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Jack interview with Metalside, Poland - Interviewer: Tomasz Michalski The legend of NWOBHM decided to release in May the compilation "Majors & Minors", which focuses on the last (which must be added: very good!) Four albums. In the long (after all, the band was founded in 1978) history of Tygers of Pan Tang, there was no shortage of break-ups, nightmarish style changes or line-up changes. In recent years, however, the group has only gained the wind in its sails - has the pandemic not led the musicians to the dead waters? We talk to the band's vocalist about the condition of the Tigers, best-of albums, the new guitarist and (yes, yes!). And, oh mother! What a talker Jacopo Meille had turned out to be! MetalSide.pl: Hey! All right? In one piece? Jacopo Meille: Hello! Fortunately, I wasn't sick! I also try to be an optimist, despite the fact that as a musician I had hard times. MS: On May 28, Tygers of Pan Tang released a compilation "Majors & Minors". When did you come up with the idea for this type of release? JM: Somewhere around September 2020, with the second wave of the pandemic, it hit us that the virus would not let go so easily. We had to postpone the second part of our tour to November 2021 and the label came up with the idea to release a compilation in the meantime - so that people would not forget about us. By the way, it was also supposed to buy us some time, because Micky Crystal left the group, and we were auditioning for a new guitarist, not knowing exactly how it would all end. Fortunately, we finally found Francesco, who turned out to be a great musician. We quickly started working on the new album - from September to March this year we managed to create a lot of demo songs. At the same time, however, we also worked on "Majors & Minors" to have something to promote on the upcoming dates - finally "Ritual", although still fresh in our memory, was released in 2019. If all goes well, you should hear some new sounds from Tygers of Pan Tang at the end of the year. We will definitely record a new album, but we also intend to release an EP with two tracks. MS: Only good news! JM: These are really strange times. On the one hand, we had to stop because we couldn't play concerts. On the other hand, no one could forbid us to compose - and Robb Weir turned out to be extremely prolific during this period: he was constantly inventing new riffs. When we managed to put together a new line-up, we immediately started working on his ideas. Francesco also found himself very quickly: he would take Robb's riffs, build a whole song on them, and then send it to me and Craig to start thinking about the lyrics and vocal lines. So as you can see, this pandemic downtime has been very busy for us. MS: Both the EP and the new album will be released by Mighty Music? JM: Yes! Mighty Music is now our second home! We were very lucky to be under their wing. Michael Andersen looks after and cares about our interests: as soon as the pandemic started, he immediately prepared a plan of action - so that we would not stand still. The re-edition of "Ambush" has appeared, the work on the compilation has started ... Even when selecting tracks for "Majors & Minors", he gave us a free hand - it was Robb and I who made the tracklist. He was also open to our ideas, e.g. in terms of the cover. The idea came from Craig Ellis (although I also helped a bit), and the final version was created by ... the, well ... known ... Italian ... from Naples ... (laugh)... Roberto Todorico! Michael gave us a free hand when it came to Artwork: he told us to think about the subject and just give it to him. Hardly any group receives such artistic freedom. MS: Over the past two years, most groups have lost their main source of income, which is concerts. Some have ceased to exist, others have started to release similar discs or live-stream concert albums. When you launched "Majors & Minors", did you take this financial aspect into account as well? JM: Yes of course. Tygers of Pan Tang has been touring almost continuously for the last 7 years. The current situation must therefore have had an impact on our finances. The worst thing is that we really love to travel and play these shows. Anyway, without these journeys, you wouldn't have had some of the tracks from "Tygers of Pan Tang" or "Ritual". In an interview for one of the Polish magazines, I gave the example of the issue "Love Will Find the Way" - its main riff was created out of nothing in the changing room: Robb invented it while getting ready for a concert in Poland. And that's what happens sometimes on the road: the idea may come to your mind just like this: when you have a day off, when you are on the bus, when you are in the changing room. And you have to catch it quickly and start picking at it! I live in Italy, Francesco (although he is also Italian) lives in Germany and the rest in England. So now there aren't many opportunities for us to get together and start working on something together - that's why we have to hit the road again. "Ritual" turned out so well just because we were with each other all the time, sharing ideas and insights. Songs like "Raise Some Hell" or ... Wait, I'll make sure you don't write something wrong later! MS: (laugh) JM: (pulls "Ritual" off the shelf) "Raise Some Hell", "Destiny", "Words Cut Like Knives" - these songs were created during a week-long break between one tour and the other. I stayed in England during it and together with Crystal we made a lot of demo songs. Also some of the registered ideas were found, for example, in such "Love Will Find a Way". This is the way we compose, which is why we were a bit worried about the pandemic - we had to learn to work remotely. Here, Francesco, who is for your brother with new technologies, helped us a lot - he showed us how you can handle it all nicely. So we sent each other ideas, discussed them, sent back corrections, Robb made riffs - creativity in the group didn't die. MS: And why did you focus only on your era on Majors & Minors? JM: It was the idea ... this ... this ... well ... Mighty Music! It just so happened that Mighty Music bought the rights to the album "Animal Instict" - so expect a re-edition of this album with some nice bonuses! And I think Michael Andersen realized that he now has all the Tygers albums with me on vocals, because he came up with the idea to release this compilation. I have to admit that I have never been a fan of this type of release. I like to buy discs in physical versions, both on CD and vinyl - which I think you can see, because behind me you have a small part of my collection (seriously, there was only about half a thousand discs in the frame - editor's note). If I like a band, I try to buy all their albums, from which I can compose my own compilation. That's why I don't buy best-of albums, and the idea for something like that from Tygers didn't take me on. I heard Tygers of Pan Tang for the first time in the 80's when I bought the second hand album "The Cage". Later I also bought "Crazy Nights" and "Spellbound", except for the official compilation, which was born somewhere along the way. On Majors & Minors, I was also cranking my nose at first, but when Michael gave us a free hand, I changed my attitude a bit. I may sound a bit selfish, but I was given the opportunity to celebrate "my" time in the band, to put together my "own" compilation. After Robbie and Craig, I am the third Tygers of Pan Tang musician with the longest experience - I am the singer of the group for 17 years. So I started looking at it all differently. The title of the album was invented by Robb and it has a double meaning: there are smaller and bigger reasons for its creation, but also bigger hits (the ones that I hope everyone knows) and smaller ones (so songs that we ourselves like for some reason). We've looked at everything we've released over the years to pick up those numbers. Numbers that are not necessarily mega-known. Take a look at "Let It Burn" from "Animal Instinct" - I think we only played it once: in sessions. It's a great piece, but we forgot about it somewhere along the way and didn't perform it live. The same with "What You Say" - b-side, which was originally recorded for the album from 2016. We liked the track, it was supposed to be on the disc, but Mighty Music wanted all versions of the release to have the same tracklist - so one track had to be out. This compilation is a good time to show people these "smaller" hits - to show that we have a lot of nice compositions. Because what else is interesting there? MS: For example "Never Give In", another forgotten b-side ... JM: Exactly! I always have to fight for us to play it! (laughs) Somewhere, however, it loses to equally fast classics like "Hellbound" or "Gangland". In general, putting together a tracklist for this release turned out to be more difficult than I thought, because I had more favorite tracks than places on the album. Each disc had to be taken into account and, consequently, some compromises had to be made. For example, I had to let go of 2016's Do It Again - and I love that track! And although the main goal of "Majors & Minors" was to reach those people who do not have our last albums on the shelf or do not even know that we are still active, there were also some surprises for our biggest fans: "What You Say", " Plug Me In "," Spoils of War "in an unusual version," Let It Burn "and" Hotblooded "remasters. MS: "Majors & Minors" can show those who did not keep their finger on the pulse that Tygers of Pan Tang is not only Cox and Deverill ... JM:Exactly! Therefore, we designed a cover that is meant to attract attention. It looks great on a CD, and even better on vinyl, and when you enter a music store, this tiger immediately catches the eye. You stand face to face with it, wondering what sounds this release hides. It hypnotizes you by forcing you to buy the album. At least I hope so. MS: Back to the tracklist: "She" in the tracklist, and I heard that it barely made it onto the studio album. JM: It was actually a very difficult number to record. There are tracks that when you walk into the studio, you know from the start what they will ultimately look like - like this one, well ... (thinks) ... "Damn You!". The process of writing it was not the easiest one, but we knew immediately what it would sound like at the end. With "She" something was happening all the time - mainly thanks to Chris Tsangarides. "We're gonna add this", "we're gonna add that", "we're gonna throw in an acoustic solo", "what? Just one vocal line ?! We're adding another!" ... It was tough, but thanks to Chris it made it. Working with him was a real turning point in my "career" - after all, he recorded, among others, Judas Priest, Gary Moore or Ian Gillan. I was terrified, but he extended a helping hand and taught me many things. He had a nice way of working: we recorded from 10am to 4pm, he recorded three takes, and then he invited all of us to tea. During this break, we listened to what we recorded and shared our insights - what we like and what we don't. After introducing the changes, a second tea break was made, then we took the next piece - no spine, no rush. We recorded the entire "Ambush" in 6 days, which is a really great result. Especially since there were times when I wanted to work longer, he would tell me to chill out, go for a walk or have a good dinner and come refreshed tomorrow morning. Today, when I listen to "Ambush", I often think back to our cooperation - without Chris, I wouldn't be the singer I am today. MS: Apart from the acoustic solo in "She" we will hear castanets - how did it come out? JM: That's Chris's idea too! I remember him saying to us that "She" would use some percussion ornaments, and that the piece has a slightly Spanish feel, he proposes castanets. We look at him as if he was crazy, "are you sure?" - we ask. "Sure!" - he replies. Confused, Craig yells, "We're in fucking England! Where the hell am I going to find castanets here ?!" And Chris calmly: "I have them - have fun" (laughs) MS: (laughs) In addition to smaller or bigger hits, the compilation also includes a special version of "Spoils of War". Who is responsible for this "orchestral mix"? JM: The demo version of "Spoils of War" already existed during the recording of "Ambush" - Craig liked the riff made by Robb very much and he had an idea for this track. He created an intro for it and thought about the text he was supposed to tell about, among others on the eve of the great battle. When the number started to take shape our drummer thought it had such a cinematic feel to it. The emotional solo was already created by Micky Crystal during the "Ritual" session. And while recording, he told us he knew a guy working at the BBC who did the soundtracks. He suggested to send him "Spoils of War" and see what would come of it. The guy's name was Richard Chance, he created the orchestrations for the song and ... split the group. Some of the team decided that he had gone too far, and others said that ... "why not?" (laughs) However, as our democracy reigns and the majority voted against, we rejected the "orchestral mix", although some ideas from it were included in the "Ritual" version - such as the strings in the solo part. This arrangement was much better suited to the overall more rock feel of "Ritual". While working on the new best-of, Craig and Robb remembered this "exaggerated" / strange / different version and decided that it might be something special, not available anywhere else. In the mix we pulled the orchestra even more and if you close your eyes, you will have the Middle Ages, "Conan" or even "Lord of the Rings" battles in your head - because we aimed at something like that. It's something different for sure, but I hope the fans like it. MS: Best of is available on CD and vinyl. However, the track list on the black disc had to be shortened. How did you decide which pieces will "fly"? JM: (loud laughter) Let's start with the CD version being the basis. At first we thought it would be a double album, but Mighty Music brought us down to earth - they explained to us that a release like this would just cost too much. Both for them and for the fans themselves, as they would have to spend 35-40 euros. So we reduced the number of carriers to one, and since we had around 50 pieces, sharp cuts started. With vinyl, we had to go even further because of the space. We definitely had to leave three special tracks and then pick from the studio albums: two from "Ritual" and one each from the rest. And as I am a huge KISS fan, I knew that they always put a number on some weird release that we won't find anywhere else. And Gene Simmons came out of me because I thought it would be a great idea to add "Keeping Me Alive" live. So if someone wants to have everything from Tygers of Pan Tang, they will also have to buy vinyl! MS: (laugh) JM: And lest it were: I bought our vinyl myself! I was going to get a black one from the publisher, but I wanted a color one, so I just got it! So I spent some money myself on this album! (laugh) MS: Where was "Keeping Me Alive" even registered? There were two dates in the press release: 2016 and 2018. JM: We recorded him at the festival in French Fismes. It's a different version than the one available on "Ambush" - we recorded that one in the same place, but during our first visit, with Dean Robertson still on guitar. The Majors & Minors version is from 2016 and Micky McCrystal is on the rowing machine. We actually have our entire show from this fest - you don't know what might happen in this topic - because we played great! (laughs) I laugh, because when we go back to the recordings later, it turns out that the quality of the ass is not breaking (laughs) Micky is not in the line-up anymore, but he played a big role in the band's history. We wanted to honor him with this piece because the audience loves him and Micky himself played it in his own way. MS: Why did Crystal leave the ranks of Tygers of Pan Tang at all? JM: In December 2019 he got married, a child was born to him shortly after - his life changed 180 degrees and for the first time he felt this age difference between us. Me, Gav and Craig have five up front, Robb is 61 and Micky turned 30 last year. He is a very talented musician and he had to realize that we would not take it long, and that if he gave us another 10 years of his professional life, it would be difficult for him to go on his own afterwards. We are not The Rolling Stones - we will not be throwing "Never Give In" on the stage at 75. On "Ritual" we did something special together - so he is coming down from the top, on his own terms. He wanted to change his life and that's it. We have good contact, and recently he even posted a video on his Facebook where he plays the whole "What You Say". MS: Right after leaving, however, he gave an interview in which he complained about the lack of democracy in the group, or the lack of involvement of some team members in the process of creating "Ritual" ... JM: A team is like a family, and a team is like marriage: there is a large gray area between black and white. When you walk away, you must have some pissed-off things in your head. I hope that if there is any regret somewhere, the guys have already cleared it all up - because they were talking to each other. The line-up with Crystal was great and I did my best to keep him from changing - but I couldn't make Micky stay. Robb and I get along very well and we've never had a fight, but it can be harder for a guitarist to find the right balance. Micky definitely cared about "Ritual" - he was giving 100% of himself during the work on this album and I understand that he might have reason to suspect that not everyone cares so much. I remember translating the recordings once, because Micky decided that we were not ready for it yet. And he was right: Destiny and Damn You! Were written right after that. - I can't imagine "Ritual" without these tracks. Maybe this situation stayed somewhere in his head? Fortunately, things are fine between us now and some of these understatements have been resolved. MS: As you mentioned several times, he was succeeded by Francesco Marras. What was the recruitment process like? We asked candidates to send us a live version of "Hellbound" and "Don't Stop By". Francesco sent both videos and he was also the only musician I heard from two other people that I need to check him out because he's great. The first was Frank Pané - guitarist of Bonfire, with whom I worked previously. You certainly know the other person, because this is Alessandro Del Vecchio - keyboard player, composer, producer and at the same time my good friend. He sent me an email saying that he had worked with Marras before and that he was not only a great musician but also a great guy. The video posted by Francesco impressed us and I immediately told the rest that I think we've found the right person: not only does he play great, but also has impressive credentials. We were a bit concerned about the fact that he lives in Germany - after all, three of the band members are in Great Britain and I am in Italy. We were wondering what it would look like with the pandemic and this shitty Brexit on our heads (laughs). I was in Germany, we met in person, we still talk and write with each other, we compose together - but we have not yet managed to meet in full at the rehearsal. I want to write new songs, which of course we like a lot - I think it will be nice chemistry in the group. I'll tell you in a few months how it goes (laughs) MS: In 2019, he sent us his solo album for review. Times Flies was great! Did you listen to him? JM: Yes! He is a really great musician! Even though I am older than him, we found out that we like the same albums and have similar ideas when it comes to composing. He's extremely versatile and always strives to make a piece better - it's not about showing how fast he can play. MS: I once read an interview with Jesse Cox in which he said that Tygers of Pan Tang are now Robb + some unknown guys. You're already in the group of 17, performed at major festivals, recorded four very good albums - not bad for "no-name", right? What did you even expect when you took up the position of frontman? JM: (laughs) Yes, the longest on the microphone of all of them - just one more disc and in terms of records I will be equal to Deverill. He has recorded five albums ...But few were good ... MS: You dont say? (laughs) JM: But he did it in a lot less time than me. (laughs) When I joined Tygers of Pan Tang in 2004, I was 36 - so I was already an experienced adult guy. The chance to sing in such a group was a kind of reward for me, because I had not parted with the microphone since I was 16. I wanted to do what I love: sing, record, meet new people on the road - I didn't want to be a "rock star". Being in a group like Tygers of Pan Tang means hard work. And it's also not that after the tour is over, your pockets are stuffed with money - because it is not (laughs). Thanks to the loyalty of fans and the support of Mighty Music, we earn money, but they are not coconuts. We do it not for the sake of money or splendor anyway. We do it because we love to travel, be together, and play in front of an audience. And I look forward to the turn of September and October, when we will start with the postponed part of the tour. MS: And tell me, how was it with Jess Cox's Tygers of Pan Tang? Because in 2015 he founded his version of the band. How did you react? JM: We have not been informed at all that it is doing something like this. We found out from the Internet: we saw recordings from Brazil, where he only played numbers from "Wild Cat". I think he should at least warn Robb - they are in touch, after all. Of course, he did not legally do anything wrong: after all, he recorded the songs with the group. Ultimately, it is up to the fans to decide whether they like it or not, or whether Jess paid tribute to the Tygers of those years well. We were not interested in fighting who would be called this "real" band. We've seen disagreements in UFOs or Wishbone Ash in the past - we didn't want to go that route. We do our job, he does his. Anyway, he gave up playing after just a few performances. MS: On our website you will find a review of, among others "The Spellbound Sessions". Our colleague wrote in it that basically every track is better than the original and it is largely thanks to you ... JM: As a singer I have to tell you that it is much easier to sing Deverill material than Jess Cox. Deverill is a great singer and while you can add some delicate embellishments, you have to stick to his part. Cox doesn't have a unique technique, but he has the right mindset - he has a punk-like way of presenting the text. And this cannot be copied: if you want to sing like him, you will fail. So you have to completely change the vocal lines, which is not easy at all. I remember asking Robb to send me a pair of 1980s Tygers of Pan Tang bootlegs so I could see what John Deverill was doing with the older numbers. And it turned out that he completely ignored Cox's vocals (laughs). So I asked if I could do the same and Robb said absolutely. It's not that Cox can't sing - he just does it in a way that can't be repeated. It is one of a kind. It was hard for me to measure against "Wild Cat" material: "Euthanasia", "Slave to Freedom" in particular. Suzie Smiled was a bit better. MS: You mentioned an EP that should be released this year. What else are the Tigers planning? What can you expect from them? JM: The material registration process is scheduled for the summer. We will probably start with the full album at the end of this year. There will be two new songs on the EP and, interestingly, one song from "Wild Cat" - that's why I said earlier that it's not easy with Jess tracks. As for the album, we do not have an approximate date yet - 2022 for sure. However, we have a few concerts scheduled for the first quarter of next year - these are those moved because of the pandemic. This year, only festivals are planned, and only those that have not been canceled yet: on August 28 Stonedead Festival, in October we visit Sweden, and on September 11 in the Netherlands we will appear at Baroeg Open Air. What can you expect from the new album? There will be no surprises for sure. A lot of the songs are based on Robb's riffs, but we managed to find a nice balance between those heavy riffs and the catchy melodies. Some of the songs may start off strongly, but later we'll find a hit chorus - so there will be a lot of contrasts. Of course, there will also be fast and dynamic compositions, because without them there can be no Tygers of Pan Tang album. We have 20 demo tracks - so there will be plenty to choose from! There have never been so many in the past: previously, for example, from 12 demos, ultimately 11 songs were released on the album. Here we're aiming at roughly 14, but we'll make the final decision right at the finish. MS: I hope you will not forget about Poland when promoting the album. JM: May! After all, we visited Poland only twice! We were at a big, strictly metal festival and I remember that we didn't know how the audience would react to us. As most of the groups were presenting more extreme types of metal back then, we prepared an even stronger set list. I also often use photos from this particular show. The audience was crazy and not only on these quick numbers, even on the quieter "Suzie Smiled" there was fire. MS: There is a nice fest for such experienced groups: Rock Legends Festival, Charlotte Valley - remember! JM: Cool! Mekong Delta was the headliner at one of the festivals - it was sometime in September. Then we showed up in February how fucking cold it was! Great hall, lots of people, great atmosphere. So I will gladly come back to you! MS: And that was it! Thanks for your time! JM: You're welcome! Thank you for the invitation! MS: Finally, a word from you for Polish fans! JM: What can I say? Many thanks for being with us for so many years! We've gone through a lot of roster changes, but our claws are still sharp. Our new publishing house was created so that you would not forget about us. But be ready for completely new sounds! You will love these new songs!