehow we came out thinking that it would be a good thing to do to sort of round off the trilogy of these soul records, to put that era to bed for a while."

When Barnes speaks of his motivation and research for the album, it's clear his spark for making music hasn't dimmed.

He is a passionate student with an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of his beloved craft.

The Rhythm and the Blues explores his early music and influences - from New Orleans's funk to soul from Philadelphia and all the other strands that came together to form rock and roll as we know it today.

"There was sort of a melting pot of music around the late 40s where country, blues, jazz, gospel, jump, all sorts of different music combined, and electric guitars were put into the equation" he said.

"And somebody came up with the phrase rhythm and blues. Rhythm and blues then went on to sort of mix with country music and formed rock and roll and rockabilly as we know today and also went on and became soul music as we know it today," he said.

"And so I just thought that was a really interesting and a really important period in music, from say the late 40s to the 60s, where music sort of changed and morphed.

"I just wanted to trace that journey really."

He says he's constantly alert to new influences and listening to old records can pick out what sounds have influenced other bands.

"Sometimes I'll listen to music from the 30s, some blues or something and I'll go 'oh that's where Robert Palmer got it from or that's where Led Zeppelin got it from [or] Stevie Wonder found it.' I observe and I like to hear."

While Barnes has covered some of the great tracks, from Red Hot by Billy Lee Riley and Hallelujah (I love her so) by Ray Charles, those who enjoyed the originals need not worry - the Glasgow-born transplanted Aussie is not about to mess with what works.

"There's a fine line between interpreting a song and butchering it," he says.

"You know if you're going to cover a song then it's good to inject a bit of your personality into it... but it's also great to stay true to the melodies or stay true to the essence of the songs and you can do that without sort of necessarily copying the song."

He recounts hearing Bob Dylan - notorious for his rearrangements - not recognising even some of his more well-known songs until half way through, "but that's Bob Dylan, you know?"

"When I perform songs live, I don't like to take hits of mine and rearrange them so they're unrecognisable just because I'm bored with them, because I figure if I'm bored with it don't play it."

 "If you're going to play a song and people want to hear it you might as well play it the way people like it."

 While many celebrities are known for taking themselves far too seriously, the former Cold Chisel front man recently showed off a less-than-athletic side when he appeared on a segment of popular Channel Nine programme The Footy Show.

 Barnes was put through his paces by Kiwi's captain Benji Marshall, and admits a career in the NRL isn't an option.

 "I've never kicked a footy in my life, you know, I'm a soccer player, I'm a Scotsman," he said laughing.

"I did get embarrassed watching myself play football. I was okay while I was doing it but when I watched it back I was like 'oh my god what an idiot'."

 Barnes, who says he loves coming to New Zealand, where some of his best friends live, has another New Zealand connection.

 One of his five children, Eliza-Jane is currently touring with Kiwi musician Liam Finn, son of Crowded House singer Neil Finn.

 Barnes, who knows the Finns well, says the trans-Tasman rock and roll royalty progeny have been friends since childhood.

"Our kids grew up together and you know, they kept crossing paths and they were friends all the way through life. It's really great that they connected as adults and are making music together.

 "They're both very talented, I think Liam's a very clever boy and you know, really good at what he does and takes risks and all that sort of stuff and I'm really proud of them."

 As the next generation of musicians begins to stamp their mark, Barnes says the secret to his ongoing success is simple: "I love music, that's all."

And his legions of fans on both sides of the Tasman love him for it.

- © Fairfax NZ News