Speaking with VRP Rocks, drum legend Carmine Aoppice takes listeners on an enthralling journey through his iconic music career. With over 60 years in the industry, Carmine shares insights into the five favourite albums that he has played on, which is no mean feat given he's contributed to hundreds of records over his career. He tells stories about working with renowned artists such as Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart and John Sykes. This interview uncovers fascinating details about the making of huge hits, unforgettable albums and memorable bands, offering an unmissable glimpse into the world of rock and roll history.
Appice: "The first one I picked is Vanilla Fudge's first album, of course. I was 19 years-old. The first of anything album is always exciting. We got the album deal because we played 'You keep Me Hangin' On' every night we played, and people stopped trying to dance, and came to the stage to watch us. Our manager put us in the studio and we did a demo of 'You Keep Me Hangin' On'. We did it in one take mono; it's never been in stereo. We went in to record the rest of the album, and it became a smash."
Appice recentzly shared his personal insights of John Sykes, Tony Franklin and their supergroup, Blue Murder with VRP Rocks. Check out the clip below.
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.
