BOB KULICK
This business of releasing tribute albums have, as with everything else, exploded and is today something that happens to all kinds of bands. Whether they deserve it or not doesn't seem to matter. If there's money to make for the labels they don't seem to care for anything more. But there are exceptions: Bob Kulick. This is a man who shouldn't be unfamiliar to us who love hardrock/heavy metal. With a CV too long to tell you about here he has forever been enlisted in the hall of fame of hardrock/heavy metal. Some of the artists he's worked with are Kiss, Meatloaf and Doro. Now he seems to have found his niche. As co-ordinator for these tribute albums, some containing up to 50 different musicians, and all having hardrock as the common denominator and with everybody a superstar more or less, it takes its man to carry it through. Bob Kulick is not alone in managing these projects, he has help from Bruce Bouillet, but he's still the man in charge.  Bob Kulick called me one Wednesday night at 3am to set up the interview. Since I already was awake we decided to do it there and then. So I'd better wash the sleep away and assume the role of the interrogator. 

Not every band deserves a tribute album. So some sort of weeding out must happen. How do you chose what bands to make tributes for? 
- It comes down to demand and supply. I have a list of things I want to do and then we take it to whatever label is behind the tribute albums and then we decide what bands we will make tributes for. It has to be a band that is worthy a tribute album. We don't want to do one just for the sake of doing it.

Once you have the line up assembled the hard part comes; what songs to chose. It must be
extra hard when it's a band that has dozens of classics in their repertoire
- The way I pick songs is that I have to like them because it's me that have to live with them for a long time. I always look at what set list the band uses live, what they play. Like f x Aerosmith. What songs do they play most often, because that's usually the classics. And it's most often also the songs I like. Another criteria is that I feel that it's a song that I can make people do. There's no meaning to doing a song if I can't get anybody to sing it because it's been done too often or it's too hard to do. Sometime people have done more
than necessary so that nobody can come and say that it wasn't as good as the originals but instead say that it was almost as good as the originals. That's a compliment. When people tell me it's better than the original I get flattered. That's not the point of these records. It's all about getting good vocalists and musicians and having them play good songs. The tribute aspect of these records is that they're like a movie with your favourite actor. You go and see the movie because it has f x Russel Crowe or Jim Carrey. It's the same thing with these records. 

When you've chosen the band and the songs do you instantly know who will play on
what? 
- No. I can't possibly get everybody to play at the same time like an organic band. The bass player, the drummer, the guitarist and the vocalist are seldom on location at the same time. First we record the rhythm section and then we pick a guitar player. I usually play guitar on the initial recordings. Most of the times it's not easy to just tell this or that to do this or that. You have to listen to the track to see who's good and who'd fit the best. If you send the wrong stuff to somebody maybe they won't talk to you again. Then they'll just wonder if you don't know what they like. Most of the people I use I know and I know what they're capable of. I call them and they ask what they can do. Then I send them the song and even they're not totally familiar with just that song it's often the right one for them. My instinct in this area has so far been good.

It's a huge job to pick bands and songs but is an even bigger job getting 50 different musicians to participate their time and knowledge. You really have to be a smooth talker to pull it through? 
- Many of the musicians love the band we're doing an album for. Take Vince Neil. He loves Aerosmith. When he started to sing he wanted to be like Steven Tyler. So to get him to sing on that album was something I wanted really much. But they also have their favourites that they really like to do so you got to be flexible and maybe record a different song from the one we thought of to begin with. The relationship part is also important since they know me and I'm not just some guy who has phoned them. It makes them feel
more like a part of it. Let me give you an example. Billy Sheehan and Vinnie Colaiuta, the drummer that plays with Sting, had never ever played together on an album but they did it not only because it was a Van Halen song and they both like Van Halen, but also because they got to play together. That's also some of the charm with these records

So you don't have any problems to get people to participate in these records?
- There is a couple I haven't managed to get to participate yet, that doesn't understand what it's all about. Then you have those who have called me after three or four records and told me that they'd love to do a record with me and ask me to call them when something new happens. There are big artists on these records that I've tried to get to appear earlier but failed or it hasn't been the right thing for them. 

Something I have to ask is if it ever becomes hard to keep track of who's done what? 
- We have a way of working that makes it easy for us to keep track of everything. We are very organised. We have index cards of what musician been on what record that's been in the studio. We've made copies of everything just in case anything would happen and the studio is very well equipped to handle what we do. Somebody who didn't know what he was doing would most probably go dizzy. It hasn't been the same band on any of the records I've done. It might have been the same rhythm section but never the same band. I'm very well aware of who's playing so it's never been that I put together the same people twice. I've been very lucky having had the chance to play with so many different artists. I've met most of them touring so when I called them they were familiar with me. It makes it so much easier. 
- If the records had turned out crap nobody would have wanted to work with me and then I'd be out of a job. As it turns out they're good. It's 50 artists on each record. It's almost like "Who did you say? Continue. Who did you say?" over the albums. It's a long list of artists. 
- The nice thing about these records is when they're ready and you see who's on them. They sound just as good as they look. I'm proud of how they sound. It's not just a bunch of people who stopped by the studio and decided to be on them. We try to do them as good as we can. 

Have you given up the thought of having a solo career?
- I haven't given up the thought. I haven't started my solo career. I've always played in bands or behind somebody else. I've never done a solo album. My brother has made one (Bruce Kulick - mostly known from Kiss - AE). I've written some songs but I do these records and work on music for movies. I've also produced and I'm involved in so much else outside of the tribute albums. I get to do so much more of what I'm interested in, I get to be the composer, the producer and the musician. I also work with a couple new bands that you'll probably hear more about in the future but a solo career hadn't been totally out of place. 

You've worked with so many different artists. Is it possible to pick a favourite?
- I like people that inspire. Somebody who I respect. Albert Lee was a funny guy. Guitar players are always fun. Eric Singer was nice. Ronnie Dio. Nobody has not been nice working with. Nobody has been special working with.

Have you come upon somebody that has been totally impossible to work with?
- No, not when it comes to these records. Sometimes there have been discussions but I've known what to say for it to be all right again.

So there hasn't been anybody with an ego larger than their head?
- I didn't say that. It all comes down to how you deal with them. That's the one thing I've learned the most as a producer. I've become better at knowing what to say to people to make them give me their best. Some you have to be careful with while other might need a kick in the ass. If you treat hem wrong they'll leave the studio. I try real quickly to read them and push them if needed. I know when I need to take control but these artists are so full of talent that it can't go wrong. 

Do you think you'll continue to do these tribute records in the future too?
- Right now I think it'll be a couple more. I have other things to do too but as long as people buy them and like them and the label think it's a good idea I see no reason why not to do them. I'm having so much fun making them. 

As a closure Bob tells me that it was different working on the Metallica tribute since it took a whole different set of musicians. 
- It hadn't worked using Mark Slaughter or Vince Neil on a Metallica record. It wouldn't have looked good. It's a metal album and demands metal people. The vocalists and guitar players are all special. The rhythm section has so far been made up of the finest in the world so there was no reason not to use them this time too, even if it's a metal record. It was hard to find vocalists and guitar players for the Metallica album since I couldn't use those I usually use. I had never worked with Joey Belladonna, Kurt Vanderhoof orJohn Olivia. It was fun. The albums sounds incredible. Just look at who's on it, Vernon Reid and Doug Pinnick (King's X). I can hardly wait for James Hetfield to call me.