Mel had the chance to play with a key member of the elite pantheon of British pop when he recorded the album Ice On Fire with Elton John (not yet knighted, so no ‘Sir’ at this point).

Mel Gaynor says:

“He was a real gentleman to work with and I was picked out of the bag to do that album along with a great bass player called Deon Estus. That was a memorable album to do because there were great songs, a great singer and piano player, and it was a great location.”

“It was in Surrey at Gus Dudgeon’s studio out in the countryside. There were a few pointers arrangement-wise, but as far as playing went, it was left up to us. I worked with a couple of loops and sequences, but it was still very organic. It wasn’t completely computerised - there was still a human feel to it.”

“We played as a band and Elton played with us so we’d get a great feel, as opposed to just getting a drum take. If there were drop-ins, I’d go back and drop-in over that, rather than just going for the perfect drum take.”