That was his trademark, black t-shirt, sunglasses…motionless
Steve Flack
The Angels – John & Rick Brewster – Influence and Style
I really enjoyed the interview I did with John & Rick Brewster for Australian Guitar Magazine. The Brewster brothers are The Angels guitar section and a powerhouse combination at that.
I really didn’t want the interview to end…theirs was a big story and such likeable people also.
There was so much to talk about but having a big story is a by-product of being in a band like The Angels, one of Australia’s most successful and influential bands.
Even though the song was written by Buzz & Doc, Rick’s solos graft onto the song perfectly and really become part of the structure of “No Secrets”.
It would almost be a different song without Rick’s composed solos and certainly wouldn’t have the impact.
Hey! Don’t Cut My Solo!
There’s a great story in the book and history of the band by Bob Yates called “The Angels” where he recounts Rick’s reaction to the record label removing his solo from “Marseille”.
The Angels had gone to France to promote the song “Marseille” so management wanted to shorten the recording for radio airplay and did it by cutting Rick’s solo and when Rick heard it – he exploded!
We can see that Rick had a strong belief that his solos are integral to the songs.
Rick Brewster’s Performance Style
Still it’s hard to imagine Rick Brewster on the rampage.
When I met him he was really nice and a gentleman but if you mess with his guitar work, then look out!
Rick “the statue” told me that after seeing Angus Young’s onstage antics with AC/DC he decided to do the opposite and stand still while he was playing.
That was his trade mark, black t-shirt, sunglasses and motionless.
When you have a front man like Doc Neeson, however, motionless is entirely appropriate.
As you learn the parts you’ll gain a different approach yourself so try and incorporate some of these ideas into your own playing.
Grab the tab and play along with the backing tracks