Thank You Super Sledgehammer: How a Mash-Up Became a Masterlink Session

It all started with Karl Vanden Bossche (Sade, Gorillaz). He sent me a YouTube clip of Bill McClintock’s brilliant mash-up: Peter Gabriel and Sly & The Family Stone — Thank You (Falettinme Be Your Sledgehammer).

Watch our live-in-the-studio version HERE.

You can watch Bill McClintock’s original mash-up HERE.

Karl sent me the clip sometime last year, and I remember thinking straight away how fantastic it was. Later in the year, Greg Coulson and I started talking about doing a Masterlink Session together. Once we had agreed on a date in January — always a good time, as many musicians are slightly less busy with live work — we started thinking about what song would make the most sense.

Then I remembered seeing a clip of Greg performing Sledgehammer on his socials. That was when the penny dropped, and I circled back to Bill’s mash-up.

I played it to Greg, and he loved the idea too. So we went to work.

Greg did a superb job, not only singing the tunes — with some very high notes along the way — but also playing the beloved Masterlink Sessions organ and the newly repaired Hohner Pianet. It is a rare and beautiful piece of equipment, and a big thank you goes to Funkestra keyboard player Pete Billington for letting us use it in the video.

Re the Hohner Pianet: a vintage electro-mechanical keyboard loved for its distinctive reed-based tone. These instruments have real character, but they can also be delicate, so having it working beautifully for the session made it feel extra special.

The Band

The horn arrangement was created by saxophonist Tom Kleyn. He also who also played baritone sax on the session, alongside our long-standing collaborator Paul Jordanous on trumpet.

The rhythm section featured Karl Vanden Bossche on percussion — of course he had to be there, as the whole story started with him — Mike Sturgis on drums, Tony Remy on guitar, and myself on bass.

Having Karl, Mike, Tony and me together again brought back memories of our concerts with The Staks Band. An all-star project that featured many artists over the years, including Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood, Beverley Knight, Joss Stone, the legendary Sam Moore from Sam & Dave, Lulu, and many more.

If you are interested in what that sounded like, you can check out the two Staks Band records on Spotify HERE.

With Greg as our invited artist, and the band fully locked into the spirit of the idea, this Masterlink Session became a proper musical adventure.

We also played it to Bill McClintock, who loved it. It may even be a first for him: a live band performing a mash-up inspired by one of his creations.

This session was full of positive, creative energy — exactly the kind of collaboration we love at Masterlink Sessions.

The only small lament is that we cannot release the audio as a standalone single. Mash-ups are notoriously difficult to clear. So, for now, the best way to experience Thank You Super Sledgehammer is through the full live-in-the-studio video, with Bandcamp listening available on request.

We hope you enjoy it. We had a fantastic journey with this one.

Thank you, as always, for supporting Masterlink Sessions and helping us keep these ambitious live studio collaborations moving forward.

Stefan and the Masterlink Sessions team (James, Leo and Tyler)