Rock and Roll; Interview with Greg Phillinganes [Part 1 of 2]

Well there are many things special about Steve. Number one I would say is awesome talent. And yeah I was very much connected to him and his music when I was younger I had all the. I had posters of everything. I told friends of mine I remember telling friends of mine in high school that I would eventually play with him. And I never met him before because they thought I was on drugs but I just had this feeling I felt really connected for some reason there was music you know new songs and. I sang harmonies with him you know. And you want all kinds of things. So I just there was a kinship. You know I just felt really connected to. Him. For I never heard anything like music in my mind period.

That was one of the most if not the most awesome recording I ever heard I mean there were all kinds of new sounds that. I heard for the first time and it was it just expanded my my interests and my musicality so much and I'm sure I speak for most people. Musicians are not what I say that is you was just absolutely brilliant I never anything like that he was he was able to bring so many emotions you know to life with. This synthesizers that were at the time. Pretty new. Oh. Oh. We. Are all being able to have direct

access to you know everything that was happening at a time when all the new technology right at my fingertips was fantastic. It's like being in a toy store. You walk in to this space you know and play this new gizmo and go over here and play. You know what he had like two hundred of everything. So just in case you feel like making one you know pretty pretty 0 0 0 0 0 0 0. Working with him on the song Saturn was one of the more intimate sessions because. It was in a studio in New

York the Hit Factory the original Hit Factory New York and Stevie had of the time of this massive synthesizer with like three keyboards and was all white. It was made by Yamaha It was called The Dream Machine. And I mean you could feed a family of eight on this thing you know it was humongous and it was beautiful had these. Writers. Write one of the songs maybe. Yeah I hear. Yeah. OK. One of the songs we were working with Stevie Songs In The Key of Life was Saturn and it

was one of the more intimate sessions that I remember because it was just Steve and I in this huge room at the Hit Factory in New York and we were doing a synthesizer horn parts on this massive keyboard that was built by Yamaha. And you can feed a family of eight on a beautiful white 5 foot speakers and it was called a dream machine and had three keyboards you know to a double manual keyboard. And then a smaller keyboard on top and all these kinds of facts and I've never seen anything like that in my life and it was fantastic and I got to play it any time I wanted to but it was you know when I was in the studio and we were going to these synthesizer horn parts you know like. Oh well anyway you know. It's not a lot better on the record and we were going

these things out. And I just remember being the two of us and you know he always has a thing about wagging his head so I just thought I'd join NATO says two of us well. And I just thought it was a nice little moment you know little fun things and I love it. Stevie writes in a way that is so unique it's almost hard to describe He has a very serious Jeras influence and he combines there with a very deep rooted rhythm and blues elements and. He's like a litmus paper because he's able to different kinds of influences. I mean from country to a.

Classical composers it doesn't matter if he's able to you know any one or group of elements at any time for a song and he's he's a master there. You know you tend to forget how brilliant of a songwriter. Oh oh oh oh Earth one of. Many things. And they were the epitome of class in the way they presented their music. Songs were actually brilliant. They knew how to give a show. Nobody never knew what to expect never going there and and they always had big and shows they were actually like James Bond movies because you never knew it was going to

happen and enjoy and. They just really the best. Many of their songs are timeless and. So always right they have incredible music Afro-Cuban very funky jazz on top of that smooth sound and they just feel everything. Well now it's sorta in the other neighborhood but they were just

as brilliant. Nobody nobody does it like George Clinton you know and nobody does and I like George. George is a class by himself. And then they were a very big influence to a lot of a lot of pop acts. I believe a lot of pop British acts you know I believe their music. Oh yes. Sly's music. I the one thing I remember about sizing is it was always it was always fresh you know. And again you know he was really deeply rooted in our being gospel elements and he but he combined

that with. This part of this West Coast first coast sound. That Bay Area sound rather that just you know provided a fresh a fresh start. Just a fresh element to the music scene.