Interview with David Snowden

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Batman
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Interview with David Snowden

Post by Batman »

Okey, here it goes. I did this interview with David Snowden for the old board a long time ago. Hope you like it. Thanks to D.S for doing this!


When did your first meet Vinnie?
This is a question that’s probably best answered by Vinnie. The following is a letter of recommendation that I’ve never shared with anyone other than “industry peopleâ€
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Streetbeat
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Post by Streetbeat »

i wonder if he is still in touch with Vinnie or when was the last time he talked to him
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Post by Batman »

Streetbeat wrote:i wonder if he is still in touch with Vinnie or when was the last time he talked to him
I'm pretty sure he isn't :wink:
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Post by poserboy71 »

Good read . I wish Snowden would share a photo of the guitar Vinnie gave him . What an incredible gift from the Vin-man !! David sounds honest and seems to not beat around the bush.In a nutshell--Talented ,Emotional, Psycho--- WOW !!

Still here, STILL a Vinnie fan,

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Post by Batman »

poserboy71 wrote:Good read . I wish Snowden would share a photo of the guitar Vinnie gave him . What an incredible gift from the Vin-man !! David sounds honest and seems to not beat around the bush.In a nutshell--Talented ,Emotional, Psycho--- WOW !!

Still here, STILL a Vinnie fan,

-PB71-
I don't think he meant psycho as bad thing though...emotional and talented is a very good description. I'm not the best interviewer, but hell...I think I got some great stories :lol:
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Post by poserboy71 »

I got that feeling as well. BUT...
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Post by doublev »

he has a point about vv being the next desmond child. i am sure he tried however.
seems very sad to me that dana was taking the lead in production. v must have not been too happy, i wouldn't have thought. it really was like dana had some sort of control of that band, like he wrote something into the vvi contract without v knowing until it was too late. It seemed like he was in control of the capital records reissues as well because the slaughter records came out around the same time. i still have a theory that he had a percentage ownership of the band,but i could be wrong. you can not blame young musicians wanting to get ahead but it seems strange that if they quit or get fired that the whole band went down the tube. It would have been easy for vv to pick up the pieces, hire some new guys and continue with the contract. this is why i feel something else was going on.

everyone knows how i feel about dana strum, not my favourite guy and people have told me to chill in the past, but with all the new stuff coming to light i am not as against the guy as i was. (i should note dana strum supposedly looked once in a while at the old board).
Mark has said he would love to make up with v recently and i think Bobby loves vinnie even if it all ended badly. when fullshred had them sign his vv guitar he said they were all pretty excited to see his guitar, especially bobby.
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Post by Genebaby »

Thanks for posting that, great interview. What year was it done?
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Post by poserboy71 »

I think you're spot on about Dana.I believe Vinnie wanted Dana around more for his studio expertise than his bass playing even though hearing those rough demos has made me respect Dana's playing more. I think he got his foot in the door with Vinnie and struck up a PARTNERSHIP (complete with contracts) and as soon as Mark came along, Dana put their future in motion and betrayed Vinnie.
Time heals, and I do believe that ALL of the people in that band can look at the past and wish they would've acted a bit differently.

-PB71-
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Post by doublev »

but you can not blame them. they were in a band that didn't make a gold record and had someone elses name on it. it was always going to end, thats why its strange to me vv lost his contract just because those guys left. When it happens to Yngwie he just gets a new singer and musicians, no big issue.
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Post by doublev »

the interview was 2 or 3 years ago I think.. is that correct BT. I think it was on my board at the start, but it may date to the end of the pyro board..
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Post by poserboy71 »

The debut and ASG didn't reach GOLD status ? WOW. :shock:
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Post by Batman »

Genebaby wrote:Thanks for posting that, great interview. What year was it done?
I did it 2008 for the doublev board :wink:
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Post by doublev »

Neither vvi records went gold. I think if back on the streets and no substitute were videos it surely would have and if asg was marketed better and the band didn't disolve just a few months after it was released it would have at least gone gold.
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Post by Shred4hire »

you can try to search the riaa database if its not there ..... then you have to have them look it up but only if your an offfcial member of the band will they work wiyth you ...

i have been doing thunderhead research ( even more obscure than any VV stuff) and its possible it could have done well in other countries they were on chrysalis like the band trouble tribe ( who supposedly only sold 120,000 copies in the us) my friend and band mate Eric klaastad was the bassist for trouble tribe. we had long talks bout that label ( and of course VV's rep as a player and person around town in NYC , hes currently playing in thunderhead) .. the bad part was in those days the publishing was given up but if you can research say harry fox for mechanical royalties you can find out also how many copies were sold by royalties ( if you your a member of the band/group/ organization) to see exactly how many copies were sold .

very interesting stuff

i wonder how many records were sold in teh wrold? .....
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Post by Batman »

The album peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard Pop Album Charts and sold about 400,000 copies. Two singles were released: "Boyz Are Gonna Rock" and "Back on The Streets" but a music video was only made for "Boyz Are Gonna Rock". The song "Animal" appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Summer School. The band opened for Alice Cooper in 1987 to support the record.


With new vocalist Mark Slaughter, All Systems Go peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard Top 100 Album Chart in 1988 although it failed to go Gold, selling around 450,000 copies. Two singles from the album, "Love Kills" and "That Time of Year" were released with corresponding music videos. The song "Love Kills" was also featured in the soundtrack for A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, and the video features scenes from the film. MTV hosted an entire hour for the film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master which featured Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger and guest Vinnie Vincent promoting the music video. A third track from the album, "Ashes to Ashes" also received some radio airplay.



Source Wikipedia.
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Post by Shred4hire »

ok then do you think since its relrelease it could have " added " some sales to that figure in the usa? it can eventually go gold at some point if it sells thats much.
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Post by doublev »

yes sales could be added. i wonder what the current sales figures are.
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Post by poserboy71 »

Worldwide sales have got to be at least CLOSE to platinum for BOTH albums.
What heavy shenanigans must have been going on to pull the plug on promoting ASG and for that matter the first album as well. They stopped promoting the first and second album due in large part to MARK SLAUGHTER !!!!
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Post by Batman »

doublev wrote: seems very sad to me that dana was taking the lead in production. v must have not been too happy
Since this is a "discussion" forum I would like to discuss haha. No actually, I really like the production on ASG compared to the first VVI record. I like the first record better in terms of style, songs and robert. But Dana is a really talented producer who really gave the band a very "sonic" sound on that record. Loved it! The drums sound a little bit better in my opinion, though I wished they'd gone for a really BIG drum sound (like creatures I guess), from the way Bobby Rock described the rough drum tracks for the first album.
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Post by doublev »

i agree,but I am saying I am pretty sure that wasn't v's choice (to have dana produce)
i think the drums sound better on the capital records re-release. When it comes down to it I think his drums didn't record as well as they sounded live and it may have been the final mix that did it.
Eric Carr used Ludwig's and to me they always record great. I think Eric Carr's best talent was actually the sound he got from his drums,of course the producer, engineer and mixer have to take credit, but he seemed to know how to get the sound.Even on a wimpy kiss record like Crazy Nights and Hot in the shade, the drums generally sounded great. For me Eric Singer didn't have the sound Eric Carr got but some say he was more about technique. Personally I think Peter Criss and Eric Carr got a better drum sound. I know people love the Revenge drum sound and I respect that, and understand it.
ASG has some sort of tribute to Led Zep, maybe its Mark's vocals, but I think it needed a big Bonham sound. I sometimes think Bobby Rock used too many drums, Bonham got that huge sound from a 5 piece, I sometimes think using the complete range of toms can make everything a little merky, but who the fuck am I to say this shit. Actually I think a more big band drummer like Jack Scarangella or Peter Criss may have been an intersting mix with VV. Maybe a more jazzy/rock drum sound would have added a complex element (I can hear people making fun of my saying this). But Bobby Rock is truly brilliant and a great find for v. Also I like is ethos.
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Post by Batman »

Yeah and we've gotta remember that Vinnie was freaking obsessed with Bobby's playing and how he could make him play like a programmed drum machine. And I think he even said himself that Vinnie wanted that "drum machine" sound. One thing I hate about the re-releases though....its the freaking cuts on Love Kills. It's so annoying :evil:
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Post by doublev »

yes, i can not believe they edited love kills. i think v used to say great things about bobby but i think it wore off. i suppose thats for v to speak about.

i think v knows what he wants from drums. I heard he made Andre change the head on his snare every day.

i still wish v had put out 3 or 4 more records so we can really know about his musical range. It is so painful to be his enemy and yet to love everything he does. that's life i suppose.
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Post by poserboy71 »

Doublev,
YOU are not Vinnie's enemy. You are a great person and a great fan. Vinnie thinks we are his enemy when in actuality ,HE may be his own worst enemy .
My thing about having a drummer play like a drum machine is USE A FUCKING DRUM MACHINE THEN !!! There is an Aerosmith clip from 'The Making Of PUMP' DVD where Joey Kramer politely tells Steven Tyler the very same thing.Steven is a great drummer, maybe he should've done it.

All of us wish we had MORE Vinnie. Life isn't supposed to be love/hate. It is definitely what we choose to make it and let into our lives. Vinnie frustrates me but he has NO control on how much I love and enjoy my life. If he chooses to wake up and share his gift with us then he may very well ADD to my joy in life but NO ONE will ever have the power to take anything from me.

I believe he will release the things we've always wanted ,but it may be too important for him to save face and not admit any wrong-doing to his fans. We as fans have admitted our faults alongside reasons for those faults.
Yes, the 'Love Kills' edit sucks donkey balls being that it chops an integral part of the song away. Look on the bright side though, at least those donkeys are happy !!

:lol: -PB71-
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Post by doublev »

well, i wish no one was vinnie's enemy but lets see. we all love the guy or we wouldn't be sticking around.
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Post by Batman »

poserboy71 wrote:Doublev,
YOU are not Vinnie's enemy. You are a great person and a great fan. Vinnie thinks we are his enemy when in actuality ,HE may be his own worst enemy .
My thing about having a drummer play like a drum machine is USE A FUCKING DRUM MACHINE THEN !!! There is an Aerosmith clip from 'The Making Of PUMP' DVD where Joey Kramer politely tells Steven Tyler the very same thing.Steven is a great drummer, maybe he should've done it.

:lol: -PB71-
Are you out of you mind, dude????
Did you ever hear the Euphoria EP :lol:
That is why Vinnie shouldn't use a drum a machine...
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Post by Shred4hire »

i like asg better hands down, i think the production was better and vinnie was way tastier . he just played the right thing on some of those songs.. i cant describe how his choice of notes made my ears perk up . thatwas my only complaint about the first release was the guitar solos no versitlity i wanted some variety i wanted him to lay back and playa nice tasty lead on back on the streets. or a few of other other tunes, how ever i still like the record just i think even with yngwie it gets to be too much after a while. i read once that some fans thought his solos were all interchangeable .. they were like not signature to any one song i sorta felt that on the first album after a while ecpt for "no substitute"

just my feelings on it i do love the attitude on the first album alot
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Post by doublev »

yes, no drum machine. maybe they are better now. but please get a real drummer.
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Post by poserboy71 »

Batman,

I actually haven't heard the Euphoria CD. That bad ,HUH ?
My point was that there is NO SUBSTITUTE for the feel of a a real drummer. If you want robotic drumming, the proper programmer could've been the solution to get legit sounds . It sounds like Euphoria is a bare bones bedroom production. I think I would appreciate it on that level.

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Post by Genebaby »

chris bickley wrote:i like asg better hands down, i think the production was better and vinnie was way tastier . he just played the right thing on some of those songs.. i cant describe how his choice of notes made my ears perk up . thatwas my only complaint about the first release was the guitar solos no versitlity i wanted some variety i wanted him to lay back and playa nice tasty lead on back on the streets. or a few of other other tunes, how ever i still like the record just i think even with yngwie it gets to be too much after a while. i read once that some fans thought his solos were all interchangeable .. they were like not signature to any one song i sorta felt that on the first album after a while ecpt for "no substitute"

just my feelings on it i do love the attitude on the first album alot
I don't understand the thinking that the solo's on the first album are interchangeable, I know them all by the song they are from. Crazy fast shredding, high pitched whammy work, it's all there and sounds great. Just my opinon of course, ha ha.

I also love ASG and the work on LIU, which was restrained the most, but Vinnie really lifted Kiss to a new level. Who know they could all sing and play so well!
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Post by Batman »

poserboy71 wrote:Batman,

I actually haven't heard the Euphoria CD. That bad ,HUH ?
My point was that there is NO SUBSTITUTE for the feel of a a real drummer. If you want robotic drumming, the proper programmer could've been the solution to get legit sounds . It sounds like Euphoria is a bare bones bedroom production. I think I would appreciate it on that level.

-PB71-
Well, its the drumming that is annoying. The songs are great, and the guitars sounds like Vinnie. A bit muddy however...but the drums sounds like shit. You'd be better of listening to the GFH demos with Andrè.
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Post by DirtyRhythm »

poserboy71 wrote:Batman,

I actually haven't heard the Euphoria CD. That bad ,HUH ?
My point was that there is NO SUBSTITUTE for the feel of a a real drummer. If you want robotic drumming, the proper programmer could've been the solution to get legit sounds . It sounds like Euphoria is a bare bones bedroom production. I think I would appreciate it on that level.

-PB71-
Shame on you! Get right over to iTunes or AmazonMP3 and order it!
Nuke It, Nuke It...start over again
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Post by poserboy71 »

I'm not sure if Vinnie is going to get any of my money now. In FACT, I may just promote a total boycott of his product.
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Post by Shred4hire »

hmmmm
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Post by doublev »

i don't think he'll put it out. i think he would rather have people dying to hear it and lead them on than put anything out.
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