Gilbert O’Sullivan: Top Twenty again, naturally

RAY O’Sullivan from Ballinamona, Waterford is on the phone from his home studio in Jersey to chat about his new Top 20 album and tour – which is coming to Lime Tree Theatre on Wednesday 4. At age seven, Ray and his family emigrated to the UK. He developed a love of songwriting, changed his name to Gilbert and has recorded 16 International Top 40 hits (six number one songs since his ’70s big breakthrough with debut album ‘Himself’.)

While Gilbert is best known for his ’70s’ hits, ‘Alone Again (Naturally)’, ‘Clair’ and ‘Get Down’, he does not rest on past achievements. This artist records a new original album every two/ three years and then tours.

The new album is the self titled ‘Gilbert O’Sullivan’ on BMG Records
It was recorded at his home in Jersey. It was produced by Ethan Johns who has worked with Kings of Leon and Paul McCarthy.
“He is a son of Glyn Johns, a famous 1960s producer with The Who and The Rolling Stones.”

Gilbert has recorded – as live – in the studio with his band – many times using the second take for the album with very little post production embellishments.

The songs are vintage GOS with his familiar and warm voice in fine form over lush familiar keyboard tones recorded with a wonderful band to analogue tape.
‘The Same The Whole World Over’ and ‘Where Did You Go To?’ are particular standouts.

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Gilbert is in a good place today. He has had his tough times when he had to fight in court for his royalty dues and to regain copyright control of his art. He would have preferred to be writing songs than spending days in litigation.

“The key is that without the songs, I wouldn’t be talking to you.
“The art of songwriting is so special and it is something I love more than anything.
“I work really hard to come up with the songs, record and put them out!”
After a few false starts in his early days, Gilbert O’Sullivan’s music found its audience in 1972 when he signed with manager Gordan Mills (already had Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck on his books) and Mills’ record label MAM Records.

In the 1980s Gilbert had to put his career on hold and sue his manager and MAM Records for a fair proportion of the vast income he generated with his multi-million selling hits.

He won an award of £7,000,000. The judge in the case described O’Sullivan as a “patently honest and decent man.”

Gilbert O’Sullivan has just returned from a short tour in the US. Surprisingly, it was his first time in 43 years that he performed in America. The reason for this is a solemn lesson for any artist attempting to break America: having a hit record and having a hit live show are two very different things.

At the height of his run of hit records, a Gilbert O’Sullivan tour of the US was booked by his then manager Gordan Mills.
“My first and only tour in 1974 was a wonderful disaster!” laughs.
“I had a private plane. I had an orchestra.”

Mills’ other acts, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck, were headlining large arenas.
“We had three-million selling songs with ‘Get Down’, ‘Clair’ and ‘Alone Again’.
“My manager had to make the decision – Do I do arenas or do I go and support an established touring band (i.e. The Moody Blues)?

“He decided that I was going to go out on my own. Carnegie Hall, New York was sold out but the tour went downhill from there. In fact they cancelled the tour before it got to the west coast.”
“Selling millions doesn’t guarantee that people are going to see you. No matter who you are. No matter how successful you are, it does not guarantee bums on seats.”
“Going as a support for a major act that had established itself would have been the way to go!”

It has taken more then 40 years for Gilbert to regain the faith of US promoters in his pulling power.
“I’ve been trying to get into the US for the last 15 years. It is very expensive to bring a full band.”

This tour features Gilbert and Bill Shanley on guitar (from Clonakilty, based in Dublin, who plays with Ray Davies, Paul Brady, Mary Black).

“One of Ireland’s finest guitar players,” comments Gilbert
The American tour promoters welcomed this pared back version of the show and with that success, the duo will return again in 2020.
Gilbert is the first artist in the world to set a precedent for music sampling. In 1991 Gilbert won a New York court case against rapper Biz Markie (Warner Bros) who had sampled O’Sullivan’s hit ‘Alone Again, (Naturally)’. The first judgement of its kind, it changed how hip hop music was recorded.

“I had to go to court when the Jay-Z of the 1990s. Biz Markie sampled one of my songs without permission, I went to New York to court to get him to take it down. There is now a legal precedent that protects people whose music may be sampled.”
Gilbert believes that copyright protection is still one of the biggest challenges facing the music business.

“A lot of young people think that copyright is not a problem for them. Just take anybody’s track and sample it and download it. Copyright is very important. Publishers have to protect the writer so therefore people downloading illegally is an issue that needs to be resolved.”

Expect a generous set of Gilbert O’Sullivan’s hits, new tracks from his first Top 20 album in 40 years and some stories as Lime Tree Theatre kicks off its Autumn with a genuine music legend. Just Gilbert – Gilbert O’Sullivan accompanied by guitarist Bill Shanley performs at Lime Tree Theatre on Wednesday September 4.

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