Roddy Frame (born 29 January 1964) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the 1980s new wave band Aztec Camera and has undertaken a solo career since the group's dissolution. In November 2013, journalist Brian Donaldson described Frame as: "Aztec Camera wunderkind-turned-elder statesman of intelligent, melodic, wistful Scotpop."
Since the end of the Aztec Camera project, Frame has released four solo albums, the last of which is 2014's ''Seven Dials''.
Early life
Frame grew up in
East Kilbride
East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a raise ...
, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Frame was surrounded by music from a very young age, as his older sisters were music fans and listened to a great number of artists, such as
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
and
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
.
He started to learn guitar playing at a very early age. During his early years playing guitar, Frame frequently listened to Wilko Johnson and was able to play many of Johnson's songs as a result.
As a child and adolescent, Frame was inspired by a variety of musical influences, including
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
,
the Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacL ...
Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
. Following the advent of the
punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedo ...
, Frame states that he was drawn to it, as "it said, 'Anyone can do it. You can form a band.' ... It was liberating." He cited John McGeoch's guitar playing with Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees as one of his main influences.
Frame was attracted to the fashion sense of punk bands like the New York Dolls and The Sex Pistols, but was subsequently inspired by the look of The Fall's Mark E. Smith.
Frame isolated Bowie as a seminal influence, revealing that he would play the song " Space Oddity" to his mother repeatedly.
Music career
Aztec Camera
Frame's first band was called Neutral Blue. Then, at the age of 16, Frame joined the Postcard Records roster—alongside Orange Juice and Josef K—and his next band, Aztec Camera, began to
record
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, ...
a series of low-budget singles, such as "Just Like Gold" and "Mattress of Wire". The music of Aztec Camera drew attention from both
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
, a presenter on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
hit single
A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...
and Aztec Camera were consequently recognised as one of the key acts on the Rough Trade label. On tracks such as "Walk Out to Winter" and "Back on Board", Frame sang poetic
lyrics
Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer ...
about love, both lost and found, themes that he would revisit on subsequent Aztec Camera albums. The album also garnered attention for the band in the United States (US) and American magazine ''Creem'' published a review following its initial release that proclaimed: ""The world ain't perfect. But High Land, Hard Rain comes close."
After ''High Land, Hard Rain'', Frame spent a significant amount of time living in
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's album ''Infidels''. Upon reading that
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and pe ...
' guitarist and singer Mark Knopfler produced the album, Frame began writing songs based on a sound that he thought Knopfler could work with. Frame then signed the band to the WEA record label and managed to hire Knopfler to produce Aztec Camera's second album, ''
Knife
A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evide ...
'', which was released in 1984. The duration of the titular song is nearly nine minutes, while "All I Need is Everything" received radio airplay.
Aztec Camera's third album, 1987's ''
Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
'', was recorded in the US with soul, R&B and pop producers such as Michael Jonzun, Tommy LiPuma and Rob Mounsey. By this stage of the band's history, Frame represented its single driving force and he explained in 2014: "... I was young and I wanted to do things like go to America and make a sort of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis record". The album was engineered by Eric Calvi, who had previously worked with Afrika Bambaataa and Al Jarreau, and featured the backing vocals of soul and R&B singers such as Dan Hartman and Tawatha Agee. One of the radio singles from ''Love'', " Somewhere in My Heart", was Aztec Camera's first "top 10" chart hit and Frame later explained that his inspiration at the time of writing the song was
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
.
The diversity of Frame's musical influences was further exhibited in 1990's ''Stray'', for which he performed a duet with musical hero, Mick Jones of The Clash, on the song "Good Morning Britain". The single release of the song featured a live performance at the Glasgow Barrowland venue, where Jones also performed, and a cover photograph by Bleddyn Butcher.
Frame then recorded the next Aztec Camera album, ''Dreamland'', with Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Released in 1993, the album was mixed by Julian Mendelsohn, who had previously worked with the band. For Frame's final album under the Aztec Camera moniker, and the last original studio recording for the WEA label, Frame worked with renowned production team
Langer
Langer is a surname originally of German origin. For the etymology, meaning, and pronunciation of the name, and for the Hiberno-English slang word, see Wiktionary.
People with the family name Langer include:
Academics and scientists
* Alois Lang ...
Madness
Madness or The Madness may refer to:
Emotion and mental health
* Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat
* Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns
* ...
and Elvis Costello. '' Frestonia'' was released in 1995 and the Reprise Records label issued it in the US.
All six Aztec Camera studio albums were reissued in August 2012 by the Edsel Records label, which had previously completed the same process for the studio albums of
Everything But The Girl
Everything but the Girl (occasionally referred to as EBTG) are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Wa ...
. The reissued editions included bonus tracks and live recordings. The following year, the Domino Recording Company reissued ''High Land, Hard Rain'' to commemorate the album's 30th anniversary, including a vinyl pressing of the album that was released in the second half of 2013. A white cotton T-shirt with the album's
cover art
Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper (tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ...
was produced by and sold on Frame's website. Frame performed a series of live shows in the UK, at which ''High Land, Hard Rain'' was played in its entirety with the support of a backing band. According to a media report on 28 August 2013, none of the original band members was involved with the shows and the anniversary event was not an Aztec Camera reunion.
Solo career
Following ''Frestonia'', Frame pursued a solo career under his own name from 1995 onwards. His first solo album, '' The North Star'', was released in 1998 on the Independiente label and featured the single "Reason For Living". Frame appeared on Jools Holland's ''Later'' television show in 1998 to play "Bigger, Brighter, Better", from ''North Star''. In 1999 Frame appeared alongside Neil Finn and Graham Gouldman as part of the BBC Four's "Songwriters' Circle" series, and played both Aztec Camera and solo songs.
Frame's second solo album '' Surf'', recorded when he was 38 years old, is a collection of acoustic songs that attracted critical acclaim and was generally regarded as a return to songwriting form. In a 2002 ''Guardian'' interview, Frame explained that he had "written an album about day-to-day life in London; about being 38 and wondering what you're going to do next." The album's cover image is a photograph taken from atop Burwash House in London, UK by Hannah Grace Deller, Frame's girlfriend at the time, and depicts the city's skyline. Following the album's April 2014 reissue, arts journalist Philip Cummins concluded:
Not since Paul Simon’s Hearts and Bones nor Bruce Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love has there been an album by a singer-songwriter that has explored themes of love, heartbreak and identity as skilfully and masterfully as Roddy Frame has on Surf. It is hard to think of an LP from the last 10 – 15 years that is so masterfully crafted, so fully realised, so enviably achieved ... Surf is, quite simply, one of the most moving, spellbinding and memorable collection of songs I have heard in recent years.
The song "Small World" was used as the theme music for the
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced t ...
comedy series '' Early Doors''. Frame explained at a 2012 live performance in the UK that "Crossing Newbury Street" is about the time that he spent with Jonzun in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
, Massachusetts, US, while writing and recording "Somewhere in My Heart".
Frame performed his first ever show at the
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contempo ...
in 2003 and his next solo album '' Western Skies'' was released three years later in May 2006. Later in 2006, he released a live album called ''Live at Ronnie Scott's'', a recording of a performance that was completed on 29 May 2005, and this was followed in 2007 by ''Live at The Blue Note, Osaka'', another live recording of a show of 21 September 2006 in Japan. Video footage of Frame performing live solo concerts in the UK in both 2005 (
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
) and 2008 (
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
) was published on the YouTube online video-sharing platform.
In preparation for Frame's next studio album, he signed to AED Records, a record label founded by musician Edwyn Collins—a close friend and collaborator of Frame—and James Endeacott. In a 2011 live performance at London's Bush Hall venue, Frame played the song "White Pony", which would later appear on his fourth solo album, and explained that it was inspired by the death of filmmaker John Hughes and the "coming-of-age" notion.
Frame proceeded to record his next album at Collins's West Heath Yard studio with producer Sebastian Lewsley (Frame stated in a 2013 radio interview that Collins had been "incredibly generous".) and, in June 2013, AED Records announced an "early 2014" release date for Frame's fourth solo album. The label's name is an
initialism
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
of "Analogue Enhanced Digital" and the album was referred to as a "lovely thing". (The label name "AED" is a personal joke of Collins's.) Frame explained prior to the release of his AED album that he was "spurred" on to record another full-length solo release by a series of live performances with Collins that was followed by a tour with a couple of members of Collins's band. Frame thought the touring band sounded so good that he decided to create a "band record again" and proceeded to write songs specifically with the touring band in mind.
Prior to the release of Frame's fourth solo album, two songs from the album, "Forty Days of Rain" and "Postcard", appeared on Frame's website in mid-April for listeners to stream. Additionally, AED reissued a vinyl version of the ''Surf'' album for Record Store Day on 19 April 2014.
On 4 May 2014, Frame's fourth solo studio album, entitled ''Seven Dials'', was released on iTunes—on 8 May 2014, three customer reviews were posted on the iTunes Preview page and all gave five-star reviews. In its review of the album, released eight years after ''Western Skies'', the ''Scotsman'' newspaper stated that the "goodwill and energy" generated by the 30th anniversary ''High Land, Hard Rain'' tour "informed the completion of this new album", and describes a work filled with "impressionistic snapshots" and "the theme of pulling away ... and moving on elsewhere." The ''Scotsman'' reviews concludes:
The entire album is suffused with a non-angsty restlessness. “Bury me at Seven Dials so my soul can never find its way back to where I kissed you” Frame sings on the bittersweet Into The Sun. That sense of valediction is strongest on the poignant English Garden, which could give Damon Albarn a run for his melancholy money and then Elvis Costello with its final, emotional hit. Frame may be a man of few words but he makes them all count.
On the release date of ''Seven Dials'', Frame appeared on Spanish radio station RTVE and also performed a live show, for which he also played Aztec Camera songs. During the live performance, Frame opened with "Oblivious" and explained to the audience that the pressure in the UK was too intense, as the term "Roddy Frame Day" was being used. In another interview for Spanish radio, Frame explained that during his time with Aztec Camera, he was never overly serious about his music career.
Frame performed an in-store live show at London, UK's Rough Trade East record store on 8 May 2014—the store offered an album and wristband bundle package that could be purchased and collected on the evening of the performance. Frame also participated in a series of radio interviews for the promotion of the album and appeared on Billy Sloan's Clyde 2 radio programme, which broadcasts throughout Glasgow and West Scotland; Tom Robinson's BBC Radio 6 show; the radio show of Terry Wogan, ''The Weekend Wogan'', on
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content ...
; the Monocle 24 radio programme "Culture with Robert Bound"; and BBC Radio 6 with Liz Kershaw.
In a review for the ''Observer'' publication, Phil Mongredien awarded ''Seven Dials'' three-out-of-five stars, explaining: "his knack for a memorable, soaring chorus is undiminished by time." Mongredien concedes that he finds the slower-tempo songs, such as "Rear View Mirror", as "less compelling", but concludes that "this is a welcome return nonetheless." ''Q'' magazine awarded the album four stars, stating, "Melodies unfold, lyrics reveal their meaning and the wait is revealed as having been worth it", while ''The Scotsman'' wrote: "Frame may be a man of few words but he makes them all count". The ''Line of Best Fit'' website, in support of its 8.5/10 rating, published the following statement as part of its review: "A wonderfully understated record... approaching the restrained, heart-tugging perfection of his eighties peaks".
Frame completed an interview with the French website ''Le Gorille'' in July 2014 and stated that his manager had informed him of a live performance in France at the end of 2014. Four German dates were announced in July 2014, whereby Frame will play solo shows during October 2014.
Frame appeared on the "Soho Social" programme of the Soho Radio online media outlet on 19 August 2014, presented by Dan Gray. As of September 2014, Frame is listed as one of the "Artists & Writers" of the UK arm of the Universal Music Publishing Group company.
Collaborations
Frame has maintained a long-term friendship with Edwyn Collins, who was also signed to Postcard Records in the 1980s with his band Orange Juice. Collins and Frame collaborated on the Aztec Camera album ''Stray'', including a live performance of the song "Consolation Prize". Following Sakamoto's production work on Aztec Camera's ''Dreamland'' album, Frame's vocals appeared on the song "Same Dream, Same Destination", from Sakamoto's 1994 album, '' Sweet Revenge''.
Frame performed with Collins in November 2007 during Collins's first concert after his recovery from a serious illness, and the pair played again at the
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contempo ...
in June 2008, on the Park Stage, and at the Purcell Rooms in London, UK, in September 2008. In 2012 Collins sang "A Girl Like You"—with Frame on guitar and Tim Burgess on backing vocals—and a rendition of the Orange Juice song "Falling and Laughing"—with Frame on guitar—at Burgess's "Tim Peaks Diner" café, as part of the Kendal Calling festival.
Dan Carey and Rob Da Bank, whose band name is Lazyboy, collaborated with Frame on the song "Western Skies"; Frame then re-recorded the song for a solo album of the same name and has performed an acoustic rendition of the song in live settings, with the inclusion of a harmonica solo. At a 2011 Glasgow performance, Frame explained that he had been listening to
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...
-influenced music at the time of writing the lyrics and recorded the song at Da Bank's personal home.
Cover versions
Frame recorded
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
.
In regard to the Van Halen cover version, Frame explained in a 1990 interview that he had seen the band in concert in the US for his birthday and started experimenting with the song afterwards. Frame found that the lyrical content of the song conveyed sadness, in contrast to the upbeat music of "Jump", and ended up with a version that sounded like "Sweet Jane", by
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacL ...
.
During an October 2012 solo performance at the Paisley Abbey venue in Paisley, Scotland, Frame performed a rendition of the Jesse Rae song "Inside Out", which was written for the dance band
Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...
. Frame explained that during his time as a WEA artist, he was asked about Rae, who was conveyed as a Scottish musician who always wore a kilt and helmet. Frame expressed "love" for the song and explained that he enjoyed playing the song while at home. Frame played "Inside Out" during a live performance on BBC 6 Radio in early September 2014. Frame explained that, like "Jump", when "Inside Out" is slowed down, additional meanings become apparent, such as the notion of infidelity in the case of the latter.
Touring
Frame has performed a total of 58 live shows under his own name, including a UK tour throughout October 2011 with a small backing band.
The 30th anniversary ''High Land, Hard Rain'' tour of December 2013 was performed at the following UK venues: London's Theatre Royal, Manchester's Bridgewater Hall and Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall. The official European tour dates following the release of ''Seven Dials'' were announced in late August 2014. Frame is scheduled to play in cities such as Munich, Germany; Paris, France; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Vienna, Austria, in addition to Aberdeen, Glasgow and London. Frame stated during an August 2014 interview that he was interested in completing most of the tour by train.
Influences
In a 1988 interview, Frame spoke of the significant influence of the "punk revolution" during his early adolescence, when he began writing songs around the age of 13. He spoke of subsequently discovering Alternative TV (ATV), which led to an exploration of earlier music influences, as ATV's co-founder Mark Perry was himself influenced by Frank Zappa and Arthur Lee's band
Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
.
Following the release of the Aztec Camera album ''Dreamland'', Frame explained in a 1993 Scottish television interview that the highlight of his career up until that point was meeting one of his musical heroes, American soul artist
Al Green
Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...
, while recording "Somewhere in My Heart" with Jonzun and Maurice Starr. Frame said that he did not know if he could ever "feel that good about music again" and then played the ''Dreamland'' song "Safe in Sorrow", which he explains is based on the "Al Green feel".
In another television interview following the release of ''Dreamland'', Frame explained that politics were not a significant influence upon his songwriting up until that point. Frame mentioned Billy Bragg and explained that while Bragg "toils" away politically, he believed that people really want to listen to personal songs:
I feel more comfortable writing, kind of, personal, one-to-one songs. I think politics is tricky, and when it comes down to it, man, my favourite records are, like, uh, you know: three chords and a prayer, you know? ... but when it comes down to it, you wanna hear The Elgins, singing "Put Yourself In My Place"; preferably from a jukebox, so it's got a nice kick to it, you know?
As a promotional prelude to the release of ''Seven Dials'', Frame appeared in music magazine ''Q'', and also selected a playlist "of favourite songs which evoke a sense of place", as a reference to the London landmark that the album is named after. Frame's playlist included songs by Joe Strummer, Calle Sanlucar, The Clash, Grace Jones, Louis Armstrong and the Cocteau Twins.
Personal life
Frame married in 1990. In 1993, Frame had been residing in London for 11 years, but still considered Scotland his "spiritual" home. However, Frame explained that he was not a "patriot" and considered himself a "global citizen". His opinion was that Scotland was more meaningful than square slice and plain bread, and described such stereotypical notions as "nonsense".
In an August 2014 radio interview, Frame explained that following the recording of ''Knife'', he embarked on an extended hiatus in which he "didn't really know what I was doing, to be honest." Frame said that he disappeared for three years after signing to the Warner label, while his manager communicated with Warner's representatives, who were keen to hear the next Aztec Camera album. Frame was not musically productive during this period, "lying around" smoking cannabis:
wascontemplating the record 'Love'' you know, absorbing influences ... did really what you should do at that age, I think, and just wasted a lot of time, reading and listening to stuff, and travelling a bit ...
As of August 2002, Frame lived in a "Notting Hill mansion-block flat" in London. He stated in March 2014 that, while he doesn't play the guitar every day, his songwriting activity has increased since the recording of ''Seven Dials''. He owns a collection of guitars, including a 1974 Fender Telecaster and a series of "nice, big, fat" semi-acoustic guitars.