BABYLON A.D. debut album – The thirtieth anniversary interview with Derek Davis
Babylon A.D. is a band that formed in 1988 and which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area. Original members, Derek Davis vocalist/songwriter, guitarists and music writers Dan De La Rosa and Ron Freschi, drummer Jamey Pacheco and bassist Robb Reid were all in childhood rival bands. In 1989 after being signed by Arista they in my opinion, released not just one of the best albums of the year, but also one of the best moments of 80’s Hard Rock.
This year we are both celebrating the 10th Anniversary of The Rockpit, and also the anniversary of some of the albums that shaped us as music fans. 1989 was a huge year and that year there were some classic albums released. ‘Babylon A.D.’ was one of very best.
The Rockpit: Hi Derek, thank you so much for talking to The Rockpit today. One of my personal favourite albums from 1989, and an album that I’ve never stopped listening to over the years is ‘Babylon A.D.’ the band’s debut on Arista released in October 1989. Tell us about the band before that deal – where did you play and how did you get noticed?
Derek: The band is from Oakland CA area and had been together for a couple years and had played all the major clubs like, The Stone, Omni, Keystone Palo Alto, Niles Station, all in the bay area and a lot of places in the Sac area and also some pretty good gigs in L.A. like the Country Club, Roxie Etc. We developed a very strong following and had some pretty good demos we had made. Our manager got us in front of MCA, RCA and Arista, and Arista’s A&R guy Randy Gerston pitched us to Clive Davis. We did a showcase for him in L.A. and he signed us on the spot. It was very surreal and exciting.
The Rockpit: What was it like on the day finally hearing you had the deal? How did you celebrate?
Derek: We Partied like Rock Stars for a week, The Rainbow became home and we never looked back.
The Rockpit: Can you remember the first date you played after getting signed?
Derek: It was back in the Bay Area at Niles Station and we got kind of hero’s welcome, We were the first band the had actually been signed from the Bay Area. And so we kept the party rolling..
The Rockpit: How much of the music that ended up on the debut did the band have before you got signed?
Derek: We had “Bang Go the Bells, Sally Danced, Sweet Temptation, Shot Of Love and Desperate and a lot of other material that did not make the record. Clive is a very hands on guy.
The Rockpit: Was it pretty much down to work after signing?
Derek: We worked 8 hour’s a day, 5 days a week in Pre-Production writing more songs. Some of them I wrote with Jack Ponti who really helped me develop as a songwriter.
The Rockpit: For those that know the band’s history – you released “Babylon A.D., In The Beginning, Persuaders Recordings” back in 2006 those recordings were presumably the songs that attracted Clive Davis’ attention and got you the L.A. showcase in the first place and then the deal with Arista?
Derek: Yes, most of them were, and we were pretty surprised that more than a few did not make the cut but we were a work in progress.
The Rockpit: Some of those tracks could certainly could have featured on the album, there were some great songs like “I’m No Good for You”; “Back Street Girl” and “Don’t Ask Questions” what was the thinking behind not including any of those songs?
Derek: It was the Record Co’s decision what songs would be on the album we really could only say “PLEASE MASTER DAVIS, Can we put this song on there too”?
The Rockpit: Was everything written fresh?
Derek: Some yes and some song no..
The Rockpit: Can you recall what you wrote first?
Derek: The songs “Sally Danced” and “Shot Of Love” had been in our set since the beginning of the band.
The Rockpit: How were you writing in those days? Acoustic guitar and voice?
Derek: I write in a lot of different formats but yes those two I wrote in my bedroom with an acoustic and I did a 4-track demo and showed them to the band. .
The Rockpit: Arista seemed to do a pretty good job – I remember buying the import in the UK on the day of release – it was in the press – there were videos and four singles, there seemed like there was some decent support?
Derek: Yes and no, Their rock department for radio and such really did not exist compared to say, Geffen Records.. They were really a pop label with Whitney, Kenny G, Taylor Dayne, stuff like that. Not to say they did not try.
The Rockpit: As a young band what were your ambitions? What did you hope for or expect?
Derek: Well like any American Blooded Rocker to “Conquer the Fuckin’ World”.
The Rockpit: Jack Ponti –helped co-write a few of the tracks on the album – “Caught Up in the Crossfire”; “Hammer Swings Down”; “The Kid Goes Wild”; “Maryanne”; and “Desperate.” He already had a decent track record co-writing songs for Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, Keel, Trixter, Nelson, Bonfire and others – what was it like working with Jack and what did you get from it?
Derek: Jack helped me learn my craft a lot faster and become a producer. It was a great learning experience.
The Rockpit: Desperate” is one of the many tracks that stands the test of time, one of the best ballads of the time in my opinion, it resurfaced on Baton Rouge’s 1991 album “Lights Out on the Playground” what can you tell us about the inspiration for that song? How did it end up being covered by Baton Rouge?
Derek: I wrote that in my bedroom after seeing a movie poster for the movie Bar Fly with Micky Rourke and Faye Dunaway, And I though to myself, man they look Desperate. I wrote the lyrics and the music and then I showed it to Jack and we sat down and did some arranging and beefed up the chorus and the song was there. We couldn’t believe the song was not a hit so he asked me if he could record it for Baton Rouge who he was producing at the time.
The Rockpit: “The Kid Goes Wild”, which was the trailer song and video for Robocop 2. Some would say it’s the best thing about the movie?
Derek: Yes that movie SUCKED, But hey, I get nice royalty checks every three months.
The Rockpit: For a debut album you did quite well – the band scored three number one songs on metal radio and reached gold on their first release, not a bad achievement?
Derek: Ya, seemed like it at the time, but the record biz is a fuckin’ mean animal, you need to learn how to ride or your screwed.
The Rockpit: Did the band agree on the singles that got put out? Would you have changed anything?
Derek: Yes we wanted to put Desperate out second but instead it came out forth, and by that time radio was saturated with ballads from every rock band out there. So the song got lost in the noise.
The Rockpit: Did you have any personal or fan favourite at the time?
Derek: I really like most of the songs on the album, But “Sally Danced” is close to my heart.
The Rockpit: Are there any songs that you’d wished had made the album that didn’t?
Derek: I’m no Good for You, She Likes to Give It, which both we re-recorded and released on our last album “Revelation Highway” from Frontiers Records.
The Rockpit: Is there anything about the release you wished you could change?
Derek: The productions a little stiff and I don’t like my vocal performance on Desperate and Sweet Temptation..
The Rockpit: Looking back which songs are you proudest of as a writer 30 years later?
Derek: Oh boy, I’ve written so many songs and if I am honest not one is a Babylon A.D. song that I’m proudest of, well maybe “Redemption” even though there all kinda like my kids… My last solo album “Revolutionary Soul” had some really great tracks like “Rapture”, “King of Fools”, Think about It” and with Moonshine there’s songs like “Southern Blood”, The Devils Road” these song are better written and the stories are more interesting to me. And I got say my new album that has yet to be released has some killer tracks, “Resonator Blues”, Jesus Set Me Free” Penitentiary Bound” I really believe I am a way better songwriter musician and singer than I ever was.
The Rockpit: The 80’s were crazy times and huge for Hard Rock in general – can you paint a picture of a day in the life for a band like Babylon A.D. back then?
Derek: Boozin, Brusin, Ballin and Brawlin, That was the wording on the back of our first tour t-shirt and that’s how we rolled every day and night.
The Rockpit: In 2015 you released the live album Live at XXV celebrating 25 years of the band you formed in 1988, it’s a great album and unusually for bands of a certain age features all of the original members of the line-up that recorded the debut. What is it about the band that kept you all together so many years later?
Derek: We all grew up in the same neighborhoods and have a lot of family and friends that still hang out with us to this day. So were like a dysfunctional traveling freak circus.
The Rockpit: With the benefit of a rock and roll time machine what would 2019’s Derek Davis say to his 1989 counterpart?
Derek: Do some ass kissing.. fool!
The Rockpit: Are you playing any shows this year to celebrate the milestone?
Derek: Hmm, I had not even thought about it.. Now I will.
Many thanks to Derek Davis for taking the time to kick off our 30th Anniversary series of interviews that look back on the best albums of 1989.
BABYLON A.D. – BABYLON A.D.
ARISTA- released October 1989
Band members
- Derek Davis – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Dan De La Rosa – guitars
- Ron Freschi – guitars, backing vocals
- Robb Reid – bass, backing vocals
- Jamey Pacheco – drums
Additional musicians
- John Matthews – guitars
- Jimmy Wood – harmonica
- Sam Kinison – vocals on “The Kid Goes Wild”
Singles
- 1989: The Kid Goes Wild
- 1989: Bang Go the Bells
- 1989: Hammer Swings Down
- 1990: Desperate