Mick Clarke - Diggin' Down (2017)

Early 2016, and after getting a live album out of my system, (Ruff'n'Roar") I felt the urge to get back to the studio and be creative. Create what? I fancied an instrumental album.. words are such hard work.. and tucked into the first track, Rhumbatism. I was kind of thinking what would a Billy Gibbons solo album sound like.. the funny thing is that almost immediately a Billy Gibbons solo album was released and didn't sound anything like what I had expected. Anyway, Rhumbatism rocked along and the Rockfold Rhythm Section (Linda) added maracas, tambourine and enthusiasm.
I already had a version of "Sweet Dreams" in the can from a previous session, so the next instrumental to go down was "Bluestring" - a kind of pseudo jazz rock thing. However, I had a problem.. It all sounded good but I was getting bored with recording instrumentals! So maybe I was doing this all wrong.. what should I do.
I know.. "Mick Sings Elvis"! I'd always wanted to do a version of "Mess Of Blues", and in fact there were a whole load of early Elvis tracks which I could have a bash at. I particularly had fond memories of a track called "Any Place Is Paradise". When I was very young my elder brother Derek had brought home an EP.. four tracks from Elvis's second album.
He'd bought it because he liked the track "Old Shep".. (about a boy and his dog.. Derek was always a bit soppy).. (still is).. but for some reason, even at a young age I'd picked up on the bluesiest track on the EP, complete with a Scotty Moore guitar solo. So anyway, after tracking down the lyrics I got stuck in to the track, and even gave a nod towards Scotty in the solo. I like it a lot.. I never did get round to "Mess Of Blues".
Next thing, while messing around with my guitar one evening I started jamming on the riff from Smokestack Lightning, and realised that actually I could do the song in a blues rock style and it could work. Bit cheeky I know.. me, basically a non singer, taking on The Wolf.. THE blues singer. Still, I think it does work and definitely rocks along.
Now the original songs started coming.. "Noodle Bar" refers to attending a ZZ Top show when they played in Brixton, South London.. the Noodle Bar, and flying ants are real.. other characters are ficticious.
"Hard Hat" was written around the time of Brexit and the US election, reflecting the strange times.. now some weeks into the Trump presidency the lyrics are every bit as relevant. The rest of the album is the usual mix of blues and boogie, Gibson, Danelectro and Slide Guitars all getting a turn and a few jumbled thoughts turned into lyrics. I tried to use my old 1963 Watkins Clubman valve amp as much as possible, hence it being in the cover photo.
Indeed the cover photo came next and from that the title "Diggin' Down" and then the track of the same name. Something about digging back in the blues, roots, earthiness, all that.
I like the album but I'm far too close to it to really know what the hell I've recorded..time will tell. Hope you enjoy it!