I presented Peter with my version of Keep On Running and he spontaneously said, that if I agreed, he would be happy to play the drums. Of course I agreed and I think it sounds better than the drum loop I was using. What do you think?

I recently had a phone call with my oldest friend. We have known each other for over 60 years. Harald was a founding member of my very first band in 1966 and played bass. We exchanged memories and talked about times long gone. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Harald asked me if I could still sing “Keep on Running” the way I did when I was 14 years old. You have to know that Steve Winwood was my favorite singer at the time and I tried to imitate him as closely as possible. And of course this song was on our cover playlist. I said to Harald, I don't think I can do it, but I'll try and added, I've already made a fool of myself for less, so I accepted the challenge. I made myself a more pleasing backing track with a hammond organ,( it's a pity that steve first used the organ on „I'm a man“ and „Gimme some lovin'“. It would have been a great fit here too). That's how it turned out. I hope you like it.

Peter and I have known each other for ages and I had the pleasure of playing in a rock band with him in the early 80s. Unfortunately, our musical paths parted after 2 years. But we've stayed in touch to this day. Like me, Peter is now retired and has more time for music and thanks to the multimedia possibilities we don't need to meet in a studio but can communicate via Internet. I suggested that he accompany me on the drums for this song. He agreed without hesitation. I am pleased that he accepted my invitation for several reasons. Firstly, to play with a great musician again after more than 40 years. Secondly, there is something organic, not only to this song, when a living person beats the drum instead of generating the accompaniment from the soud pool. This is especially important in this piece, as the intro and bridges are in 5/4 beat, while the verses and chorus are in 4/4 beat.

When the Box Tops released their one-hit-wonder "The Letter" in 1967, I was just 15 years old and had been on stage with my first band for almost 2 years. As we didn't have any songs of our own, we covered English and American bands, as was usual at the time. And of course "The Letter" was also on our playlist. More than 55 years later, I decided to do another cover again as a reminder of my first steps into the world of rock and pop music.´Though Joe Cocker did an unforgettable jazz cover with horns and choirs in 1970, I deliberately chose the Box Tops version because it best reflected the trend of the "upbeat music" of those years. As always, Karsten hit the black and white keys perfectly.

Steve Miller is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who was particularly successful worldwide in the 1970s and 1980s with the Steve Miller Band. Miller learned his first guitar chords at the age of five from Les Paul, who regularly visited the Millers' house with his wife Mary Ford. (I just imagine how great it would have been if, for example, Jimi Hendrix had regularly come for a cup of coffee and shown me his latest licks). What a great start to a career in music. Steve Miller always was rooted in the blues, but he managed the feat of keeping it up to date by incorporating everything from psychedelic to new wave that was hot at the time. “Fly like an Eagle” was covered by many bands. There's also a very beautiful version by SEAL. That spurred me on to devote myself to this song. Karsten provided keyboards and effects in his usual solid way. And so our version was born. Enjoy it.