Over the past 20 years or so amidst spending time drumming for Australia's favourite rock export AC/DC, running a studio and a restaurant, racing cars, flying helicopters and a bit of farming in the land of the long white cloud; Melbourne born drummer Phil Rudd has been quietly writing an album worth of songs which will see the light of day 29th August 2014.
From the rollicking first single “Repo Man”, a gentle reminder about karma; to the rocking title track “Head Job”, which does not have intimate connotations but is a play on words about going to the pub to commiserate with your mates about someone doing your head in… from the upbeat dirgy groove of “Bad Move” to the relationship-driven “Crazy”; Rudd has delivered a very personal album “about the shit that goes on…” as the great man himself said.
Perhaps with the exception of “40 Days & 40 Nights”, these songs were more inspired by everyday personal experiences in life rather than being about touring the globe with the world’s biggest rock band.
Citing influences ranging from Ringo Starr and Free/Bad Company’s Simon Kirk, to Mountain’s Leslie West and bandmates Malcolm & Angus Young, these songs and lyrics are all very special to Rudd and when talking about the release of this album which has had such a long gestation, he said “I’m very happy for it to finally make its way out there and for people to hear it!”.
The songs were penned primarily by Rudd with the assistance of Allan Badger and Geoffrey Martin - musicians Phil met on the local scene, which he says “turned out to be a great musical partnership”. ‘Badge’ & Martin also perform vocals, guitars & bass on the album, with Rudd sitting in the producer’s seat. The tracks came together over a period of time recorded at several locations including the studio that Rudd built himself not far from his restaurant “Phil’s Place” in Tauranga, New Zealand.
Phil Rudd’s HEAD JOB is out August 29 through Universal Music Australia.
REPO MAN hits the airwaves July 18.