The Babe Ruth Band

Babe Ruth - 2010 Ottawa BluesFest - Raw Footage Babe Ruth did a terrific reunion show at the 2010 Ottawa BluesFest. This is the raw unedited video. You can view an edited version at http://www.youtube.com/...

In celebration of The Babe Ruth Band guitarist, songwriter & producer ALAN SHACKLOCK's Birthday today (June 20) enjoy this repost of a live text-chat interview with Alan & lead vocalist JENNY HAAN from 2010 courtesy of our friends at Roch Parisien's Rocon Communications music page!

In celebration of BABE RUTH (The Babe Ruth Band) guitarist, songwriter & producer ALAN SHACKLOCK's Birthday today (June 20) enjoy this transcript repost of a live text-chat interview I conducted with Alan & lead vocalist JENNY HAAN here at Roch Parisien's Rocon Communications music page in June 2010, just prior to the band's Canadian reunion tour. This was #17 in a series of 53 such sessions I hosted between 2010-2014!
Roch Parisien's Rocon Communications
For this edition of "The Facebook Interviews", I’m text chatting with guitarist ALAN SHACKLOCK and vocalist JANITA HAAN of Hard/Classic/Prog/Art/Jazz/Funk Rock band BABE RUTH leading in to their reunion tour of Canada this July!

Babe Ruth defined an interesting cross-roads between hard rock and progressive/art rock, also including elements of blues, jazz, funk, and classical. The group formed in 1971 in Hatfield, England, and signed to the Harvest label, releasing classic debut album "First Base" in 1972. The album included extended covers of Frank Zappa's "King Kong", Jesse Winchester's "Black Dog," and an adaptation of the spaghetti western theme of "For a Few Dollars More" that incorporated the Alan Shacklock-penned hit song "The Mexican." The album, with its distinctive Roger Dean artwork, went gold in Canada and was a strong seller in many parts of the U.S.

Over the years, "The Mexican" has become 'The Anthem' to DJs, Remixers, B-Boys and breaking crews across the globe.

BABE RUTH is back, as strong as ever, with latest album "Que Pasa" and has reunited for its first tour of Canada in some 35 years. New songs like "Break for the Border" and "Sun Moon Stars" have that same progressive, Latin-Mexican vibe that made "The Mexican" and "Wells Fargo" (from "First Base") fan favourites.

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Hi all, and welcome! We're ready to start...welcome to Alan and Janita of Babe Ruth!
Alan, Janita: what was your first single and/or album that you bought with your own money?

Alan Shacklock
My first single was "Apache" by The Shadows...a UK instrumental group.

Janita Haan
The first single I bought was “Hippy Hippy Shake”... I wanted to buy “Love Me Do” by The Beatles but I don’t think it was out or it was sold out... and the first album was The Beatles.

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Alan who would you consider your most influential guitarists at a formative stage, and Janita, which vocalists?
And Peter R. Hopkins asks:
Alan, who was/is the most influential person in your life? What's been your driving force?

Alan Shacklock
My most influential person was my Dad; among others – mainly, my Royal College Profs...

Janita Haan
Interesting question...oh, Barbara Streisand, Janis Joplin...I liked a lot of the male voices which were rich and crooning, like Frank Sinatra. Then got into Etta James, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald...and then some of the gorgeous opera singers like Silvia McNair -- her Handel and Mozart arias are to die for!

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Alan, you grew up in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, just North of London and were part of a group there in your teens called The Juniors, who released one single on Parlophone, "There’s A Pretty Girl / Pocket Size." The group had some other members who went on to notoriety -- Mick Taylor who went on to John Mayall then the Rolling Stones; also John and Brian Glascock of Jethro Tull fame. Tell us a bit about Hatfield, and your experience in The Juniors, and what the music was like.

Alan Shacklock
Hatfield Hert's is really a suburb of North London. Our area was full of musical talent...the legendary "Donovan" lived up the street from me. There were some great local bands...The Zombies, who became Argent. Ironically in the ‘80s I ended up producing Sir Anrdew Loyd Webber featuring Rod Argent on keys. I met John (Glascock) when he was about 10 yrs old and I was 11. The Juniors were a pop group...we were discovered by our local music shop dealer who got us an introduction to EMI (Parlophone, via big band leader Joe Loss) who signed us. We played at the NME Poll Winners Concert at Wembley in 1964 with Manfred Mann, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Janita Haan
Hey Al, I remember seeing The Juniors in our sweets shop on one of the pop magazines...little did I know that in years to come, we’d be in Babe Ruth together...LOL

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Alan, several of The Juniors evolved into a band "The Gods" in the mid-60s, picking up some soon-to-be members of Uriah Heep along the way, and eventually releasing some highly regarded late-60s UK psych. Why did you not make this journey with them?

Alan Shacklock
Brian and John (Glascock) of the Juniors had already been part of music legends that most would give reproductive body part for, before they reached their 20s. John knew Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep) and The Gods really were the opening to all that. Both Brian and John joined "Toe Fat" with Cliff Bennett of “Rebel Rouser” fame. John later joined Chicken Shack (Stan Webb) then went on to Carmen (before Tull), who, in my book, were a great band produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie / T.Rex producer).
Whilst all this was, I joined Chris Farlowe’s Thunderbirds (with Carl Palmer, ELP and the late John Bonham, Led Zep) for about a year when I was 17, replacing Albert Lee, then I won a Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where I took a classical sabbatical for years before forming SHACKLOCK who became BABE RUTH...

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Janita, you started out in the Hertfordshire area, but largely grew up and went to school in the US. How did that come about, and how did your American upbringing end up influencing your vocal style?

Janita Haan
I was actually born in London ...my family moved out to Hampton Hill, Surrey and then we bought a sweets shop in Wokingham, Berkshire. When I was 12, my family decided to immigrate to the USA...mum was a hairdresser, and going out there seemed like a good idea. We moved to California and that’s where the influences started for my style, as I really loved to listen to singers who wore their heart on their sleeve, so to speak. Growing up near the Bay area, I was heavily influenced by the psychedelic sounds coming from there, so Janis Joplin, and Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane really got me excited about singing in a band.

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Did you do any formal voice training at all?

Janita Haan
For a very long time I found it extremely hard to sing in front of people and funnily enough it was my grandmother who discovered me and hauled me out in front of the family to sing “Georgy Girl”...my mother was surprised to say the least, although I was constantly singing to the radio and I would pitch my voice right in so to sound within the music. I suppose it was my own lesson in dynamics.

As for formal training, I had a few lessons from a friend of Al’s who was an opera singer when I first joined, and then later after I left the band and was studying fashion in Yorkshire, I went to study a bit more with the head of opera at Huddersfield Music College. I thoroughly enjoyed it... I still am continuously learning my craft and will never stop listening to new ideas and ways of approaching singing.

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So a bit about "Shacklock" the group then...what it pretty proto-typical Babe Ruth? And there was a connection with artist Roger Dean that got you introduced to EMI's "progressive" arm, Harvest?

Alan Shacklock
We (SHACKLOCK) practised together (as really an experimental band to try out my songs) in a London building where Roger (Dean) had his art studio. He dropped in one day and suggested we try to get a record deal and helped us with an introduction to Harvest/EMI records. Modesty forbad keeping the SHACKLOCK name, especially when we found Janita via a Melody Maker Ad.

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Janita, what brought you back to the area from the US, and how did end up within the same circle as the Shacklock lads?

Janita Haan
My parents gave me the opportunity after I had graduated from High School. I had spent 6 months traveling up and down California and was a wild thing... I think my folks thought that 6 months in England would sort me out. I took it as an opportunity to get back to my roots and sing with a band. The 6 month period came and went and it was 3 years before I saw my mother again.

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Alan, why did you decide to audition for a new vocalist at this stage? And Janita, why did you decide to audition? How many auditioned, how many were in serious consideration, and what do you both recall most vividly from that audition?

Alan Shacklock
Well they (EMI) said we needed a "front" man, ha! I was doing all the singing and I guess they wanted me to be the "Guitar Hero" and take a side step. Auditioning is really bloody arduous and a joke a times, we had a quite a few potential singers...probably got it down to about 2-3 who fit the bill. As soon as Dave (Hewitt) and I saw Janita perform we knew, really, it was a front "WOMAN!" we needed!!
All the guys sucked anyway...ha!

Janita Haan
It was very hard to start singing in front of people, but I slowly got more confidence and it was all I thought about. I made friends with Gaspar Lawal who was the conga player on First Base and he introduced me to a lot of good musicians and a studio let me go to rehearse with a mike after hours. So I would turn up after work and practice, practice, practice...I was gaining confidence and started answering Melody Maker ads. I went to a few auditions and nearly got the gig with a band called March Hare. That was just before I answered the ad for Shacklock, and the rest is history...

It came down to me and a singer from New York, but I think they were too embarrassed to ask the other singer ‘cause the pay was so s***e! No, seriously, it was very unnerving at the time, as there were about 40 singers, all male, and me! I just danced and moved about n hoped for the best...and I was lucky...it was an amazing feeling when I got the gig!

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Why the change of the band name to "Babe Ruth"? A baseball connection seems a bit obtuse for a UK band!

Alan Shacklock
Agreed! As I said earlier, modesty forbad with me and “SHACKLOCK"...we were thinking of all kinds of stupid names "as one does" and finally at the 11th hour our Anglo-American manager Dave Crowe said "I've got the name...it's "BABE RUTH"!” So we all kind of said “that sounds good...stick it down on the EMI contract”. Now, embarrassingly, none of us UK types (except Janita) knew who Babe Ruth was in baseball terms, so it wasn't any kind of sport hero thing...it just sounded right!

Janita Haan
I had been a pom-pom girl in high school...when ideas were being bandied about, the name Babe Ruth just kind of fitted when it came up...

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1972 debut album "First Base"! So much to ask about...how did Roger Dean come to do one of his definitive album covers for this?

Alan Shacklock
Ironically, Roger had already done a blueprint of the "First Base" space-age baseball theme. I saw the original painting (not sure who owns it now?...come out, come out, wherever you are...), Roger had been working with a lot of the "Progrock" types, i.e. “YES", "BADGER", "URIAH HEEP", "GREENSLADE", etc. So him having really helped us to get our deal, and being the New Leonardo DaVinci, it was a no-brainer. Roger Dean is one of the geniuses of our time in my book.

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So, explain where the whole "Mexican" influence came from for First Base...that surfaces most definitively on classics like "Wells Fargo" and "The Mexican" (which interpolates the Ennio Morricone theme from the spaghetti western movie "For A Few Dollars More")? Again, this seems on the surface like an odd influence for a UK group to pick up...

Alan Shacklock
It's no secret that I'm a big Ennio Morricone fan, also a Clint Eastwood fan, so...I thought it would be good to tie-in to use one of his melodies. The "Mexican" beat was a 'hand-in-glove' for it. As kids, we were brought up in the age of “The Lone Ranger" and films like "The Alamo" and “The Magnificent 7" and all the Sergio Leone stuff. Great films, and still are! So it was that, really, and also a love of Spanish music from my classical background, etc.

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You mentioned the band "Carmen" earlier, who had a very strong Spanish-prog thing going...were they an influence at all, or was it a case of both you touching on similar influences at the same time?

Alan Shacklock
CARMEN came after BABE RUTH, but were still phenomenal. Listen to "Fandangos in Space". Via my late best friend John (Glascock), they were our friends...
[See a clip from the amazing Carmen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxCGT8l0Rao&NR=1 ]

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Alan, was Chico Fernandez from The Mexican a real character from the history of The Alamo, a composite, or totally fictitious? And how did it feel to be able to revive Chico and continue his story on your latest album "Que Pasa"?

Alan Shacklock
No "Chico" was (is) fictional...although he’s still alive and starring in "Break for the Border" on “Que Pasa”...it was great to bring him back, I think we know a lot more about him now! ;-) Again, it's all a bit story-book, so...

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You actually got to visit The Alamo on your first US tour...did that bring the whole story home more vividly for you?

Alan Shacklock
I was actually quite moved when we visited San Antonio and finally saw and touched the ALAMO! I didn't p*e on it like OZZY was reputed to have done...it was inspiring for me and did bring the story to life.

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"First Base" went gold in Canada, was big in Iceland, and in some pockets of the US.
Terry Flanagan asks:
How do you rationalize the relative lack of interest back home in the UK and in many other areas of the world? Is it just that Canadians have better musical taste than everyone else? ;-)

Alan Shacklock
Great question...probably the latter! ;-) Canadians having great taste... but it was really a bit of a roller coaster in the UK for us, and in general. We were an odd fit, more 'progressive' and eclectic, if you will, than anything else. Our management company in the UK managed folks like "MUD" and "SWEET SENSATION" who were out and out 'Pop' Schlock. And the powers that be and silver tongues on occasion 'pushed' us into directions we just were NOT a part of. I sort of compromised at times, i.e. “Private Number”...(sorry!).
But the UK is very fickle. We had forward-thinking champions like the late, great John Peel and Alan Freeman (BBC DJs) who saw the plot on most of the "Underground" music that has become legendary and long lasting...as we have said modestly. So we really concentrated our efforts across the pond and in the Colonies who were much more receptive to our music. Very honest answer: supply and demand, I suppose...

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Rebekah Long asks:
Janita, can you recall what it was like being a woman in an all male band? Some of the pros and cons that you face/faced? What's has it been like for you?

Janita Haan
Interesting question: It was hard at times being on the road with all males...as you can imagine, their humour and outlook are different. And in those days, I was very protected by the rest of them because they had all gigged and been in the business in some form, so it was at times patting me on the head, which I hated. Then there were the groupies...(sorry guys)... but it was great fun too! And they were like my brothers and still are. They have always been there for me...over the years their friendship and love has been amazing.

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Janita, you mention the guys and their groupies...but surely you would have had to fend off some male attention yourself? ;-)

Janita Haan
I think they were a little afraid of my brothers and what they might do! The wrath of the band of brothers, ha, ha...they would talk to me and be well polite...

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Janita, what contributions were you making at this stage to how the songs developed? Did you have input from the beginning? And then evolving to songwriting credits by the second album...

Janita Haan
I think that all the members in the band contributed to the sound that has become Babe Ruth... Al brings the blueprint and from there in the rehearsal room it starts to take a life of its own...the energy and the sounds all spark together and create this music that is intrinsically Babe Ruth. So everyone contributed to the development. Once the tunes are learned, the creative element that is very evident in the band’s structure becomes elastic...the muse takes over and the tunes are allowed to grow naturally. My singing grew within that structure...it’s a very exciting process!
I always wrote poetry, so for the second album, Al asked me to contribute lyrically to the tunes that were being penned.

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(Let's take a break from the history lesson at this point and carry on with some visitor questions!)
Kevin McGrath asks:
Alan where can I get list of records you’ve produced /appeared on/ or written for. Is another Babe Ruth album likely to follow “Que Pasa”, or maybe a live album?

Alan Shacklock
For my productions, etc. please visit : www.alanshacklock.com
It takes a little while to load but hopefully is worth it...
Yes definitely more music to come, as we bond back together we'll pick it up again. There's talk of an "unplugged" type album, and I’m very enthused to get that underway. It would have been in the works already had Mininova not have ripped “Que Pasa”. What we'd have made from those sales could have funded another record. But were fighters so we'll hold the towel for a while longer.

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Vic Thompson asks:
When will Europe get to enjoy Babe Ruth live?
(others ask about the UK....the US....in other words: everyone wants to know where to, after the Canadian reunion tour!)

Alan Shacklock
There is a lot of enthusiasm from the "B-Boy" Break Dancing camp in not just Europe but the world. Already there's talk of Japan - Korea - the US...Just in case the folks interested didn't know, “The Mexican", over the years, has enigmatically become the 'Breakers" anthem...God Bless 'em! And we definitely are interested in performing in those circles as we did on the 'Brixton Academy Stage" in '02, closing out the 10th anniversary B-Boy Championships.

Janita Haan
It’s a particular soft spot for the entire band that “The Mexican” has been honoured by the hip hop community for decades and we were careful with “Que Pasa” to tip our hats to this, without compromising our sound.

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Peter R. Hopkins asks:
What were some of the most outrageous events Babe Ruth experienced? For example, what was your craziest road story?

Alan Shacklock
We were performing in Atlanta in Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom (in the ‘70s), and in the second set a girl literally fell about 50 feet from the rafters on to a table right in front of me?! She apparently had been smoking a little too much of the 'Wacky Backy" and somehow crawled up through into the lighting rig. She fell onto a waitress and broke the waitress' arm but never broke a bone in her body. Good Ganga, I guess, ha! Next thing we know, the house lights are up and the cops are unholstered on the stage ushering us off...

Janita Haan
There has certainly been some seriously crazy moments...one in particular comes to mind. EMI had hosted us at a Mexican restaurant in LA and we were coming back. Loads of bands were all staying at the Hilton -- Led Zep, Jeff Beck, etc. -- and we were being driven back in a limo. Suddenly, wandering in the middle of the road was Whisperin’ Bob Harris from the Old Grey Whistle Test with a bottle in his hand!! We picked him up brought him back. I went to my room and got a phone call from him. He was in Jimmy Page’s room and invited me up for a glass of champagne...so up I trotted!

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Gloria Mills asks:
What current chart artists do you listen to now? Is there anyone's up-and-coming musical career you have your eye on now as if to say, 'this one will be going places'?

Alan Shacklock
As a producer, I'm always on the lookout for great talent and I try to keep varied and on point, so my taste is quite eclectic. In the last year or so I have produced, The ELMWOOD Band, and the PROTOMEN. Both will have played the Bonaroo Festival by June, and both are constantly performing, I have also done some Latin remixes of RICK OROZCO recently and have been working with "THE LONG TWINS" a Nashville duo and last a FLAMENCO Duo CERADURRA y SANTIAGO, so I keep it varied. As for current chart stuff? I have to be honest, nothing really floats my boat, but all of the above are 'going places"...

Janita Haan
Oh, I’m loving the D’n’B, dance, trance music. I love Akon...his tunes and lyrics are wonderful, and love the beautiful late Aaliyah...that song “One In a Million”, oh, and “I Care for You”. I really get touched by lyrics...Tini Tempa “Pass Out”...wicked; and Calvin Harris and so many great musicians and artists! It really is a wonderful time here in the UK for some great sounds...globally, actually.

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Kirk Michaelis asks:
Janita, how’s the pipes? And how excited are you to hit the stage/road again?

Janita Haan
The pipes are good, thank you, and getting a full airing! I am very nervous/excited/buzzed/hyped...you name it...I just want to do a good job for all you good p*eps who have been there for us all these years!

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Gloria Mills asks:
What are you most looking forward to (apart from the performing itself) when you come to Canada? I hope you are as stoked as we are to have you here!

Janita Haan
Well , I can say I’m so buzzed about coming to Canada again and I know the rest of the band are too. I love your beautiful country and can't wait to see you all there. I'm looking forward to rehearsals, because it will be well funny...we have a good time!

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[Note: at this point, the “live” portion of the interview came to a close. The interview continued “offline”, via email, mostly with Janita Haan.]

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After First Base, you changed drummers from Dick Powell to Ed Spevock. Why, and what changes did Ed bring to the band?

Janita Haan
EMI were pressuring the band to change drummers. It was sad...I am very fond of Dick, i.e. “Schtuckka Dukka” as we affectionately called him! He was very funny and his father was an incredible man...a natural or holistic healer who looked after my voice and health for a good many years.

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Keyboardist Dave Punshon also left at this point, leading to a bit of a revolving door at this roster position, with Chris Holmes, then Steve Gurl taking the bench. Give us the keyboardist run down and scorecard...

Janita Haan
Chris was just lovely. Steve Gurl was good fun too. Both were experienced and efficient keyboard players. It was just Dave Punshon is a tough act to follow, and they just didn’t fill his shoes and because of this, we had to drop many of the signature tunes from the set list, i.e. “The Mexican” and “King Kong”...

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What were the circumstances surrounding second album "Amar Caballero"? It was such a departure from "First Base" that it threw most people for a loop...

Janita Haan
Yes it was. It was indeed a huge transient time for Babe Ruth. We experienced a rather nasty car crash on the way back from a Liverpool date. Ed had just joined us and we were getting used to a new personality in the fold, so to speak. The band had gotten beaten up at a Sunderland gig with Dave Punshon experiencing black eyes, etc. This shook us up and was the catalyst that led Dave Punshon to leave. He was heavily involved with the Maharaji movement and psychedelic ways at the time (he now hasn’t been involved for many years), so we were losing him. The car crash left Alan losing 3 pints of blood from a head injury. I injured my spine and suffered from delayed bruising for years which gave me excruciating back pain after every gig and early mornings. Dave Hewitt suffered stitches also.

This was all happening just as we were entering the studio for the second album...we weren’t really in any fit state to take a look at what we were doing. I helped out with the lyrics and Al took his opportunity to go into a kind of self-absorption, which he openly admits to, and we let him really, lol! It was an uneasy time. Looking back, it’s understandable that the second album was as it was. But as an album, I still think it is incredibly beautiful, with some lovely tracks like “Broken Cloud”. The cover art let us down...we had wanted charging horses and the photographers at EMI spent all day trying to get them, but that was the sad result ...not a bit what we had envisaged. We should have spoken out and stood firm about the cover, as it reflects badly on the band. I am very keen on album covers now and was key in making sure that “Que Pasa” stood out as an art piece in itself honouring the movement that had honoured us, while keeping our integrity.

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Did you have a sense, at the time, that "Amar" kind of slowed the band's momentum? For the radio stations that were supporting "First Base" here in Canada, it was a much more difficult album to choose a single from. Even more freeform FM stations like CHOM in Montreal seemed puzzled...In retrospect, there is some lovely, melancholic ballads on the album that hold up well, like "Broken Cloud" and "We Are Holding On." The title suite showed some serious chops and ambition. At the same time, some of this was clearly rushed...for covers, "Cool Jerk" was certainly no "Black Dog", and for originals, "Gimme Some Leg" and "Doctor Love" were no "Mexican" and "Wells Fargo"!

Janita Haan
Agreed...there was still the Spanish theme running through, but definitely more a concept album rather than a natural follow on from “First Base” which, in hindsight, it should have been. But hey, we were young and unnerved at that point. The Band returned with a very good third album, I think...with some great tunes and the sound more like “First Base”, although again our signature could not be completely recaptured because of losing Dave Punshon. All good now though, YAY... Dave is my best mate in the band too, and when he left I lost a friend I could talk to and confide in, which was a great loss to me. So in a way, Dave’s leaving had a huge impact on the sound and the spirit of the band.

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Third album "Babe Ruth" (75) gets back to the "rock" side of the band, really keeping the "Mex" influence only for another Morricone cover, "A Fistful of Dollars." Was it a perhaps a little too calculated going back to the Morricone well again? What's your overall assessment of that album in retrospect?

Janita Haan
Overall, I was a lot happier with this album. Morricone has always been a firm favourite and it being an instrumental too which is again part of the Babe Ruth sound... calculated only inasmuch that it kept the thread moving.... I loved “Dancer” on this album -- it is one of my favourite tracks and we used to open the set with it. The slow intro leading up to those wonderful power chords from Al is spine tingling.

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I also love the story song that closes the album "The Duchess of New Orleans" where you both (Alan and Janita) get to duet to each other, and take it to the operatic stratosphere!

Janita Haan
Ah yes...quite an emotional tune...the lyrics are so heart pulling too...

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What were you most distinctive memories of touring and playing live in Canada in these years?

Janita Haan
We arrived at the Quebec Hilton in the most incredible snow storm...cars were being covered within 10 minutes. I had never seen anything like it. Yet by morning, the roads were cleared. The efficiency of the Canadian Snow Team is just wicked! I love Quebec City and Montreal. I Just felt incredibly happy when we play there.

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Janita, was there ever any doubt about the band continuing when Alan left during the recording of the next album, “Stealin' Home” (1975)? How did you go about finding replacement Bernie Marsden? What's your assessment of Stealing Home in retrospect? "Elusive" did get some attention on the US charts...

Janita Haan
For me, there was serious doubt about the band continuing when Al left. The family had split up and it just broke my heart. There was a lot of pressure coming from the record company for us to continue. I complied, and Steve Gurl knew Bernie and introduced him to the band. He was gregarious and very rock orientated so straight away that influence started to show its presence on “Stealin’ Home”. Of course, just as with Dave Punshon, Al is a tough act to follow and Bernie just couldn’t do some of the runs. Just a completely different guitarist really.

Earlier, I had been approached by Bill Nelson (Be Bop Deluxe) after just coming back from the third American tour, and asked if I wanted to join his band, and I must admit I was sorely tempted. I love Bill’s work and his guitar playing. Again one in a million, as far as playing is concerned. Completely different from Alan, but very inspiring and I just loved his lyrics. I don’t think anyone ever knew that. Ed wrote “Elusive” and it became a club hit certainly in New York...good tune...I liked a lot of the tunes on “Stealin’ Home”, but for me, the heart had gone out of it then and it became more of a job.

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Janita, why did you and Dave Hewitt decide to leave after this album? And how did the band manage to continue with a new vocalist (Ellie Hope) and bassist?

Janita Haan
Dave Hewitt left. That was the last straw for me... there was no one else from the very first band that I joined, and I just couldn’t continue. David and I talked about forming another band. The US rang and offered me to go there, but I was forming the band then. For me, Babe Ruth was always a family and very much still is. That’s why I am overjoyed that we are together again and for me that's all that matters.

As for Ellie Hope and the bassist who joined...I laughed, because it wasn’t Babe Ruth and for me it was a complete jumping on the band wagon and I wasn’t interested in the slightest with their progress as I knew it couldn’t last. I had already laid the vocals down on “Kids Stuff” and mine were removed and they put the new members in. For me, it wasn’t Babe Ruth...never was with them.

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Run down your post-Babe Ruth period with Jenny Haan's Lion, various sessions, etc., and then a snapshot of your life when you eventually went under the radar for quite some time as a performer...

Janita Haan
Carumba...Well, Jenny Haan's Lion was an out and out Rock band...again, a lot of heart. The band members were again brothers and we had such laughs. Our timing wasn’t great as Punk had just started. Still, we toured with Status Quo as we shared the same management and toured in Scotland, England, and Ireland before disbanding at the Macroom Festival. I was in a state...there was Bob Geldof and Johnny Rotten coming down to see us and I was just wanting to cry. The late Rory Gallagher was headlining and such a lovely man.

I left, had a brief stint as a solo artist, which I absolutely hated! I am a band singer and like the securities and the comradeship that a group gives and becoming part of an overall sound...being solo was utter s***e for me. I decided to go back to college and studied fashion design and machine embroidery. I did sessions with The Waterboys and went into record retail, all which helped me to understand the workings of the music industry. I really wanted to get an understanding from all viewpoints.

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Recap for us blinkered rock'n'rollers who have never followed dance, hip-hop and B-Boy music the evolution/revolution "The Mexican" underwent from the late '70s to today...this story all ties in to the 2002 B-Boy Championships that saw Babe Ruth reunite to play again in 2002?

Janita Haan
For me, being there and seeing all these young breakers who were pronating at my feet was a humbling experience. To think that this community had honoured us for years with “The Mexican” being their battle cry or anthem for decades was mind blowing. I just couldn’t get my head around it. Rehearsing with my brothers again after all those years was an emotional an uplifting experience. A lot of reconciliation took place, and of course we all immediately started wanting to create another album just to honour those who had honoured us for so long.

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Was it the 2002 event that lit the spark for recording reunion album "Que Pasa"? And describe the multi-year process for assembling that!

Janita Haan
It most certainly was! As the band is split across the globe, we took a group decision to let Alan take the writing reins to follow up on “First Base”. We were happy to let it happen as it would be...with technology today, it wasn’t really too much of a problem...tracks were sent via CD as a silhouette from which to build on. I’m very adaptable, so it was fine. I took what was needed and built from there.

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For an album recorded over a number of years, everyone working on their individual parts and sending around CDs and computer files...it sounds remarkably organic and cohesive. A tribute to the skills of the players, singer, and producer, I dare say! Did you have any doubts or trepidation about doing it this way?

Janita Haan
No, not at all. We had been bandying the tracks back and forth across the water, so I was already very familiar. I flew out to Nashville to Al’s place and Dave Punshion followed a few days later. It was fantastic. It was a bit tight ‘cause I had only 10 days. We were all financing the music ourselves, and I took 3- 4 days out to fly to California to visit my family. I was suffering from a chest and throat infection so for the first part of the morning, I was dosing myself up with lemon drinks and Paracetamol to get things moving. In the morning, we would go over the tracks as of Hatfield times, but this time Al on a little guitar...then Al and I would start usually about 1pm and work through until we finished or were too tired to carry on. It was a very special time. Dave Punshon’s presence and Dave Hewitt popping over too, made the family almost complete again apart from Ed sadly not being there...

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The album is firmly rooted in the band's trademark classic-progressive-blues-jazz-funk-mex rock sound, while also tipping the hat to the recent dance/breaking culture that has sustained you in more recent years...was this a difficult balance to achieve (or even more difficult than usual!)?

Janita Haan
Babe Ruth’s Hard Rock Funk Band approach with Classical and Latin influences always lends itself to expanding! With the members of the band being so musically adept and Al’s writing skills, it really wasn’t a problem bringing hip hop into it at all... it felt natural and real...

Alan Shacklock
This was (is) really a fairly 'natural' progression from the quote "classic-progressive-blues-jazz-funk-mex rock sound" etc. The beat or groove sensibility has always been there. I always maintained that if the listener likes the beat or groove, then in turn they may like the song. The groove has always been the backbone for me in the compositions stemming from my love of soul music, i.e. Motown /Stax. The Hip-Hop element is just an extension of that and adds more a colour to flavour and season the "classic-progressive-blues-jazz-funk sound", etc.

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So how did the stars finally align for a Canadian reunion tour to take place this summer?

Janita Haan
Roch...you were a great help in getting us over there!! I had been getting Babe Ruth out there through Alain Lefebvre’s radio interview in Quebec and a CHOM-FM interview, but it was becoming friends with yourself on Facebook that really started the ball rolling. In fact, at one point I had just been chatting with Dave Punshion that I was beginning to feel it was slipping and I wouldn’t be able to get the momentum going to bring about some dates. Then we became friends and you knew the people at the Ottawa Blues Festival and hooked us up with The Wilson Agency, and the ball started rolling...much to my relief! I must say, I feel as if we have a great team behind us and I am truly grateful for all the energy and input these highly professional and wonderful people have been doing for the band...a big shout out to you all!! # # #

Roch Parisien's Rocon Communications
Aww, thanks! Ok the tough, hard-nosed investigative reporter question: the band hasn't played together since 2002, and your latest album was recorded and assembled with band members scattered to the four corners of the earth. Do you have any concerns...should fans have concerns...whether you still "have it" live and can pull this off?

Janita Haan
Ha ha, well, you are just going to have to wait and see aren’t ya!! Put it this way, we are all soo excited and are rehearsing already prior to official band rehearsals. We are all taking this very seriously and intend to give everyone a great time. The musicianship within the band is second to none, and I know the boys will be flawless.

Roch Parisien's Rocon Communications
Can you give fans any advance hints as to how the set list is shaping up?

Janita Haan
There will be a generous proportion from “First Base” with a smattering from the third album, and of course new tracks from “Que Pasa.”

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What is your regimen/gameplan for preparing for the tour?

Janita Haan
It’s already in progress with us all...much personal rehearsing, in preparation for official band rehearsals before the tour starts...and training...we can’t wait!

Roch Parisien's Rocon Communications
Thank you Janita and Allan, we look forward to seeing you back in Canada, beginning with Ottawa Bluesfest on July 9! And thanks to everyone who hung out with us today, either lurking or participating!

Alan Shacklock
THANKS Roch, and everyone...see you in Canada in JULY!!!

Janita Haan
This has been wicked fun everyone! Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to come and play with us... Can’t wait for Canada in July.... love to you all! Thank you Roch for having us. Peace, Janita

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Guest comments:
Kirk Michaelis
Thank You Roch, Janita & Alan...great interview/questions/ answers...Bless all.

Paul Reynolds
Thanks Roch--and the Ruthers of course! Great stuff. We New Yorkers will keep fingers crossed for a BR gig here. I'm readying my sombrero!

Kevin McGrath
Wow how lucky am I? One of my all time favourite bands. Saw you loads of times in seventies. And by chance I pick up this website where you are talking tonite...I wish I was going to be in Canada!