43OBlue Eyed Soul is released by
BMG on 8 November and reviewed
on page 81.Although he would be diverted into
punk by the Sex Pistols, 60s and 70s
soul was foundational to the young
Mick Hucknall. “At that time, my biggest
infl uences would have been people like
Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding.
Although trying to hit the same notes as
someone like Aretha is enormously
challenging – she had an incredible
range – those are the kind of things that
I’d been practising, trying to get the
same range. I’ve never been interested
in copying artists, though – I wanted to
be infl uenced and be able to put
something original into that genre.”
Inevitably, the Northern Soul scene- at its height when Mick was a
teenager – was a key factor, too. “We
used to get to get asked about it quite
a lot when we were starting out. It
seemed to be fascinating to Americans
in particular. I remember the fi rst time
we visited Detroit as a band we all
were saying it was like Manchester – I
think it’s that working class thing where
we just related to it because it was sort
of like us. African-American soul music
was enormous in the North West and
apart from people like the Stones it
was our biggest infl uence growing up.”
PUNK SOUL
BROTHER
“WE DID ENJOY SUCCESS WITH
LIFE – IT SOLD A LOT OF COPIES,
BUT WELL... YOU KNOW I DON’T
THINK THE WHITE ALBUM IS AS
GOOD AS SGT PEPPER”
always been the principal songwriter.
Nobody else has – in any formation –
consistently come up with any songs!
“I, like many people, had a very romantic
vision of what a band should be, growing up
with The Beatles. But then again these bands
are all acrimonious – they’ve all fallen out!
They all sue each other, they all hate each
other and, you know, I get on great with the
guys I work with so... what’s the problem?
I never did get to have my Paul or my John.”
Mick insists he has no musical ambitions
left – there’s not a duets album or memoir
lurking uncrossed on his bucket list. But one
wonders how he feels about Simply Red’s
status as a band these days. Apart from a
brief period around their debut album Picture
Book, they have never exactly been trendy.
Fashions come and go but it’s hard to think of
another multi-million selling British act that
remain so resolutely unheralded, at least by
critics. Put it like this: their records don’t often
crop up on those ‘100 Best 80s/90s Albums’
lists. They’ve yet to be the subject of a BBC4
documentary. That biopic will, in all
probability, never be made. Does he feel
they’re undervalued in 2019?
“Sometimes I do,” he admits. “And then
other times I think, ‘I’ve done stuff on my own
terms and been in control of what I do.’ The
industry itself wants to be in control of the
artist and when they don’t have that control
they don’t like it.
“When you consider the control that we’ve
had over the years then I’m happy with our
success – we’re still selling records and we’re
still putting bums on seats whenever we do a
tour. If people don’t regard us in the same
way as other acts, well that’s up to them! But
really I don’t have any complaints,” he insists,
sounding utterly serene and at ease, both
with himself, and the world.world for two years running. It wasn’t the
same as being with a major ‘cos we couldn’t
get the distribution in the same way, but we
did enjoy success with it. It was a great thrill.”FAMILY COMES FIRST
In 2007, Mick appeared to draw a line
under Simply Red and ‘retire’ the band. He
claims it was for one reason only: his family.
“I had a father who, when I was growing up,
completely dedicated his life to me and that
had a major impact on me. When my
daughter was born I was very much aware
that if I signed a deal with a
record company I would be
obliged to make an album
every two years and go out on
the road; I’d be one of those
dads who were never at home.
I just thought, ‘I’m not going to
do that.’ So I told my manager
I was going to stop. I wanted
to be at home bringing up my
kid. It was one of the best
decisions I’ve made. I’ve been
there every day in her life and
I’m sure it’s had a positive
impact on her to have both of
her parents around to help
and support her as she learns
how to deal with this world.”
For a few years, Mick’s only
musical activity was a pair of
solo covers albums – one a
tribute to the soul legend
Bobby Bland and a short tour
with the reformed Faces (see
boxout). Then in 2015 he
revived the Simply Red name
and signed once more to a
major, BMG. “I had been
writing songs and my
daughter was old enough to
understand that this is my job.
Also I have to remember that
I am an artist with a career –
I gotta go out and work! I just
feel that I’ve been lucky to
have been able to stop. Most
people, even very successful
people, work their arses off
every day. And most dads
don’t even get to see much
of their kids, except at the
weekends and maybe a
couple of hours when they
come home from work.”
So, with no original
members left other than the
frontman, is Simply Red now
just a brand for whatever he’s
doing musically? He sidesteps
the question. “Well, I’veA 26-year-old Mick Hucknall
onstage with Simply Red,
Chicago, Illinois, 5 August 1986
© Paul Natkin/Getty Images