Bernard Purdie

Because of this highly bespoke recording process, the personnel for Aja is one of the most outrageous lineups ever assembled for a single album.

It features guitar legends like Larry Carlton, Dean Parks, Lee Ritenour, and Jay Graydon; keyboardists like Victor Feldman, Paul Griffin, Don Grolnick, and Joe Sample; drummers Bernard Purdie, Steve Gadd, Rick Marotta, and Jim Keltner; as well as horn players like Tom Scott, Jim Horn, and in a memorable appearance on the title track, jazz tenor sax legend Wayne Shorter.

[saxophone music] Plus so many more amazing musicians, with many of those players only recording on a single song or even just a single solo on a single song.

[music] In a turn-of-the-century documentary about the making of this album, drummer Rick Marotta, who incidentally played on Peg and only Peg, articulated Becker and Fagen's approach well.

I brought something else in to chew on, if you like.

It's [laughs] one of those Bernard Purdie stories.

So it's long been known that Norman Smith added an overdub to Can't Buy Me Love because the basic tracks were recorded in Paris in January '64.

And somehow, in transport or spooling, there was a crinkle put into the tape for the basic tracks of Can't Buy Me Love that mangled some of the highs from Ringo's drum part.

Aretha cut a vocal version of it.

Lyrically, it's such a great song, and you need to know that King Curtis and the Kingpins were also part of Aretha's backup band for a long time, with Jerry Jemmott on bass and Bernard Purdie playing drums.

I'm sure Duane heard this version as well, and Aretha sang at King Curtis' funeral, as Duane mentions in the intro to You Don't Love Me.

So, uh, this song just, just really moves me and has for many years after hearing it the first time, and I, I hope you really appreciate it.

Uh, Chuck Rainey on bass.

Bernard Purdie on drums on many tracks.

Rick Marotta.

Uh, Gary Kolbe, what you talking about, Foo?

Bill was all about hi-fi and immediately understood what we were trying to do.

Enlisting Larry Carlton as straw boss, we started playing musical chairs, especially with drummers.

When we were done, we had, uh, seven wicked tracks by Bernard Purdie, Paul Humphrey, Ed Greene, Jim Keltner, Rick Marotta, and Steve Gadd, who sight-read his way through the title track in one or two takes.

[laughs] Larry brought in his Crusaders bandmate, Joe Sample, and after a phalanx of LA guitarists cour- courageously tackled the 12-bar solo spot on Peg, without success, Jay Graydon finally pulled the sword out of the stone.

Still, strong claims have been made that need to be verified.

This week we are investigating claims made by legendary studio drummer Bernard Purdie about his involvement in the Beatles' recordings.

Are they true? Are they complete fiction? Or maybe there's an answer somewhere in between.

As we will see, Bernard Purdie has claimed involvement in some of the Beatles' records for a long time.

One of the boldest, most viral examples is from 2004.

Purdy was a guest of honor at the 7th annual Red Bull Music Academy event, hosted in Rome.

The others, Blood, Sweat & Tears on their 1968 debut album Child is the Father to the Man, Tom Jones again, the Isley Brothers, and the Righteous Brothers, do not seem to have any connection to Purdy.

Seven years later, Purdy's Beatles claims became a lot bolder and more specific.

Oh, that's great.

On Bernard Purdie's sonar drums-

Oh, Bernard.

There you go

... from when I was, like, eight or something.

Yeah, or 10, maybe somewhere around there, yeah.

Now you're bringing back memories.

Bernard Purdie.

You know, they were well-kept.

I mean, Electric Lady was great, but, you know, we had an old drum kit, and, you know, if Bernard Purdie tweaked it, it sounded great and played it, but, you know, you had to really work it.

Um, mic selections, outboard equipment, but it was Hollywood, and it was film.

In fact, the first-- my first experience out here in film was Giorgio had just been scouring the world for footage from Fritz Lang's Metropolis, and he created a score.

The band blamed Elliot, and he did not work for, on the rest of the album with them, but he did return for Asia.

The Royal Scam is also notable for Bernard Purdie, Larry Carlton, and Chuck Rainey's involvement on most of the tracks.

Carlton played several solos on this album that appear on most greatest guitar solos of all time lists.

Purdie is famous for the Purdie Shuffle, named after him, but the two continue to play a larger role in the next albums.

Yeah.

Yeah.

The big, it's Bernard Purdie and Chuck Rainey, and that is the reason for this.

Those two guys played the rhythm on j- just about every track on here, and just the groove and the lock on all this is here right from the first bars.