Dave Lawson - The Web/Samurai/Greenslade Interview

Dave was educated at Lyndhurst, Charterhouse and Tonbridge, where he received his first formal music training. He later enlisted in the music services of the Royal Air Force where he developed his performance skills primarily on piano, studying privately with the renowned jazz pianist and composer Stan Tracey. Whilst at the Royal Air Force School of Music he also studied the clarinet, flute and soprano sax. After five years service he went on to study piano again with Stan Tracey. Dave is one of only a handful of established contemporary composers for film and television music who are capable of working in a entirely self-contained environment, embracing the very latest state of the art computer recording and synthesis technology in their own studio environment. Dave has an extensive sound design studio with the largest privately owned Synclavier systems and synthesizer setups in Europe. He is also adept and experienced in writing for and directing orchestras and live musicians, and is very successful in fusing this with his extensive library of original and treated synthesizer/sampler based sounds. As a composer Dave has worked on a number of successful feature films and television programs, in addition to working as music associate, performer and programmer to many successful Hollywood film composers such as George Fenton, John Williams and Trevor Jones to mention but a few. In his capacity as music associate and programmer he takes a very active role in arranging and orchestrating and even using his compositional skills to a large degree. His ability to realize and create quality and often-unique sounds has also lead to quite extensive credits as a sound designer, both musically and with relation to film/television sound effects. Musically he has used this talent to great effect in so-called ‘fusion’ scores such as the early Trevor Jones films such as Angel Heart and Mississippi Burning (which actually won an Oscar for best sound), where the created sounds were an integral part of the compositional process.

The Steven Spielberg Amblimation production “We’re Back” and Kenneth Brannagh’s “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” both won Golden Reel Awards from the Association of Motion Picture Sound Editors. Dave has also composed and co-composed, with Ronnie Bond and David Dundas, music for a large number of cinema and television advertisements including British Gas, Coco Pops, Philips, Le Coq, Birds Custard, Braun, Blueband, Brittania, Philip Morris, Accurist, Atari, Dixel, Dulux, Roxy, Mintguard, Bonjour, Ellermans, Wilkinson Sword, Foster Grants, Alpine, Wash’n Dye, Arctic Lite, Yves St. Laurent Kouros and others. In the 1970s Dave was a singer, keyboard player and songwriter for a number of successful groups, Web (later to become Samurai), Episode Six, The Alan Bown Set and Greenslade. He then went into the ‘session musician’ scene breaking off briefly to tour with Roy Harper and later Stackridge. He was then invited to join Ian Gillan’s band, (who had recently left Deep Purple) but because of recording commitments regrettably had to decline the offer. He also recorded some tracks with Chris Squire and Alan White, who at the time were taking a break from Yes. Jimmy Page also jammed with this set up and had managerial matters been resolved this line up would have been one hell of a band! Tony Reeves, the bass player with Greenslade invited Dave to jam with Curved Air, who at the time also included Stuart Copeland. In 1982, whilst recording with Bill Wyman, Dave was invited to play with Foreigner. The session scene in the 70’s and 80’s was the busiest time ever for Dave. He played on the soundtrack of the cult picture ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’ with fellow musician Big Jim Sullivan, who he later recorded with and was then fortunate enough to play under the baton of John Williams and the L.S.O. on Starwars, Superman and The Fury. Other memorable sessions were with Peggy Lee, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.

When and where were you born? What was your childhood like? When did you first begin to fall in love with music and what was it that initially fascinated you about it, more specifically the keys? Was music something that was relevant around your household growing up?

I was born in a nursing home in Alton, Hampshire on April 25th, 1945. I was my mother's first child, rationing was on and she depended heavily on a book on 'looking after baby', not being aware that the book had been written in Australia! The book recommended fresh orange juice, amongst other nigh on impossible to find in 1945 foodstuffs, fortunately my father was a grocers store manager and managed to find these 'hens teeth' items, I was three years old before experiencing my first cold. We moved to Yateley, near Camberley and also very near Blackbushe Airport, which at that time was a U.S Navy Base. My late sister was born in 1948 and when it was time for infant/primary school we both attended 'Miss Tylers', a one classroom of about twenty children. Miss Tyler was a wonderful lady, so good at teaching and controlling twenty odd mini dynamos. My father was doing well, he supplied and delivered groceries to many of the families of American aircrew and they, with their very generous overseas allowances, were excellent customers. Many of my friends and my first girlfriend, the beautiful Mary Williams, 6224 Hackensack Road, Norfolk, Virginia, were American and the families were always so kind and generous. Wow. where did that come from? In 1953, it was Coronation year and my father had one of the first TVs in the village a 9" Bush, or Pye, monochrome of course.

Back in the day, the 'Test Card' was often shown and the accompanying music was always classical. One day I heard my first Harp and I was smitten! I didn't know the composers, but got to know some of the pieces and later in life 're-discovered' these gems. I also recognized some of the orchestral pieces that were used in BBC children's dramas. It was in 1955 that my father was appointed manager of a new supermarket in Tonbridge, Kent. The flat above the premises was huge, 11 rooms and this meant that I could have my own 'pad'. My Grandfather was disposing of his wooden framed Broadwood upright piano, I gratefully accepted and started piano lessons with Mr. Diamond, our school music teacher. Initially my sister wanted to learn the piano but lost interest after a few weeks. I made steady progress in my piano studies and started listening to 'Voice of America' Jazz Hour. I quickly became interested in Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan with Chet Baker and Miles Davis with John Coltrane. Another artist who really got to me was Ray Charles, I saved up and bought 'Live at the Newport Jazz Festival', I then heard someone who massively expanded my musical horizons, Charles Mingus! These were my first musical heroes.

When and where did you see your first concert and what kind of impact did that leave on you? You’ve participated in some incredible groups throughout your career! I’d love to start with The Web, a group you were with from ‘70 to ‘71. Tell me about writing and recording the band’s acclaimed “I Spider”. What was the overall vision and approach to this album, with it being the last for the group.

When it came to live music, I was a late starter, it wasn't until I was in the Royal Air Force Music Services, I joined in 1962, that I saw my first Classical concert, a Beethoven Piano Concerto, I learnt a lot about dynamics from the one concert. I first came across Web when I was doing a university gig with Episode 6, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover had left the band to join Deep Purple and I auditioned and secured the gig. Web had an unusual line-up, two drummers, one doubling percussion, their singer was John L. Watson. I spent some time with other bands, The Alan Bown Set aetc but kept in contact with The Web. I started writing for the Web, baring in mind that their drummer, percussionist, Lenny Wright, also played vibes. I wrote and arranged the pieces as most of the players read music. We recorded the album at Wessex Studios, very convenient for me as I was a ten minute walk away! Wessex Studios had taken delivery of a superb Neve desk and we were one of the first bands to use it, courtesy of the Thomson Brothers. We were kept supplied with tea and digestive biscuits by the lovely Betty! The whole experience went by without a hitch and we took the resulting album on the road to promote it, our first overseas gig was the Festival of the Midnight Sun in Sweden, all went extremely well for the majority of the time. We did a university gig in Gothenberg, a lovely girl in a red dress that almost fitted came up on stage and watched me play and sing, at the end of the piece she lent over and whispered something in my ear, naturally the audience and the band assumed that she was giving me her telephone number, what she actually said was,"Can you play something we can dance to".

The Web eventually morphed into Samurai with the release of its lone LP in ‘71. Would you mind walking me through the writing and recording process of this album? How did the deal with Greenwich Gramophone Company come about? You had become the leader of this group/project at this point, correct? Did you guys play any shows as Samurai?

The Web became WEB, but we weren't 'getting anywhere' and so after a lengthy meeting decided to change the name to Samurai. I had always had a fascination for things oriental, especially Japanese history and that was the inspiration for the artwork for the Samurai album. When we were signed by The Greenwich Gramophone Company, Sir Les Reed's baby, the artist director was Tony Reeves! I always got on well with Tony and acted for the band as spokesperson but I wouldn't have said 'leader'. We promoted the Samurai album, in Sweden and Germany and a few gigs in the UK ,but as Samurai's gigs began to lessen Tony got in touch to invite me for a jam with him and Dave Greenslade, that all went very well and the band Greenslade was born.

Eventually Samurai then became the great supergroup Greenslade that following year in ‘72. Would you mind walking me through the band’s first two critically acclaimed LPs “Besides Manner Are Extra” and “Greenslade”. What was the writing and recording process like for this band compared to that of the previous two incarnations?

Greenslade was signed by Warner Brothers and managed by Gaffe Management, our personal manager was Andy Heath. We were booked into Morgan Studios, Number 2, for two weeks. We had rehearsed the hell out of the material and on completion of the album, engineered by the wonderful Gregg Jackman, we promoted the album on a UK tour, supporting the late and great Rory Gallagher. The band was very tight and the gigs were coming in thick and fast. Dave Greensalde and I carried on writing material for the next album, 'Bedside Manners are Extra', I still had a few pieces I had written for Samurai, but they adapted to the new line-up, I also added lyrics to some of Dave's pieces and so the whole process went well and we were very lucky to have a good rehearsal room in Stanmore.

The band would go on to record two more albums before disbanding in ‘75. What happened around this time to the group? What was your next month after having been in these bands for the better half of the 70’s? Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?

Greenslade continued for another two albums and we did a 'part tour' of the US, but I for one was losing any remaining enthusiasm I had and the few film sessions I had participated on were more appealing to me, it was then that I made the difficult decision to leave the band. There was no animosity amongst the band and of course I was sad to say goodbye but I couldn't see any progress being made for the band's future. I found out later that we had some interest from a larger management company but G.M. wanted a King's ransom to release us.