In the Studio: Albert Hammond, Jr. Falls Down, Gets Up and Reinvents Himself on Second LP

While the Strokes remain on a nice long break, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. figured he'd use his spare time to get another solo album out. "I wanted to show a different side of me," says Hammond. For the follow-up to Yours to Keep, he re-teamed with his band--drummer Matt Romano, guitarist Marc Eskenazi and bassist Josh Lattanzi and engineer Gus Oberg--for five weeks at New York's Electric Lady Studios last fall. Hammond's goals included crafting "shorter and harder" tunes, like the ska-tinged "Miss Myrtle," as well as instrumental numbers, like "Spooky Couch." For "Boss Americana," Hammond and Oberg used "the Van Halen technique" for miking Romano's drums, connecting two kick drums by a long tunnel made from a blanket. And for the Cheap Trick-style power-pop song "In My Room," they plugged three amps into one another to achieve an enormity of sound in stark contrast to the first disc's bedroom vibe. "When we started, I would collapse with fear," Hammond says. "But it's amazing how people around you help you get back up, and that gives you the freedom to go weird places."

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV 10 Shows to Watch This Summer
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Satisfied”

Tom Waits | 2011

Only the genius of Tom Waits could combine the subject of mortality, a reoccurring theme in his work, with wordplay that name checks both Mick and Keith, whom he calls "Mr. Jagger" and "Mr. Richards," and the title of their magnum opus, "Satisfaction." And to show just how cool Waits really is, he even got Mr. Richards to play along, one of nine guest appearances the guitarist has made on three Waits albums. "This growling roadhouse stomp is a late-breaking response to the Stones' greatest hit," Rolling Stone said of the track.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter