I got to play on a couple of records with the Rolling Stones, and that was really special to me. Benmont Tench Read Quote
Listen to the Beatles’ ‘Things We Said Today.’ Ringo Starr does not play a fill in the entire song. It doesn’t need it. ‘A Day In the Life’ has gorgeous fills, but there, the song needs it. When I play on any record, I’m striving to get where Ringo is. You play what doesn’t take you out of the song. Benmont Tench Read Quote
Whoever hired me might’ve just heard ‘Refugee.’ Well, I’m not the secret to ‘Refugee.’ The secret to ‘Refugee’ is the song. But if somebody really good calls me up to play on something because they like the way I played on ‘Refugee,’ then I wind up playing on another really good song. Benmont Tench Read Quote
Fortunately, as we all know, it’s impossible for anybody but Jimmy Smith to really sound like Jimmy Smith. Benmont Tench Read Quote
I loved Mal Evans holding one note down on You Won’t See Me from Rubber Soul. Benmont Tench Read Quote
I don’t know about five guys against the world. It’s more like five guys against these three chords, and we’re gonna wrestle ’em down no matter what it takes. Benmont Tench Read Quote
Jeff Lynne is an arranger, and I think it’s probably much easier for him to go ahead and play a part himself than to try to show somebody else what he wants. But it’s hard for me to say; I barely know Jeff. Benmont Tench Read Quote
We started with Denny Cordell, and he was a great record producer. He knew exactly how to take a band that knew absolutely nothing, and guide you without trying to tell you what to do. Benmont Tench Read Quote
