Union
Interview: Name & Formation of Union
Following our departure from Scotti Bros Records, we were joined by Fred Turner of BTO and signed with Portrait, a division of CBS and re-named "Union"..I kind of preferred the BLT monicker which would have stood for Bachman, Ludwig, Turner and which would have represented the musical sandwich we were participating in. I remember being impressed with how high Fred could sing with power. In retrospect, this album reveals how quickly we had tried to adapt once again, as there were clearly 3 different styles at work here. Next Stop London was really meant to be on my solo album and doesn't fit with the other songs as far as I'm concertned. I think the true potential we had sneaks through in moments like the last verse of Keep the Summer Alive, in which the 3 of us are all rockin' ala Sweet Home Alabama. This song was clearly an homage to Carl Wilson especially in the breakdown.
Interview:- Fred on the Formation of Union
Keep the Summer Alive (excerpt)
Interview:- Randy
The title song On Strike written by Fred Turner, had Frank on Lead vocals
Interview:- Fred
The single, "Mainstreet U.S.A. started getting solid play on the 'minor' stations but when we refused to pay "independant promoters," we failed to land on any major radio staions and soon fell off the radar. When tours failed to materialize, it was time to move on.
Interview:- Randy
Pacific Norhwest Blues (excerpt)
I've included this song because it shows us all playing in a blues vein and I think Randy does a great job of the vocals. He always seemed insecure about his vocals but my response was that it was working (as determined by all the great hits he'd had) so why change anything. His pitch is fine and much of what contributed to his sound was a result of him not having a developed vibrato. That makes it really a lot harder to cover small inperfections and tuning variations. This was a long before the technology of Autotune. I think this song shnould be a Northwest anthem. (I've heard it rains here in B.C. as well)
Interview:- Randy
More Interviews: (thanks to John M. for these)
Invitation:- Frank
Care of Me:- Frank