Carlos Alomar has looked back on his first encounter with Paul McCartney, after he was recruited to play on one of the former Beatles’ solo records in the 1980s.
Alomar boasts the unique merit of having met more than one Beatle in his time. By the time he joined Macca on Press to Play, he’d already crossed paths with John Lennon and Ringo Starr.
But the session veteran’s involvement with Macca was far more involved, in more ways than one.
“It was truly a wish-come-true moment,” Alomar says in the new issue of Guitar World. “I’m not sure why Paul liked my playing, but maybe my success with David Bowie, Iggy Pop, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Duran Duran and others might have tickled his curiosity.”
Alomar, who also played with David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop, was asked to record some finishing guitar tracks for Press to Play. Macca was skeptical at first, but he eventually warmed to the idea.
“I got a call from producer Hugh Padgham, whom I’d met when he produced David Bowie’s Tonight [1984],” Alomar remembers. “He was now producing Paul and wanted to know my availability. Paul had laid down some guitar parts, but Hugh felt that a ‘finishing’ session with me would complete the tracks.
“At first, the answer from Paul was, ‘No.’ But a little later, I received a call confirming that, on second thought, Paul thought it was a good idea.”
Alomar first met McCartney in the Beatle’s office. The two hit it off. Their first encounter was relaxed and friendly, if a bit hazy.
“When I arrived, Paul invited me up to his study. Paul was super intrigued by my stories about being on the R&B Chitlin’ Circuit tours. We talked about Bowie, James Brown, the Apollo Theater, and Harlem.
“While listening, Paul turned his back to me slightly to get something. What emerged was a perfectly rolled Jamaican ‘carrot’ ganja joint,” he adds with a laugh. “We talked and talked, and time stood still.
“Finally, I said, ‘Maybe I should listen to some of the tracks before it gets too late – or we get too wasted.’ That’s when we headed down to his Hogg Hill Mill studio [in East Sussex, England].”
It was an excellent first encounter, and Alomar would lend his unique rhythm guitar style to tracks such as Press, Pretty Little Head, Stranglehold and Only Love Remains, all of which turn 40 this summer.
Pick up the newest issue of Guitar World at Magazines Direct to read Alomar’s full interview. The issue also includes features with Peter Frampton and Kim Thayil.
