Chris Cheney on The Beatles

Fri 12th Jun, 2009 in Features

As far as daunting tasks go, recreating The White Album onstage would have to rank highly. In August, four of the best-loved men in Aussie rock are going to give it a go.

As The Beatles’ masterwork enjoys its 40th anniversary, Chris Cheney, Tim Rogers, Phil Jamieson and Josh Pyke are busy figuring out how they’ll tackle their tribute. Audiences across the country will experience the White Album in its entirety, re-imagined by four distinctive voices and a 17-piece band. Just don’t expect – œThe Australian Beatles Experience’.

FasterLouder spoke to a slightly intimidated, very excited Chris Cheney about the challenge ahead. Here’s what he had to say about the iconic album and the tribute concerts.

THE WHITE ALBUM
“For me, I love the rawness of The White Album. I love the performance aspect of it. Some of the vocals and the diversity on that record are incredible. I think The Beatles are best when they sound like they’re just going for it. On the album, you can hear where they came from; the skiffle roots. You can hear the influence of that kind of music right up until the Sgt Pepper stuff, where they were pushing the envelope and leading the way. It’s the history of rock – œn roll on one record.

It’s weird to think they were breaking up at that point, – œcause any other group would’ve killed to have a portion of those ideas. A lot of The White Album was recorded separately, and I think there’s definitely an edge and a darkness to the record. I’m not sure if that’s just in the production, or the rawness and aggression in some of the songs.

With earlier Beatles records, you can tell which songs are Lennon and which are McCartney. But with this one, because it was done with all of them in separate studios, it’s very evident who has led each song. A lot of them are just totally one man’s piece of work.

It’s an album that captures its era. There’s a dark side to it. I was talking yesterday with the other guys about the end of the – œ60s and the death of flower power and the hippie movement. It all came to a crashing end, and the album has that feel. There’s an optimism but also the sense that perhaps things aren’t as rosy as what we might all think. I love that side of it: Blackbird and Happiness Is A Warm Gun.

I was a bit of a latecomer to the Beatles. I was fairly unimpressed by them until I was in my mid to late teens. It was just that classic case of them being everywhere – they’re so familiar to you, you just don’t listen to them. I was like, “Yeah everyone’s into the Beatles, I’m going to listen to Elvis and – œ50s rockabilly stuff.” But when I discovered Sgt Peppers and the White Album, I was just floored. Partially obsessed, I would go as far as saying.

Apart from their arranging and songwriting skills, what I loved most were just their voices. Particularly on the rockier numbers like Why Don’t We Do It In The Road, Back In The USSR and Revolution. It inspired me that they were rockers first and foremost and never lost sight of that. Aside from all the beautiful acoustic moments, they still had that rock in them.”

THE CONCERTS
“We were asked individually to be involved. It only took me about five minutes to make up my mind! Something we’ve all unanimously agreed on is that it shouldn’t be the Australian Beatles Experience. We’re working with a 17-piece band – which is weird for me, because I’m used to working with two blokes. It’s a massive record, with 30 tracks and orchestras…so we’re probably going to have a lot more rehearsal than the band that actually made the album. Which is fine by me.

We want to do justice to the songs. We don’t want to take them too far away from what they are essentially. But at the same time there’s no point trying to ape and mimic them, note for note. That’d be a shame and setting us up for a gigantic fall.

Timmy [Rogers] said he wants to do all the fucked-up ones! Timmy’s quite the rocker but he wants to have a go at the more – œout there’ tunes. Anything could happen on the night. There’s a danger to what we’re doing, but we’re so excited by it that it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s something that’s completely different from anything I’ve done before. I like the idea of not playing it safe.”

The White Album Concert will be swinging into your city on the following dates.

Monday 3rd August – Hamer Hall, Melbourne
Tuesday 4th August – Hamer Hall, Melbourne
Thursday 6 August – QPAC, Brisbane
Friday 7th August – Opera House, Sydney
Saturday 8th August – Opera House, Sydney
Sunday 9th August – Opera House, Sydney
Mon 10th August – Adelaide Festival Theatre
Tues 11th August – Burswood Theatre, Perth