Posted: Sunday 7th September 2008

Reviewed by Pritesh Peshavaria

Driving Into The Future with The Sunday Times At The Wheel.

Here at Entertainment Focus Towers we like to embrace the future, we like to embrace the past, hell we'll embrace anything that comes our way.

A recent recipient of a nationwide embrace was the Ford Focus televisual campaign where an orchestral ensemble conducted symphonic splendour with instruments fashioned in their entirety by American musician Bill Milbrodt with colleague and luthier Ray Faunce III, from the components and body parts of two Ford Focus vehicles.

Imagine our delight on discovering that as well as the orchestrated piece, a wonderment of disparate musical entities had converged with the cunning car crafts to not only record a charity single in aid of The Teenage Cancer Trust but to honour that most revered of travellers' companions - the drive time anthem.

The leather clad fist at the wheel of this project was that of The Sunday Times under whose steer befell the improvised collective known as Carparts; an esteemed fellowship including Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike & The Mechanics) with a clutch plate guitar, Kenny Jones (Small Faces, The Faces, The Who) with wheel drums, and members of the National Symphony Orchestra with, to name but a few, a rear-suspension spike fiddle, a fender bass and a flute made from part of a strut and some air-conditioning tubing.

And whose distinguished vocals could possibly gild such a significant musical milestone, some marvel of the modern age? Some bastion of a bygone age?

Well, it came as both a pleasant and refreshing surprise to learn those duties had been bestowed upon a relative new-comer by the name of Richard Watson who both co-penned and performed the track entitled Six O'Clock In The Morning.

Who is Richard Watson and how did he come by such a scrummy opportunity, Entertainment Focus finds out;

Take us back to the beginning, how did you first come to hear of The Sunday Times Project and what prompted you to take part?

I got to know Nick Rufford, a journalist at The Times who had taken a liking to a demo I gave him about 18 months ago. Six O' Clock was a particular fave of his and out of the blue I got a call to ask if I'd be interested in getting involved in the Car Parts Project.

Two days later I was in Genesis's home studio chatting away to Mike Rutherford of Genesis and Kenny Jones of The Small Faces. We had film crews milling around the live room and journalists asking for quotes, so it was surreal to say the least!

The music was originally composed by Anglia Ruskin University student Tim Woods. Did you set about writing the lyrics to fit the music or was it a more organic affair?

The track was actually written by myself and a good friend called Dave Shaw when we were knocking about in a band called The 147's (a kind of The La's/ The Who hybrid for the new millennium!), in Cardiff and was always a track that got a strong reaction.

Tim was responsible for orchestrating the track for various instruments made from car parts (hence the name of the project no less!), which is no mean feat and he did a great job. Tim and I have subsequently been beavering away in his studio recording some of my new songs and collaborating on a new track together.

The lyrics convey feelings of hope, inspired by an obsessive ex-girlfriend. Would you care to divulge anything further about this infamous lass?

Well, a gentleman should never divulge his murky past, suffice to say though I did go through a period of answering certain phone calls at you guessed itSix O' Clock in the Morning. Lyrically there's a quote from De La Soul in the first verse and the rest of lyric was almost a stream of consciousness affair which turned out to be a psychedelic song of sorts...I guess?!?

The band was led by two savants of the rock world namely Mike Rutherford and Kenny Jones. What do Mike Rutherford and Kenny Jones mean to you?

I'm a big fan of both the Small Faces and The Faces so it was an honour to chat to Kenney and hear the old war stories of life on the road with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood.

I am a bit of a closet Genesis fan too, so it was good to watch and learn from Mike and discuss what we were going to do with the track.

Both Mike and Kenney were great at putting me at ease and supporting the whole process of getting Six O' Clock into its final form.

Did you meet them before entering the studio, and how did you handle being in their presence?

The first time I met them was in the studio, so it was a bit intense for me to start with but my attitude was ‘just run with it and see where this goes'.

The track was recorded at Rutherford's ‘The Farm' studio's (The same place Genesis's best selling 1986 album Invisible Touch was recorded). Describe the vibe on the day of recording?

It was really hectic, with lots of people running around but ultimately as Mike was at the helm it was a good humoured atmosphere when we were laying the tracks down.

On the day of recording you were still recovering from a bout of tonsillitis, perhaps going some way to rendering your seductively warm, husky tones. On reflection was that a blessing in disguise?

Haha! Yeah, I think it certainly lent a bit of grit to the vocal which I hope gives it a bit of a stronger impact.

You have unequivocally been bestowed with a tremendous singing voice, a cadence not unlike that of Peter Gabriel. Have you always been a singer/ song writer or do you play any instruments yourself?

I started out on the bass and then switched to rhythm guitar. I quickly realised that I got a tremendous kick out of conceiving lyrical ideas and trying to get some interesting sounds happening and marrying the two together.

What inspires you in life and, in an ideal world, what would make life more inspiring?

I'm a cynical sod but conversely I'm also a big advocate of keeping my chin up, staying positive and making the most of any opportunity that comes along keeps things fresh I guess.

Which artists and bands do you revere the most and why?

I go through many phases where I obsess over a particular artist, band or even song. Currently, I'm playing lots of The Clash, The Doors and 60's reggae but the cornerstones for me will always be The Beatles, The La's, The Stones, Motown and Burt Bacharach.

Modern bands that I think everyone should check out are the Kings Of Convenience, I Am Kloot and also Erland Oye's first album. Also if you get a chance check out Hands Off She's Mine by The Beat - sublime!!!!

Do you have a favourite Drive time anthem? Perhaps a motoring anecdote to go with it?

The only thing I can actually drive is women crazy! Tee hee - nah can't drive and never really been too fussed about learning to drive which makes my involvement in this project all the more ironic I guess. Having said that a drive time anthem for me has to be either I Fought The Law by The Clash or Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf.

All the instruments played on Six O'Clock In The Morning were fashioned in their entirety from two Ford Focus cars. How did the musicians take to such divinely novel instrumentation?

They took to it pretty well and came up with the goods on the day.

Was there an instrument to which you grew particularly fond? Infact, did you get to keep one as a memento?

I was quite taken with the clutch plate guitar which was a temperamental beast but sadly I couldn't get my filthy mitts on it for myself!

Tell us about your rise to this momentous moment, did it take many years of working the gig circuit or were you blessed with instant success?

I've been in bands since I was at school and was quite happy to graft away. As long as I was writing and playing, I was content.

I've played gigs in all manner of places though, most notably a tapas bar in Greenwich when I first moved to London!!!

We also got the chance to do a tour to promote this project with Teenage Cancer Trust, so ended up on stage at The Royal Albert Hall with Neil and Andy from Travis, supporting The Fratellis as well as playing dates in Liverpool and Glasgow – the very stuff of dreams!

Has success changed you as a person, perhaps your ambitions, your outlook on life, your appeal to the opposite sex?

It's confirmed my belief that good things can happen if you keep on believing in what you do, which may sound cheesy but its true!

You work by day at a renowned recruitment agency, but how has life changed since your rise to fame? Are you now a regular at Nobu, Bungalow 8, the Red Carpet perhaps?

No such luck and those kinds of places wouldn't float my proverbial boat anyway.

These days artists seem to be doing away with the record company, exploring more and more creative ways to exploit the download market themselves. Where do you see the future of the music industry with respect to both the artists and the consumers?

I think it's going back to the DIY punk mentality of the late 70's. In some ways it's good because the spirit of independence is back and it's made the big corporate labels sit up and take notice.

Have you embraced the download market or will you always carry a torch for Vinyl and the CD?

I'll always love the whole process of playing an actual vinyl record but for sheer ease and accessibility downloading is now a major factor in my consumption of music.

What's the most rock and roll thing you've ever done?

Randomly walking up to Mick Jones of The Clash last year in Notting Hill, assuring him I wasn't a nutter and proceeding to thank him for being a shining example of a talented songwriter who always stuck to his guns and did something valid, that continues to inspire!

And finally, what does the future hold for Richard Watson, tell us about any future projects you have in store?

I've got a batch of new songs on the go which have been directly influenced by my recent listening habits. Tim Woods and I are working together again and my plan is get a demo together and pester the publishing companies as I'm keen to get a publishing deal at this stage.

Six O'Clock In The Morning by Carparts is not only a tender celebration of a most spirited and joyous musical genre, it magnificently advocates the infinite possibilities of recycling.

You can download the track below and remember, as it was recorded for Charity please make a donation of atleast 79p (the price of one track on i-Tunes), to The Teenage Cancer Trust.

Donate to Teenage Cancer Trust

Download the song as an mp3 (right click and save)

Download the video (right click and save)

Watch the making of Six O'clock