THE BEV BEVAN INTERVIEW
By Martin Kinch
Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio Sponsored Number One Marathon - 1997
Martin Kinch: OK, it's July, 1980,
and "Xanadu" by ELO and Olivia Newton-John has just knocked Don McLean's "Crying"
from the top of the charts, and as an exclusive to Stoke Mandeville Hospital,
we have, not Olivia Newton-John, but Bev Bevan, the drummer from ELO. Hello Bev.
Bev Bevan: Hello Martin. MK: Thanks for joining
us on this marathon weekend. BB: Yeah, good
luck, you're doing a great job, I think it's a fabulous idea. BB: Yes, well, I played drums on "Blackberry Way",
for The Move. MK: And also this one that
we're just about to play. BB: Yes, this is several years later, "Xanadu" with
ELO, yeah. MK: Did you have any idea
that this record was going to go to the top of the charts? BB: No, I didn't really, didn't expect it to, actually,
I was never a great fan of the record, I can't say it's one of my favorites by
any means, but it obviously caught the public's imagination. MK: And were you all sitting
around the radio at the time when the charts were read out or not? BB:Well in those days, you used to know, a little
before, you'd know, certainly a day before, So we had the news from our office
to say that it had gone to number one. Obviously we were delighted, of course
we were. MK:It was written for a film of the same name obviously,
But the film didn't get the best reviews, did it? Did that sort of rub off onto
your career do you think, or not? BB: I think it probably did, I mean, we only did
five songs for the soundtrack album for "Xanadu". And I think the album itself
stands up very well, I think our side of the album is good, and so is Olivia's
actually. But, when you put it in the movie, a couple just go to see the movie,
then, it did get really terrible, terrible reviews, I mean, it is, I think it's
known as "one of the great turkeys of all time", you know, "one of the worst musicals
ever made", that's what it's rated as by many film critics. So, um, yeah, I think
we did get a bit tainted with that, and it didn't do our 'street cred' much good.It
was just a very strange movie, really, obviously Olivia was in it and there was
a guy playing opposite her who was some unknown, who I think has remained pretty
much unknown since, and Gene Kelly, I mean that was another weird introduction
to the casting list. MK:So of all the ELO hits, I believe you've had about
twenty-eight, you wouldn't actually regard it as one of your favorites, although
it's one of the most successful, I suppose? BB: That's right, yeah, I think it's probably, if
not the least, of all the hits we've ever had it's certainly one of my least favorites,
I must say, yeah.
MK: Would you like to get involved in doing music
for a film again? BB: Uhhh....Yeah,
in fact I wouldn't mind at all.... But...maybe something where we had a bit more
control. When we made this, we made the music for this, we didn't quite know what
the film was going to be all about, the music was written pretty much first. But
it was a really difficult song to record because Jeff had sent the demo, Jeff
Lynne had sent the demo of the song to the studio in Hollywood, and they had actually
shot the dance sequence to the demo. So when we came to record it for real, we
had to keep in time with the demo, and the demo was not in time, so... it was
a bit of a nightmare to actually record the thing. MK: The actual music on the film is different than
the released version, isn't it? BB: I believe it is, yeah, it's all to do with, you
know, the shooting of the film to this inaccurate tape which was, it took us days
and days to actually record the backing track, which was a very simple song to
record, really, because of all the technical problems. We were in Munich, in West
Germany at the time doing it, and it became a very frustrating experience, making
what should have taken a couple of hours took about three or four days, as I remember.
MK:I believe the album is being released in the UK
for the first time on CD this year, is that right? BB: Yeah, well, I think, as I said, It'll be interesting
to hear it in CD form. I think, just listening to it, it's fine. I mean, working
with Olivia was a great experience, because she's a lovely, lovely lady, and a
real pleasure to work with. So that part was terrific, you know, but as I say,
it was hard work, because of all the technical difficulties, really. MK: So did you actually record it in the studio with
her, or was it done at different times? BB: No, she came over, she flew over with her assistant,
a girl called Fler, who, funnily enough, designed a lot of our stage clothes some
years before that, another Australian girl, and they came up, they flew over to
Munich, and just spent two days doing the vocals, and as I say she was just terrific. MK: Up in the attic I've got a big cardboard cutout
of Olivia Newton-John holding up a big ELO logo, I'll have to get it out one day
and dust it down a bit. BB: (laughing) What you have up in your attic Martin,
is none of our business, really, if you want cardboard cutouts of Olivia Newton-John,
I think that's, um, perfectly legal.. MK: Well I have to keep it up there out of the way,
you see. (Bev laughs) Now we're going to play the track in a minute, let's just
have a quick word about what you're up to now, because ELO actually split up in
about 1986, and a few years later you formed ELO Part 2, what was the reason behind
that? BB: Well, just a desire to get back on the road playing
what I still belive is, you know, is very good music, I think we, ELO recorded
as you mentioned a lot of, over 20 hits, and people still want to hear them, luckily
for us. So we've been touring as ELO Part 2 for... six, seven years now. And we
just keep, you know, we just keep on touring... the world's become a very small
place nowadays, we tour countries we never used to at all in the old days, we
regularly find ourselves in Eastern Europe and South America, and the Middle East,
places like that, as well as the places we used to tour before, you know, the
rest of Europe, and the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, wherever... And so we're
kept very busy, and we've just returned from a trip to the USA and New Zealand,
and we're going back for another USA trip in May to do several concerts with various
orchestras across America.
MK: And are you doing anything in the UK, because
it's actually your 25th anniversary this year, isn't it? BB: It's 25 years since our first hit single, which
was 10538 Overture, back in 1972. So yes, it is our 25th,our silver anniversary
which is nice, and we will be doing a tour in October, we do quite a coast-to-coast
tour really, of England, Scotland, Wales, and maybe even Ireland as well. And
I think we do about 25 shows during October MK: Right. And will there be any new material on
CD or vinyl? BB: Well, the last thing we actually recorded was
an album called "One Night", which was recorded two years ago, live, in Australia,
in Sydney, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, which is a double CD, which actually
came out really, really well for... I'm not a great fan generally of live albums,
but I think this really catches our show very well, and the orchestra were exceptionally
good as well. So, yeah, that's the last thing to be released, and that will be
available at the same time as we're touring. MK: It's a good album, I've actually got a copy of
that, and I keep playing it down here at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, so... BB: (laughing) Well, good for you. MK: (laughing) We keep plugging....... Let me just
ask you, Bev, if Part 2, say, if they were to split, would you ever get another
band together? Would you be tempted to sort of drop the "Electric Light" thing
and maybe start afresh, ...what would you do? BB: I don't know, that's a hard question to answer,
because I... who knows what circumstances might arise? I mean, if something happened
to this band, when we do finally call it a day... um, no, I wouldn't want to do
any more... um, ELO stuff, I'd just do "something... completely different", in
the words of Monty Python. And, I've got a lot of, I still have some friends in
the business, I mean, I like working with Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath, we still
hang around a lot together and, and work in his studio from time to time, I'd
like to maybe work with him, or... or, who knows, Who knows who might get on the
phone? If Paul McCartney phoned up, or Eric Clapton or somebody and said, you
know, "Would you like to tour with me?", I'd say, "Yeah, why not?". MK: Whatever you decide to do in the future, good
luck with it. BB: Thanks, Martin! MK: And thanks for keeping the ELO music alive, speaking
as a bit of a fan myself, as well. Let me just ask you one final question, I'll
put you on the spot now. You've played on two Number Ones, which one would you
like to be most remembered for? BB: Ha! I suppose, given the choice of just those
two, I would have to say "Blackberry Way" by The Move.
MK: Have you got any favorite tracks that you've
actually recorded - your most favourite ? BB:Oh, not "most favorite", I mean, I like most of
the stuff that we've done with ELO, and most of the stuff that we did with The
Move as well for that matter, I've got no particular favorites, they vary really.
There's lots of stuff we've done with ELO Part 2 that I'm very fond of as well
MK: OK, well, good luck with the band anyway, Bev
and we must move on because time is quite short for us. Thanks a lot for calling
in, and thanks for your help and support that you've given the hospital radio
over the years, because you have helped us out quite a few times, actually. BB: Well you're very welcome, and good luck with
the marathon, it sounds great, and keep up the good work. MK: Thanks a lot, Bev. BB: Cheers, then. MK: 'Bye now. BB: 'Bye.
Since this interview,Bev has
left ELO Part II (Now known as The Orchestra)
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