-- How you been doing since April? JS: great, thanks -- How have you been doing lately? JS: Been busy, in fact, I'm going to the UK from the day after tomorrow, so I was packing. -- Work related? JS: No, my mom is almost 70, but won't go get checked at hospital. There's some signs to be checked, but she is refusing to go... so I have to kick her butt to tell her GO TO HOSPITAL... Actually I wanted to have her here in LA, but she doesnn't want to travel, so I decided to go over there.

-- She'll be happy and appreciate it. By the way, You were playing as THIN LIZZY with Joe Satriani and DEEP PURPLE after the Japan tour? How long did it last? JS: It was 6 weeks. We've gone out on tour together in the past, and stopped, then started again. -- Was it fun? JS: Yeah, I myself enjoyed it. Specially meeting with Joe Satriani was good. -- Didn't you guys know each other? JS: No, it was the first time. But he's a really good person and plays amazing guitar. I enjoyed watching him play. Not just him but the entire tour was run by great staff. -- What do you think about the current DEEP PURPLE line-up? JS: Not bad. There's only one Jon Lord, and it's hard to replace him, but if one has to be chosen, there's nobody better than Don Airey. Personally, I liked his playing so I have no reason to disagree. He seemed very happy being a member of DEEP PURPLE.

-- Well, then, first, I heard that during the tour, you were recording, but at that time I didn't hear any details. Was there anything fixed during the show? Or did you decide to release it after you got home and had checked the sound? JS: Yes, later, once I got home; it all sounded so great and the material was good, so I decided to release it. -- Did you intend to release live album to record, or you just wanted to record to see? JS: I wanted to leave some sort of "RECORD" like a live album or other form. But the full-scale story came in just a week before the departure, so we just brought the equipment and recorded and talked about it to the members. So it is not a very well planned album, but there's great material, so we decided to release it. you like it this way don't you? -- Did you record the entire Japan tour? JS: Yes, everything. But at somewhere in the album, I might be screaming "TOKYO" so it is "BEST OF LIVE IN JAPAN" :) But that way, we can put all the best stuff on it. -- You took the material back and mixed it at home? JS: Yes, with Mark Nielsen. We finished most of it, then we went on tour with DEEP PURPLE. After returning from tour, we did the mastering. Mixing itself is easy with ProTools these days.

--You deleted "Cautionary Warning" "Billy" "She Knows" "Defcon 1", any particular reason for that? JS: We had a length limit to put on 1 CD, also we wanted to make the entire album exciting, so we re-ordered things this way. We wanted to keep a good vibe. We wanted to go non-stop live. It was the same at the gigs, I felt great playing WHITESNAKE songs, so I wanted to keep all of them in. WHITESNAKE songs are still very popular. Also Japanese staff told me before, for the next tour, please play songs never played before, so I followed the advice. -- Tour was credited as BLUE MURDER, but album is JOHN SYKES... JS: Yeah, the tour shouldn't have been done as BLUE MURDER, because all the songs were the best of John Sykes's career. But well, there was a bit of confusion at first, and it was announced as BLUE MURDER, I had to deal with it. If you hear anyone around, nobody would say that was BLUE MURDER but...(bitter smile) because BLUE MURDER is a trio of me, Tony and Carmine. Honestly, when I first heard about a Japan tour, I was very surprised, but when I heard that it is credited as BLUE MURDER, I was surprised even more. It was my manager.... well, but we don't lose the groove for the performance, but actually I felt stronger that I have to play a JOHN SYKES's real performance.

-- Regardless of credit, everybody was so happy to see you play again. JS: Thank you. I think of the Japan tour as very positive too. Having so many years of blank time, many fans would imagine many things, feel insecure. So I felt it was important to appear and play. -- This is my feeling after seeing the tour. You are the greatest songwriter, and left many great songs which will be listened to forever. This fact can't be changed. JS: I'm happy to hear that. By fixing the setlist myself, I'm proud to see such great songs there. So this live album is to generalize my career, and is a very positive release. I also got a lot of power from the Japanese audience. Everything made me positive.

-- I hear you will soon start to record a new studio album to follow NUCLEAR COWBOY. JS: Well, actually, I haven't done nothing yet. Until the other day, I was mixing and mastering BAD BOY LIVE. I am in the preparation stage. As always, I have many ideas for songs, and have to select them before I can get started. I am excited for the studio album now. -- 4 years... been quite long. JS: Honestly speaking, I had many disillusions, I didn't feel like doing recording at all and wanted to focus on the tour. I wanted to get out from the studio environment. To make a studio album, you put everything into it, you get very tired in mind and body. And many things were going on then. And after the album was done, released, the timing and deployment was not right. It was destiny. I just needed to refresh/recharge. So I wanted to go on tour to enjoy life a bit. And after a while, I will feel like going back to the studio... and that is NOW, probably. This year was a good year, including a great Japan tour, THIN LIZZY was fulfilling, the ideas I have in mind, everything is positive. And having such a feeling, it will give a positive effect to the performance as well. So the next album will be very aggresive/powerful.

-- well NUCLEAR COWBOY is a very interesting album, by seeing a new side to John Sykes... JS: Yes indeed. There's a lot of magic in the album. But when it was released, nobody really cared, they were just surprised. An artist sometime has to go off the rails...Like Brian Wilson(BEACH BOYS) went off the rails, and then created a great album "PET SOUNDS" so doing the same old everyday thing I will not be called an artist. If I'm doing that, I get frustrated and get bored, then the listener will leave soon. I may fail, but just need to re-start. Sometimes, the best gain is to lose. I wouldn't say it is false that if you have a hard time, then you can see some light in the future, spiritually.

-- What about ideas you have now? JS: Not clear ideas, but it will be guaranteed FRESH. To compare with NUCLEAR COWBOY, it will be more of a ROCK sound and guitar-featured band album. -- Other members? JS: None fixed, but first candidate for drummer is Michael Lee. Actually when I go back to UK, I'll ask him to return to LA after 2 weeks. I'll snatch him... if he decides to come, I'll start recording then. -- Bass player? JS: Not sure, Marco is great, but he's a busy guy... so someone new may be a good idea. Actually for recording, I can play bass, so I have time to decide until the final production. It may be better to decide which type of player I want after some basic tracks are done. -- Recording will be done at your home studio? JS: Yeah, I am most comfortable with it. --How about a producer? JS: I'll start myself, but for final production, I am not sure. This too has to be decided after some basic tracks are done. Well, actually I want to hire best producer, but good producers are always very expensive... that's life. and my recording style is before songs complete, I will proceed recording, so there won't be a producer to stay with me for a long time... since nobody knows when it will finish. If I'm rich and can keep a producer for months, it'll be nice. And how much the label will support.... really depends on the whole element. --so if all goes well, you can start before Christmas. JS: Depends on Michael, but I hope to. Christmas is nothing but to take care of the kids, I'd rather keep working ;)

-- Are the kids doing fine? JS: Yes thank you. Jonny (younger son 2nd) has become a really good drummer now. His rhythm is good, and he has a good sense of drumming. Not playing in the band yet, but I think he'll do good. -- Other 2 kids also play music? JS: No the others are playing sports. Younger one has brown belt on Kung Fu. and older playing quarter back at football and he was MVP this year! --I think Jamie(oldest) looks like you? JS: and he plays sports, looks like his father, girls don't let him go.

-- That's nice to see his future. Back to the topic. You already have a THIN LIZZY tour? JS: Starting at the end of January, to play in Europe for 50+ or so tours. There's best album so to follow up, is this tour's purpose. Of course, not only THIN LIZZY and I have to keep up with my solo tour... -- By doing THIN LIZZY tour over and over, you sound more and more like Phil.. I felt so during the Japan tour. JS: Indeed, I feel the same myself. The other day, I was riding in a friend's car, and radio was playing THIN LIZZY and I thought it was Phil singing, and was happy, but it was me... fooling myself by my own voice is pretty cool. --Recently, there seems recognition again for THIN LIZZY. Many bands including DARKNESS also sounds/feels like a British element through THIN LIZZY... JS: True, Darkness is... I think Phil's music is forever. No other reasons can be thought. Actually, in the past 10 years or so, many music were crap which made some change by the listener/player. I hear that good music will go on over the time, but infact, Phil's music is getting more and more matured as time goes by. More you listen better you feel it. --Any pressure as his successor in THIN LIZZY? JS: No, not at all. My Feelings towards Phil is like a blood relationship, and it will not bring any pressure. I still think I can sing and play guitar, but then I never want to be or to become Phil. I'll do my best, of course I feel a responsibility.

-- How about your own songs? JS: again, I'll have to do my best. As an artist, not all released songs are perfect. As long as an idea pops up, taking a different approach and doing your best at the time is the most important thing. Listen to Piccaso, he'll tell you "Oh, I wanted to add few more lines to that drawing", musicians are the same. --What do you think about DARKNESS? JS: Haven't listened to the album yet, but a few songs. Sounded like QUEEN or 70's style, and it wasn't bad at all. On the next album, I hear they'll work together with Robert John "Mutt" Lange(producer), but if that is true, they'll make a big hit. well it'll sound like DEF LEPPARD. --Thanks for all today. Looking forward to your new album release. JS: Thank you. Please tell all the Japanese fans, thank you for coming to the tour in April. I had a very good positive stimulus.

YG: It's been a while since last interview after the "NUCLEAR COWBOY", could you please tell us what have you been doing until this visit to Japan in April 2004? JS: I think I've been very busy doing many things (bitter smile) including touring with THIN LIZZY. But I haven't been into the studio. I needed to recharge the batteries. But because of that, I am fully recharged spiritually and ready for it. Got quite a few songs too, but haven't started to record yet. I'm gonna be starting soon and hope to release by next year(2005).

YG: We'll hear details about the new live album later, but please tell me why you stopped activities after "NUCLEAR COWBOY"? JS: After "NUCLEAR COWBOY", I was perplexed. Had many family things going on, I'd got divorced .... And musically, nobody knew how to handle "NUCLEAR COWBOY". Everyone wanted a standard rock album, but I've done technological, different style, so many might have been confused....it was different from what was expected. After a while, many seemed to like it. so Yes, this album is not to get excited about by listening to it just once or twice. You've Gotta listen a lot to get into it. Anyway, everything was so negative after the release, so I just wanted to take a break. YG: So that's why no albums were done after 2000? JS: Yeah, I didn't feel like recording at all. But I feel released from that since about a year ago.

YG: In the meantime, it was rumoured that you were going to re-join WHITESNAKE. JS: Indeed, David (Coverdale) rang, so we spoke twice. But it wasn't good timing. With regarding to THAT, he and I have different approachs. I'm always open to discuss, but.. If there's a good contract, and if I can do well with him, then it could be ok. I'm ready to talk, but it must be an equal partnership, equal friendship, I won't join as a support member.

YG: I'm still believing in the possibility that this will become true. By the way, the April 2004 visit to Japan was very sudden, but why at this time? JS: Timing? Don't know, but my manager at the time contacted me and said "wanna gig in Japan?" and I had no problem with it. But after the booking it was billed as BLUE MURDER and for me BLUE MURDER is Tony and Carmine. So the live credit should be SYKES. In fact, the setlist was based on my career's collection, right? Anyway, I think everyone had a great time with us. YG: So the live album "BAD BOY LIVE" got released(2004/12/29), was recording planned at the time of booking? JS: No, after the booking was done, I discussed it with the tour manager. I just got Pro Tools that I can take with me to Japan, and just recorded the gig and it was good, excellent, so we decided to talk seriously. I am very happy with the outcome. The band's performance is perfect.

YG: To get the perfect performance, I heard you rehearsed carefully. JS: Yes. Everyone did very serious rehearsals for the perfect performance. We didn't want to just play for the groove. I wanted the audience to hear our best performance, so we decided on a lot of rehearsals, but even before that I did a lot of practice at home. I don't usually do much of this but this tour was very important, and I haven't been there for quite sometime, so it was very important to get things done right. YG: Marco, Tommy, Derek were the strong members, have you done any gigs with them in the past? JS: As you know, we played a lot with Marco and Tommy, but with Derek it was the first time. But we had no problems with it. I really like him. He's got a good personality, loves music and we've got a great chemistry. To show that respect to him, I played on his solo CD MYTHOLOGY/2004. YG: We can feel that chemistry in the "BAD BOY LIVE". By the music, sound, everything fits. JS: Indeed, everything went well. Members, staff, everything went well.

YG: Specially, I felt force in the sound felt atmosphere of the 70's. JS: Cool, I'm glad to hear that. But you know, Japanese fans are also great. They always ROCK me. There was a great vibe. I think it influenced the album quite a bit as well. YG: Songs including "Please Don't Leave Me", THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, SYKES all of your career is in there. Wasn't there any concerns about that? JS: Well, in the past, I was just looking ahead, and wanted to concentrate on the project, so didn't really care about WHITESNAKE songs especially, but I felt that I wanted to play "Bad Boys", "Crying In The Rain" and other well known songs in front of a Japanese audience. I thought they'd enjoy it, and in fact, it happened that way. and ...gotta say this once again, the audience was great. For example, I could tell when I started to play "Bad Boys", everyone's face changed brilliantly. Everyone was surprised and really enjoyed it. I get a lot of such power/feeling/grooves from them.

YG: You've released "SCREAMING BLUE MURDER" in 1994, how do you compare this CD with that one? JS: That album was very good. There's a cool vibe. Tommy O'Steen playing "Billy" included... But I didn't want to play the same songs, didn't want to make the same live album, which was another big point I wanted to push. "BAD BOY LIVE" is my career's best collection.

YG: A career's collection live album, and best album, indeed. well, you told me there's already songs for new albums.... when you came to Japan, I heard some rumor that a few of them already been recorded...? JS: Not to let others listen.... just ideas are put down as demos. Very basic stage at moment. But it will definitely be existing and a very interesting album once finished. I need to take more time to finish it though. But I've been too busy this year. THIN LIZZY, BLUE MURDER SYKES tour preps. so didn't have time to go into the studio. I'll try to give a higher priority to studio work in 2005 after the THIN LIZZY tour ends in March. It'll be recording all the way.

YG: "OUT OF MY TREE"1995 was a British sound, "LOVELAND"1997 was Ballads, "NUCLEAR COWBOY" was fusion with technology, so each album had a different theme to it. Is there anything particular about the next album? JS: Clever riffs and cool melody, great rock... I gotta play real hard next up since I've got a lot of energy. Been away for about 2 years from studio, but I feel good now, and it is a good time, I'm enjoying an exciting life. Once I get such a feeling, I can promise, there'll be a great output. I really needed to recharge myself. Now I am expecting an exciting great new album and a good future. I'll be back! YG: Message for fans? JS: Thank you for waiting whilst I couldn't go. I wasn't able to return to Japan without you. I dedicate this live album to every one of you.

John Sykes: Screaming Blue Murder (interview first published in BreakOut - German Hard Rock magazine, June 1989 (C)BreakOut 1989)

Intro: When a musician has been a member of one of the most successful bands of our time, is forced to leave it, and then start all over again with his own group, it would be reasonable to expect that he wouldn't be in the best of moods. When this person is denounced as particularly arrogant and difficult, the task of interviewing him does not seem a very attractive one. To my surprise, I discovered that John James Sykes, currently promoting his Blue Murder project in Los Angeles, is a very honest and friendly conversation partner. No trace of arrogance whatsoever. Even from this distance you can sense how satisfied he is with his career thus far, and with the way things are developing for his new band. The many knock-backs he's suffered haven't made him bitter. Quite the opposite... John Sykes - the name rings a bell with every hard rock fan. He became famous when he recorded Whitesnake's multi-platinum 1987 album with David Coverdale. Despite his young years, this blond angel of rock was already a veteran of the scene. Even during the NWOBHM Sykes was part of the Tygers of Pan Tang, a sadly underrated band who nevertheless made 2 classic NWOBHM albums in Spellbound and Crazy Nights. John's guitar-playing reinvigorated the virtually extinguished Thin Lizzy flame, although even he couldn't quite prevent the demise of that band. Most recently he rescued Whitesnake - another band at the time struggling for its life. That 1987 was such an amazing success is due in no small measure to Sykes. But Coverdale - like the uncharitable person he is - gave him the boot. Some time later, Blue Murder appeared. The question needs to be asked why John had to start his own band instead of throwing in his lot with someone else.

[I love this interview: it shows us a John Sykes full of swagger and, quite rightly, very self-confident - his reputation as the man to give ailing bands a shot in the arm was growing apace. More than that, it fills in a few biographical details, and tells us more about the reason John quit Tygers of Pan Tang, John's unsuccessful audition for Ozzy Osbourne (something Ozzy later regretted, so I have read elsewhere), and so on. Read it for yourself…]

Never have I met anybody in this business with as much energy and enthusiasm as guitarist John Sykes, currently in the employ of Whitesnake. His aims appear to be totally in focus, and he's a professional to his fingertips. During our interview, he talked nineteen to the dozen, putting recent Kerrang! Interviewee Francis Rossi in the shade when it comes to a good natter. Our story begins with a 14-year old Sykes in Ibiza, where his father and uncle owned a discotheque. The uncle was into Eric Clapton and John Mayall and not against showing off his talents to the impressionable Sykes, who swears he's never experienced anything akin to the feeling he got the day the aforementioned uncle picked up and electric guitar to show him what it was all about. With his mind severely blown, he set about practising old blues tunes for the next two years - on a nylon strung guitar. "It was so good, I just wanted to do it. It's like screwing!" After a period of three years, the Sykes family left the sunny climes of Ibiza and returned to England. John then spent two years on the dole in Reading, after which he moved to Blackpool where his parents now live. "I was going out with this girl, and I gave up the guitar completely for a year and a half." A phone call from a mate soon put an end to all the hanky panky; Sykes joined his friend's band and ditched the lady in question. The mate, it turns out, was Mervyn Goldsworthy who was, until recently, the bass player with Diamond Head. Now, of course, he's with Samson, but that's by the by. John's mind was blown still further when he caught Colosseum II, featuring the errant Gary Moore. "I started to take things a bit more seriously then, and I started playing in the clubs around Blackpool with the group I'd joined." [Streetfighter] A change of scene was soon called for and the next step in his career came when he landed himself a job with the Tygers of Pan Tang. "They picked me out of 120 guitarists," he says with a hint of pride. "What happened with the Tygers was that I was getting fed up with them. Everything was a five-way split, yet I was doing most of the work and not getting the credit I should have done. They didn't wanna listen to what I had to say - I told 'em to get rid of the manager…they lacked dedication and they lacked style. They weren't the sort of people who'd work every night, and I don't believe you get anything out of this life unless you put something into it." John Sykes' next job was nearly with Ozzy but, as fate would have it, this wasn't to be… "I went over to Ireland to do a single with Phil Lynott after I'd split with the Tygers, and Phil asked me to join Thin Lizzy. Well, three days before I left for Ireland, Ozzy called and said: 'come down for an audition'. He said he'd meet me at six o'clock and he didn't turn up till about nine. He fell in the door rat-arsed which is Ozzy, I mean I had to smile. He stumbled down the stairs and told Magnum, who were the backing band for the audition, to play 'Mr Crowley'. There was no gear waiting for me at all." Much effing and blinding ensued, more blinding than effing in Ozzy's case. "He seemed to think I should have brought me gear down, and I thought the least they could have done would have been to get the gear after all the fuckin' about that had gone on in the past. I ended up going through an H/H 2x12 amp and it sounded pretty horrendous. I was playing with a band that didn't know any of his songs, and I'm trying to coach them, and Ozzy's standing there singing all out of tune…he was well out of it, it was quite funny. He said: 'I can't tell whether he's any good. We'll have to take him to America'. Then he said: 'When you've finished your single with Phil, give us a ring and we'll fly you over'. After that, and with Phil asking me to join Lizzy, I thought NO WAY! "Actually, we had some pretty wild times in Lizzy," gleams John, at the same time stroking his nose. "Phil is really easy-going, so long as you're doin' your gig and not getting involved in anything stupid, like jacking up or what have you. I don't know why Phil keeps getting all these slaggings. I think it's terrible when you consider all these years he's spent putting music in the charts, and the good he's done for music…" Although Sykes was obviously disappointed when Lizzy split up, he knew soon after he joined what was likely to happen. It's a situation he now views philosophically. "I couldn't believe it at the time but, thinking about it, Scott had been in the band 10 years so he obviously had things to do on his own after all that time. They'd been together for such a long while, and been through such a lot, they were tired. What I said didn't really make any difference at all because I just the new guitarist." Sykes' gig with Lizzy lasted a year and a half. "Everybody just went home, nobody said a word. Brian (Downey), Phil and myself were going to get a new thing together and start afresh, not call it Lizzy. I knew Phil could still deliver the goods despite what people are saying now… "Then he started working with other people, and he had a few things to sort out, so this (Whitesnake) just seemed the best thing to do. I turned this job down once, a couple of months ago, but we ironed a few things out." Whether Sykes will stay the course in Whitesnake is a matter for concern; not for him you understand, just other people. "I'm not the sort of person who can say: 'Next year I'm gonna do this', because I don't know what the fuck I'm gonna be doing. I live my life literally day by day, things just seem to happen, take their course." He displays equal cool when I ask him if he enjoys the life of a popstar? "It's a big joke, I like to get away from all that and try and live a normal life. I'm happy so long as I know I've got a gig, and that I can play what I wanna play, though I know what I'm worth to Whitesnake. I think I'll give Whitesnake a kick up the arse. It'll be new blood and everybody will be pushing a lot harder. It's no use them saying to me: 'Look, John, you're overdoing it', because that's the way I am. I said: 'If you want somebody who's gonna do less, then get somebody who's gonna play less and can perform less…I think that Whitesnake realise I injected a lot into Lizzy, and I hope I can do the same for them." The conversation then turns to the hardcore facts concerning John's equipment (DOWN GIRLS!). His main guitar, he informs me, is a black 1977 Gibson Les Paul Custom sporting a mirror scratchplate. "I've removed the pick-up covers", he says, having obviously realised some time ago that this would increase the response of his guitar. His other instrument is a red 1962 Fiesta Fender Stratocaster which he's had resprayed. Amps are… "…Marshall 100's but, to be honest, I haven't got any now, so I'm gonna be buying some new stuff - Marshalls!" Lucky old Jim Marshall, that's what I say. "As far as effects go, I used a Boss Chorus with Lizzy, but Neil (Murray) is complaining because he says it's too noisy. I've got a Yamaha echo too, but I may be getting some new effects. I had a Roland Analogue Chorus Echo as well but that was noisy; I'm trying to cut down on the hiss." When was the last time you saw a guitarist who impressed you? "The last time I saw a good guitar player was when I looked in the mirror!"

We're here for Reading's favourite rocking son, who feels that the time is finally ripe for him. He's screaming 'Blue Murder' at the top of his voice, announcing the delayed arrival of his long-awaited project. Everybody has long recognised the prodigious talent of sex-symbol Sykes, how his punishingly heavy yet beautifully soulful guitar playing has added so much to every project he's been involved in, from the Tygers Of Pan Tang, through to the resurrection of Thin Lizzy and on to a rejuvenation of Whitesnake. It's got to be more than mere coincidence that every time Sykes has gotten himself involved in a project, then things have taken a distinctly upward swing. Face it, the guy has it all. It's only been surprising to me that it's taken Sykes until now to put himself at the head of his own ball game, to make himself the focus of the attention, and to reap the full rewards for his own talent. And more surprising than anything is the fact that Blue Murder might never have been bom at all were it not for some sickening skullduggery from one of the biggest names in rock. Yeah, of course we're talking Whitesnake... and David Coverdale in particular. When I broach the subject with Sykes, I'm hesitant, because I don't recall having read any explanation of his sudden departure from the ranks. I needn't have worried. Sykes is brutally frank and forthright when I ask about his departure. "I was fired from Whitesnake," he states, matter-of-factly. "And that was a bit of a blow for me. I was devastated, because the '1987' album took two years to make, I worked really hard on it and I wanted to see the project through. "David had had problems with his throat as everybody knows and I'd stuck with him through all that, even when my wages had stopped because the money had run out, and I was relying on the goodwill of a girlfriend in LA to survive. "All the time I'd been working with him he'd seemed like a nice enough character, but the minute I'd played the last note on the record I was fired. It was like taking my baby away from me! I wasn't even told that I'd been sacked. I just knew because Coverdale wouldn't either take or return my calls. "In the end I had to talk to John Kalodner at Geffen, the record company, and ask him if I was out of the band or not. He said that he wasn't sure but he thought that was what the situation was. And that was that! Eventually I met up with Coverdale again, and we had a nasty old row over the whole business. He blamed the record company for it, but he flatly refused to go up there with me and have it out with them. "I don't think that the story holds water anyway because he sacked everybody, not just me! A record company doesn't have the power to do that. I think it was the greed factor more than anything else, he just wanted to keep all the money. His fans are so loyal to him that it probably hasn't made any difference to them, but he's not done himself any favours as a human being. "Now he's got Steve Vai in, and I really can't see it working because David's thing is Blues-based and Steve Vai is far more of a technical player. "I'm glad I'm out of it all, because I feel much better about myself through Blue Murder. I've achieved a lot more as a human being with this project, and being sacked from Whitesnake was the kick in the arse I needed to do what I really wanted to do, to take the responsibility for everything. "What I learnt is that you can't trust anyone you work for, you have to be your own boss."

And being his own boss has allowed Sykes to throw caution to the wind, to stretch out and really make the album that he wanted to make. If you thought that John Sykes was the friggin' business in the past, hell yeah, you'd better get your hands on a copy of 'Blue Murder' pronto! Believe it, suckers, this album is for very serious rock music lovers, an album that will grow with you and keep giving you more and more. Instant? Maybe not, but the best things in life never are! John himself is obviously well happy with what he's created, but there's certainly a side of him that comes across in our conversation that needs outside approval of his project. That's only natural, and I think it's particularly endearing when the man sounds genuinely grateful when I tell him how much I dig his album. This is the man who is supposed to have such a fearsome ego? Well, all I can say is that it doesn't seem that way to me! Sykes has a placid, friendly tone that in some ways betrays a certain shyness, a man who eschews all the bogus rock star bullshit for sheer quality. It's an ethos that seems to be returning to rock 'n' roll with bands such as Blue Murder, Badlands and the Cult. I reckon rock's entering a healthy, exciting new era, where - as the Cult's Billy Duffy claims: "It's songs and playing that matter, not haircuts!" Or as John Sykes puts it: "I want to show that there's a lot more to rock than leather-studded cod-pieces. What I've tried to capture on the record is a really heavy funky groove with that 120 beats per minute, relaxed tempo that gets people moving. If you can get the groove that gets people moving then you are halfway there. "I drew from absolutely everything that I've ever done musically to make this record. I wanted the freedom to experiment with the songs, to do something that entailed more than the usual 'verse/chorus/ verse/chorus/bridge/solo/ chorus/outro' kind of thing. I didn't want to follow the usual boring route, because I've become so tired of the usual mundane crap that's around these days. "A lot of people simply want to put a bit of make-up on and think that's all that matters. There's a serious lack of real players in rock 'n' roll, a lot of poeple don't even want to play, to really stretch out. Maybe they think that the audiences don't have the ears for something a little more demanding, but I think that's underestimating the paying public. It's them who we are all accountable to, and I think we have a duty to be the most creative that we possibly can be.

"When I was younger there were all these masterful bands around, real professionals like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Bad Company, Free, the list is endless! It's a dreadful shame, but there's absolutely nothing out there any more. It's bad in the States, but it's even worse in Britain. "There's a lack of exposure in the UK for rock bands because anything that has even a slightly distorted guitar sound won't be played on the radio. There's probably loads of untapped talent in Britain that will never get any further than the bottom of a file of tapes on some A&R man's desk!" Which is presumably part of the reason why you're now based in the States? "Well, it did have something to do with it at first," John concedes. "It was a real education to come over here and be able to listen to American radio. "When I first got here in '84 it was incredible. First of all the sounds were unbelievable because all the radio is in stereo over here and then there was all this great music blasting out. Prince and Billy Idol and the like. Now it's drying up a lot because there just isn't that much great stuff out there any more. People are bored with all that formularised rock so they are going back to playing the old classics. "In a way though, it's a good thing because the need to write to a formula, to write the hit single, isn't as great any more. "It really suits the purposes of Blue Murder, because I don't go for hit singles. I just write what I write. I've always opted for the heavier route because, purely and simply, it's what I believe in. If your heart's not in something then there's no way that you're going to play it right! "Even if this record doesn't sell at all, it will still mean a lot to me, I'll still be very proud of it. I've proved a lot to myself, that I can handle responsibility and a demanding workload."

Demanding it is indeed, for not only is Sykes handling all the guitar licks, but he's also stepped up to the lead nuke for the first time in his career. How John came to be taking on that extra burden is an interesting saga. "I really didn't want to sing at all," he confesses with refreshing honesty. "But at the end of the day I just couldn't find anyone who was able to do all the songs justice. It was a nerve- wracking time, because we were auditioning, and that's expensive when you have no money coming in. We went through about 60 singers and we couldn't find the right one. "I got really cranky for a few weeks because I could see what was coming. I just knew that I'd have to do it myself in the end. I thought that if it came to that, I'd just give it everything I had and see what happened."

And it don't sound half bad either. Sykes has a pleasant, resonant quality in his voice that ignores histrionics and goes for soul and passion - just the way it should be. Take a coupla listens to the epic grandeur of 'Valley Of The Kings' or the superb 'Led Zep II' sound of 'Jelly Roll' and you'll realise that the vocals certainly don't detract from the band in any way. "I really didn't realise I had it in me," he assures me. "But after listening to the demos and getting used to the sound of my voice, I reached the conclusion that it actually didn't sound that bad! "Nobody screwed their faces up when I played stuff to them, and after I got my confidence up, it got easier as I went along!" And being given the mandate of approval from his talented musical compadres bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice, surely must have helped. "Of course it did," confirms Sykes, "and I really am the happiest I've ever been in a group situation! "The thing about Tony and Carmine is that they're great people to be with. I get along fine with both of them. "That's the beauty of a three-piece band. It's really easy to keep an eye on what's happening personally. In a five-piece there's always the business of two on one side and three on the other, but because we're a three-piece we don't have the usual backstabbing. "I mean, Lizzy was great but there was always somebody bitching and complaining! "It's an unbelievable turn-on for me to be with these guys. It's such a great foundation. I never realised what a great drummer Carmine is until I actually played with him. He has the great Bonham feel, with that lazy snare, but he has all these intricate jazz feels and fills underneath that. He plays this heavy funk really well. "And Tony? Well, he's been playing since he was three, and he really can play anything -piano, clarinet, brass, you name it! Using the fretless bass the sound he gets is totally original, and it really helps to fill the sounds out, he fills all the gapsl It's just great!" And old Sykes certainly sounds happy as the proverbial sandboy! So what happened to Cozy Powell, who was involved in the Blue Murder project way before he was doing either Gary Moore or Black Sabbath? "I think Cozy just got fed up waiting around while we were auditioning singers, and in some ways I don't blame him, because things did get very stagnant when we couldn't find the right voice. "We're still mates and he is the greatest solid, heavy rock drummer. I never thought I'd be able to replace him, but I guess I reckoned without Carmine!" And John is very excited about the live possibilities for the new band. He realises that things will be visually restrictive with a mere three band members onstage, but he has contingency plans already thought up. "Yeah, I know I have a lot of work on my plate live, and that we'll be restricted visually by my having to play and sing. I really love to turn it up and run around too, but I refuse to have one of those piddly wireless headset things, because that is not rock 'n' roll! "So we're approaching this as a kinda Cream-style band, where the songs themselves will simply be the starting point, and then we can really stretch out and go into a jam, let off some steam! We have the ability in the band, so we can incorporate a bit of everything into the show. "I think a lot of people are worried about whether the audience will have the ears for it but, again, I don't think that attitude is giving the listener anywhere near enough credit! People really got into Cream when they were around, so why shouldn't people do the same thing nowadays? "The standard of most releases these days is a real insult to the purchaser. When we rehearse we always head off into jam sessions just to keep us on our toes and I think we got just about the right balance on the album. "I get really excited listening to stuff like 'Jelly Roll', even now. There are so many textures in that song, what with the acoustic section and the way it breaks out into the real melodic piece. It's a bit different to the norm, and that's the way I like it! "In fact, I think that track might be the first single, because it's more along the lines of the older rock single-choice, and I kinda like that. "We've also just finished a video for 'Valley Of The Kings' so I think that will also be a single at some point." Again, not the most obvious choice for a single, what with its highly grandiose, epic tones that remind me of 'Rising'-era Rainbow more than anything else. But this kind of diversity is exactly what the appeal of Blue Murder is. From the heartfelt balladeering of 'Out Of Love', through the funky, sassy opening thrills of 'Riot', this really is the most exciting stuff! It pleases me more than you can imagine to see that at long last rock music is emerging from its theatrical netherworld into an altogether brighter place where heavy duty music isn't necessarily accompanied by some ridiculous Barnum & Bailey numbskull posturing. It is time to hold our heads up high and scream out that rock music is back and blazing. Sykes feels it too: "I've learnt such a lot through this project it's amazing," he states. "Whenever I've written before it's been a collaboration with loads of other people, but now that I have full control of the reins there are no borders. I can take the music any way I please. I know that people are gonna like it!" But of course being captain of your own ship means that it is you and you alone who shoulders the responsibility. "Sure, there are no excuses! I now have a busy day every day. In Whitesnake all I had to worry about was getting up and going to do a gig. Now, if I'm not working on songs, or lyrics, or photo sessions, then I'm in the accountant's office. It's exhausting, but I really enjoy it! I've learnt a lot of stuff! But, as you say, there are no excuses now!"

Not that I think John Sykes is going to need any. The music's all there. It's just a question of making people aware of it now. "I want to get back to the UK to play as quickly as possible," he states without any prompting. "I want to try and pick up any fans I might have left. It's five years since I've played in the UK, and it's far too long! They'll wheel me out and people i say, 'Christ, he's got old!' "People avoid Britain, because there's not enough money there, but I don't give a f* *k about that, I'm looking forward to coming home. "Maybe I'll end up playing the Marquee, that would be great! 'To be honest, if the album sells enough for the record company to allow me to make another one, then I'll be happy!" Such false modesty from the man! If there's any justice at all, 'Blue Murder' will be right up there with the big boys, because at long last we can all say that there's something out there that gives rock a good name!

Well, it's been a long time coming, but finally RAW brings you the full story on Blue Murder, the Los Angeles-based band featuring John Sykes (guitar/vocals). Carmine Appice (drums) and Tony Franklin (bass). We've heard the tunes on the debut self-titled album, we've seen the band play, and we aren't just hoping that they'll prove to be worth all the fuss being made about them in advance - WE KNOW IT. At a time when far too many new projects are turning out to be about as exciting as a Wimpy cheeseburger. Blue Murder is caviar . . . "When people ask, I have to say that it's the 'Blue Murder sound', with elements of Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy and Blues," explains Sykes, summing up what the band has achieved, and immediately new doors open up if you're actually listening to what he's saying. So much attention has been focussed on his pivotal role in marshalling Whitesnake from a dated Blues outfit with at least half-an-hour of solos per show into a hard-assed contemporary Rock band that his prior history has been glossed over; but the fact is that Sykes and Blue Murder amount to a lot more than just a post-Whitesnake act. New album tracks like 'Valley Of The Kings' may touch on the 'Snake - imagine 'Still Of The Night' to the power of ten - but Sykes calls 'Billy his, "Sort of Thin Lizzy" track, acknowledging the substantial contribution his time with Phil Lynott made in forging the full spectrum of Blue Murder Rock.

For the sake of completeness, let's note that Sykes first serious role was with the Tygers Of Pan Tang, joining them from Streetfighter and featuring on two of their MCA albums - 'Spellbound1 and 'Crazy Nights' - back in 1981; his contribution there helped turn drab no-hopers into a very promising act, but opportunity beckoned. Here's one for the 'what if?' files - he auditioned for Ozzy. "Hell, you're going back a bit!" laughs Sykes. "Well, I had a short meeting with him and jammed, actually with him and Magnum. He was just a little bit inebriated at the time and went away to think about it, but I got offered the Lizzy gig a week later and I'd always loved their stuff - although, to be fair I loved Ozzy with Randy Rhoads too - so under the circumstances it seemed like the better thing to do. I'd met Phil (Lynott) when I called him to help out on a solo single I was doing for MCA ('Please Don't Leave Me, 1982), which he ended up co-writing with me. It didn't do shit! "I had the best music years of my life with Phil, he taught me so much - I'm dedicating the Blue Murder album to his memory. I miss him a lot, he was a great friend and a great talent, he helped me so much with my career. He was one of those blokes who'd do anything to help you if you were really serious about doing something; he'd show you anything you needed to know.

"Just prior to the end of Lizzy we did a festival in Germany with Whitesnake, and unbeknownst to me they were checking me out - Cozy Powell told me so later. I really wasn't into them back then; I thought David Coverdale was a great singer but the band was playing really dated Blues, whereas with Lizzy I could get the heavier side out. So when I was asked to join I went over and heard the 'Slide It In' LP tracks and got on well with Coverdale, but there was still this bond with Phil. Coverdale insisted though, told me to name my price, so I thought, 'Here we go - a heavier Whitesnake!'" History buffs will recall that with 11 Sykes on board there was a distinct change in 'Snake strategy. Instead of playing extended, massively dated Blues workouts in Britain, they trimmed down to fighting weight and plunged into the American market. This was something Coverdale had previously declined to deal with seriously due to the fact that the band were forced to take on an opening slot (they supported Jethro lull in the US in the early '80s, for example . Apparently, Sykes encountered opposition in urging such a blow to Coverdale's ego, but DC did eventually realise that there was no other way forward if Whitesnake were to become anything more than the house band at the Hammersmith Odeon; he swallowed his pride and subsequently saw 'Slide It In' turn American gold (500,000 copies sold through Geffen). Without Sykes Whitesnake might never have shaken off their dated approach, and might never have made the compromises necessary to open up the American market. Credit where credit is due! Given the success of 'Slide It In' the following album would be a critical one, and Sykes' key role in the band was the motivating factor behind both the relocation to America and the move to a more contemporary-sounding record - remember that all he had done on the tour was add some new life to material written and played on record by guitarists Mel Galley and Mickey Moody. It was to be a long and fateful process creating the new record ('Whitesnake'87'). "As far as the writing was concerned, David just sat back and let me throw all the music at him. It was quite a change - 'Slide It In' had been a bit heavier than previous stuff, but it sure wasn't 'Still Of The Night'! I think he was happy to have this burst of fresh energy - previously I think his best work had been on 'Burn' (the Deep Purple LP released in 1974). Singers need a good kick up the arse sometimes to get them moving, and I think it worked out really well.

"Then came the drummer auditions (Neil Murray was on bass at the time), with every kid on Sunset Boulevard coming down with his sticks before we found Aynsley Dunbar and finally started recording. Two years later . .! We got the basics down and then I ended up in hospital with strep throat, and then I had to go back to England for Phil's funeral; after that we gradually progressed until David started having throat problems. We kept on trying to get the vocals down - we went to the Bahamas, Vancouver, Hollywood, EVERYWHERE! "Finally, he had the operation (no, not that operation) and got the vocals down, and I was the only one there because I still had the solos to do. So I'm phoning him up, and every time I call he's not there; I had no idea at the time, but I was getting the cold shoulder. I guess it was a case of, 'Let him finish the album and we'll tell him he's fired when it's done!' "Mike Stone (the producer) had been fired - God knows why! - and Neil and Aynsley had been fired, without being told. I figured out I had been too, but I felt that I had to finish the album - after spending all that time and effort on it I didn't want anyone else coming in and doing the solos; that would have gutted me because I was so close. So you can imagine I was feeling pretty murderous - I confronted David later and we had a bit of a set-to; he ended up storming off. "He blamed the record company (Geffen in the US, also Blue Murder's label), said it was their decision. But he'd fired everybody, everybody he had to pay, so he could make a clean start." But what about the story already propagated, the almost reasonable-sounding one that suggests everybody was fired before Coverdale's operation because he didn't know if he'd ever sing again? Well, if that were the case Sykes wouldn't have been around to record the solos (which tend to get done last), but he was, so there goes that tale. Indeed, all the evidence suggests that Sykes' basic allegation is spot on: nobody was told that they were out of the project, face to face, they just worked it out by-a process of elimination. "He (Coverdale) never told anybody. The wages had been stopped long ago because the budget had run out, but I was still working just to finish the album. I wasn't being paid and I was turning down other gigs - and that's why I'm annoyed when he says he didn't get any loyalty."

SYKES' VOICE takes on a pained tone when detailing the dirty deeds (done dirt cheap?), and he was obviously very hurt by the way he was treated - as any normal person would be under such circumstances. Why Coverdale canned the man who opened the door to America for him is anybody's guess; equally the subject of surmise alone is whether he was stricken by conscience when it became apparent that Sykes had played fhe crucial role in creating the record which finally turned him (Coverdale) into a superstar. As soon as the topic turns to Blue Murder, however, Sykes takes on an animated attitude of barely suppressed excitement. Ironically, the gestation period of the band has been nearly as long as that of the last Whitesnake album, but in this tale the reversals are dismissed with a shrug rather than a sigh, and you know that Sykes has hit the target he's been aiming for. Blue Murder is evidently all he dreamed it might be - and for that matter all you dreamed it might be too... "Everything happens for a reason, and after such a low blow I decided I just didn't want to work for anyone else - you put so much faith in people and then they do something like that. "Tony and Carmine are such genuinely nice people to be involved with, and fine players too - it's a great reward to have them with me. I think the album sounds pretty good too (take it from yours truly, this is a mayor understatement), but I don't know what people are expecting. I didn't want to come out with a record that was a clone of the one I'd done with Whitesnake, and I think this is a heavier record; I did what felt good and felt different - I didn't want to sound like anyone else. The songs are pretty diverse, and doing vocals on them turned out to be quite awkward - the last person in the world I wanted to sing was me, but I'd sung on the demos which Geffen had signed me on, so..." But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. If you've been reading the news pages for the last year-and-a-half you'll be aware of the comings and goings in the Blue Murder camp, so let's take the time to recap. First to join was, unusually, the drummer - in the shape of Cozy Powell; Sykes had returned to his own studio in Blackpool and written a bunch of tunes before inviting the much-travelled Powell to come on board... "We'd been good friends from the Whitesnake days; I'd enjoyed playing with him, it's as simple as that." Next came Tony Franklin, formerly of The Firm, whose acquisition was born of a freak coincidence... "Someone came into my studio to do some tape copies, and we got talking. He asked me what my ideal band would be, and I happened to mention Tony - at which point, he said, 'That's funny, he's my wife's cousin!' I thought he was taking the piss and ignored it, but we kept on talking and finally it dawned on me that he wasn't joking, so I got Tony's number from him. I called him up and he came over; I played him the material and we started jamming. He really is an amazing bass player, the fretless feel he gets is astonishing. You wouldn't think Rock would sound good with a fretless bass, but the way this bloke plays... "Then we got Ray Gillen (former Black Sabbath singer, currently with Badlands) and worked with him for a couple of months. He's a really nice guy, the ideal bloke to have in a band, but we just weren't seeing eye-to-eye in terms of writing or the vocal approach. He's a great singer, but the Blue Murder material is so varied that going from track to track… my voice just seems to work better with the variety that we've got, all these different elements, but it's real difficult for someone to just slot in; they'll do a great job on a couple of numbers and then not be able to cut it at all on others. It just wasn't working with Ray, so we decided to part company." At the time, quotes from Gillen indicated that he was rather bitter about the split - the American press in particular was treated to some fairly vitriolic comments, and Sykes concedes that bad vibes were very much in the air at the time… "I worked really hard; I was literally falling out of bed and into the studio and working till I virtually dropped. I work at a hard pace because I want things to be right, so I was pushing Ray all the time. We get on great now, but back then it wasn't good; in retrospect maybe we should have jammed more, proceeded at a more relaxed pace and felt each other out instead of me trying to force him into something that was already solid and fixed." And from there the vocal auditions started, a search for a singer which lasted until Sykes finally gave up looking for the Holy Grail and took on the job himself.

But Cozy hadn't the patience - or the belief in the band? - to hang around, despite the fact that Sykes was using what he describes as a "Healthy advance" from Geffen, plus his Whitesnake writing royalties, to keep the band on retainer. "He left. Cor, what a surprise, who would have thought it?!" Sykes laughs, taking a very philosophical stance on the subject of the ever-mobile drummer. No problem. Carmine Appice was just around the corner, and once he had secured Sykes' phone number he was ready to rock. "I'd no idea how great Carmine was - I knew he'd played with Rod Stewart, and I hadn't exactly heard anything spectacular in the drumming department there. I told him I wanted a Bonham-type player, someone who'd got plenty of chops, and he said, 'I can do that'. He turned up, me, him and Tony went in and jammed and it was unbelievable. He was in right there and then!" It wasn't much longer before Blue Murder was finally ready to record, for a vocalist was located shortly after Appice joined the band. Recording was scheduled to take place at Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver with Bob Rock producing - he'd worked as one of the engineers on the last Whitesnake record, and was deemed ready to produce - and Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin was 'confirmed' as the band's voice. "He was all set to fly out, and then the day before he was due he said he didn't want to do it! So after that we were in a really awkward situation, but I decided that we had to continue with the album. We figured that there must be somebody out there, so it seemed like a good idea to start and build up the morale of the band; if you just sit there waiting, you can find yourself wondering if your career's going down the pan.

But now there is no guitar/vocal team - it's a guitar/vocal person, and Sykes has a whole new perspective to wrestle with. "Finding the bollocks to actually sing your own stuff is hard - but in the end it didn't sound as bad as I expected. It's a bit strange when you hear your own voice for the first time, though. "Obviously, if the old throat peters out I'll have to get someone in, but I'm going to give it my best shot, and I've got a couple of months to work it in. It seems to last pretty well in the studio, I can sing for a few hours before it goes, so I guess it's fairly strong. I've never had vocal training as such, I've just learned by watching Phil and Coverdale. "At first I was putting so much effort into forcing it out that I was blowing my throat, but I gradually learned that it was better to ease back - it's not the volume, it's the tone, and you have a mike to amplify what you do. I've had plenty of practice now: demoing, showing the auditioning singers what to do, recording. I should be in good shape. "I don't mind admitting that it's going to be a hell of a lot of work handling guitar and vocals onstage. But kids want to hear what they heard on the record, and I don't think it's fair to get someone else in for live work, so I'm going to be busting my arse to try and do it." Live, the band will be a basic three-piece, augmented by, "The Whitesnake thing - a side order of keyboards, just to flesh out the intros and solos", which will be provided by Nik Green, who also supplies keyboards on the album. For the body of the songs the keys will be silent, though. "I like the bollocks of the guitar," comments Sykes. In addition to performing the album material, Blue Murder also intend to revive the lost art of the jam - Sykes' continuing references to jamming with would-be band members are no red herrings. As Rock has become ever more structured and pre-planned, the ability and the will to let go has rather fallen by the wayside. But with a band so full of 'chops' Sykes can see the opportunity for a little extemporisation, and intends to utilise said 'chops' to the full. "Nobody jams these days, kids don't get the chance to see it, and I think they'll like it. The fans aren't stupid, they know when something's good. And like I said, nobody does it anymore; though, of course, there are a lot who can't do it. All these new bands are talking about being Blues-based since Whitesnake and Guns n' Roses hit, but there's no use pretending something if you don't feel it, and too many bands are just pretending. It looks to me like anybody can get a deal these days - don't you feel insulted by some of the stuff that's out there?"

AT WHICH point, Sykes goes off on his diatribe about spandex and big hair, and Suter on his about leather, tattoos and Jack Daniel's. Between us we wrote off 90 per cent of the new bands you'll hear this year, which doesn't leave very much. We can't forget two acts though, Mr. Big and Badlands, especially as the American press - in fact, the industry as a whole - is already trying to create some sort of huge competition between the trio of those two (both on Atlantic) and Blue Murder, in much the same way as the old Metallica/ Megadeth 'feud' was conjured up out of next to nothing. Sykes is having none of it, though. "They're just trying to sell some magazines, make a controversy out of nothing. The bands will speak for themselves, and there's plenty of room for everybody." True, totally true; but having heard Blue Murder I know that Badlands and Mr. Big are going to have their work cut out equalling the scorching pace that Sykes & Co. will be setting in the 'New Band Of The Year' stakes. Take my word for it, Blue Murder is going to be monstrous . . .