Post by wolvesgirlgonewild on Mar 13, 2017 15:19:16 GMT
Part two, enjoy!
“We’re going to the studios now.” He said gently.
I was still half asleep so the only way I could respond was:
“Mm??”
“We’re off to the studios now if you want to come.”
I got up suddenly and rested my head on the headboard.
“Sure sure, just give me a few minutes to get ready and that. What time is it?”
“Just gone quarter past seven. I’ll give you at most half an hour, otherwise you’ll have Bev on your case. God forbid you ruin the studio schedule by a few minutes…”
“Oh fuck that’s so early but yeah I won’t be long.”
Jeff took this as his cue to leave the room. In the bathroom, I looked through the cabinet and found some wipes and makeup. This didn’t seem coincidental, it felt like fate. Was I destined to come here and meet Jeff Lynne?
I decided to go with my typical look whenever I was going out, eyeliner on my eyelids and under my eyes, a dash of mascara and plenty of blusher. Shame my hair didn’t look the best, I managed to find a comb and give it a quick brush. Where are straighteners when you need them? Did no one think to invent them in the 70s? I sprayed myself and put on the dress, it fit very well and surprisingly suited me. Really what I needed to complete the Kate Bush look was crimped hair. If I ever get to meet Kate Bush I’ll ask her how she does her hair, she really is a style icon.
I opened the bedroom door and Jeff was sat at the table, smoking a cigarette and reading the newspaper. I suppose he was interested in what was going on at home. I can tell you now Jeff, all the events happen next year… Well one event in particular. I wonder if Jeff knows that John Lennon is a big fan of ELO. He’d be tickled pink I imagine!
“I like the dress, very Kate Bush. Do you want a cigarette? Sorry I forgot to ask.”
“Oh no it’s alright, I don’t really like smoking. Bad for your health and the smell of smoke is awful.”
“Fair enough, just thought I’d ask. Bev and the lads are waiting outside by the way.”
I opened the door and saw they were all waiting for us. Bev actually said his first direct words to me!
“Nice dress, reminds me of Kate Bush.”
“Thanks, I love Kate Bush.”
It seems I couldn’t get much out of Bev after that, I think he was suspicious of me. He wasn’t quite sure of my intentions towards Jeff. Well he was right about me having a massive crush on him but I wasn’t going to act on it. Unless he did first which I sincerely doubt!
I sat and just watched them record, Jeff reminded me a lot of how Paul used to be in the studio. A bossy perfectionist! However the difference between him and Paul, was that Jeff didn’t talk to the other members in a condescending tone. He couldn’t really especially with Bev as Bev was three years older than him!
They recorded a song called On the Run which I knew and listened to once or twice but it wasn’t one I could sing along to. Well I couldn’t sing along to every song could I? Although Jeff was very focused when in the studio and looked like he was in the zone, every now and then he gave me a wink and a smile. I’d never seen that side to him when I’ve watched him in interviews, of course he still gave the impression he was a very shy man but he felt at ease with me. I don’t think Bev approved of the amount of attention Jeff was giving me but in the end I didn’t really give a toss what he thought. I didn’t seek his bloody approval.
They left Confusion to last which as always was lovely to hear. I started to sing along but it didn’t seem so weird because Jeff had played it to me yesterday. Soon the session finished and I was surprised that they’d recorded so much. Then again I wasn’t sure how close they were to finishing the album. I knew that it was recorded between March and April but I still didn’t have a clue what month I was in. I’d ask Jeff but I think I’d sound a bit strange and knowing my luck, he’d think I’d been on the old recreational drugs.
“Don’t suppose you fancy going out for lunch?”
“What with you guys?”
“No just me, the guys have decided to go and do some sightseeing. What with us being busy recording the album, we haven’t had much chance to do that.”
I turned to look at Bev.
“Is that a good idea?”
“Melinda at the end of the day, I do what I want. They’re not my carers just as much as I’m not theirs.”
“Okay if you’re sure…”
We went off in an opposite direction to the others and headed for a really quiet restaurant that wouldn’t recognise Jeff at all. Rather not be made a press story, I think his wife would want to kill me. We sat down in a secluded spot of the restaurant, it was nice to have some alone time with Jeff. It was difficult to have a proper conversation with him whilst we were in the studio, I felt I was being watched by the rest of the band members especially Bev when we were chatting.
“So what do you think?”
“It’s lovely. Do you mind paying for both of us? I don’t exactly have any money on me.”
“No not at all, you said the trip was spontaneous after all!”
“Okay, well thank you.”
“Not at all, I’m happy to treat a nice girl every now and then.” He said with a wink.
I blushed slightly. The restaurant looked pretty expensive and I promised to pay Jeff back, he said there was no need to, it was his treat.
“I get the feeling Bev doesn’t like me. I am trying my best to make conversation with him but he’s being a bit off with me.”
“Oh don’t worry about him, he just thinks because you’re young you’re gonna try it on with me. He’s only looking out for me in his own weird way.”
“I suppose, you know it’s nice seeing you without your signature sunglasses on. How come you wear them?”
“They go with my image I guess. I can sort of hide behind them when I have to do interviews and that.”
“So do you not wear them when you’re comfortable with someone?”
“Yeah you could say that and besides in the studios it is difficult to see things properly through very dark sunglasses!”
“I suppose you have to concentrate on certain controls in the studio, especially when you’re not only the performer of the music but the producer too!”
“It seems I’m a man of many talents! Can you play any instruments?”
“Only a bit of keyboard, I wish I could play guitar though. Can sing a bit too. Well I like to think I can!”
“When we get back to the hotel, I could try and teach you a bit of guitar? Then I could perhaps play you a song of ours, not a new one or anything and you could do backing vocals and maybe some main vocals too on it if you like?”
“That sounds great!”
Myself and the parents had spent many a car journey listening to Alone in the Universe, the first album credited to Jeff Lynne’s ELO and doing the backing vocals on each song. We reckoned if Jeff ever needed any backing singers for concerts and future albums, we would definitely fit the bill!
Lunch was very nice but perhaps a bit too filling for my liking. We still carried on chatting even after we came out of the restaurant, it wasn’t that late and I was hoping Jeff wasn’t planning on taking me to any nightclubs or discos as they were more commonly known in the 70’s. Think my parents had been to a few discos in their time. The last disco I’d been to was my Year 6 Leaver’s Disco. Do they even call them discos these days?
“Okay so the sunglasses were they a little bit inspired by Roy Orbison? I know you’re a big fan of his!”
“Yeah you could say that they were. Aren’t you a bit young to remember Roy? You’re like in your late teen’s right?”
“You cheeky git, I’m 20! 21 in September, I know quite a lot of music actually. I’ve always grown up with hearing a lot of music in my house thanks to my Dad.”
Considering my parents were born in 1959 and 1961 respectively, my parents do remember a lot of Roy Orbison’s music. Probably helped the fact my mom had older siblings, my auntie being five years younger than Jeff.
“I do like someone who likes a wide variety of music.”
“I like to think I’m pretty open minded about music really.”
“Uh you weren’t thinking of heading to any of the night clubs later?”
“Erm no, they’re not really my scene. I don’t really like being in places where there’s loads of people.”
“Good because they’re not mine either.”
We got back to the hotel and again we sat on the bed and Jeff started showing me some basic chords like E Minor and C Major and I practiced them. I think Jeff was quite impressed. Then he started singing Telephone Line. I sang every other verse and of course the backing vocals. Jeff was quite speechless when I finished singing!
“Wow you pleasantly surprised me!”
“Well I did say I could sing!”
“Very true, you know if I ever need any female backing singers in the future, you’ll be the first on my list. We should record a couple of songs in the studio tomorrow, we wouldn’t have to release them or anything. Just be our little secret.” He said with a wink.
“I don’t think the others would approve…”
“Well we’ll just do it when they’re not about. Actually it’s our day off tomorrow and I think the lads are going to Berlin for the day, they won’t be back till late. It’s a long drive so they are going pretty early.”
“Oh right, didn’t you want to go? I don’t wanna get in the way of your plans.”
“Oh no I’ll go another time, we’re here for another month or so anyway. Tell you what if we go to the studios in the early hours of the morning and record a couple of songs then we could go to Hamburg for the day? Sample a bit of Beatle history! It is a bit of a long journey though, like seven hours but we would make a day of it.”
“How would we get there?”
“Well I do have a car and I have done the journey before as well so you’d be in safe hands.”
“I admire your braveness for driving in a country who drives on the opposite side of the road to us! I couldn’t do it!”
“Ah you drive?”
“Yeah been driving 3 years in December, I love it but I’d be too scared to drive in another country. Least we’re stopping in the Allied Zone in any case, well West Germany anyway. Sorry I’m going all historical on you!”
“I’m guessing you have an interest in history?”
“Oh yeah I study Creative Writing and History at university.”
I was just about to say I learnt about West Germany at A Level till the Berlin Wall came down, when I had to stop myself. This was 1979! The Berlin Wall didn’t start to come down until 10 years later! It was history to me but to 1979 Jeff it was the future. I really needed to be careful about what I was saying. Be like Marty in the Back to the Future films. Except not nick a Sports Almanac from 2015. Of course.
“Ooh Creative Writing? What sort of writing do you do?”
“Mostly short stories, either romantic on its own or romance with a crime twist. Like serial killer couples and that really.”
“Very interesting, never tried to write a song?”
“Ooh no, I don’t think I could be capable of ever doing that. I couldn’t match up to you for a start!”
I of course was referring to the wonderful Time album released in 1981. It was starting to become my favourite ELO album. The concept is a man from 1981 ends up time travelling to 2095 and the album tells us about the protagonist’s experiences such as meeting a woman android (Yours Truly 2095, one of my favourite tracks off the album!) to walking down the streets he used to know and reflecting on how much they’ve changed (The Way Life’s Meant To Be). As a person who is absolutely fascinated with time travel (thanks to Doctor Who and of course Back to the Future), the album is pure genius and this is all to come in Jeff’s future!
“Ah don’t be daft, all songwriters have to start somewhere. I was crap when I first started, the more you do it, and the better you’ll be. That’s what I think.” He said with a smile.
“Was that when you were in The Idle Race, when you were just starting out?”
“You’ve certainly done your research. Well my first band ever was actually The Andicaps but I started to get partial success with The Idle Race. It was when I was with them, I first met The Beatles.”
“What a complete privilege, I would absolutely love to meet them though not during The White Album sessions. I imagine the atmosphere was a bit frosty in the studio.”
“A little bit but they were ever so nice to me. Couldn’t sleep for days!”
“I’d be exactly the same!”
Honestly we could talk for hours, we had so much in common. Jeff looked at his watch and saw it was roughly about half one in the morning. We presumed the guys hadn’t come back from Berlin yet though we guessed they were probably on the way back by now. We headed to the studio and recorded Telephone Line which actually sounded quite impressive. He then asked me what I wanted to record on my own. I wasn’t quite sure as there were many songs I loved, the problem was, they were songs after 1979. I couldn’t exactly record a song of theirs that was from the future surely?