Hours after stepping offstage at Osheaga back in July, The High Dials hunkered down in one of Montreal’s top studios for a mega recording marathon.
What could have lured the band away from Canadian cottage country and into confined city spaces on that hot summer week? An invitation from legendary rock ‘n’ roll svengali Andrew Loog Oldham to enlist in his international orchestral army and reinvent a classic yet oft-overlooked tune by the Rolling Stones from “Between the Buttons.”
Mr Oldham is best known as the discoverer and mastermind of the Stones, producing their string of early monster hits including “Satisfaction”, “Last Time” and “Ruby Tuesday” while guiding them to superstardom. He’s also the maestro behind the epic arrangement sampled by the Verve in “Bittersweet Symphony”.
The High Dials and Andrew have been mutual admirers since way back in 2005 when he appeared unannounced at one of their shows in Vancouver. Years of vague plans to do something creative together finally took shape as the band put their reworking of “She Smiled Sweetly” to tape.
In addition to managing the Stones and other legends like the Small Faces and Marianne Faithful at the height of the 20th century pop explosion, Mr Oldham dabbled in instrumental music, which he released as “The Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra” on his ultra-hip and sadly defunct label Immediate.
The High Dials are in good company, joining the likes of Gryff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Johnny Marr (the Smiths), Al Kooper, Elliot Easton (The Cars), Vashti and Gary Lucas in participating in the project.
A video for The High Dials collaboration is in production. The album is slated for a Spring release. Expect a sneak preview of the song on this site in the coming weeks. According to Trevor, “our take is a pretty big departure from the original, with electronic and orchestral touches, plenty of High Dials swirl, and a downbeat church vibe.”
