Bob Rock Remembers What Nikki Said For Vince Neil: “We Got Rid Of Vince”
During an appearance on Gibson, the Canadian record producer Bob Rock has talked about his relationship with the American heavy metal band Motley Crue and recalled Vince Neil‘s firing from the band.
While he talks about Vince Neil‘s firing from Motley Crue, he said he surprised after the phone call of Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx.
“I was in London, working on a record, and Tom and Nikki phoned me – they said, ‘We got rid of Vince, we got a new singer.’ And I’m, like, ‘What? What did you do? Really?’ So I met John [Corabi], and he’s an exceptional singer.
“When we did the Corabi album [1994’s self-titled], I approached it much like ‘Dr. Feelgood,’ and what I learned on [Metallica‘s 1991 record] the ‘Black Album,’ just getting it right and getting it tight.”
Bob said they were inspired by John Corabi and added he inspired them to another level. He also stated that they were kind-of better with him.
“I think with Corabi, they were inspired again, I think that shows in the record. I think the record would’ve done better if Vince sang it, but there’s no question that Corabi inspired the guys to another level, and that’s why I think it shined.
“So, they learned something, but it also inspires them when something changes. They became kind-of better. They didn’t have Vince, but the band was inspired because of that change. I didn’t have time for pressure, I just made the best record I could make with what I had.”
He also touched how Nikki amazing was.
“The bottom line is: you just want to try and get something out of the artist that represents how good they are at that time. So we did all the demos, and we brought them to Tommy, and he loved it.
“An amazing thing happened also, Nikki Sixx, I guess three or four years prior to me seeing him, he had been taking bass lessons. And Nikki was a good bass player, but he started playing and I’m going, like, ‘What the fuck? What happened?’
“Because he’s amazing. He’s playing with his fingers; his timing is amazing, I’m going, like, ‘What the fuck?’. So I said, ‘Let’s record the bass.’”
John Corabi rocked with the Motley Crue as the vocalist from 1992 to 1996. Also, with John Corabi on vocals, Motley Crue released a self-titled album in 1994.
