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 Source: Words and Music, Volume 1 issue 9: October 1994

Hell's Angel

Former Leslie Spit players find a savior in producer Joe Hardy

He may not look like an angel but to songwriters Pat Langer and Laura Hubert, Memphis - based producer Joe Hardy is nothing less than a rock `n' roll savior. Despite the fact that the pair had no label, no management and no money, Hardy put them and their rhythm section (collectively dubbed The Spits) up at his home and used a nine - day break in his schedule to cut their brand new album, Hell's Kitchen.

Hardy, of course, is the studio whiz behind Tom Cochrane's million - selling Mad Mad World, not to mention projects by ZZ Top, Steve Earle, Colin James, Kim Mitchell and the Jeff Healey Band. The producer met Langer and Hubert (formerly the Leslie Spit Treeo) while mixing their second and final Capitol/EMI album, 1992's Book of Rejection.

"We got along really well," recalls Langer, "and we hinted that we'd love to work with him because it would probably be a lot of fun in the studio, as opposed to the stress and anxiety we experienced on our last album."

"It's probably our heaviest record in terms of rock `n' roll," observes Langer of the straight - up song treatments. "It sounds like us live. We totally dig it and we couldn't say that about Book of Rejection."

Hardy made sure Hell's Kitchen reflects the undiluted artistic intentions of Hubert and Langer, who co - wrote 12 of the album's 13 tracks. "Jukebox Lady" comes from a new Tomson Highway play, Rose, which Hubert was workshopping at the time of recording.

Recalling the Kitchen sessions, Langer says, "There were times when we felt like Aerosmith. We're at this big southern mansion and we'd do a few takes then float in the pool. It was the closest thing to a rock 'n' roll fantasy we could imagine."

Not surprisingly, Langer showers praise and gratitude on Hardy. "He told us he's been in the business for 20 years with the idea of making enough money to one day do only what he wants. He said he does one charitable thing every 20 years and we were it. We lucked out."

Langer says The Spits will tour behind the independently released Kitchen as soon as possible: "We're going to take it as far as we can. A couple of weeks ago we started busking again. We'll sell it that way if we have to."
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