- in Podcast by Bobby Owsinski
Episode 627 – Elliot Easton Talks The Cars, Guitars, And Interesting Tours
On this week’s episode, Elliot Easton, guitarist for The Cars and Creedence Clearwater Revisited, takes us through his journey with the band and beyond.
Easton looks back at The Cars’ origins, from getting a label deal the old fashioned way, to connecting with famed producer Roy Thomas Baker, to recording the band’s initial albums, to how his many influences shaped his solos in the studio.
He then tells us about his time with Creedence Clearwater Revisited, and the broken tour with The New Cars where bad management sunk a potentially good thing.
Finally we talk about Elliot’s Rickenbacker 12 string and his signature Gibson Tikibird Firebird, which has become somewhat of a collectors item.
If you’ve ever enjoyed The Cars music and Elliot’s playing, you’ll love the ground that we cover in this episode.
You can hear it at Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Mixcloud, Spotify, Deezer, TuneIn Radio, or RadioPublic.
Also, a video version of this podcast is now available on YouTube as well.
Chapters:
00:00 – Coming up…
01:31 – How The Cars Got Their Break: Boston Radio and the Demo Tape That Went National
05:10 – “Just What I Needed” Hits the Tip Sheets
07:22 – Choosing Between Elektra and Arista: The Deal That Made History
09:33 – Meeting Roy Thomas Baker: A Snowstorm, Six People, and a Record Deal in England
11:07 – Recording at George Martin’s AIR Studios: Red Carpets Before Selling a Single Record
12:36 – The Secret Behind Those Massive Vocal Stacks on Album One
15:27 – How Elliot Crafted His Guitar Solos: Songs Within Songs
17:01 – Guitar Influences: James Burton, The Beatles and the Melodic Solo Philosophy
19:37 – Life After The Cars: Band of Angels, Atlantic Records and a Record That Never Came Out
22:11 – The New Cars: How It Came Together (and Why the Tour Failed)
24:20 – The Bus Accident: Playing Five Shows With a Snapped Collarbone
27:12 – Joining Creedence Clearwater Revisited: 100 Shows and a Year Around the World
30:10 – The Roger McGuinn Rickenbacker 12-String: Modifications and the Jangle Box
32:33 – The Tikibird Firebird: Custom Mods, Collector Value and Why It Became Legendary
37:33 – Best and Worst Advice: Absorb Your Influences, Then Forget Them
