Chapter 4 part 3 - California Dreaming |
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| After the country influenced sounds of Seed of Memory Terry had a yearning to return to a more hard rock orientated style of music. To that end he assembled a new band comprising Lee Miles on bass Doug Rodríguez on guitar and John Siomos on drums and percussion. John had previously been best known for his work with Peter Frampton on the immensely successful Frampton Comes Alive. The band rehearsed and played over a two-year period until Terry was ready to take them into studio to record his next album, Rogue Waves. The album was recorded at the Beach Boys Brother Studios in Santa Monica, the studio that they had set up in 67 and in which they recorded smiley smile. After only two days of rehearsal, they had planned longer but the producer, Chris Kimsey, was anxious to get them in the studio before their playing got stale. Terry was particularly keen on using the Beach boys studio as it was quiet with just one studio not a lot of people around and few distractions. The whole process a complete change from the protracted sessions undertaken for River the memory of which was maybe at the back of Terry's mind. | |
| On first listening you might be forgiven for thinking that the album was a result of the usual umpteen takes per track Not so, virtually all of the songs were recorded live apart from some of the backup vocals and a small part of the guitar work. The assistant engineer Alex Vertikoff had his work cut out but Terry recalls he rose to the occasion, producing a polished album that nonetheless keeps the vibrant sound of a live recording. Terry was pleased with the resulting recordings, rough edges and all, remarking at the time that the album was produced with ordinary people in mind listening on car radios and home stereos not $12,000 systems. There are five new songs from Terry and four reworkings of classic tunes. Two of them Terry’s take on well-known Phil Spector songs and, in the opening bars, an almost unrecognisable version of the Everly's ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’. Considering that Terry was still in his beach house with the sound of the mighty Pacific Ocean ever in the background the choice of title for the album, rogue waves is no great surprise. The term rogue waves refers to the huge unpredictable and dangerous waves created when opposing ocean currents are pushed together by storms. |  |
Transferring the metaphor to human relationships, makes it an appropriate title for an album brimful of ballads that reflect the stormy waters frequently whipped up as people fall in and out of love. Oh and for the guitar fans amongst you the axe that Terry is so dramatically wielding on the album cover was a customised 61 Les Paul with a host of modifications to suit Terry’s playing style. Although one of the least referred to of his albums, Rogue Waves has on it some of my favourite Terry songs particularly the lush and emotionally powerful title ballad. Being underwritten by the venerable record label Capitol you'd think it was in a safe pair of hands but fate was about to take on another unpleasant turn for Terry. With the album ready Terry undertook a small amount of obligatory touring and promotion including a long overdue return to England and a gig at the Venue in London. The album had barely got out of the pressing plant, or as Terry puts it, not so much released, as escaped before Capitol got into difficulties (sound familiar). After not getting much information from phone calls Terry recalls going to Capitol Records in person to find himself standing outside the headquarters building reading the legal notices. |
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