Jim Davies: The Unsung Hero
30th March 1996, a day where the landscape of music in the UK changed forever. After three weeks at Number One, TAKE THAT’s schmaltzy cover of How Deep Is Your Love was unseated by one of the biggest crossover songs ever released. Across the country, both electronic and rock clubs started playing Firestarter by THE PRODIGY on a regular basis and, for arguably the first time ever, there was a band which brought together two polarising genres in brutal harmony. “I remember watching Top of the Pops when it first went to Number One and thinking it was mad then,” recalls Jim Davies. “Looking back now it’s a really historic moment in history and I’m proud to have played a small part in it.”
What small part is this, I hear you ask? Who is this Jim Davies fellow? Well, he happens to be the guitarist on Firestarter, along with Breathe and Fuel the Fire from the same album, the phenomenal The Fat of the Land. Mind you, Jim has never been the sort of person to brag about it too much. “I find it a bit awkward when people say I wrote that riff, because I just happened to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right guitar sounds. When I was in the studio, Liam (Howlett, the mastermind behind THE PRODIGY) had a very clear idea of what he wanted. It just so happened that on those tracks I had a sound that he liked and was quite different and it worked well, didn’t it?”
At the time a young 21-year old, Jim admits he wasn’t ready for the amount of fame that The Fat of the Land would give THE PRODIGY, but confirms that it opened up a lot of doors for him. Once his time with THE PRODIGY was over, he joined PITCHSHIFTER and featured on the albums Deviant, PSI and the late 90’s classic www.pitchshifter.com. When the latter was toured in full recently, Jim confirms he wasn’t asked to be a part of the reunion, but immediately quashes any suggestion of a fallout between him and the two PITCHSHIFTER mainstays, Jon and Mark Clayden. “At the time we hadn’t spoken for a while and there was no real reason for that, but I guess it was just a lack of communication, maybe they thought I wouldn’t have been interested or whatever, but I didn’t know they were doing it it. It’s their band at the end of the day though, they’ve been in it since they were very young teenagers and I didn’t feel it was my place to suggest it. I’m back in touch with them now though.”
Nostalgia trips aside, Jim is firmly looking forwards and that is where Headwars comes in, his third studio album and first for eleven years. A well-blended mix of his previous outfits and influences, it shifts from big drops and strong beats to gritty guitar riffs and industrial stomps. Why did now feel the right time to do this? “About ten years ago I stopped doing band stuff virtually overnight; I didn’t want to be one of those sad old gits still trying to do a band and playing in really crap clubs and pubs. So I got into writing music for films and TV production music and it was a really steep learning curve for me because, up until that point, I hadn’t really taken interest in the production side of things and now I had to. After a decade of doing that, I took a look back and thought that I could do what I’d done before, but so much better.”
Jim is a modest and down-to-earth individual, and thought long and hard about the decision to put his name on the album front and bring all the focus onto himself. “I WAS thinking of doing it under a band name, but the reality is that it ISN’T a band, it’s just me and the people I collaborated with. I could have done it as part of a band, sure, but I didn’t really see the point, and I also think the music is strong enough and I’m proud enough of it that I can put my name to it. It’s just a shame I don’t have a slightly more interesting name like ‘Chip Rockman’ or ‘Chad Riffman’!”
Regardless of what name it’s under, the fact is that Headwars is a thumping album which will delight anyone who calls themselves a fan of not just THE PRODIGY and PITCHSHIFTER but also MARILYN MANSON, RAMMSTEIN, PENDULUM and the synthwave movement as a whole. Jim Davies might have been leading a quiet life up until now, but he’s about to stand in the foreground and, given his resume, that’s exactly where he should be.
Headwars is set for release on April 10th via Extreme Music.
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