IN one previous newspaper article, guitarist Earl Slick is quoted as saying he remembered very little about the recording of David Bowie’s Station to Station album.

Which could be rather problematic as we’re doing an interview about it.

“Hey don’t worry my man,” he replies in his distinctive New York drawl, “I actually remember a lot of the recording of that album, which considering the condition I was in, I admit, is a bit of a surprise, but hey you don’t make a record like that and not remember a damn thing.

“It’s also kind of nonsense to think that none of us were focussed. We were all pretty damn focussed, especially David. Putting something like that together back in the day David would come in with the songs and we would work them out. It’s the same with the other records we worked on but that was David’s talent. Much like John Lennon did, he knew the creative people he wanted to work with to get the sound he was after, and he made sure they were there.”

And for Station to Station Earl was there for the guitars.

Later Bowie would say about the recording of the album: “I got some quite extraordinary things out of Earl Slick. I think it captured his imagination to make noises on guitar, and textures, rather than playing the right notes."

“I remember putting a lot of feedback on that record,” he recalls. “But there was also something really interesting about how David worked. He started in the studio banging out material, then going back and forth to us and we would listen to what he had done. That’s when I realised a lot of the guitar sounds were actually being influenced by what I was into when I first started out, which was a lot of Keith Richards.”

Now Earl is back playing the album thanks to the new touring project by Colchester’s Tom Wilcox.

Tom first staged a series of Bowie events while working at the Institute for Contemporary Arts and has continued putting together shows the latest of which was with former Spiders from Mars drummer and bassist Woody Woodmansey and Tony Visconti.

Along with guest vocalists Glenn Gregory from Heaven 17 and Marc Almond, they performed the album The Man Who Sold The World at venues all across the country, including the Colchester Arts Centre.

Now Tom has brought his new touring show to his home town with Earl and Rolling Stones backing singer Bernard Fowler performing Station to Station in its entirity, marking 40 years since its release.

“This tour was organised a long time before David died,” he tells me. “Because it had to fit in with my schedule this was arranged almost a year ago but I’m pleased to say right from the start it had David’s backing.

“When I heard he had died I was absolutely devastated. As well as working with him, David was a really good friend so this tour really does mean a lot to me and of course I’m sure for his fans. From their point of view they’re going to get something a bit special with the guys we have. For start there’s Bernard who is just an incredible singer. It was important not to have some Bowie look-a-like or sound-a-like. Someone standing in for David. That would be embarrassing. There’s no one like David and there probably never will be.”

Earl should know having spent time plenty of time with him in the recording studio but also years performing with Bowie on several of his world tours.

“Being on stage with him was always special,” Earl says. “He always gave me a lot of leeway to do my thing, even occasionally walking off the stage. There’s not many frontmen that would do that. Just walk off and leave the guitarist to do their thing but that was David. That takes a lot of trust but then he was generous, flattering and also smart because when he comes back after three minutes, you know who the audience are all going to look to.”

• Earl Slick And Bernard Fowler Perform David Bowies Station To Station, Colchester Arts Centre, Church Street, Colchester.

April 30. Doors open 7pm.

Sold Out but to be put on the list for returns call the box office on 01206 500900.