Publisher's Synopsis
Nominated for The Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards 2020.
This volume provides insights into recording sessions - and the artists - in London in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
This first book of recollections, revised and expanded in February 2020, reveals recording methods and characteristics of major artists along with those lesser-known during sessions in a successful British recording studio. There are descriptions of album-making by Atomic Rooster, Savoy Brown, The John Dummer Blues Band featuring Nick Pickett, Andwella's Dream, The Sweet, The Poppy Family plus Decca Deram artists Twink, Clark Hutchinson, Andrew Leigh, Pacific Drift and Bulldog Breed. Sessions also include the Bee Gees in Cucumber Castle days, Maurice Gibb's production work and Robin Gibb's early solo works plus a fledgling Genesis auditioning for a small artist-owned label. Basil Kirchin, Phil Cordell, Mike d'Abo, Billy J. Kramer and many others make fleeting appearances.
Some, such as Elton John, Richard Harris and Orson Welles have almost walk-on parts. Ringo Starr, John Bonham and Jack Bruce are seen as session musicians involved in an unfinished Maurice Gibb-produced album for Lulu, his then wife. (Note: neither Jack Bruce nor John Bonham play on Lulu's "Everybody Clap" recording. The actual line-up is in the book). Recording was analog at the time, no computers or audio software existed in British studios. Effects and embellishments had to be created by musicians, arrangers, producers and recording engineers using their imagination and existing hardware. It was a different era. Finally, the content within is largely non-technical but, necessarily, some musical and recording terminology has had to be used.
