Nick Magnus is no stranger to the progressive rock scene, his years of collaboration with Steve Hackett, both on record and on stage, are partly responsible for that. The release of his seventh solo album A Strange Inheritance was the reason for Alex Driessen to get some answers to a list of questions from the keyboardist/composer/arranger/producer.
Alex Driessen: Thank you very much for allowing me some of your precious time. You must be very busy right now, doing promotional activities in the aftermath of the new album release. I’ve seen you and Steve Hackett perform frequently in the past and consider myself a big fan of your music. I would very much like to talk to you and have your thoughts on some burning questions.
Nick Magnus: It’s my pleasure, Alex
Alex: First of all congrats on great new album, it sounds great. It took you some five years to finish, why so long?
Nick: Thank you! It actually took less time than that – the first exploratory ideas went down in August 2021, with final mastering completed in May 2024, so that’s two years, nine months – only slightly above average for me! There’s usually a four to five year gap between albums, as it takes me time to ‘recharge the batteries’ before Dick Foster (lyricist) and I start to develop ideas for the next album. On this occasion the main reason it took longer to get started was Covid. I know that many people saw the lockdown period as a great opportunity to use the time to be creative. I, on the other hand, found it quite stultifying. It was only when lockdown restrictions were lifted that the creative muse kicked in again.
Alex: Once again a concept album, what is it that attracts you to this type of narrative?
Nick: It’s that very idea of narrative. I like to make albums that tell a story, or have an unifying theme or thread that connects the tracks. It’s a methodology that really began in earnest with the title track of my second album Inhaling Green. Melodic motifs often reappear in different guises throughout an album – an almost symphonic approach, if that doesn’t sound too grand! I think of it like scoring a movie.
Alex: You had some good friends and colleagues join you, even old buddy Steve Hackett joined in. Any special reason for bringing in outside musicians?
Nick: Each guest musician brings their own unique interpretation to a specific role. The songs are often character driven, so I choose the best singer to represent that character, and write with them in mind. With instrumentalists, they provide what I am not able to do – for example John Greenwood’s superb Spanish guitar solo in Blood Money, or Steve’s bluesy harmonica solo in An Almost Silent Witness. As much as I enjoy the challenge of recreating an entire band or orchestra, to quote Clint Eastwood in ‘Magnum Force’, “a man’s got to know his limitations”.
Alex: There’s a lot of variation on the album, sailor’s songs, funky stuff, rocky bits, classical pieces and the odd ballad, what prompted this decision?
Nick: Again, it all comes down to the idea of narrative. Dick’s lyrics tell a story with many different scenes and different moods, often within the same track. From my point of view it’s essential that the music complements each change of mood – it has to illustrate what’s going on in the story, or at least put you in an appropriate ‘place’ or state of mind.
Alex: Take me through the process of writing and recording, please. Was it recorded in the old fashioned way, together in the studio, or was it mainly done via exchanging electronic files?
Nick: The only electronic file sharing was for John Greenwood’s guitar parts in Blood Money, for the simple reason that he lives in Adelaide, Australia! Everything else takes place in my studio – that is, all the keyboards, vocals, programming, sound design, mixing, mastering etc. I mostly write linearly, recording and arranging as I go along – it’s a detailed evolution process, sometimes scrapping an entire track if it’s not working and starting again from a blank canvas! With vocals, I always have the singers in the studio with me. It’s very important from my perspective as the producer to have a real-time dialogue with them, to discuss different approaches, maybe altering lines, changing lyrics, coming up with harmony parts, and crucially having control over the recording process – none of which is possible if they are just left to ‘phone in’ their parts.
Alex: Who came up with the idea for the parrot’s angle in An Almost Silent Witness?
Nick: That was Dick’s idea – the parrot was a principal character right from the beginning. Dick even had the album cover pretty much designed at the outset! We didn’t want to use a stock photo of a parrot off the internet for obvious copyright reasons, so we hunted high and low, and eventually found our ‘starring’ parrot in a fantastic aviary called Bird World. He posed very obligingly for us.
Alex: I particularly like Philadelphia, quite a beautiful and moving track. And that video, superb!
Nick: Thank you! Charlotte Fawley’s beautiful illustrations give the video a real period charm – reminiscent of a Jane Austen or Diana Gabaldon novel.
Alex: I also like the closing track, To Whom it May Concern. It has that specific Hackett-sound written all over it, John Greenwood plays a great solo on electric guitar. Was this specifically designed this way?
Nick: The lyrics are Philadelphia’s message written on the parchment found in the chest, basically saying “these are the life lessons I’ve learned – and very importantly, don’t let fear preside over reason”. That last part is more relevant today than ever. The message is addressed both to the recipient of the inherited chest, and to humankind in general. The track was designed to be reflective, but with a feeling of hope and optimism at the end. Incidentally, with the exception of John’s stellar guitar playing on Blood Money, there are no other ‘physical’ guitars on the album. But thank you for the compliment! 🙂
Alex: Four Winds sounds like a full orchestra including choir, classical style. There’s no mention of this on the sleeve notes, so I assume it’s all from your magic box of tricks? 😉
Nick: Indeed it is. Four Winds presented quite a different challenge, but I do like a challenge!
Alex: You don’t seem afraid of letting us hear your own singing voice. On the other hand you frequently use guest vocalist like Tony Patterson, Ginger Bennett and Louise Young.
Nick: When I first started singing (on my fourth album Children of Another God) I did so rather nervously, expecting rotten tomatoes! However, that didn’t happen – people seemed to like my voice, which came as quite a surprise. Encouraged by that, I’ve discovered I enjoy doing vocals – as long as my voice suits the song and it’s within my rather limited range. When a song requires a different approach, something with more range and attitude, or if it’s a female character, that’s when I call on the people who really know what they’re doing!
Alex: Any thoughts on performing this material live? I know you’ve played with John and Steve Hackett on the odd occasion.
Nick: It’s a frequently asked question, and the short answer is cost. Taking a band on the road is a prohibitively expensive proposition – especially when you’re a one-man outfit with no financial backing! When I’m making these albums, I approach them without any restrictions or considerations of live performance, as I know I’ll never be in a position to afford the huge resources and organisation it would need.
Alex: Talking of which, I saw this truly moving footage of you and Rob Townsend from Steve’s band performing Hammer in the Sand live at Trading Boundaries some years ago. There’s a great tune!
Nick: That guest spot was Steve’s idea! He’d been dropping hints about it for a while. As I was there, and Roger King’s keyboard was there and set up ready to go – it had to happen!
Alex: In his autobiography Steve Hackett expresses particularly fond memories of recording Spectral Mornings in Holland, back in 1979. This must have been a happy time for all of you in the band. Any particular recollections on those days?
Nick: For me personally it was the realisation of a dream. Not only was it my first professional recording, but also having acceptance as a musician by someone of Steve’s calibre – a validation of my career choice, if you will. It was a time of great camaraderie, quite a party atmosphere, and we all got along so well.
Alex: You’ve played with each and every one over the years, and I must admit I lost track of you since parting ways with Hackett. Tell me a little bit about your work with Renaissance, Colin Blunstone and two late lamented talents, Pete Bardens and Duncan Browne, to stay close to home.
Nick: Playing keyboards on Renaissance’s Timeline album came about through the late and much missed John Acock, who was co-producer on many of Steve’s albums. He produced Timeline and recommended me to the band. Colin Blunstone lived locally to me – I knew him through a mutual friend. Colin and I ended up writing several songs together; one called Cry An Ocean was released on the I.R.S. label. Colin and Duncan Browne had a band project called Camino, so I came to know Duncan through Colin. Duncan and I subsequently became close friends – he wrote music for a number of TV programmes, much of which we worked on together. We subsequently began working on his Songs Of Love And War album – but sadly Duncan died shortly before its completion, so it fell to me to finish the project, which was released after his death. Pete Bardens also lived locally to me (we had a lot of mutual friends!) Pete got the job writing the score to a steampunk-styled movie called ‘Gunbus’, which I helped him put together. We recorded the entire score, but frustratingly it was replaced at the last minute by another composer – such are the vicissitudes of the movie business!
Alex: What prompted the break up with Steve anyway, it looked like the two of you were a perfect match.
Nick: It wasn’t a break up as such. An opportunity had come my way to produce what became a series of albums in partnership with Chris Cozens under the banner of ‘Project D’. We had already had some success with the first of these when Steve called to say he was going on the road again, and was I up for it? It was a very difficult choice, as I was keen to follow up on the Project D thing, but the two couldn’t co-exist. It was a choice made not without sadness, but life is full of such watershed moments. I think we still are a good match, though – his many fine contributions to my own albums are a testament to that!
Alex: BTW why the motorcycle police helmet during those early gigs in the mid 80’s?
Nick: It was the full California Highway Patrol uniform, as well as the helmet! I felt that one’s onstage appearance deserved better than the standard old rock’n’roll jeans and T-shirts favoured by many. Keyboard players are often considered to be uninteresting and hidden away at the back of the stage, so why not be a bit controversial? 😉
Alex: What are your plans at the moment, do we have to wait another five years before we hear anything from you again?
Nick: I’m recharging those post-album batteries! There are tentative plans for an intermediate project, but I hope it won’t be quite so long until the next album.
Alex: Is there anything you want to say to the visitors of our website in particular and fans of the progressive rock genre in general?
Nick: We all have well-established favourites in our musical lexicons, but do be open-minded to new music and new artists – there’s some great stuff out there waiting to be discovered. Keep buying physical products – they have the best sound quality, they have all that great packaging and artwork, no-one can delete them, and they’re yours to own forever. And importantly, the musicians who make them actually earn money from those sales, which in turn contributes toward the cost of making new music! And we all want more new music, don’t we?
Alex: Nick, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions, good luck with the new album and please don’t let us wait so long till the next one. Stay safe and healthy, hope to see you in the near future, preferably somewhere on a stage nearby.
Nick: Thank you for having me along, Alex!
[You can read Alex Driessen’s review of A Strange Inheritance HERE]