It is amazing how a simple thought can snowball into something so big!
Just a couple of months ago (in August) I was walking through a supermarket and the in-store radio station was playing Chic’s “Good Times”. I love that track. As I was fumbling through the lettuces and veg, I thought “Wouldn’t it be great if someone did a good rock version of this, maybe a charity song”.
As I wandered around the aisles, I thought about the fact that I knew I was going to do another Road to Rockstock cycle ride, and again for a mental health charity (this time MIND). What about the possibility of recording and releasing a song that had the words and meaning that would fit with the charity, with me putting it together?
Then I thought of John Farnham’s “You’re The Voice” and remembered how much I’ve always loved that song (handclap intro aside!). “That would make a great rocked up song” I thought to myself, carrying on my shopping “but it’s August, it would need to be out within four months, and this could just be a pie in the sky thought”.
I thought I’d run the idea by my old friend Toby Jepson. Not only is he fantastic musician and producer but a great sounding board for ideas. He loved the idea …
Within 48 hours he had secured a studio to record the track and then we got together and worked through our combined friends and contacts to figure who we could encourage / arrange to feature on the track and, more importantly, who would actually be available. I figured I’d give myself one less instrument to worry about by playing drums myself … dealers choice 😉
We started off with a collaborative working title of The Planet Rock All Stars and this has stuck. I can’t believe this is actually coming together … and how quickly! More and more audio files are being received, edited and mixed by the day.
“You’re The Voice” will be released digitally on Friday 6th December. It will be UK chart single linked, so we can at least try and get a Top 40 single. There will be a VERY limited edition CD single available with a couple of alternative versions of the song. They will be £5 each and if you can find me you can get them from Friday 22 November and throughout the Road To Rockstock.
Anything left will be available at Planet Rockstock. If anything remains after that then they will be sold on the Planet Rock website. But when they are gone, they are gone!!
As for the guests on the track. The definitive cast will be confirmed early in November, but as of now, the track will contain members of –
Def Leppard, Blackberry Smoke, Black Stone Cherry, The Cadillac Three, The Temperance Movement, Wayward Sons, The Darkness, Tyler Bryant, Ricky Warwick, Dan Reed, Doug Aldrich, Chad Kroeger, Mollie Marriott, Whitfield Crane, Todd Kearns …. and others.
There are some other special guests I’m REALLY hoping will be able to join the collaboration (at the last minute) so I don’t want to tempt fate by mentioning their names at this point, just in case they can’t!
All proceeds will go to MIND and I personally think the lyrics of the track are perfect for the cause …
We have the chance to turn the pages over
We can write what we want to write
We gotta make ends meet, before we get much older
We’re all someone’s daughter
We’re all someone’s son
How long can we look at each other
Down the barrel of a gun?
You’re the voice, try and understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
Oh-wo-wo-wo, oh-wo-wo-wo
We’re not gonna sit in silence
We’re not gonna live with fear
Oh-wo-wo-wo, oh-wo-wo-wo
This time, we know we all can stand together
With the power to be powerful
Believing we can make it better
Ooooh
We’re all someone’s daughter
We’re all someone’s son
How long can we look at each other
Down the barrel of a gun?
You’re the voice, try and understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
Oh-wo-wo-wo, oh-wo-wo-wo
We’re not gonna sit in silence
We’re not gonna live with fear
Oh-wo-wo-wo, oh-wo-wo-wo