Interview with Paul Dean, bassist of the 70's heavy psych bands Jerusalem, Pussy.

Il y a de ces groupes qui vous déversent des riffs assommant, des coups de matraques frénétiques à la tête. Jerusalem en fait clairement parti. C'est un peu l'effet d'une baraque remplie de dynamite qui vous explose soudainement à la tronche. Et si ce n'était que les riffs. La batterie vous prends et vous retourne comme une crêpe. La voix déchirante de Lynden Williams nous plonge tour à tour dans l'hystérie et puis l'angoisse, nous envoie dans des dimensions démentes faites de chauves-souris de l'enfer ou d'innommables créatures pré-humaines. Peu importe. C'est tout le groupe qui vous maintient la gorge et vous lance l'équivalent d'une damnation éternelle dans la gueule. Il y a une grande urgence, pas de complexes, on y va brute de décoffrage et peu importe le nombre de têtes qui tombent au passage. Une pochette étrange, torturée qui vous invite au pays du délire cauchemardesque et autres tortures mentales.

Louis Hauguel : Hi Paul and thanks for accepting that interview, so here we are, how did the band get together ? What's the story behind the name "Jerusalem " ?

Paul Dean : At the age of 15 when we were at school, Ray Sparrow, Chris (Kef) Schelcher and I went to see John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. We were so blown away by this electric 12 bar blues that the next day we decided to start a band. None of us could play an instrument, so we were starting from zero. I chose bass and vocals, Ray drums and Kef guitar. I also wrote the songs and in actual fact at no time in the history of Jerusalem or Pussy did we ever do a cover. So it began. Later on we pulled in Bill Hinde a friend from when I went to College. As we became more serious Kef decided to concentrate on his education, so we pulled in Bob Cooke, another friend from College. Then came another friend Phil Goddard on vocals as I wanted to concentrate on the writing and bass. As we became more professional Phil decided to leave and we held auditions in London for a singer and chose Lynden. By this time Ian Gillan had signed us up along with my sister Zoe and then came the album.

The name Jerusalem came because it was the only piece of music I liked at school assembly (very powerful classical piece). We actually played a few bars of it in a rock format at the beginning of our shows. The other reason was that you should always choose a very strong name that people can connect with easily. There was absolutely no religious reason for this choice, it was just a word that everyone in the World knew. Jerusalem has always been a headline city for thousands of years for many different reasons. Strong, powerful and birthplace of ideas, beliefs, confrontation, a centre of innovation and change, a melting pot for all races, not all good, but neither is life...

2/ The 70's just started, psychedelic rock evolved into a more raw and progressive music. How was the process of creation of your unique album and how did you meet Ian Gillan from Deep Purple ?

Ian was a friend of my sisters from his days in Episode 6. She met him again at a Deep Purple concert as Black Night hit number one. Anyway, she brought him back to my mother’s house and so our relationship began, more like brothers at times, did a lot of stuff together away from music. What was funny was when he walked in the house I was playing the first Black Sabbath album, he asked who it was because he liked it, little knowing that a few years later he would join them for a short time. Deep Purple’s managers were also interested in Jerusalem, but Ian decided he wanted us.

The late 60’s blues boom gave birth to Rock (Cream, Hendrix) then Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath etc. The bands then started progressing in all kinds of directions and some becoming more sophisticated and technical - Yes, Genesis etc. To be honest we didn’t have any major influences, Ray and I just liked it heavy and raw, no rules, and if it sounded good to us we did it. People either loved us or hated us. It’s funny to think now that what we were doing then would become huge within a few years as Metal, Doom, Stoner etc. took off. One of the strangest questions I was ever asked by a journalist was ‘You were obviously very influenced by Metallica’. He had obviously not done his research as we were doing it 5 years before Metallica. Think this is why Jerusalem has now become so popular, as younger people are searching back to see where everything started. At least we have the last laugh on all the journalists who slammed us at the time. I was the main writer and Ray and I made all the final decisions about everything, so Jerusalem was pretty much our baby and what we wanted.

3/ The album is terrific in terms of energy, very raw and heavy as well as the vocals that sounds sometimes like screams from the beyond. So I was wondering, how was it on the stage ? Did you have the impression of blowing away people with some music that they were maybe not used to yet ? Like "wow, this is mind blowing!"

On stage in the early days there were people that walked out and people that stayed. It was real love/hate. Over time we began to build a following and the word spread, so eventually most people stayed and a few who were there by accident raced out the door. As I said before, Ray and I liked it raw and heavy and as Ian said on the album almost crude. The ‘screams’ is actually an interesting story. Lynden was basically chosen for his showmanship. Once we had practised a few times I realised most of our songs were in the wrong key for him. But I really liked the sound of him stretching and straining. I had a word with Ian and we both agreed it was a good sound, so we didn’t change the keys. It was quite punishing for Lynden in the studio, but gave us something a bit different. On stage anything could happen especially when I wound Lynden up a bit. It all added to the meaning of some of the songs and kept the audience on their toes. We had some amazing followers who would turn up all over the UK. Probably the biggest ‘mind blowing’ episode were two huge festivals we did in Austria and Germany (50,000 in Germany). We were virtually the only unknown band on the bill. Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart…

 Anyway, when we came on stage many people started wandering out for a drink, food or the toilet. Then much to our amazement once we hit the first 30 seconds of our opening number (think it was Frustration) everyone turned around and ran back in to watch us. Ian Hansford Deep Purples Road Manager who was also mixing for us said it was one of the strangest things he had ever seen. They even showed it on Austrian TV news.

 4/ Let's talk about your influences and the band's influences, what were the bands that inspired you to create your very own sound ? Was it difficult to have everybody playing in the same musical direction ? Was there other influences than music itself ?

As I said earlier, we really didn’t have any strong influences. I did most of the writing. Ray and I’s taste in listening music was extremely varied, but similar, we just liked Rock for our band. The heavier the better. That’s why my favourite is still ‘Primitive Man’. Eventually, yes it did become a problem keeping our direction, which is why Ray and I decided to end the band. Lynden and Bill wanted to go a different way and Bob was stuck in the middle. Talked it through with Ian and he agreed. Once you have achieved your aim maybe time to move on. Ray and I could have changed the personnel and continued as Jerusalem, but that was not an option as in Jerusalem we had created a unique sound, so whatever we did next should be a totally new concept. Thus was born Pussy. Other influences were the usual ones, growing up, new experiences, disillusionment with the way the World was going and to an extent the music business. It was slowly being taken over by lawyers and accountants and most had little knowledge of music itself. We were lucky that when we were signed there were still a number of ex-musicians in the Record companies. If not for them, Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, Cream etc. would never have had the opportunity to change the face of music. Pussy in a way was a piss take of the way the business was going, so we just chose not to follow the rules of the ‘new era’ which was fun. The music was still serious, but we wouldn’t compromise and become what others wanted us to become.

5/ What do you remember about the "Pussy" times ? What kind of inspirations were you having during that period of time ?

I’ve pretty much covered this in the previous question. Because of our attitude which was endorsed by Ian, it became very difficult to get a deal. Ian pulled out of our deal with Deram (Decca) after the ‘Feline Woman’ single because Sam Hamilton who had signed Jerusalem and Pussy to Deram had left the Company and the new guys in were looking for their own signings. Pussy actually recorded a whole album, but it wasn’t released (this is often wrongly mentioned as a second Jerusalem album). Eventually we stopped Pussy. Then in the mid seventies Ian became a tax exile in Paris for a year or so. During this time music in France was going a different way and Ian thought it may be worth trying to sell Pussy there. As it turned out Ariola France wanted the album. Bob no longer wanted to be involved, so we pulled in another young American guitarist Brian Goff, who was a good friend of Ritchie Blackmore. We decided to redo all Bobs guitarwork on the original tracks and I also wrote some new songs. Unfortunately, Europe then went into recession and everything fell apart. By the way, Brian now lives in France. After all these years the Pussy album has recently been released by Rockadrome Records on CD for the first time ever following the successful release of the remastered reissued Jerusalem album on CD and vinyl, also Rockadrome. So, thank you France, for without the interest of Ariola France, this album would never have been made in its final form.

6/ How did the whole thing happen, what motivated you to go for that ?

I had been out of touch with the music scene in Europe and the USA for a number of years and had been living in Southern Africa, South America and the Caribbean. I eventually ended up in the Philippines and about 4 years ago I got an email from Rockadrome asking if I knew what a big cult following Jerusalem had. I then did some research and realised it was true. Universal had even rereleased the original album in 2004 in Japan. So we decided to remaster and reissue the album with a few extra’s. First on CD and then last year on vinyl. Because of the reaction it was then decided to also remaster and release the Pussy album. The most amazing thing is the number of young people, who have now got into both bands. Makes the whole thing very worthwhile. So sincere thanks to Rockadrome and also a Finnish guy Aki, who put up a fan site for Jerusalem on Myspace a few years ago, which also helped to kickstart the whole thing.

7/ These days, a lot of new bands are appearing, very influenced by late 60's psych and 70's prog rock. So I want to ask you, what are you listening to nowadays ? Do you have some feedbacks from a generation like mine ( I'm 25 ) that come to you to talk about Jerusalem or globally speaking about the two periods of time mentioned before ?

To be honest, I’m still pretty hooked into the old stuff even though I actually do some Producing. Have done a few albums in the Philippines with local bands (lots of talent here), so I am close to what’s going on these days. I don’t mean this in a detrimental way, as there is some good stuff around now, but I find much of the music now is a kind of reinvention of past genres. Have fun sometimes with some bands, playing stuff from 30 – 40 years ago to show them what they thought was new, is actually the rebirth of something old. Think this is born out by the number of bands from the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s who are back on the road and playing to all ages.

8/ What are your current projects, whatever they are musical or not ?

Mainly Producing, even long distance. People send me through the tracks after discussions about the way they should record songs and I mix and Produce them here. Once music is in your blood it stays there. Wherever I have lived I have tried to help others. I was very lucky and in the right place at the right time, so try to give something back whenever I can.

Have done many different things in my life, so never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Have written many articles about all kinds of subjects, special extrain a few movies, played golf professionally and coached others…

9/ Those lines are yours, do you have a last thing to add for our readers ?

Just a couple of things for audiences and artists

To get up on stage and play music takes a lot of nerve and hardwork. If you’re in the audience show a little bit of appreciation, even if you’re not into the music. They’re doing something maybe you would like to do, but don’t have the nerve or talent to try.

If you’re an artist who wants to succeed, it’s bloody hardwork, believe me. Bands from my era used to practice for hours everyday if they weren’t playing live. When you get on stage all you should be doing is trying to communicate with the audience. You should know the songs back to front and upside down. In a studio every person should be able to play a song all the way through by themselves, if not, you don’t know the song well enough and are wasting money on your recording. Recording isn’t cheap! You have to believe in everything you do, if you don’t why should anyone else? The main key to success is to be different, if you’re too influenced by your influences you may as well be a cover band or stay at home and play to yourself. There is no such thing as bad music, if one other person likes it, then it’s good. Stay true to your beliefs and others will start to believe. All the best to all of you.

Cheers, Paul.

Louis Hauguel for Fuzzine. (2013)