Randy Bachman knows a thing or two about crafting a great song, having written or co-written many hits for both The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
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While being interviewed recently on the New York Living TV show, Bachman shared some of the artists he considers to be the most accomplished at composing great pop and rock songs.
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“If you’re a songwriter or you want to learn to write songs, listen to ABBA albums. Each song is perfectly crafted and recorded,” said the 80-year-old Canadian rocker. “People who want to write songs, listen to the best of The Beatles, best of ABBA, best of Eagles. Those are great. And every song is different.”
Bachman also maintained that some of the early rock ‘n’ roll pioneers, while also great songwriters, didn’t create a body of work that offered the sonic variety that the ones he’d mentioned did.
[RELATED: The Realistic Reason Why The Guess Who’s Randy Bachman Is Selling His Famous Les Paul]
“Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley did the same song 12 times on an album,” he noted. “These other bands, every single is different. It’s a real learning experience.”
Bachman Reveals Some of His Favorite Albums
Bachman also was asked what his favorite all-time albums to listen to are.
“I’ve got a couple of favorites,” he said. “I always play … the old stuff.” He then mentioned Carole King’s Tapestry, the debut albums by Crosby, Stills & Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and, as he’d mentioned earlier, the greatest hits of the Eagles and ABBA.
In addition, Bachman commented that he’d recently watched a TV show that reported that classic rock currently is being embraced by a younger generation.
“[Y]ounger kids are discovery it because you actually play, no matter bad you play,” he noted.
Bachman’s Guitar Auction and Bachman-Turner Overdrive Tour
Bachman appeared on New York Living to promote his current guitar auction and his upcoming North American tour with the recently relaunched Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
The sale, which is being hosted by Julien’s Auctions in New York City, takes place May 29 and 30. More than 100 guitars belong to Bachman are up for bid.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s new lineup features Randy playing alongside his son, veteran singer/songwriter Tal Bachman. The trek kicks off with a series of headlining dates running from a June 13 show in Niagara Falls, Canada, through a September 23 concert in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
In addition, BTO will be opening for Heart at three Canadian shows on November.
Tickets for the shows are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
About Bachman’s Career
Bachman came to fame during the late 1960s as the lead guitarist of The Guess Who. Before he exited the group in 1970, he wrote or co-wrote such hits as “These Eyes,” “Laughing,” “Undun,” “No Time,” “American Woman,” and “No Sugar Tonight.”
Bachman then co-founded and co-led Bachman-Turner Overdrive in 1973. He also wrote and sang that band’s two biggest hits—“Takin’ Care of Business” and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.”
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