ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 16, 1989
By Steve Newton
By now, most every rock fan in Vancouver must be aware that many of North America’s best-selling bands–Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and the Cult to name a few–have been making their latest chart-topping records right here in town. Little Mountain Sound on West 7th has been the studio, and people like Bruce Fairbairn, Bob Rock, and Mike Fraser have been the producers and engineers.
One locally produced band people might not have heard about yet is Blue Murder, but it shouldn’t be long before they do. The group’s self-titled album–helmed by Bob Rock and recorded here late last year and early in ’89–has entered Billboard‘s Top 100 and is rising fast after just four weeks on the chart. Not bad for a debut album. Not bad at all.
I contacted Blue Murder guitarist-vocalist John Sykes at his home in L.A. recently, and discovered that the band’s Vancouver connection first developed while he was a member of Whitesnake, and was in town recording basic tracks for that band’s blockbuster 1987 LP.
“Bob Rock was next door workin’ with Bruce Fairbairn on Honeymoon Suite,” says the British-born Sykes, “and we kept bumpin’ into each other in the lobby. Mike Fraser was working on the Whitesnake album, but his wife had just had a baby, so he took a week off and Bob came in with us.
“He actually created my guitar sound on the Whitesnake album, and we’ve been friends ever since. I wanted to go for an early ’70s type of sound more than a late ’80s thing, and Bob’s into early Purple and Zeppelin, so it was great.”
Although Sykes cowrote nearly all the songs on the breakthrough Whitesnake album, he says he took an undeserved shellacking from Whitesnake leader David Coverdale, who fired him (along with bassist Neil Murray and drummer Aynsley Dunbar) without explanation.
Through various friends and record industry acquaintances, Sykes hooked up with former Firm bassist Tony Franklin, and then rounded out Blue Murder’s power-trio with veteran skin-basher Carmine Appice.
“Originally it was gonna be Cozy Powell on drums,” says Sykes, “’cause I’d worked with Cozy prior on Whitesnake’s Slide It In tour. But I was eight months into the project when Cozy decided he wanted to get out and do some sessions.
“As it turned out, Dio was playin’ in England, and [Dio drummer] Vinnie Appice heard I was lookin’ for a drummer, so he called his brother Carmine.”
With the lineup solidified, Blue Murder came to Vancouver and recorded for six weeks, then took a break while Rock worked on Bon Jovi’s New Jersey album and the Cult’s Sonic Temple. During this time, Sykes kept on trying out singers, because he hadn’t planned on doing the lead vocals himself.
“After a lot of time spent auditioning, the boys finally turned around and said to me, ‘Look John, you just go in and sing, because you sing it best.’ So it took me a while to just get around to it, but once I did it was alright.”
Fans of Thin Lizzy may recall that Sykes played on the band’s final studio album, 1983’s Thunder and Lightning, and the double-live LP Life. Sykes dedicated the new Blue Murder album to Lizzy leader Phil Lynott, who died of a heart attack in 1986.
“We were great friends,” says Sykes.
Looking back on his abortive stint with Whitesnake, Sykes says he wasn’t particularly surprised by the Whitesnake album’s platinum-plus success.
“I was pleased about it–because obviously the cheques roll in–but at the time there wasn’t a lot out to rival the album. It was like the right place, right time, right thing. Nobody was doing ‘Still of the Night’-type stuff, and I think that broke a lot of new ground. It got a lot of kids back into the bluesy-type element,” he says.
And what does the fleet-fingered fretmaster think of the news that David Coverdale has now acquired the talents of former David Lee Roth guitar whiz Steve Vai in Whitesnake?
“I just wonder what happened with the other two guitar players [Vivian Campbell and Adrian Vandenberg]. Coverdale changes his band every five minutes, so we’ll see how long it works out, ’cause David’s a very blues-style singer. Steve’s not really a blues player–he’s more like a Joe Satriani-type of guy.”
To hear the full audio of my 1989 interview with John Sykes subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can also eavesdrop on my uncut, one-on-one conversations with:
Dave Martone, 2020
Ian Gillan of Deep Purple, 2006
Joss Stone, 2012
Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest, 2005
Jack Blades of Night Ranger, 1984
Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard, 1992
Colin James, 1995
Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown, 1998
Tom Cochrane of Red Rider, 1983
Ed Roland of Collective Soul, 1995
Taj Mahal, 2001
Tom Wilson of Junkhouse, 1995
Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, 2003
David Lindley, 2002
Marty Friedman of Megadeth, 1991
John Hiatt, 2010
Nancy Wilson of Heart, 2006
Jeff Golub, 1989
Moe Berg of the Pursuit of Happiness, 1990
Todd Rundgren, 2006
Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, 2001
Steve Earle, 1987
Gabby Gaborno of the Cadillac Tramps, 1991
Terry Bozzio, 2003
Roger Glover, 1985
Matthew Sweet, 1995
Jim McCarty of the Yardbirds, 2003
Luther Dickinson of North Mississippi Allstars, 2001
John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, 1995
Steve Hackett from Genesis, 1993
Grace Potter, 2008
Buddy Guy, 1993
Steve Lynch of Autograph, 1985
Don Wilson of the Ventures, 1997
Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar, 1998
Trevor Rabin of Yes, 1984
Albert Lee, 1986
Yngwie Malmsteen, 1985
Robert Cray, 1996
Tony Carey, 1984
Ian Hunter, 1988
Kate Bush, 1985
David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, 1984
Jeff Healey, 1988
Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip, 1996
Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, 1993
Colin Linden, 1993
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, 1995
Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, 1986
Elliot Easton from the Cars, 1996
Wayne Kramer from the MC5, 2004
Bob Rock, 1992
Nick Gilder, 1985
Klaus Meine of Scorpions, 1988
Jason Bonham, 1989
Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers, 1991
Joey Spampinato of NRBQ, 1985
Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, 2003
Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, 2003
Steve Kilbey of the Church, 1990
Edgar Winter, 2005
Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde, 1990
Randy Hansen, 2001
Dan McCafferty of Nazareth, 1984
Davy Knowles of Back Door Slam, 2007
Jimmy Barnes from Cold Chisel, 1986
Steve Stevens of Atomic Playboys, 1989
Billy Idol, 1984
Stuart Adamson of Big Country, 1993
Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, 1992
Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule, 1998
John Bell of Widespread Panic, 1992
Robben Ford, 1993
Barry Hay of Golden Earring, 1984
Jason Isbell, 2007
Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, 1991
Joe Satriani, 1990
Vernon Reid of Living Colour, 1988
Brad Delp of Boston, 1988
Zakk Wylde of Pride & Glory, 1994
John Sykes of Blue Murder, 1989
Alice Cooper, 1986
Lars Ulrich of Metallica, 1985
John Doe, 1990
Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, 1992
Myles Goodwyn of April Wine, 2001
John Mellencamp, 1999
Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1999
Kenny Aronoff, 1999
Doyle Bramhall II, 2001
Jon Bon Jovi, 1986
Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers, 1992
Randy Bachman, 2001
Little Steven, 1987
Stevie Salas, 1990
…with hundreds more to come