Tony Visconti Helps Richard Barone Glows Again

Glow also features state-of-the-art gear that Barone picked up through his close collaboration with Gibson Guitars, including the Digital Les Paul guitar. Each string has the ability to be recorded on its own individual track. The title tune was written when Richard stopped by producer Steve Addabbo's studio to pick up a hard drive and showed him the prototype instrument. "Walking through Manhattan, I started hearing the arpeggio chords of 'Glow' in my head," says Barone, "Then some words and a melody became attached, set to the rhythm of my walking. When I got to the studio, I couldn't wait to show Steve the guitar, plug it in and demonstrate the possibilities. I started playing 'Glow' and asked if we could record it. It was amazing how quickly it came together."

Amid the high-tech studio recordings Glow also has some lo-fi parts that just sounded right in sequence. Garageband-generated "Radio Silence," recorded at home on a laptop, comes off as a Euro-Vision style four-on-the-floor classic. The Paul Williams co-written "Silence Is Our Song" is from a live radio broadcast on New York WFUV-FM DJ Vin Scelsa's "Idiot's Delight" program.

How did Barone end up writing with the guy who gave us such pop radio classics as "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "We've Only Just Begun?" Did you know Williams wrote the B Side to Tiny Tim's "Tip Toe Through the Tulips"? Richard did. He met Williams at a tribute show and the two writers from different eras immediately hit it off. After a number of delays Richard made it out to Paul's house in California and an all-day marathon writing session ensued. "I started strumming chords as he circled his living room spouting phrases I quickly jotted down on a yellow legal pad. We wrote like that all day," he says.

Another frequent Barone collaborator is Jill Sobule. Among other songs, Barone co-wrote "Bitter" for her album Pink Pearl and Sobule returned the favor on "Odd Girl Out." The song tells the true story of a lesbian teen in the pre-Stonewall days of the West Village. This time Richard scribbled down lyrics while Sobule strummed.


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