source : http://www.mydenrocks.blogspot.com/
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Don Dokken Interview
Dokken has two releases coming out this week - FROM CONCEPTION LIVE
1981, which is a recording of one of the earliest live performances
featuring the classic Dokken lineup and the UNCHAIN THE NIGHT dvd,
which was previously only available on vhs. Don Dokken checked in with
us to discuss the new releases and what the future holds for Dokken.
This will be the first installment of somewhat regular updates from
Don leading up to the new studio release LIGHTNING STRIKES AGAIN.
Mydenrocks - So you literally stumbled across the tapes for the new
FROM CONCEPTION LIVE cd?
Don Dokken - We store all of our master tapes at a vault in Hollywood.
They are temperature controlled so they don't go bad. I was down
looking for the master tapes from the German recordings of BREAKING
THE CHAINS to do a remix for a 25th anniversary. I saw some old faded
boxes with 2 inch tapes that just said "Dokken Live". I didn't really
know what it was because they're were really no other markings on
them. So, I took them with me, put them on the machine and found they
were old recordings from way back when.
MR - How much other unreleased material is stored in the Dokken vaults?
DD - That's it. We got masters, etc. There's nothing unreleased in
there. Everything has been released from what I could see. I actually
looked through the tapes, but unfortuantely these new live tapes were
it.
MR - The quality of FROM CONCEPTION is pretty good considering the
condition they were in when you first found them. Was it hard to get
the sound to come back to life and make it sound so good?
DD - It was alot of work, but it really wasn't that hard. Wyn Davis
mixed it, who has done alot of Dokken albums in the past. We just
transferred it to digital and got rid of all the ticks and pops. It
came out sounding good.
MR - Who actually plays bass on the new live release?
DD - It's Pilson. Pilson is playing bass. He had just joined the band
about a month before. Juan didn't even play on BREAKIN' THE CHAINS.
His picture is on there, but he didn't play on BREAKIN' THE CHAINS.
Peter Baltes, the bass player from Accept played on BREAKIN' THE
CHAINS because Juan was in the U.S. and couldn't get to Germany in
time to do the bass tracks. So Peter played on the tracks. Then Juan
came to Germany did the European tour and the Beat Club show, then
came back to the U.S. did like 1 or 2 showcases and got the record
deal. But, then Juan left the band to join Ratt. Pilson joined right
after Juan left and that's when these tapes for the new live release
were recordeed.
MR - Why did you decide to release FROM CONCEPTION now and just not
hold on to it for a later date?DD - We signed a deal with Rhino for a
new studio album and I just said to them "Hey I got this old live
recording that's kind of cool. You should check it out." I gave it to
them and they were like "We should put this out for the Dokken catalog
because it's a pretty good recording." I said "Yeah, that would be
good to hold us over until we get the new studio album done." There's
a big gap - it's been 2 1/2 years since we put out HELL TO PAY. So,
it's about time we put out some product. It was perfect to release
FROM CONCEPTION and the dvd at the same time.
MR - You're probably happy to get the UNCHAIN THE NIGHT dvd out for
the first time in that format?
DD - It took a long time. Elektra didn't want to release it. They
thought there was no point in putting it out because they said nobody
wants to buy it - nobody cares. I said "I disagree"
MR - I heard some rumours about releasing the Dokken back catalog?
DD - I don't know anything about that. They're putting out some heavy
metal compilation on Rhino that I think we're going to have one song
on. Maybe that compilation thing is what you were hearing about.
MR - Do you have a target release date for the new studio release
LIGHTNING STRIKES AGAIN?
DD - We wanted to put out in June. But, it doesn't look like we're
going to make it. Like all albums they always take longer than you
expect. It looks like it will be out late summer or Sept. at the
latest. We've already booked the European tour starting in Sept. and
then we'll do the U.S. tour right after that.
MR - Any particular songs stand out to you for the new studio release
that you would like to give a little advance on?
DD - No song titles yet. I haven't even titled the songs yet.
(laughing). I got the music. I got the lyrics. In about a month I
should have some pretty concrete titles to throw out there. It's hard
to describe the music without matching it up to a song name. So, no
one will know what we're talking about anyhow. As far as the sound as
a whole for the new material, I would say it's good hard rocking music
that is in the veign of the classic Dokken sound.
MR - Where does your solo cd stand right now? Any release date planned?
DD - Nowhere apparantley. I finished it. It's done. I gave it to a few
labels. Alot of people don't get the solo cd. They don't get the
songs. They think it's too mellow and there's no market for it. It's a
different kind of music. It's new age. It's different. It's not signed
to a label yet. I'm really proud of the record. I just have to find
the right label to put it out on. A rock label is not the way to go
with it.
MR - Do you look at the new studio release as a make or break it type
milestone for the band? If it doesn't sell, will that mean an end to
Dokken?
DD - It is a make or break it album. If this album doesn't have some
success, then I don't know what to say. We got great label. They're
marketing it, promoting it, doing whatever they can. If it doesn't
sell, then what's the point in making new cds? I won't disband the
band if it doesn't sell. But we'll just stop making new records and be
like Poison - we'll go out on tour every year and just play our hits.
MR - Hopefully, it does well. The whole music industry is just a mess
when it comes to promotion and selling a rock product. It's almost
like people who should know how to market, promote, and sell rock
music don't even know how to hit a target audience anymore. Look at
Cleveland for example, rock radio is just pathetic. I'm embarressed to
call Cleveland the rock and roll capital anymore. It's a pathetic
shell of what it once used to be and you basically have these large
corporations that control the whole industry. The end result is bands
like Dokken get shut out of radio airplay, venues to play, etc.
DD - The record business is so screwed up right now. It's a mess.
There's no more rock radio stations. People don't how to market
anymore and that's why the record companies are going down the toilet.
No one wants to play in Cleveland anymore because they don't sell
tickets there.
MR - Has Wild Mick and Barry ever come back from a Ted Nugent tour
sporting loin cloths? They ever come back with some good stories?
DD - (laughing) No. No loin cloths. That's funny. But, you can imagine
- it's Ted Nugent! They've come back with some stories. Oh yeah. But,
they're stories I can't repeat. You don't want to get on Ted's bad
side - don't be a rabbit! Ted will put an arrow right through you!
MR - Thanks for checking in with us Don!
DD - In about a month from now, we'll catch back up. I'll have more
songs to talk about, a more solid release date, etc. Until then, check
out the new releases and thanks for the support!
For more information check out...
www.dokken.net
www.dondokken.com
www.rhino.com
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