September 14, 2006 10:30

The Strokes rejected Albert Hammond Jr songs

Solo album fuelled by band saying 'no'

Photo Gallery: The Strokes

The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr has said that his solo songs were rejected by his main band.

Speaking exclusively in this week's NME, Hammond Jr said some of the tracks included on his debut album ’Yours To Keep’ were originally offered to The Strokes, but his friends turned them down.

”I did suggest my songs (to the rest of The Strokes) once or twice and I got turned down," he explained. “It wasn’t actually Julian (Casablancas) who turned it down, it was the other members who didn’t like it. Julian writes the songs and we play them and do our thing with them.”

However, he added there were no hard feelings, and ploughed the material into his side project.

“I don’t think I feel trapped in the band but I’m definitely glad I made this record," said Hammond Jr said, "It wasn’t, ‘I wanna get out', just sometimes after all the press and touring with each other sometimes you want something different.”

’Yours To Keep’ is due for release on October 9.

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