Don Felder’s ‘American Rock ‘N’ Roll’ Album Cover features the art of Bernie Taupin. - Noise11.com
Don Felder American Rock N Roll

Don Felder’s ‘American Rock ‘N’ Roll’ Album Cover features the art of Bernie Taupin.

by Paul Cashmere on May 23, 2019

in News

I had a simple question for former Eagles guitarist Don Felder. “The Bernie Taupin credited with the artwork on your new album. Is that THE Bernie Taupin?” “That’s the only Bernie Taupin I know,” Felder answered laughing.

Don Felder’s ‘American Rock ‘N’ Roll’ album has quite the Rock ‘N’ Roll roll-call, and artwork by Bernie Taupin is just one of the well-known credits. “I went to a hotel opening in Nashville, walking around the lobby and there was all this crazy art on the walls of smashed guitars with American flags wrapped around them,” Don tells Noise11.com. “There were these beautiful American flags soaked and wet and looking like they were about to be ignited. I said to the guy who built the hotel, “who did all this work?” and he said “Bernie Taupin”. I said, exactly like you, “THE Bernie Taupin, the Elton John Bernie Taupin?”

Don Felder and Bernie Taupin first crossed paths more than 40 years ago when Eagles were opening for Elton. “I knew Bernie back in 1975 at Wembley was Elton was playing. We were on the bill with him. So I reintroduced myself and said ‘this stuff is beautiful. I would love to use some of this stuff for my album artwork’ and he said (putting on a very bad English accent) “Absolutely mate, you tell me what you need”. He offered to let me use one of his flags which I thought was a beautiful rendition of the flag. Everybody on this record, music, mixing, mastering, including the artwork, has been a critical part of the history of Rock and Roll”.

The roll-call for ‘American Rock ‘N’ Roll’ is the Who’s Who of rock. “Everybody on this record, Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Bob Weir, Sambora, Orianthi (my favourite female guitarist on the planet) Peter Frampton, Mick Fleetwood, Chad Smith, all of those amazing players on this record were all influenced from the music from the very end of the 60s and the early 70s, the artists who were at Woodstock,” Don says. “A lot of the people that I mention in the song ‘American Rock N Roll’ influenced all of those artists. Whether it was vocals from Crosby Stills Nash & Young or the Eagles, Slash was influenced by Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana. A lot of the people on this record were influenced by the history and evolution of rock and roll music since 1969. I tried to collect those people all the way down to Bob Clearmountain who is probably the most noted audio hi-fi mixing engineer in the business. Bernie Grundman, who mastered the record, when I was sitting in his studio he brought out the original two-track mix of Hotel California. He mastered it back then for vinyl and cassette. Every time there has been a remastering process for all of the Eagles project, Bernie has done it”.

‘American Rock ‘N’ Roll’ is only Felder’s third solo album. ‘Airborne’ was released in 1983, ‘Road To Forever’ came out in 2012.

The album also features the song ‘Sun’, written by Felder in 1974 for Eagles ‘One of these Nights’ album but rejected by Glenn Frey and Don Henley.

Follow Noise11 on Twitter for news as it happens

For news as it happens follow Noise11 on Facebook

Noise11.com

Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio

Related Posts

10cc in Melbourne 25 June 2023 photo by Winston Robinson
Kevin Godley Reunites With 10cc In London

10cc had a special reunion at their London show this week when former member and co-founder Kevin Godley joined the band at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday night (25 March 2024).

11 hours ago
Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel To Release ‘Back To Front – Live In London’ DVD

Australia missed out on the Peter Gabriel tour but we will get the DVD.

11 hours ago
Bruce Springsteen Named First International Ivors Fellow

Bruce Springsteen is set become the first international songwriter to become a Fellow of The Ivors Academy.

2 days ago
No More Make Up For Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons has vowed "no more make-up" on stage.

2 days ago
Vincent Bonham of Raydio Dies At Age 67

Vincent Bonham, a founding member of Raydio with Ray Parker Jr in 1977, has died at the age of 67.

2 days ago
The Damned at Northcote Theatre, Melbourne 22 March 2024 photo by Mary Boukouvalis
The Damned + The Hard Ons, Northcote Theatre, Friday 22nd March 2024

The Damned released the first ever UK punk single, “New Rose” off album Damned, Damned, Damned, in 1976, and were often overshadowed by their English punk counterparts. Now in their late sixties and still touring world-wide, featuring the original line up of Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies and Paul Gray, they are the ones having the last laugh and have left their old rivals for dead, in certain respects, quite literally!

3 days ago
Marcia Hines, Photo By Ros O'Gorman
Marcia Hines Recovering After Collapsing Backstage During Show Recording

Marcia Hines was taken to hospital in Sydney on the weekend after collapsing in her dressing room before she was due to perform on Australian Idol.

3 days ago