If you were a music fan with your ear tuned to the sensational songs emanating out of AM radio airwaves across America in the early ’70s you were likely entranced by the exquisite melodious sounds of singer/songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan. In the ’70s, Gilbert racked up a string of smash hits with “Alone Again (Naturally),” “Get Down,” “Out Of The Question” and “Clair;” his songs were marvels of melody, harmony and inventiveness, his McCartney-meets-music hall flavored voice was manna from the heavens. In March, Gilbert hits U.S. shores for his first string of tour dates in almost 50 years and has a brand new studio album slated for release in July.
Retro-Active’s Ken Sharp recently spoke to O’Sullivan about his career and return to the stage in the States.
You’ve haven’t played live shows in the U.S. for decades. What prompted your long overdue return to the States to perform live?
Gilbert O’Sullivan: The history of it is the only tour I did in America way back in the early ’70s, ’73 or ’74 , was a wonderful disaster.
Why?
My manager Gordon Mills also managed Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. They were playing these big arenas. But the decision he had to make for me was, “Do we let him go out as a support for The Moody Blues or do we let him go out on his own like Tom or Engelbert?” Even though “Alone Again (Naturally),” “Clair” and “Get Down” were million-selling records in America it doesn’t guarantee bums on seats. Even when Al Green went out behind some million selling records he bombed out initially. You had to learn your craft in terms of performing. So the mistake made was putting me on my own. So we started off in Carnegie Hall, which was wonderful and that was a sellout. But that’s not an arena-styled venue. What tended to happen was as we moved further away from New York City the crowds were dwindling. So the tour was pulled before it got to the West Coast. It was a wonderful tour. I had a great orchestra and we had fun with the great musicians and we had a private plane taking us everywhere so it was a wonderful disaster.
It’s astonishing given your success in the States in the ’70s that you’ve never played a show on the West Coast.
Well, the only thing I did after that was a guest appearance on a Carpenters show at the Hollywood Bowl and that was a disaster.
Gilbert O’Sullivan
Why was that a disaster?
(laughing) Well, because I play piano and we know that Richard Carpenter also plays piano. So there is a grand piano on stage for me to use. We rehearsed some days before. The Carpenters were big fans of “Alone Again” so they were very happy to have me but on the day of the rehearsal the piano was locked and I couldn’t use it. My manager should have said, “If he doesn’t unlock that piano and let us rehearse with it we’re not doing this.” But they didn’t and I’m being led here there and everywhere. So I didn’t get a chance to rehearse and on the night of the show when I walk out and the piano is there and it’s got all these buttons on it and I’ve got no idea what’s going on. It was horrendous. So I left and went straight home and I was really upset about the whole thing. So that’s my experience of the West Coast and touring. That’s why in a sense it’s taken until now for me to go back over. We’ve tried for the last ten years. I have a fantastic band but we haven’t been able to come over because of the costs and expense involved. But now I’m coming over with myself and a guitar player. The relationship with my guitar player, just the two of us, has worked out so well. People like it; it’s kind of intimate, up close and personal and you get to hear the words more clearly and it’s been a joy.
Throughout your career you’ve created some beautiful everlasting melodies, any favorites?
I don’t let people hear when I’m working on something other than the producer maybe. I’ve heard Paul McCartney say he will play a song to someone and ask what they think. I don’t do that. The only time that people to get to hear it is when it’s recorded. I’m very confident in the room that I write in. When I finish a song that I’m really happy with even if it isn’t a hit it will always be something very special to me. I’ll give you an example, I have a song called “It’s Easy To See When You’re Blind.” That’s one of my favorite songs of mine. I like it because of the interesting lyric but I also like the middle eight section and how it moves. That’s a song that might not be a hit but it means a lot to me in terms of the strength of a good song.
“Alone Again (Naturally)” is an unlikely song picked as a single as it deals with a very dark subject, suicide and to top it off, no pun intended, it turns out to be your biggest hit in the States.
I liked the song. It’s not based on personal experience but I get into the subject. What makes you a good lyricist is you don’t have to experience something to be able to write about it in a sincere way, particularly if you’re dealing with a heavy subject. So I feel what makes you a good lyricist is to be able to get into such a subject. I was 21 years old and “Alone Again (Naturally)” was just one of the songs that I wrote at the time to be recorded. So I didn’t think, “Wow, this is going to change the world!” That’s the great thing. Those are areas you should never really go into, just get on with the job, write the song and be happy with it and then let’s see what happens. You can’t worry about what might be successful, just get on with it. The success for you as a writer is when you’re in that room on your own and you finish what you think is a good song, that’s success. It has nothing to do beyond that. The great thing is if you go back to the great songwriters, there are Cole Porter songs or Rodgers and Hart songs which bombed initially and didn’t happen. Then they were used in something else and suddenly they took on another life. It just goes to show you that great songs can get lost. If you write a good song and it doesn’t become a hit, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad song. It’s just maybe timing, those kind of things come into play. That’s always worth bearing in mind. If you’re happy with a song you’ve written and proud of it, that’s what you’re doing it for. You’re recording it because your heart and soul is into creating what you hope is good material.
“Get Down” was another huge hit around the world in the ’70s and demonstrated a rockier side of your personality.
It was my Rod Stewart and The Faces kind of record. They had a record out. “We Will” was influenced by McCartney; it could have been “My Love” but I’m not sure. With “Get Down” there was a Faces record I liked and that kind of influenced me on that song. “Get Down” had a good lyric and it’s a good rock song but we didn’t have a guitar player for the solo. It was just me on piano and Laurie Holloway, the arranger, on the Fender Rhodes and bass and drums and there isn’t guitar but it rocks away; I was really happy with it.
What’s the last song you heard that made you go, “I wish I wrote that?”
I have many songs I wish I wrote. I love Randy Newman‘s song “Feels Like Home,” that’s a great song. I always liked Randy Newman. I was one of the few people who bought his first album in1967. I’m a huge fan of Randy’s and buy all of his stuff. I really like “The Folks Who Live On The Hill.” It was also a joy when I did a duet with Peggy Lee. (“Can’t Think Straight”). I buy everything, I love John Mayer, for example.
Thinking back, what were the most memorable shows you’ve been a part of through the years?
I was one of the few artists where it took two big successes before I actually went on the road. You see how some artists learn their apprenticeship by performing in small clubs and getting bigger and getting bigger and going from support act to going out on their own. That didn’t work for me. I supported myself out on the road on the piano. With my success from “Nothing Rhymed” in ’70 and ’71 to ’72 with “Alone Again (Naturally)” I hadn’t done any concerts. I was pretty much staying at home, writing songs and going on a few television shows. I didn’t go from playing small clubs to larger venues. I think my first concert as a solo artist was in 1972 and I did that in Ireland at a place called The Stadium and that was very crazy. It was two years into my success. That was very memorable as was my first show in England at the Hammersmith Odeon. Those were really good experiences and also playing in Hyde Park to over 30,000 people was pretty special too.
Gilbert O’Sullivan 2022 Tour Dates:
Mar 4 – Houston, TX – Main Street Crossing
Mar 7 – Philadelphia, PA – City Winery
Mar 8 – New York, NY – City Winery
Mar 10 – Boston, MA – City Winery
Mar 11 – Chicago, IL – City Winery
Mar 14 – Nashville, TN – City Winery
Mar 15 – Atlanta, GA – City Winery
Mar 17 – Los Angeles, CA – The Mint
Mar 18 – Los Angeles, CA – The Mint
Mar 20 – Washington, DC – City Winery
Apr 5 – Scunthorpe, UK – Baths Hall
Apr 8 – Leeds, UK – City Varities Music Hall
Apr 12 – Birmingham, UK – Town Hall
Apr 23 – Tokyo, Japan – Sinjuku Cultural Center
Apr 24 – Tokyo, Japan – Sinjuku Cultural Center
Sep 2 – Limerick, Ireland – Lime Tree Theatre
Sep 3 – Castlebar, Ireland – Royal Theatre
Sep 6 – Kilkenny, Ireland – Watergate Theatre
Sep 9 – Cork, Ireland – Cork Opera House
Sep 11 – Dublin, Ireland – Bord Gais Energy Theatre
Nov 5 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Carre Theatre
