Q: - I understand you initiated the CD release, how did that happen?
JP: I approached him [John] at HV99, mentioned to him the possibility of transferring it to CDR, and distributing it that way. Initially, I thought I could do the transferring myself, and then take it to a local studio for re-mastering, but then Dave volunteered to do the re-mastering and since he's got the equipment to do a proper job of it, I was more than happy for him to do the work! John's been very supportive of the whole process, even sending us his final cassette copy, which he had to get back from his son!!! :) The three of us have worked very closely together on the process. Mac Steagall's also been providing valuable input throughout. One of the most exciting aspects of the whole production is that this is being done totally by fans, not just the re-mastering and artwork, but the promotion, the on-line sales, the photos, even the bonus track was done by fans of John Lawton and Uriah Heep. As far as I know, this is the first CD reissue where all the work has been done completely by an artist's fans!!

Q: do you have the original cassette?
JP: No, which made me doubly interested in getting this out!! GunHill had run out of their original cassettes by the time I discovered that this tape existed, so I never heard it until Dave sent me an un-mastered CDR in early November. I've listened to it several times since then and it's really quite good! I'm amazed that they only spent 2-and-1/2 days to record this. It's one of those albums that proves that you can spend months mastering to get a "perfect" sound, but if you don't have great songs to begin with, all that mastering means nothing.

Q: if so, what's the appeal to you [apart from Lawton's vox] that will make fans want to check it out [for those who ain't ever heard it]?
JP: Anyone who's a fan of classic rock/blues rock will enjoy this album, especially fans of the Paul Rodgers/Bad Company or David Coverdale/Whitesnake-type sound. John's style has evolved into one very similar to Paul's, and his voice has improved greatly in the 20 years since he left Uriah Heep.

Q: what inspired the new artwork to the disc release? and will it include the pics or anything from the original cassette cover?
JP: I was inspired by the original cassette cover for the front and the inside spread was inspired by Aerosmith's Rocks insert(!) The remainder is primarily my own design.

Q: how else will / have you been involved in this CD release, apart from the contact with John, the artwork, and helping to promote it?
JP: Mac sent me a list of companies who do production work in the US. Once John decides how many CDs he wants to have done in the initial pressing, I'll arrange for the production. Also, I had to track down photos of the original line-up to use -- Iris Lawton, Pete Wharton, and Vlad supplied those to me. (BTW, Paul Kubler's handling the on-line ordering, hopefully Dave's been working with him to get this ready!! :)

Q: what's your fave track[s] from this album [bonus track not included!]? and/or what track do you think will most appeal to Lawton/Heep fans?
JP: Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues is my favorite, which I think is superior to the Whitesnake version! Eleanor Rigby is quite good, not as polished as the Nightheat version, but I think the raw edge helps. Angel is probably the song that sounds the most Heepish. This is more an album for fans of John Lawton than Uriah Heep or Lucifer's Friend, as the songs are much more in a blues-rock style than a progressive/hard rock style. John is in great shape on most of the songs, although I don't think Stone Cold fits him at all.

Q: when you set out doing Gunhill, what was the intent? did you foresee it still going 5 years down the road, and more recordings?
No! to be honest with you. I felt we had some mileage in the band, but not 5 years. Did Mick foresee so many years for Heep??

Q: why the re-release on CD now? what's your story behind the CD issuing in 99? do you still get a lot of requests for the tape at shows and on the e-mail?
JL: We are still asked about OOTE at gigs and over the net, especially from Japan. I was approached by Jay Pearson about re-mastering on to CD and at first I have to say that I was very dubious as the original recording was not good at all. It was recorded in two and a half days purely because fans were asking if we had some recorded stuff to sell at gigs. But having heard some of Dave White's re-mastering, I think it will be okay. Jay has done some nice art work for the cover, so I am looking forward to seeing and hearing the finished article.

Q: looking back on that release, what do you think of it as a whole? -how much of the stuff from One Over The 8 is still in GH's live set? any of the originals?
JL: Overall, I think that it represented Gunhill at that time. It was a fun time and we were just starting out, so yes, in that respect I think it's okay. I think the only song from OOTE still in the set is "Eleanor Rigby" and that is only by popular demand.

Q: you and Neil are the only members left from the original line-up, have you had any contact with the former members - in particular Riki Robyns or Lloyd Coates who co-wrote the originals? what are they up to these days?
JL: No unfortunately not, apart from Mike Raxworthy. Riki as far as I know, is still flying planes for a living and the last I heard is that Lloyd is settled down with a lady in Wales.

Q: what are some your faves from the 'one over the 8' tape?-you re-did Eleanor Rigby for the Nightheat CD. Is there any others from the original tape that you'd consider re-doing?
JL: I think the two questions can be answered together. Eleanor is obviously a favorite and I felt that we could do the song more justice by re- recording it again, taking our time. "Ain't No Sunshine" became a standard song in our live set, but we did it so different live, that we could never get the same feel on tape that we got live.

Q: was the response to the tape more than you expected?
JL: Decidedly more than we had hoped for.

Q: you've gotten a great deal of support from the various Heep fan clubs, how has this and your affiliation with Heep meant to Gunhill's direction and live set?
JL: Not as much as people think with regard to the live set. We do include Heep songs but only from my time with the band. We have Sympathy, Free Me, Firefly, Come Back To Me and One More Night in there and we do play Lady In Black, but again slightly differently. We have had a lot of support from the various fan clubs around the world and met a lot of them personally. It never ceases to amaze me, how much the feeling towards Heep the fans have and hopefully a bit of that has rubbed off on Gunhill.

Q: you've had a number of German / Euro tours and things like that. what are some of the biggest highlights [gigs?] so far for Gunhill?
JL: There have been so many, I think the last two trips in 99' were the most rewarding. We went on the road with two new members Reuben and Justin who really came alive after an initial nervous start. We met a lot of new fans on this last trip and that's what makes it worthwhile.

Q: what's your version of recording River of Dreams? how did your vocal come about, and what did you think of the song?
JL: Simple really, I was asked by some members of Heepsters on the Net if I would put a vocal on a song that Dave White had written, as a surprise Birthday present. It's a very nice song, so how could I turn it down. I think he liked it :-)))))). {Ed - I think i knew this.....somewhat, but........ :-) ]

Q: the original cassette came signed, will the CD package? :-)
JL: Hopefully ;-))))).

Q: I interviewed Dougie White through the e-mail last week. I understand he's a bit of a friend of yours' [!?]
JL: Yeah he's a nice guy, good singer and funny as well.

Q: what are you listening to these days? I am listening to a lot of Glen Hughes at the moment don't ask me why!! I am just re-discovering his voice again. Haven't had much chance to listen to music recently, must rectify that.

DAVE WHITE

Q: how did you get involved in the re-mastering? [John says you did a good job considering the original tape was all done in 2 days!] what did this job involve?
DW: Jay [Pearson] e-mailed me and informed me that the project was going on, and that he was considering having a studio do the remaster...I offered my services from here..I'm one hell of a lot cheaper!

Q: how noticeable will the difference in sound quality be on the CD?
DW: Pretty noticeable...the vocals are much more up front, and the drums also come out at you more...I basically livened it up a few notches, and reduced some inherent hiss.

Q: will it be a limited edition for sale?
DW: Yep ! John will sell them at gigs, and we will advertize them on the Heepsites..it's really a good album...those guys were very tight.

Q: How did "River Of Dreams" end up being a 'bonus' track here, as it is quite different from the Gunhill sound displayed on One Over The 8!?
DW: Well, in 1998, one of the Heepsters on the Web, Graham Hulme approached John about singing the vocals on a tape of "River of Dreams that I had sent to him before. John did the vocals at Neil's studio, and on my birthday, my wife gave me the cassette of the song. The cassette was packaged by Graham, and looked really great ! I was blown away...Richard Wagner originally wrote the song, and Michael Keuter (Easy Livin Band) sang for us on the original version. John took Michael's version, and "re-did" it his way. The song has become very special to a lot of us, and I think Jay sensed that, and asked John if we could include it on the "OOT8" re-master as a "bonus track". John said "yes" and so here it is !

Q: when and how will the CD be available?
DW: We are producing the CD's and the Artwork (as displayed on this page), and when that is all ready, we will begin advertising on some of the Heepsites. We will be accepting credit cards too :-)) It's the Big time Ha Ha !!

Q: what's your fave track[s] from this album [bonus track not included!]? and/or what track do you think will most appeal to Lawton/Heep fans?
DW: My fave is "Solider Of Love"...last track before River of Dreams...has a great beginning, and good energy all the way through. Oh, and NO question...if you are a fan of John Lawton, you will LOVE this CD...

Interview by Kevin J. Julie, November '99. Copyright KJJ