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A number of artists have released successful duet albums in recent years, typically covering their hits teamed with famous friends. Last month, Van Morrison took a similar step with “Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue,” but rather than focus on his most loved, classic songs, the Irish icon chose to sing less familiar material. To produce this project, he collaborated with Don Was and Grammy-winning producer Bob Rock, who has lived on Maui since the mid-1990s.
Known for his production and engineering work with a variety of musicians including Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Ron Wood, Cher, The Cult and Joan Jett, Rock produced tracks by Michael Buble and George Benson on the Morrison album.
“It was very unexpected,” says Rock about the “Duets” project. “Michael Buble was invited to be on it, and Van had said use whoever you want. Michael and I have been working for awhile, so he asked me to record him in Manchester (England). I flew over and recorded (the album’s wonderful first single) ‘Real Real Gone.’
“Van sings one take and that’s it. Because of that day, he asked me if I would mix the whole record and do more songs. I did one with George Benson in London, which was amazing (a terrific version of “Higher Than the World”). They sang together – one take – and then Van said, ‘George, you have to play guitar’ – one take. Then I went to Montreux and cut a track, which isn’t on the album, with Dr. John.
“The whole experience was other-worldly for me. I grew up in Canada and I moved to Victoria where there were blues clubs and started my own band. We always played (Morrison’s) ‘Gloria.’ So there was me at 14 playing ‘Gloria,’ and last year, I’m actually doing a record with the guy. At Montreux he asked if I wanted to go to lunch and we spent two hours talking about music by Lake Geneva. It was one of the best days of my life.”
On Maui, every New Year’s Eve celebration at Mala Wailea, Rock usually joins the festivities. The lineup at the close of 2014 included Steven Tyler, Alice Cooper, Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons, Weird Al Yankovic, Willie K and for the first time, Sarah McLachlan, singing her magnificent hits “Angel” and “Building a Mystery.”
It was Rock who encouraged the legendary Canadian singer to appear, having co-produced her most recent album, “Shine On.”
“We saw each other at Shep Gordon’s party before the show,” he explains. “I said, ‘It’s a great thing, you’ve got to do the show,’ and she showed up and did it.”
McLachlan has said in the media that she invited Rock to work on her album because, “he brings out a more rock ‘n’ roll element. It was a lot of fun to work with him.”
“It was a great experience to work with her,” he notes. “I just did a couple of songs. It was good what we did. Sarah with a piano like we saw at New Year’s is enough. You don’t have to produce much.”
Growing up loving the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, he admires the work of producers George Martin and “Jimmy Miller with the Stones who made my favorite Stones’ album. He did ‘Beggars Banquet,’ ‘Exile’ and ‘Sticky Fingers.’ And I really like (U2 producer) Brian Eno because he takes artists to another level. When I was with the band the Payolas, we did two albums with Mick Ronson, who was with Bowie. He was a big influence on the way I look at production.”
Working with his Grammy-winning engineer Eric Helmkamp, in recent years Rock has produced hits for fellow Canadian Buble, including winning a Grammy in 2014 for the album “To Be Loved,” and for Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood. Rock co-composed two tracks and played guitar on Wood’s album “I Feel Like Playing” and got Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder to pitch in.
“He called me one day, ‘Hello, it’s Ronnie Wood.’ Wow. We met in L.A. and had lunch and he said, ‘I want to come to Maui and write some songs with you.’ He came here and we ended up at Woody Harrelson’s house for five days, and I was just sitting on the point with an acoustic guitar and Ronnie Wood. It was another ‘I can’t even describe the moment (experience).’ We wrote a couple of songs, then Eddie Vedder came in and we wrote songs. I cut two tracks in L.A. with Jim Keltner, Ian McLagan, Slash, Darryl Jones and Ronnie, and I played guitar. One of them, ‘Lucky Man,’ was his biggest-selling single in England.”
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Rock began transitioning to studio work after playing with the platinum-selling new wave band the Payolas. His early projects included Bon Jovi and Loverboy and hits like “Working for the Weekend.” Then came an opportunity to work with Aerosmith on “Permanent Vacation.”
“There I am and it was like, ‘Oh my God,’ ” he enthuses. “It was amazing, and my friendship with Steven (Tyler) has carried on to this day. Last New Year’s, he told me, ‘Bob, you’ve got to sing. I’m not going to play with you unless you sing a song. The only thing I could think of was ‘Happy’ from (the Stones’) ‘Exile on Main Street.’ That’s why we did it together. I’m blessed that those guys who are legends allow me to play with them.”
A major evolution in his career arrived in the shape of metal gods Metallica. He first produced their massively popular “Metallica,” also known as the Black Album.
Released in 1991, it debuted at No. 1 in 10 countries, selling 650,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week. It featured five singles that are considered to be among the band’s best songs including “Enter Sandman” and “The Unforgiven.” And it has been certified platinum 16 times in the U.S., making it the 25th best-selling album in the nation.
It took a year and $1 million to make. And Rock transformed how the band members recorded their songs, suggesting they record collaboratively rather than individually in separate locations. “When I saw them live, I heard this huge larger-than-life band, and I thought I could do something,” he says. “They asked me to mix their next record, but I said no, I’ll produce it, and they were completely taken aback by that.”
“He had a vision and it was inspiring,” Metallica’s James Hetfield has been reported saying. “We had a fifth member to help us.”
Rock subsequently produced their albums “Load” and “ReLoad” and songs on the band’s cover album, “Garage Inc.” Then, after bassist Jason Newsted left Metallica in 2001, Rock produced and played bass on their 2003 album, “St. Anger.” While the band purposely wanted a raw sound with no guitar solos, the album displeased many fans.
“A lot of people didn’t get it,” Rock says. “We had worked together a lot, and I didn’t want to do the same thing and they didn’t either. They were falling apart, and they asked me to play bass. The idea was them in a garage.”
The U.K.’s music weekly NME declared: “‘St Anger’ is Metallica setting themselves up as the patron saints of rage. Musically, the songs are a stripped-back, heroically brutal reflection of this fury. The planet’s most innovative rock group, the true masters, have finally awakened from their slumber.”
Rock was pleased to discover it had become a favorite of both Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Jack White.
“I know Jimmy Page, and he said, ‘By the way, I love the ‘St. Anger’ album. It’s absolutely brilliant. It’s so raw and in your face.’ I’m going OK, that’s one person who likes it. And then a couple of months later, I was in Toronto at a party talking to Jimmy Page, and Jack White comes over and says, ‘Bob, my favorite album right now is ‘St Anger.” Two guys I highly respect love it, that’s good enough for me.”
In recent years, Rock began helping Maui’s Lily Meola develop her talent.
“We got together, as our families are closest friends,” he notes. “She had a golden voice, but she had to learn all the other stuff. That developed, then I took it to a friend, David Foster, who runs Verve Records, and he was very keen, but then the business changed. Right now, she’s very involved with the (Willie) Nelson family and she’s paying her dues. She is a Maui jewel that will shine brightly everywhere she goes.”
As a record producer, Rock views his primary role as doing his best to serve artists and their songs.
“I started in 1976 in Vancouver and English guys taught me, so I came from that whole era of engineering and production. It is artist-driven and song-driven. And so much of it is psychological when you work with Metallica or Michael Buble or Van Morrison. It’s about making them comfortable so they can realize their vision.
“I love making records. I’ve always loved the sound of records. Why did ‘Honky Tonk Woman’ sound better than anything? ‘Good Vibrations,’ what the hell is going on? I wanted to know how they did it. That’s been my life. I’m still learning. I learned from Van Morrison. He has so much wisdom, he inspired me.”