FOREIGNER Guitarist MICK JONES On Producing VAN HALEN's 5150 Album - "I Wasn't Going To Teach Eddie Anything"
July 27, 2018, 5 years ago
It may be a forgotten fact to some, first-hand knowledge to others - either way - Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones served as co-producer on Van Halen's 5150 album. Released in 1986, this was the first VH album with Sammy Hagar on vocals. Expectations were unbelievably high, as filling David Lee Roth's shoes seemed an insurmountable task. The album hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Chart, eclipsing any doubts.
Doug Fox of The Daily Herald recently caught up with Mick Jones to talk about his participation in this landmark album; an excerpt follows:
When you look back at 5150 and your role in producing it, what would you say is your biggest contribution to that record?
Mick Jones: "I think by far it was the work I did with Sammy Hagar, because we'd known each other for quite a while before that, way back actually. You know, it was a huge challenge for Sammy to step into that position. We were friends, and that was the first sort of person I really communicated with. Eddie and Alex were a little... not quite sure for the first week or so whether they needed a producer. And I don't know whether they did, but I think the work I did with Sammy was the main bulk of the work. I wasn't going to teach Eddie anything too much on guitar."
Read the entire article at this location.
