In The Producer's Chair: A Heavy Friend of Screaming Lord Sutch

In May of 1969, Jimmy Page entered the studio to produce and play on the debut album of English Rocker David "Screaming Lord" Sutch.

"Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends"

In May of 1969, Jimmy Page entered the studio to produce and play on the debut album of English Rocker David "Screaming Lord" Sutch. Sutch who paid homage with his nickname to rhythm and blues artist Screaming Jay Hawkins, was an early progenitor of the shock rock genre and in the early years of his career would dress up as Jack the Ripper at live shows and would use props such as coffins, axes, and knives in his act. He started out his career a a member of the group The Savages and despite his self admitted lack of vocal ability, experienced some modest success with a series of horror singles.

In 1964, Sutch and his manager overtook the Shivering Sands Army Fort, a series of Anti-Aircraft Towers in the Thames Estuary, and began operating a pirate radio station dubbed "Radio Sutch". He also had a career as a fledgling politician, and stood for his first election in 1963 as a member of the National Teenage Party running for a seat in the House of Commons in Stratford-Upon-Avon; he recieved 208 votes. Undeterred, Sutch participated in over 40 seperate elections in his life, but never came close to threatening a popular candidate.

Vote Lord Sutch!

In 1969, Sutch called on a myriad of his talented friends to help him record his debut solo album, and enlisted Jimmy Page to both play guitar, and produce the album. Sutch who had seen Led Zeppelin previously, called on Jimmy for his expertise as Jimmy later recalled, "Last time we were in L.A., he came to me and said 'I wish you could help me out. I've got a chance to make an album, and I've been in the business for twelve years.' I said, 'Look, I'll help you if I can." Page later explained his motivations for working with Sutch, "I just went down to have a laugh, playing some old rock 'n' roll, a bit of a send-up."

Sutch himself penned most of the songs, and explained why he chose to disregard covers "I made sure that we didn't make the mistake that all the other rock groups have made [in covering] old songs like 'C'mon Everybody,' 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Blue Suede Shoes.' That doesn't sell, because everybody's got 10 versions of it already. What we've done is modern rock 'n'roll with the real Zeppelin sound, that driving beat with loads of excitement. That Bonham is a tremendous drummer."

In addition to Page, the album also featured Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, The Experience Hendrix Project bassist Noel Redding, and The Rolling Stones keyboardist Nicky Hopkins. Recording took place at Mystic Studios in Hollywood between 24 April 1969 and 5 May 1969 and was released on the Cotillion Records Label in February of 1970. Critical reaction was entirely negative with Rolling Stone Magazine saying that the musicians on the album sounded "like a fouled parody of themselves." In a 1998 BBC poll, the album was named the worst of all time.

One of the problems was that all of the musicians on the album were under the notion that they were helping Sutch with demos that would be either mixed and mastered later or re-recorded. Upon hearing the album when it was released, nearly all completely disavowed it, Jimmy included. " I didn't do any solos. No solos at all. I did a little bit of wah-wah on one track ['Baby Come Back'], but I didn't do the solo inthe middle, which isn't a wah-wah thing; somebody else put that on....But - and this is where the criminal side of it comes in - he [Dave Sutch] didn't put 'Extra guitar: So and So' or 'Lead guitar played by So and So.' He put 'Guitar....' So everybody thought, 'Oh, Jimmy Page played that heap of crap,' and it became more than an embarrassment....He also wrote me in as producer, which was very nice of him."

Sadly, Dave Sutch was a troubled man behind his extroverted exterior. He suffered with manic depression his whole life, and committed suicide in 1999.