Speaking with VRP Rocks, legendary drummer and rock icon, Carmine Appice, shares his personal insights of John Sykes, Tony Franklin and their supergroup, Blue Murder. Carmine discusses joining the group, the instant chemistry between them, some of the crazy times and recording stories, and why he feels the group didn't hit the heights they should have. We also hear about his recent interactions with Sykes, since he removed himself from the music business. With discussions ranging from missed opportunities with Whitesnake to the formation and eventual disbandment of Blue Murder, Carmine's firsthand accounts offer an intimate look into the rock music industry of the '80s and '90s.
Appice: "It was a great record. We went so over budget it was ridiculous. I would have bet anyone my house... we had Geffen (Records), John Kalodner, Bob Rock producing, me, Tony and John. The only thing we didn't have were the right managers, and in those days you needed (them) to control the band, control the record company, and we didn't have that. We did eight shows with Bon Jovi, but it just didn't happen. The record didn't do anything and I wasn't on a salary, so I started working with Vanilla Fudge and John didn't like that. We kinda split ways, but when they started doing the second album (Nothin' But Trouble) they couldn't get it with the guys they had, so they called me and Tony, because he left too, and we did the second album as session guys. But the grunge thing happened, and that was the end of all of us kinda guys."
Blue Murder featured Appice, guitarist / vocalist John Sykes, and bassist Tony Franklin. They released their self-titled debut album in 1989, which cracked the Billboard 200 chart and spawned a minor hit with "Jelly Roll". By the early '90s, however, Blue Murder's music had fallen out of fashion with the rise of grunge. Franklin and Appice left the band, while Sykes put together a new line-up and released Nothin' But Trouble in 1993. After a live album the following year, Blue Murder were dropped by their record label and broke-up. Since then there have been numerous attempts to reunite the band to no avail.
