We will be fine.............

Here we have Marco Pirroni's comments on Apollo 9 and B Side Baby. Me normal text, Marco italics. Enjoy!


How was Apollo 9 written?
2 Guitars a pen and some paper.

What were you listening to around this time?
Old british rock and roll, Tommy Steele,Billy Fury etc, a lot of Cajun which you hear in Apollo 9 and Kraftwerk. Don't ask me how this all works together, it just did in our minds.

Who came up with the drum pattern for it?
Bob

Was there a demo and why wasn't it on the remaster of Vive?
Never really a demo as such, but bits of it started life as something else on other unfinished demos, the most complete "demo" was on Adam's dictaphone, but thats lost forever now.

How much input (if any) did Chris and Bob have on the Vive sessions?
They played bass and drums isn't that enough?

What was Tony Visconti like to work with?
Very workmanlike, I had decided to simplify my guitar playing I thought 2/3 parts were better than the usual 25 tracks i did, but Tony was a bad influence and we went mad over dubbing guitars, he also played that "violin" on the end of the last track (I cant remeber what its called the dr strangelove one (P.O.E)) It's not a violin, its a synth guitar, but all producers sit there and are desperate to play guitar on something so I usally let them, I cant stand those pleading eyes they make, it's the same look that dogs have when want a bit of cheese.

B Side Babies- a return to old Ant songs for a b side- what other songs were tried out?
None, I tend to like 95% of old ants stuff so I think Adam said he'd like to do it, I said fine, it's all good really. I was suppised when he got this harmonica out, coz I didn't know he could play, and he's pretty good at it ,and contrary to popular opinion playing harmonica isn't easy.

How long did Apollo 9 take to record?
About a week.

There were 2 remixes for this single (Orbit mix and Splashdown mix) as well as the unheard 7" mix put onto Vive remastered- why were there so many remixes?
Sony wanted remixes.

Who's idea was it to do the remixes?
Sony

Who suggested Francois Kervokian? Were you aware of any of his work before doing Apollo 9?
I suggested him, because he had mixed Electric Cafe.

Remind me again, where did the plaster on Adam's forehead come from- it was a film right?
Requiem for a Heavyweight and Grace Jones.

Where did Adam get the ideas for the words from for Apollo 9?
The Right Stuff

What is the chorus a reference to? (Whoopsin a whoopsin, jan jan jammerin, yabba yabba ding ding, delta hey max 9)?
Is it just cartoony stuff, like Little Richard's Wop bop a loo bop a wham bam boo?
Yes that's exactly what it is.