For the second
album of Andy’s on Nemperor, Arif decided to step back a
bit and let the road band have its way, which in retrospect may
have been a mistake. The only time Arif got to exhibit any of
the arrangement prowess he showed on Resolution was probably on
So Faint, where his strings were just amazing. I was there when
he conducted the orchestra, and it has to go down as one of the
most thrilling scenes I’ve ever witnessed.
We recorded this album at Atlantic’s studio on 61st St,
right across the street from The Mayflower Hotel, where we were
all staying. It was also where we stayed for the making of Resolution,
and where I would stay for the making of David Werner’s
Epic album. The Mayflower is gone now, but back in the day it
hosted all of the English bands that were in New York. We became
friends with Average White Band and their road crew, and we rocked
that place til the wee hours every night. They used to put us
on our own floor (wise move!)
The band was very tight because Andy had taken a self-help course
called the Life Institute (which directly affected a lot of the
writing and lyrics on Resolution), and he and his manager insisted
that all the rest of the band take the course as well. It was
an intensive, 5-day affair similar to est and a lot of other stuff
in the seventies, but you came out of it with a renewed spirit
and real sense of commitment and self-confidence, so it was a
great thing to have a band all do (although each one of us took
the course separately). You could definitely feel a strong group
spirit when we were on tour and playing the songs, so I think
this is what made Arif decide to just let the band be and not
tamper with the arrangements that much.
