Jimmy Page came close to reactivating his '80s supergroup, The Firm, in 2007, only for another higher priority reconvening to bring the idea to an end. The Firm, who also featured vocalist Paul Rodgers, released a brace of underrated bombastic albums in the middle of the decade, before the players went their separate ways. The revelation was made by drummer Chris Slade, in a new interview with eonmusic while promoting his band Timeline's latest album, Timescape.
Speaking to the site's Eamon O'Neill about his time with The Firm, Slade said; "It was a great experience. Pagey was not doing drugs. He was just drinking white wine spritzers, actually, all the way through The Firm, and he didn't do that too often."
Completing the lineup was bassist Tony Franklin, who the drummer called; "a tremendous, fretless bass player."
Talking about the magic of the band, and how it ended, Slade offered; "It was a great unit, and it went for two years, which is quite a long time. This lasted two years and two albums. People say, 'well, why did it end?' Well, I don't know why it ended. You'll have to ask Pagey or Paul that, because I have no idea. Me and Tony were not part of the managerial ins and outs, and that's good, because you stay out of the way, and you do your job when you're required to do it, and then you go home; it's that simple, and somebody else just makes decisions."
It was when he was asked if he believed that The Firm is underrated, that he revealed that a reunion was on the cards in the late 2000s, only for Page's 'other' band to get in the way; "Definitely an underrated band, without a doubt", he said; "We were going to try to get back together. There was a period, and this little band you've never heard of, I'm sure, called Led Zeppelin got back together. So the Firm got knocked on the head."
When asked if he was talking specifically about around the time of the Ahmet Ertegun tribute gig, in 2007, he replied; "Yes, and Tony and Pagey were talking about it, and he said, 'oh, you know, it could happen,' and I said, 'oh, I'll keep my fingers crossed,' but it never happened, and never will, in my opinion. Now, of course, you know, Paul has done so much more, with Queen, and his own career, and he's singing better now, I think, personally, than he did back then, and he was great back then; the greatest blues voice, from these islands, certainly."
Elsewhere, Slade discussed his job offer from Elvis Presley, working with Tom Jones, and the particularities of being AC/DC's drummer - "you play what Angus or Mal play; that's the brief, that's the job, and you follow their directive."
Read the full interview at eonmusic.
The Chris Slade Timeline is touring in support of their new album, Timescape, out now via BraveWords Records. The band's upcoming dates are listed below:
October
12 - La Grande Ourse - St Agathon (22), France
26 - Duerfkessel - Koerich, Luxembourg
November
29 - Ferret - Preston, UK
30 - Y Muni - Pontypridd, Wales
The Chris Slade Timeline’s Timescape contains completely original new tracks and some of Chris Slade's favourite covers. Purchase/stream the album here.
Timescape tracklisting:
Disc 1:
"Sundance"
"We Will Survive"
"Joybringer"
"Living The Dream"
"Freedom Song"
"Back With A Vengeance"
"Questions"
"Time Flies"
"End Of Eternity"
Disc 2:
"The Razors Edge"
"Free"
"Blinded By The Light"
"July Morning"
"Thunderstruck"
"Big Gun"
"Hells Bells"
"High Voltage"
"Back With A Vengeance" video:
Trailer:
The Chris Slade Timeline is:
Paul "Bun" Davis - vocals
Stevie Gee - vocals, bass
James Cornford - guitar, vocals
Mike Clarke - keyboards, guitar, vocals
*Andy Crosby play bass on "Sundance", "Back With A Vengeance", "Questions"
