Produced by Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars, Journey, David Bowie, Cheap Trick, Free, Riggs, Mötley Crüe and T'Pau amongst others), the 'Reggie Knighton Band' record boasts often humourously (not to mention brilliantly) observed lyricism, sonically amazing guitars and one of the biggest, fattest drum sounds ever recorded in the 70s, perhaps of alltime!

Despite appearing on a number of low-key projects in the late 70s and early 80s, Knighton disappeared, his name only appearing in retrospective reviews of the RKB album and (more recently) on internet message boards. And, naturally, most of those messages asked the question: 'Whatever happened to Reggie Knighton?' and proclaiming the RKB album to be one of those records that is surely in dire need of a long overdue reissue on CD (a format it has, sadly, yet to appear on).

So, here was an opportunity too good to miss. I promptly asked Reggie for an interview. He duly obliged......

How did you get your start in the business?

"I produced 4-track demos of my compositions in my own home studio. The tapes caught the ear of a management company, who got me a record deal with CBS."

Who were your influences?

"The rock classics: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Traffic et al."

You joined The Grass Roots in 1975. The band had enjoyed a string of hits from their inception in the mid 60s, including 'Where Were You When I Needed You', 'Midnight Confessions' and 'Temptation Eyes'. How did that occur?

"I was friends with their keyboardist/vocalist Dennis Provisor. Dennis and I were mutual fans of one another's solo projects and when an opening in the 'Roots came up, he got me an audition."

Were you in the band at any time that Warren Entner, who later wound up managing the likes of Angel and Quiet Riot, was involved?

"Actually, Warren had already left the band by then. I came in after the departure of their guitar player Reed Kailing. I was in the band with Rob Grill, Dennis Provisor and Joel Larson."

You signed a deal with CBS after leaving The Grass Roots after one, eponymously titled album in 1977. Was that something that you had worked on while a member of the band?

"No. That wasn't until after leaving The Grass Roots."

What are your recollections of your first, self-titled solo album released in 1977?

"It was a wonderful opportunity to express myself artistically. I was given the freedom to produce it myself. Having been used to working parsimoniously with modest equipment in my 4-track home studio, I was able to make the first record on a very small budget and yet all the while feel that I had all the resources I could possibly need at my disposal."

The second album, the classic 'Reggie Knighton Band",  was a whole different kettle of fish. It was very much a 'band' affair. A deliberate decision?

"Quite a different kettle of fish, indeed! When we realized that the first album was a flounder, we decided that the next record should be a grouper . . . Joe Walsh once said, "The smoker you drink, the player you get". For us, the theory went: "The grouper you get, the less you flounder.

"We decided that an actual band would yield a more cohesive sound and if founded on strong electric guitar playing, would have a harder more rock 'n' roll edge than yet another solo singer songwriter schtick.

"We also thought that we'd benefit from the expertise of a producer with a track record. To that end Roy Thomas Baker, who'd had terrific success with Queen, was a logical choice.

How did you meet your fellow band members?

"I had been friends for a long time with guitarist Brian Ray. He and I were the same age and grew up in the same part of L.A. Brian and I formed the nucleus of RKB . Around that time, I had just finished a tour backing another CBS artist, Valerie Carter. It was on my gig as a guitarist for Valerie that I played and became friends with bassist Kurtis Teel. So the three of us (Brian, Kurtis and myself) held auditions for drummers, which was how we connected with Glenn Symmonds, who had just been part of the group Automatic Man."

Was Roy Thomas Baker your choice? Or did CBS make the decision to have him produce the album?

"A mutual decision. He came to a gig of ours at the 'Whiskey-A-Go-Go' in Hollywood and liked what he saw. We were, of course, duly impressed by his work with Queen."

The production was almost unique. Any secrets involved in the making of the record?

"The RTB (Roy Thomas Baker) recipe was quite specific: the drums and vocals were mixed very hot, so hot in fact that they were not only way out front in the mix, but audibly distorting as well. This 'radio guerilla warfare' technique made the songs seem louder and more immediate on the radio than the competition's, or so the theory went. It certainly was effective for Queen.

"It was a terrific experience to work with both Roy Thomas Baker and Geoff Workman (who was engineering). We were introduced to exciting recording techniques.

"For example, Roy and Geoff would routinely 'triple-track' guitar lines and vocal parts which gave them huge Queen-like presence. Brian Ray and I recorded every guitar solo through an old Vox AC-30 that belonged to Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter of the Doobie Brothers.  Brian played his vintage Les Paul Goldtop and I played a 70's Stratocaster. The record was in every respect, a guitar player's labor of love."

Lyrically, many of the songs seemed to have a very science-fiction theme? Was that something that fascinated you? It seemed to be a continuation from your previous album, in some respects."

"Actually, the sci-fi imagery (i.e. 'Rock 'n 'Roll Alien', 'Clone In Love', 'UFO', etc) was meant to grab the listener's attention ... but the core themes of the songs themselves were far more terrestrial.

"For example, 'Rock 'n' Roll Alien' was the singer's plea to a woman to accept his overtures even if he did seem different from everyone else. He was using an ET metaphor to convey how 'alien' he felt in his efforts to make a connection with this woman. He was saying, 'Look, I may not be your average Joe but I still have feelings and am still capable of making you laugh, sending you love letters, etc. If you think I'm from outer space, I'll give you the best loving in this entire quadrant of galaxies.' It's about alienation. And rock 'n roll. And a yearning heart. Not proton torpedoes or interstellar xenomorphs.

"There were some sci-fi tinged songs on the first album, yes. But again, I would argue that the sci-fi themes were mere artifice; superficial scaffolding upon which to attach classic themes of love, fidelity, desire. The first album had a song called 'Girl From Pluto' which, on a surface level, I will concede, is about a guy who, upon close scrutiny, discovers that his better half is from the planet Pluto; sent to earth by her fellow Plutonians on a mission to save mankind; a calling that she eschews; choosing instead to maintain an unremarkable yet emotionally fulfilling connubial conventionalism with her hu-man. This was the classic message of 'love conquers all' . . . even an extraterrestrial house-frau hellbent on utopiating planet Earth!"

A number of RKB fans, including myself, believe that 'A Clone in love is alone in love' to be one of the coolest lines ever written...

"Why thank you, Dave! I take that as a true compliment!"

Did you ever hear Pat Benatar's later 'My Clone Sleeps Alone' (from her debut album 'In The Heat Of The Night')?

"No. I never even knew she had such a song. I'll certainly endeavour to give it a listen!"

'The King And I' was clearly written about Elvis Presley. I presume you were a fan?

"Very much so, Dave. Of course I adored his music, but I was also fascinated with Elvis's darker side. He was fiercely anti-drug; openly disparaging marijuana, LSD, and other illicit mind-bending substances. He even made an offer to President Richard M. Nixon to go undercover for the federal government and root out illicit narcotic use in the upper echelons of the music business. And yet, all the while, he was nursing a nine-ton-gorilla-sized dependence on physician prescribed opioid analgesics!

"He was a tender man; quiet, gentle and loving toward his wife and daughter while paradoxically succumbing to a voracious gun lust. He enjoyed firing large calibre handguns at television picture tubes.

"At once a both simple and complex man, the King is always number one!"

How much did you tour in support of the RKB album?

"The only actual touring we did to promote the RKB record was the US/Canada tour with 10cc. We did do some local club dates both before and briefly after the 10cc tour."

Was 10CC the right kind of band to tour with?

"We felt quite well matched with 10cc because we were fans of their quirky, humorous lyrics and their excellent musical sensibility. Remember: They were the ones that did 'Neanderthal Man' under the pseudonym of Hot Legs!"

In retrospect, would you have preferred to have toured with, say, Kiss or Aerosmith.

"In retrospect, perhaps we'd have been better served by opening for Aerosmith or Kiss because their American audience were much larger than 10cc's -- owing to their strong domestic LP sales as well as, in Aerosmith's case, their consistent chart topping success; whereas 10cc's only significant American success were their two top 10 hits: 'I'm Not In Love' and 'The Things We Do For Love'; both of which were relatively soft rock fare. It's ironic considering that in England during the 70's, 10cc was a major success; one of Britain's all time favourites."

How were record sales?

"I believe RKB went "zinc" in Abu Dhabi! Kidding aside, I was never given any sales figures, but what I find both heartening and satisfying is the knowledge that it definitely made some sort of impact because after all these years I still hear from fans that really appreciate RKB. That means a great deal to me."

Was there any promotion from CBS to speak of?

"Precious little."

How did you feel now to learn that the RKB album is considered such an underrated classic?

"I'm utterly flattered. And complemented. With an 'e'."

I think much of the praise came in the 80s and 90s, when the record was re-reviewed in 'Kerrang!'

"That's great to hear, Dave. Especially that the press to which you refer came out in the 80's and 90's -- essentially decades surpassing what I'd always presumed to be the record's maximum life expectancy."

How and why did the band break up?

"Glen, the drummer, left at the end of the 10cc tour to pursue his own solo ambitions. He was briefly replaced by a great drummer named Milton Ruth. We played a few local club dates with Milton in the band and it was a great ensemble. But the management's enthusiasm cooled due to lack of airplay and record sales. So both CBS records and the management pulled out; an inescapable consequence of the lack of commercial momentum. Without label and management support, the band simply evanesced."

You kept busy with a number of projects for a few years; Mark Saffan & The Keepers in 1981 (a cover of 'Rock 'n' Roll Alien' included)....

"That was a fun project. Kurtis Teel was also a part of that group. It was a real treat also to get my first (and I believe only) 'cover' with 'Rock 'n' Roll Alien'."

...and in a band with John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful on A Japanese Sci-Fi cartoon.

"Actually, my first work with John Sebastian was before both the RKB album and my first LP. I played guitar in his band on a U.S./Canada tour that included several dates opening for America. The tour capitalized on the success of his song 'Welcome Back', the theme song for the 70's TV sitcom 'Welcome Back Kotter', which was getting a lot of airplay. I was tremendously privileged to have played with John Sebastian. We performed all of the biggest Lovin' Spoonful hits and with John being the original singer/songwriter on most all of those songs, there were moments in that band that were truly exalted. Performing 'Do You Believe in Magic', 'Summer In The City', 'Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind', 'Younger Girl' et al. All sounding very authentic because of the man himself: John Sebastian's participation made for a musical experience that I'll always treasure.

"I believe you're referring to a Canadian production of a cartoon called 'The Devil & Daniel Mouse'. Actually, that project involved both John Sebastian and RKB. My memory is a little foggy as to the actual time line, but I believe we did that project as the 10cc tour was either just finished or just winding down. John had written several songs for the project and used RKB as his band to record them for the Canadian animation company that produced the film. That was a quick enjoyable project that lent one more dimension (film soundtrack) to the legacy of RKB."

There was also some music you contributed to the 'Americathon' movie...

"So I'm told! I've seen the credits for 'Americathon' that show my name, but I've never actually seen the movie itself! I presume that there is a cut or two from the LP's that is part of the soundtrack, but having never actually seen the film, all I can do is speculate! Let me know if you find anything out!"

So, what have you been doing since? It was almost as if you were abducted by those rock 'n' roll aliens....

"Actually, I was abducted by the personal computer revolution! I became a computer programmer and enjoyed it beyond words. It was a completely different way to be artistically expressive and was very satisfying. Computer programming kept my undivided attention for over a decade; from the early eighties to the mid nineties."

How about the other members of the band?

Are you doing anything musically now?

"I've been playing a lot of guitar lately; trying to make up for the time I was so myopically focused on computer programming. I've played on several demo tracks for various songwriters and have played a few club gigs as well. It feels great to be back in the swing of playing music."

What's your favourite memory of the Reggie Knighton Band?