The Rolling Stone interviews - Jann Wenner [16]
What are you gonna do with the stuff you’re workin’ on now? How does that differ from the last work you did with Ike and Tina Turner?
Don’t know. I will go in many directions—some experimental—some not. Today “River Deep—Mountain High” could be a Number One record. I think when it came out, it was just like my farewell. I was just sayin’ goodbye, and I just wanted to go crazy, you know, for a few minutes—four minutes on wax, that’s all it was. I loved it, and I enjoyed making it, but I didn’t really think there was anything for the public . . . nobody had really gotten into it enough yet; it really hadn’t exploded the way it’s exploding today with all the sounds and they’re really freaking out with the electronical stuff. Today “River Deep—Mountain High” would probably be a very important sales record. When I made it, it couldn’t be—so, I don’t know. I got what I wanted out of it.
You see, I don’t have a sound, a Phil Spector sound—I have a style, and my style is just a particular way of making records—as opposed to Lou Adler or any of the other record producers who follow the artist’s style. I create a style and call it a sound or a style; I call it a style because it’s a way of doing it.
My style is that I know things about recording that other people just don’t know. It’s simple and clear, and it’s easy for me to make hits. I think the River Deep LP would be a nice way to start off because it’s a record that Tina deserves to be heard on—she was sensational on that record. A record that was Number One in England deserves to be Number One in America. If so many people are doing the song today, it means it’s ready.
How did your association with Ike and Tina first come about?
They were introduced to me. Somebody told me to see them, and their in-person act just killed me. I mean, they were just sensational.
Have you seen it lately?
Yeah, I saw them at the Factory, of all places. They were . . . well, I always loved Tina. I never knew how great she was. She real-ly is as great as Aretha is. I mean, in her own bag she is sensational, and Joplin and all that, but I couldn’t figure out how to get her on record.
What do you think the difference is going to be between the audience today and the audience’s reaction to music today, as compared to five years ago?
I don’t know. Everybody’s a helluva lot hipper today. I’ll tell you that. There’s thirteen-year-old whores walkin’ the streets now. It wouldn’t have happened as much five years ago. Not thirteen-year-old drug addicts. It’s a lot different today. I tell you, the whole world is a dropout. I mean, everybody’s a fuck-off. Everybody’s mini-skirted, everybody’s hip, everybody reads all the books. How in the hell you gonna overcome all that? Sophistication, hipness, everything. They’re really very hip today.
The music business is so different than any other business. You know, Frank Sinatra has a hit. Sister Dominique or whatever her name is, has a hit. I can show you six groups out there today who are opposite. I mean the Archies have a hit at the same time the Beatles do, hit really doesn’t mean anything.
Now who’s buyin’ the Archies’ records? That’s what I can’t understand, and who bought all the Monkees’ records—same cats who bought all the Stones records? If they’re not, then that makes the buyin’ public so big . . . ’Cause the four million that bought the Monkees and the six million that bought the Beatles are different, then there’s 10 million kids buying records. That’s a helluva lot of a better throw at the dice. I’d rather have a chance out of 10 million times instead of 6 million times, so it probably will be easier.
How are you cutting with the Check Mates?
I don’t know yet. All different ways. Very commercial records. Good records. Easy records.