Robert Gordon & Chris Spedding

Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding's marvellous partnership began in the fall of 1978. Apparently, it was producer Richard Gottehrer’s idea to team them up, and it proved to be a stroke of genius.
Robert was well aware of Chris before then, as the latter’s ‘Wild Wild Women’ had been a staple of Gordon's live shows with legendary guitarist Link Wray during the spring and summer of that year. But Robert was tired of being labelled a nostalgia act, and the addition of a Spedding tune may have been an attempt to break free.
At the same time, Spedding was bored with the music scene in the U.K. and was looking for new challenges. He was aware of Gordon’s music, and being a fan of rock ‘n’ roll performers like Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran, he realized right from the outset that they shared a lot of common ground.
In any event, Gottherer lured Chris to the U.S. with vague promises about Robert wanting to record ‘Wild Wild Women’ as well as a couple of other Spedding originals. Shortly after arriving in the U.S., Chris met up with Robert and Richard.
At the start of a rehearsal Chris launched into one of his songs, but was taken aback when Robert calmly asked, “Can you also play rockabilly?" Chris had no idea what Gordon wanted until Robert refreshed his memory about the pioneering work of players like Elvis Presley's first guitarist, Scotty Moore. There was no learning curve necessary: Spedding was well familiar with the beloved music of his teen-age years.
It was the birth of an unusual but compelling alliance.
From 1978 to 1993, these two artists served up some of the most exciting, pure rock ‘n’ roll heard since it began a revolution back in 1956.
They briefly flirted with stardom in 1979, when songs like ‘Rock Billy Boogie’ and ‘It’s Only Make Believe’ received healthy radio airplay, but somehow they never really managed to build on the impact that those records made.
On the road they proved to be quite a concert draw, and their sensational live shows were the talk of the town at venues like New York's Lone Star club. And although they both worked with various other musicians during these years, they always returned to each other. They both knew that it was a match made in heaven.
They continued to make world-wide tours until the bubble finally burst in 1993.
In the summer of 2003, I interviewed Robert for ‘Now Dig This’ magazine. He spoke with passion about his partnership with Chris, citing it as the highlight of his career. Chris was sent a copy of the magazine, and shortly afterwards they started talking for the first time in a decade.
They asked me to arrange a reunion, and in early September 2005, they hit shows in Denmark, Sweden, France, Finland and Holland. It was a moving experience to see two musical giants on the same stage again, and indeed they themselves appeared to be moved by that fact. The special chemistry that had always marked their association was fully intact, and night after night they wowed audiences with their unique brand of rock ‘n’ roll.
The concert at the Paradiso in Amsterdam was the final night of the tour and, inspired by a wild audience, they delivered a classic performance. The band, which also featured John Willoughby on upright bass and Todd Glass on drums, was now a tight unit, and offerings like ‘It Feels So Right’ and ‘Turn Me Loose’ were just stunning.
It was at the very same building that I saw one of their final gigs back in July 1993, so it was particularly gratifying to watch them rock the house at the Paradiso. The September 10^th, 2005 Amsterdam concert was one of those rare moments when you realize that you are witnessing something magical, something that can never be repeated. It was a triumph of musical greatness. I was there when they turned the power back on -- and believe me, there was no shortage of electricity on that stage!

Arjan Deelen

www.robertgordon.dk

rockin' the paradiso	greetings from nyc
>The Way I walk >Turn me loose >Have I the right >summertime blues	heart full of soul my babe something's gonna happen someday someway