Recorded at Paul Ill’s Psychedelic Shack in L.A.’s Valley, the album features a first-rate band with guitarist Eric Schermerhorn (Iggy Pop, David Bowie, The The, Seal, P!nk) alongside bassist Paul Ill and drummer David Goodstein, Linda Perry’s go-to rhythm section. “We cut it in 10 days, largely live in one room,” says Des Barres, who co-produced alongside engineer Chris Wonzer.
Des Barres’ love letter to the ’70s and his own entry into the rock ’n’ roll circus includes, in addition to the aforementioned Velvet Underground track, stateside classics like Iggy and the Stooges’ “Search & Destroy” and Alice Cooper’s “I’m Eighteen,” along with U.K. stalwarts Roxy Music (“Love is the Drug,” the first single, released on June 28th), T. Rex/Marc Bolan (“20th Century Boy,” the second single, released on August 2nd), [Mike] Chapman & [Nicky] Chinn (Mud’s “Dyna-mite” and Sweet’s “Fox on the Run,” the latter of which will be released as the third single on September 6th), David Bowie (“Moonage Daydream”), Faces (“Stay with Me”), Mott the Hoople (Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes”), Slade (“Cum on Feel the Noize”), and The Rolling Stones’ title track.
The originals were all released around the same time that Des Barres was forming Silverhead in London before leaving for Los Angeles and his soon-to-be-wife, Miss Pamela of GTO’s and “I’m with the Band” renown, to form Detective. And while he remains true to the songs’ hook-filled origins, he makes each track vocally his own.
“These 12 songs represent chapters in my life,” he explains. “It is a look back from someone who was not only there but was the most stoned person in the room. I still remember these songs. If it was Christmas, they’d be my carols. What they all had in common was melodies, a big chorus, and plenty of eyeliner, with all that sensuality. That was what that era was all about. It was an epic time in my life that I wanted to pay homage to.”
Des Barres is planning a live multimedia presentation, featuring the songs and images of the album narrated by someone who experienced it all first-hand. “The ’70s were primary for me; between the sex, drugs, and music, it really changed things for a lot of people, especially me,” he says. “I want to turn on as many as I can to that era to show how memorable it was. I hope that it appeals to all generations. These are the songs that defined my life and musical career. This was a real labor of love.”
It’s Only Rock ’n Roll Track Listing:
1. Dyna-Mite [original artist – Mud]
2. Love is the Drug [original artist – Roxy Music]
3. Moonage Daydream [original artist – David Bowie]
4. 20th Century Boy [original artist – T. Rex]
5. Search and Destroy [original artist – Iggy and the Stooges]
6. I’m Waiting for the Man [original artist – Velvet Underground]
7. Fox on the Run [original artist – Sweet]
8. All the Young Dudes [original artist – Mott the Hoople]
9. Cum on Feel the Noize [original artist – Slade]
10. Stay with Me [original artist – Faces]
11. I’m Eighteen [original artist – Alice Cooper]
12. It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll (But I Like It) [original artist – The Rolling Stones]
About Michael Des Barres:
Michael Des Barres is the son of a no-account aristocratic marquis – the title was inherited by Des Barres upon his father’s passing – and a mother of somewhat ill repute. As a young man, he performed in the theater, where he was doing Shakespeare, only to tumble headlong into the ’70s rock ’n’ roll demimonde, where the artificiality and theatricality of glam – which led directly to a streamlined, hardcore punk – attracted him like a moth to the flame (“It was ‘A Clockwork Orange,’” he says. “The punks were just the droogs.”). After all, he had also studied mime with famed Bowie influence Lindsey Kemp, knew David and Marc Bolan when they were still Davy Jones and Marc Feld, and hung with then-underground designer Vivienne Westwood “long before Johnny Rotten came into the shop… I was present at the creation.”
That’s no idle boast. At once a pop culture chameleon and a rock ’n’ roll Zelig, our picaresque hero didn’t just observe, but was a full-fledged, windmill-tilting participant as a member of Silverhead, Detective (signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label by Jimmy Page), Chequered Past (with Sex Pistol Steve Jones, Blondie drummer Clem Burke, his one-time Silverhead bandmate Nigel Harrison, and Tony Sales), then stepped in for Robert Palmer as lead singer of Duran Duran’s Power Station for a premier gig at 1985’s massive Live Aid in Philadelphia. And that’s in addition to his thespian career, starting with his memorable performance opposite Sidney Poitier and Lulu as a sunglasses-wearing, mod student with bangs in 1966’s “To Sir with Love.” He had subsequent roles that ranged from a six-year stint on TV’s “MacGyver” as Murdoc to acting opposite Clint Eastwood (“Pink Cadillac”), Mick Jagger (“The Man from Elysian Fields”) and Jerry Seinfeld (“Seinfeld”). Then there was the time he rented a live tiger for $500 for a week to get on-stage with Silverhead at the Whisky-a-Go-Go during the band’s first trip to Hollywood.
These days, he’s known by his millions of listeners as a radio superstar heard weekly on his show for Little Steven Van Zandt’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM. The 2021 documentary of his life, “Who Do You Want Me to Be?,” turned into a surprise hit when it came out on streaming services at the start of the pandemic.
https://michaeldesbarres.com/
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