Justin Hayward talks about musicians he would have liked to work with
It's a question I'm often asked - I don't know why. To have regrets about this particular unfulfilled desire is something that, in my experience, most musicians don't have - but I suspect it seems an obvious question that a fan would think was important.
But I think I know what the questioner means - and to try and give just one instance of my own feelings, one of my biggest pleasures is to be friends (and play guitar with) Bruce Welch, because we know and love the same songs. I also got to play on stage with all the Shadows, past and present, at the London Palladium with Mart Wilde a few years ago. That was an unforgettable moment, and a day I will treasure. I am a huge Cliff and the Shads fan.
And on one magical night in the nineteen sixties I sat around playing guitar with Donovan and George Harrison - but the question says 'worked with', and that was never work, just fun. I play with pals for fun, not work.
When it comes to making records I am lucky enough to have worked with players that I know and love, and that, in my opinion are the best in their field - from Peter Knight to Dave Mattacks to Lele Melotti. Anyone who knows me, accepts that I am firm about what I want, and recording is more fulfilling for me when my own ideas are fully explored. Having said that, Mike Pinder playing those Mellotron phrases between the lines on 'Nights' was something that would never have occurred to me, and it added greatly to the recording. But that kind of contribution is rare - and if there is to be a guitar solo I would rather play it myself!