Pop! The Beat Bubble Burst Chats With Chad Stuart of Chad and Jeremy

Photo courtesy of Chadandjeremy.net

Photo courtesy of chadandjeremy.net

Chad Stuart was in the British folk-rock duo Chad & Jeremy. The duo had 11 top 40 hits in that decade before splitting up, and while they’ve gotten together a couple times since then, nothing much ever came from those reunions — until the most recent one. Last year the duo re-recorded a number of their songs from each of their albums. It’s a strategy taken by many bands and artists with results that often make you wish they had just left well enough alone.

That’s not the case with Chad Stuart & Jeremy Clyde’s ARK-eology. The songs are close to the originals, but they don’t try to exactly reproduce them, nor do they attempt to update them using the style of the day. What they do is update the quality of the recordings and perform them with “respect for the song” as Chad explained in our interview. It’s obvious that the duo has a lot of respect for the songs and a real fondness for the material. On 88.1 KDHX’s Pop! The Beat Bubble Burst this week, I played a couple tracks side by side with the originals. The depth and warmth of the new rendition was remarkable: the vocals were as clear as the originals, with a bit of experience adding charm and character. The result is nice overview of the duo’s time together.

Now that they have our attention, Chad & Jeremy are planning a release of new material next year, as well as a DVD which will feature the history of the band through performance clips and many of the bits from ‘60s-era American television which featured the group’s music: Batman, The Dick Van Dyke Show and more will be highlighted.

Chad Stuart proved that he knows how to do an interview. He was very much at ease and funny, and he also went in-depth on a number of subjects regarding the duo’s tumultuous career. He and Jeremy Clyde were not just a couple of mop-top puppets. They were serious about entertaining and they did it with humor and charm, writing and arranging some great songs, and evolving effortlessly with the changing landscape of the ‘60s.

Listen to the interview podcast below, and go hear and see the duo for yourself. They’ll be displaying their knack for harmonies and well-constructed pop songs on Friday evening, October 23, at the venerable Sheldon Concert Hall in Saint Louis.

Download the interview.

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Posted by | October 23, 2009 | Music | Comment 

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