How Joe Satriani Gagged ‘The Voice of Rock’ Glenn Hughes
Glenn Hughes admitted that he struggled with the concept of playing bass on an album with Joe Satriani, because he knew there would be no vocal tracks in the completed work. The pair recorded What Happens Next with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith; the album came out on Jan. 12.
“Isn’t that crazy?” former Deep Purple and Black Sabbath singer-bassist Hughes said in a new interview with 91.9 WFPK. “You’ve got to get a visual. After each song I’d say to Joe, ‘You didn’t hear a vocal in the in that song?’ I was kinda half-joking. … That’s the only album I’ve done where I didn’t sing, and I’ve done over 150 records.”
“The Voice of Rock is in the building – and he’s gagged!” Hughes laughed. "But it was beautiful for me to just play bass and rest my voice for a minute.” You can hear the interview below.
Hughes is gearing up for a tour on which he’ll deliver many of the songs he helped create with Deep Purple. The large-scare run follows the success of a previous set of concert dates. “I get into character; I try and remember the way it was,” he said of the time-traveling performance. “I’m not really one that likes to go back, but now I’m looking at my life, I’ve been doing this for nearly 50 years now. … If I’m going to do a show like this, and by the way it’s a full production show, I’m going to honor the legacy. What I’m doing is I’m playing arrangements from live recordings from the ‘70s, not the studio. It’s an interesting mix – a bit of California Jam, a little bit of Made in Europe, a little bit of Made in Japan.”
The singer also recently reunited with the blues-rock supergroup Black Country Communion for a comeback album, BCCIV. Even though he works with a wide range of different musicians, Hughes argued that his songwriting approach never wavers. “Everything I write since I’ve been sober, it’s all about giving back, of being of service,” he said. “When I changed my lifestyle all those years ago, I wanted to give back. I asked my higher power if I could have just one more day on this planet, I’d give my love back. And that’s what I do.”