Reminiscing about The Strokes

I read that The Strokes have released a new album, “Angles”.

It got me thinking…

A few years ago I was playing drums in a band. We were over in New York recording in a studio alongside The Strokes. They were nobodies, and we were nobodies, in fact we would have to wait for each other to leave the studio so that we could get in with the prodcer, Gordon Raphael and work on our latest creation.

Gordon was a lovely chap. Very laid back and friendly. In fact, he allowed me and my girlfriend at the time to sleep in the studio on the couch on more than one occasion!

I hadn’t heard any of The Strokes’ music back then, and to be honest, I wasn’t that interested. As far as I was concerned, they were just another band taking up my bands valuable studio time!

I remember the first time I actually listened to a track of theirs. I was instantly jealous and ever so slightly depressed. They had ‘it‘. Bastards! How could they write an obvious hit in the same studio that we were recording in? I had no excuses. I could not very well blame the recording studio or the drum kit, they were on an identical playing field to us and they sounded better than us. Damn!

It was only about a month after I returned to the UK that I heard from the producer that The Strokes were now being ‘courted’ by the labels. They were arriving to the studio in style and being wined and dined. The labels heard what I heard. Raw talent.

It wasn’t a massive leap from that point to their debut single being released. Of course, they received much critical acclaim, and I expect much critical money (critical to us as we needed cash for more studio time!)

To be honest, I am not bitter. I am truly inspired when I hear a hit song and The Strokes earned theirs fair and square. It was a great time and I learned a lot. Gordon’s production was perfect for The Strokes and no doubt added a great deal to their success, but I still think the songs are the most important ingredient.

The speed in which a band can go from a ‘nobody’ to a ‘somebody’ is shocking. If you are pursuing a music career, there is no substitute for great songs. Forget about the “right” engineer or the “perfect” guitar sound because, as I found, real talent doesn’t need any of those things.

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