
WATCH PART FOUR OF THE INTERVIEW RECORDED AT ABBEY ROAD
Part Four of our exclusive video interview with legendary recording engineer and producer Ken Scott shot at Abbey Road Studios with Russell Cottier asking the questions.
In this fourth part we looked at Mastering, working with technology and working with limitations and how they can actually help. Come back soon for the next part of our interview!

Nineteen seventy-nine marked the end of one decade and the dawn of another, mirroring the changes in my life.
My time was increasingly devoted to the task of resuscitating Roy Harper’s stalled career, no longer from a tiny rented house in Hereford but from a makeshift office in Birmingham, cobbled together in reclaimed derelict space above a recording studio in Gas Street, spitting distance from the Canal (an appropriate description as it happens; this was definitely downmarket – even less salubrious than the shabbiness of Rotten Park, where Annie and I rented a dilapidated flat).
For several months a fellow traveller shared the Harper universe that increasingly dominated my life. One of Roy’s old mates moved into The Vauld for a while, seeking refuge from a collapsing marriage and his own career hiatus. Being more of a jazzer than a rocker in my youth, Led Zeppelin had passed me by. Indeed (and perhaps amazingly) I was wholly unaware of the mega-star status of Robert Plant, the new arrival who hung out with Roy and I during this period. Indeed, nothing about Robert’s bearing or mannerisms betrayed his status in the rock firmament. He was down to earth, unpretentious and about as normal as any muso could be. There were occasional glimpses that he was a little less than an aspiring Brummy, though, as one treasured anecdote demonstrates (and I’m sure Robert will excuse me if I slightly guild what is a real-life lily…)
A frighteningly posh Jaguar car showroom occupied a large expanse of street around the corner from my dingy Gas Street office. One day, Robert phoned me. ‘Mark,’ he said, ‘I noticed a neat Jaguar convertible in the showroom round the corner. Do us a favour, mate, and pop in to see how much they want for it.’
I duly complied.
Now, those who know me will attest to the fact that I’m something of a sartorial disaster. My standard wardrobe comprises jeans, whatever shirt comes to hand in the morning and a comfortable jumper. My hair may be a mess these days, but it’s positively neat compared to the mop that flopped across my head twenty-seven years ago. In short, I guess I’d sheepishly own up to the fact that more often than not I’m one stitch removed from a tramp or (more kindly) a plumber’s mate rather than a music bizz impresario. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the dishevelled figure knocking the glass window of the super-posh Jag showroom was ignored for several minutes before a tetchy salesman answered the door, more in irritation than welcome.
‘Piss off son,’ came the welcoming response.
‘No, please,’ I pleaded. ‘I’ve been asked to get a price on one of your motors for a mate.’
A scowl accompanied by a half raised hand suggested that the salesman intended to give me a clip round the ear rather than any advice. He hesitated, though, probably unwilling to crease his dapper ‘Top Man’ suit.
‘That…’ I pointed at the convertible XJ6. ‘How much?’
I doubt that the salesman could have mustered a more derisory response had he practiced for a month. ‘Forty Thousand,’ he scoffed with a smirk. ‘Pounds, that is, not pence. Now piss off, sonny.’
I left Mister Jaguar Salesman chuckling at his naff joke and wandered back around the corner to report back.
‘Forty grand, eh?’ Robert’s voice on the end of the phone was curious, his interest clearly pricked. ‘Do us a favour, Mark, and ask what they’ll do for cash. See how much you can knock them down.’
Ten minutes later I was knocking on the plate glass window again.
Tap,tap,tap,tap,tap,tap,tap…
‘What now?’ The Jag salesman strode rather than wandered to the door, murder in his eyes. ‘I’m busy. What do you want this time?’
I took half a step back and cleared my throat. ‘The convertible…’ I pointed to the gleaming green XJ6. ‘What’s your best deal for cash? Cash pound notes?’ It was just as well I’d taken that step as I swear the salesman would have taken a swing at me and ended up with blood on his pinstriped shirt. His mouth opened but not a word came out.
I tried again. ‘How much for cash? The bottom line? Rock bottom?’
Although his voice mouthed the words ‘piss off…’ what came out was…’thirty five thousand pounds,’ before he caught his breath, pointed to the street and hissed… ‘now stop wasting my bloody time…’ and slammed the door in my face.
I can honestly say that I’ve never enjoyed any moment more than when, two days later, Robert and I wandered into the showroom to confront my best buddy (not), the car salesman. Robert laid his briefcase on the counter, flipped open the lid and pulled out a banker’s draft made out for thirty five thousand pounds. Done deal.
I was never able to walk past the Jaguar showroom again without that slick, foulmouthed sales-weasel rushing out to greet me with news of his latest bargains.
Don’t judge a book by its cover and all that jazz…
But back to Roy Harper.
My strategy to revitalise Roy’s ailing career was two fold; firstly, to find a great band to back him on the gigs that we both agreed were essential to raise his profile and secondly…to choose the right record deal. Yes, that’s right. In my naivety I believed that every record company in the world would be blown away by such an amazing demo album and fight one other to sign the great man.
Hmmm…I had much to learn.
We held auditions for backing musicians in Pete King’s recording studio, below my office. These took the form of a couple of days recordings, which Roy and I later mixed at David Gilmour’s private studio (later developed to become Comfort’s Place). Sorry folks…that is yet another story.
We trawled Birmingham for musicians and one name kept cropping up – that of guitarist Bob Wilson, formerly of The Steve Gibbons Band. He topped our list, was offered a gig after (probably) twenty seconds in the studio and fully justified his reputation as being very special. Had Bob lived in London, he would have had the pick of any band in the business as he was both an exceptional player and a true pro. And a diamond geezer to boot. In terms of bass players, we’d pretty much decided on a guy called Dick Cadbury who ran a studio in Gloucester and had quite a pedigree on the session scene. I asked my old mate, drummer George Jackson, to come and lay down drums for Dick’s audition and he was happy to oblige. George had run the drum shop at Buzz Music for a while and was a great player. As chance had it, he was now resident drummer with the Birmingham Top Rank house band, and so was local. However, just before the audition Dick rang up and cancelled, leaving us with a booked studio, a guitarist (Bob Wilson) a drummer but no bassist. I asked George if he could drag along a dep, and this is how we first met Tony Franklyn.
I’ll never forget that first session. I’d been nervous when George turned up with Tony, for Tony was a lad, a kid, a giggling seventeen year old. ‘Just listen,’ George whispered. So we did.
Tony had recently joined the Top Rank band from his native Derby (I think) as resident bass player. He read dots fluently, was a dab hand on clarinet and had made the gig his own immediately. Although shy and a little overawed by the occasion, all his nerves evaporated the moment he plugged in his Precision bass.
We were gobsmacked.
Now, I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the most talented musicians of my generation in one capacity or other. I have high standards and can recognise an exceptional musician when I hear one. I can honestly say that Tony Franklyn was a league above any other teenage muso I’ve ever heard. On every score, he dripped talent. His sound, his timing, his fluency, his precision – on every score he was not merely the finished article but was already a highly individual voice. Am I over-egging the cookie? I think not. Indeed, he had the same effect on Jimmy Page and Paul Rogers when, upon the demise of Roy’s band, they asked him to join The Firm and tour stadiums in the States. By all accounts he stole show after show, despite being half the age of the other superstars in the band.
So Roy’s band was taking shape nicely. I’d even unearthed some superb backing vocalists who later went on tour with us – Ruby Turner and Jackie Graham. Those girls could sing, as the world was later to discover when they both signed solo record deals. Meanwhile, I started the rounds of London record companies, demos in hand (and those were the days when there were upwards of fifteen majors clustered around the West End).
My meetings proved puzzling. Pretty much everyone was curious but…I was soon to learn that Roy had developed what might best be described as something of a reputation as a loose cannon in the industry, as was summed up by my dealings with Simon Potts at Arista.
I left the demos with Simon (whom I knew quite well from my Haircut 100 days) and met up with him again a week later. He sighed and shook his head. ‘I don’t think so, Mark.’ He was sympathetic. ‘Good luck, though.’ He smiled. As I got up to leave, disappointed he added… ‘Oh, do you mind if I keep the demos? They’re amazing –the best demos I’ve ever heard. Roy’s a genius. There’s a classic album waiting to be made…’
‘Well why not sign him, then?’ I was puzzled.
Simon shrugged. ‘What? Sign Roy Harper?’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. Life’s too short…’
With all the majors passing one by one, we were left to find another strategy. The solution came initially from Roy.
According to Roy, his superstar friends would be happy to invest in a label and finance the making of the record. Guaranteed. After all they were mates, weren’t they?
And so the lunacy began.
I formed a record company – Public Recordings – and committed my remaining resources to the project. A friend of mine, Robert Grayburn, also invested some working capital (thanks Robert…you’ll get it back one day, I promise…) and Roy gave me a list of his ‘friends’ to contact for additional investment. An injection of five thousand pounds as a loan would buy shares and points on the album. Easy, eh?
In my innocence I believed so.
Over the next three months I wrote letters and held meetings with a series of potential investors who’s records graced my collection. I sat in Bill Curbishly’s office making a presentation to an inebriated Pete Townsend, spoke several times to Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull (who had always publicly claimed Roy as a major influence) and put in repeated calls to Jimmy Page whom Roy was adamant would chip into the kitty. All of these offered verbal support, but nothing more. However, one by one investors did send cheques. Robert Plant and David Gilmour needed no persuading, although Gilmour quietly suggested that the likelihood of ever seeing his money back was about as remote as a hike on the dark side of the moon. I realise now that he knew Roy better than any of us. So that was ten grand in addition to the ten that Robert and I had invested. Kate Bush was an avid fan and had covered one of Roy’s songs somewhere down the line. I met her several times (and a new hero was born; what an unpretentious, lovely, generous, honest human being…) and one day a note arrived with a cheque for three thousand, all she could afford at the time. So we were nearly there. Just one more investor, and we’d have the budget we needed to make the album at long last.
The pressure mounted. Pressure from Barclays to repossess Roy’s farm, pressure to keep the musicians we’d found for the album on-side, pressure to confirm the pencilled studio dates at Chapel Lane outside Hereford, close to Roy’s house (meaning we had accommodation for the band). I needed one more investor, but all I was getting were rejections. Rejections from Pete Townsend, stoned silence from Jimmy Page, haughty indifference from Ian Anderson, until…
The phone went.
‘Hello. Public Recordings.’
‘Can I speak to Mark please.’ It was a familiar voice. I racked my brains, trying to place where and who and when…
‘Speaking.’
‘You sent me a tape with a letter asking me to invest in your new record company.’
‘Ye-es…’ I answered hesitantly. Who was this? It was such a familiar voice that I assumed I was speaking to someone I knew well.
‘I love the demos. I think the album deserves a chance. I’ll put a cheque for five grand in the post today. OK?’ …a pause… ‘ and thanks for thinking of me.’
‘So…you’re a close friend of Roy’s?’ I was still desperately struggling to place the voice, too embarrassed to ask who it was in case it was an obvious friend, desperate for a clue.
‘Me? A friend?’ The caller laughed. ‘No. We only met once. Linda and I were recording at Abbey Road and dragged Roy in to help out with backing vocals. But I’m a big fan. Always have been. So is Linda.’
I knew. The voice. I knew who it was. And if I hadn’t, I would have found out soon enough. The caller confirmed in his own modest style…
‘Oh, I’ll send a personal cheque, Paul McCartney, rather than getting MPL involved. Less paperwork needed.’ As I gasped, he added… ‘And by the way, regard it as a gift rather than an investment. I may not know Roy very well, but I know him well enough. I won’t expect to get it back. But good luck with the album anyway, Mark.’
And the phone went dead.
At last we had our money courtesy of Robert Plant, David Gilmour, Kate Bush and Paul McCartney. Oh, not forgetting Robert Grayburn and me, of course.
Rock and Roll…
(to be continued…)
Roy Harper; Born In Captivity/Work Of Heart Science Friction HUCD008
Eccentric
Follow Eccentric every week here on the RP/Blog

| Bye Bye CD - I Was Never That Keen On You Anyway Fran Ashcroft 2012, oh bugger. Happy New Year – austerity, unrelenting misery, and the Olympic Games vs. Big Bag Of Cash. Only you, dear reader, can decide. Major labels – at least those in the USA – plan to abandon the CD format by the end of this year and replace it with download/stream-only releases via iTunes and related music services. The only CD formats left will be largely limited/special editions, which will of course not be available for every artist. The distribution of the remaining CD releases will be primarily Amazon (oh, fantastic), and I expect Wal-Mart and one or two others, to continue selling greatest hits and other types of compilations. And the UK? That leaves Asda and Tesco I suppose – who already carry precisely the kind of range that will remain after CDs get the chop. Does this mean every artist will end up a one hit wonder? Sure, it makes short term financial sense for the majors to marshal all their resources into the “hit”. But – and it’s a big but; if CDs are extinct, the album is likely to die with it, or at the very least lose its conceptual value – it already has to a large extent. Will download buyers be forced to buy a bundle of 10 tracks if they want more than just the hit single? I’m guessing not – at least for “emerging” artists. The labels will want every penny they can get, as fast as they can…and it’s easy to imagine most fans either opting for a download of the 3 strongest songs, or resenting the price of a bundle deal and leaving it alone altogether – thus marginalising revenue into a downward spiral and making it even harder for a substantial new artist to break through. One-hit-wonders-only rosters are not sustainable; the overheads are simply too high; which leaves really no significant place for the majors if current policies continue. It’s been a magnificent display of shooting themselves in the foot time and time again since the emergence of internet music, and it looks like Dinosaur Time for them from where I’m standing. As for indies – they’re already getting it whittled down to download or vinyl. If there’s a durable future at all for new music, it undoubtedly lies with the artists themselves and the cottage industry labels and networks who support them – and as a producer, that’s where I’ve been headed for some time. Formats may come and go, but some things never change; you still need great songs, and artists with enough drive, ambition and commitment to make them happen. And by the way, you can forget about that Big Bag Of Cash… |

I often wonder how recording engineers and producers stumble into their (often accidental) careers. I found this in my archives the other day and enjoyed revisiting an eyelash of my own, and UK recording, history. Maybe it might interest others?
Bear with me, dear reader (if you do in fact exist) as I delve into the fading greyness of my hazy memory banks to recount a strange, strange episode in my professional life.
I spent most of the 1970’s developing a business, Buzz Music, in Hereford, a sleepy and forgotten but extremely beautiful English county town a ten-league-boot stride or so from the Welsh borders, half an hour’s drive north of Kingsley Ward’s famous (infamous?) Rockfield recording studios in Monmouth.
From humble roots as a small record shop, Buzz had stretched and yawned it’s hippy wings and spawned guitar, drum and keyboard sales departments, a large flightcase factory and touring PA rigs, putting us at the heart of the anarchic two-tone and new wave music scene of the late 1970’s. I could write chapters about my madcap adventures with The Selecter, The Beat, Bad Manners, The Pretenders and more, but will spare you this indulgence. Suffice it to say that these were crazy days – the archetypical sex, drugs and rock `n` roll years of ill repute. Please kiddies, be warned – such a lifestyle is seriously prejudicial to your health and should be avoided at all costs. Stick to liquorish and pussycats, don’t inhale and live a quiet, uneventful life. Otherwise…you might end up like me (heavens forefend). Those days are far behind me now but I wouldn’t have missed them for all the microphones in China.
Back to the plot…
Like Icarus drawn to the sun, Buzz reached for the skies and eventually burned its wings. The collapse was slow and painful as my partner, Alan, and I spent a year working for the receiver to pay off the company’s debts. We succeeded, but emerged in 1978 broke and jobless.
By this time, I knew how to coordinate a rock and roll tour, knew the promoters, the sound rig and lighting suppliers and found I could turn a buck applying my knowledge and contacts for the benefit of clients. So it was that I found myself scraping by with a series of tour production gigs that kept the wolf from the door.
One fine day, totally out of the blue, I received a call from a Mr. Ian Tilbury, self-styled impresario and artiste manager. One of his clients had recently moved to a small village outside Hereford and wanted to hire some bits and pieces of recording equipment to make a demo of his next album. Could I supply a Brennel Mini 8 recorder and a Roland space echo, a DI box and some cables for a couple of months?
Indeed I could, I replied, at a price. A deal was done (I could sub hire the eight track and the margin would pay at least a week’s rent), and I arranged to deliver. And who was the client, I asked?
Roy Harper, came the reply.
I drove the equipment to Roy’s farmhouse– The Vauld – in the village of Marden with my hands trembling at the steering wheel. For this was my one, true musical hero, a man who’s Magnus Opus – Stormcock – was rarely off my battered turntable. I was about to meet my musical god. It was a feeling that I’ll never forget, a high that ranks with any I’ve ever had before or since.
Roy had bought The Vauld with the proceeds of a large EMI advance after renegotiating his Harvest contract following success in the mid 1970’s. Part of the deal was that EMI supplied him with a recording console – one of only three dedicated studio desks built by Jeff Byers under the ‘Midas’ banner. Very Neve-like and built like a battleship, this was a quirky twenty four input, eight buss beast bristling with transformers. It was somewhat idiosyncratic but (as I now appreciate) it sounded great.
Roy had converted the old Granary behind the farmhouse into a grand annex, including a gallery where the Midas lived. By this time – 1978 – he had parted company with EMI after the failure of the horrifically expensive ‘Unknown Soldier’ album (initially recorded as ‘Commercial Breaks’ but revamped at great cost after EMI’s cold response). In typical Harpic fashion (Harpic being Roy’s nickname in the bizz) Roy had retired from the music scene to breed sheep (an occupation for which he was utterly unsuited) and smoke dope. Meanwhile, he had fallen out with his longstanding manager, Pete Jenner, and entrusted his career to the slick but shadowy Ian Tilbury.
Hmmm…
Roy’s coffers were pretty well exhausted by now, but Tilbury claimed to have Geffen Records hanging by a string, hot to trot, ready waiting and willing to sign with a huge advance, subject to…subject to hearing demos of the next album. There was insufficient dosh in the kitty to put Roy in the studio (in no uncertain terms, as I was later to discover) so the cheap option was to let Roy loose with an eight track, his old Midas, a Shure mic (yes – one mic) and some bits and pieces. Ian was confident that a set of polished demos would result.
Wrong…
I unloaded my bits and pieces from my trusty old Volvo, tugged my forelock with trembling fingers, humped the Brennel upstairs via the tradesman’s entrance, hooked the machine up to the old Midas and made sure that everything was working fine. I recall that Roy seemed confident that I could leave him to it, and Verna, Roy’s girlfriend, made me a cup of scented tea before I tugged my forelock once more and hit the road for Hereford and home.
I had met the great Roy Harper. What’s more, he seemed like a nice guy. Lovely gaff. Ah…what a memory for the collection.
I slept well that night.
Two days later I received a phone call. Apparently Roy was having some problems recording electric guitars (he was experimenting with a couple of early Tokai’s sent to him by the importer as a mark of respect – another fan. They were exceptional Fender copies…better than the real thing, I’d go so far as to say). Like a sloppy Labrador at his master’s beck and call, I headed back for Marden, The Vauld and Harper’s modest home studio.
‘I can’t seem to get the DI box working,’ muttered Roy, his forehead creased into an uncomprehending frown, his finger pointing at the small metal box on the floor.
‘I’m not surprised…’ came my reply, wide-eyed and horror-stricken.
This was the moment when I realised that, musical genius or not, matters electronic and mechanical were not Roy Harper’s forte. Lying on the carpet was an MXR DI box with one cable going to Roy’s guitar, one cable going to the Midas desk, and the third going from the XLR output to…to the mains. For reasons best known to the Muses of Marihuana, Roy had decided to slam a mains plug on to one end of a mic cable and plug a redundant output of the DI into the 240v mains supply. That he lived to tell the tale is remarkable.
One thing was crystal clear. This man should never, ever, EVER be left alone with any kind of electrical appliance, let alone the spider’s web of cabling associated with a multitrack recording rig.
And that is how I was called upon, by force of circumstance, to apply my fairly extensive live sound engineering skills to a humble recording rig. As of that moment, I became Roy’s demo engineer.
Over the course of the next two months, I visited The Vauld every evening after my other freelance duties were done, with double-bubble at the weekends (thanks to the tolerance of my longsuffering girlfriend, Annie Jay). Personally, it was anything but a drag as Roy, Verna and I became friends. I found Roy one of the most cultured and learned musicians I’d ever met; beneath the surface, he was miles from his eccentric public persona. Thoughtful, considered and…well, to be honest he was (and probably still is) somewhat bonkers in the best tradition of English eccentrics. Musically, though, the period was an education that went beyond any I could have hoped for.
By this stage in his life, Roy had made half a dozen (or more) albums and had probably done more gigs than most successful artists do in their lifetime. The bulk of his previous recording had been done at Abbey Road with a roster of engineers that reads like a who’s who of recording alumni – Alan Parsons, John Leckie, you name them, Roy had worked with them. Whatever anyone might think of Roy’s voice, he was a singer with few peers, capable of effortlessly and meticulously double, triple, quadruple tracking a vocal in one, two or three takes. He could instil a degree of emotion or subtlety or finesse to his extraordinary lyrics without parallel. His guitar style was extremely personal, and although not an ‘educated’ player, his style has influenced hundreds of acoustic musicians down the years. Moreover, he had a unique way of leaving gaps in an acoustic track, ready to overdub a related part and build up the backing with crossed rhythms and guitar harmonies, creating a rich patina against which his voice could weave and soar.
For a young, naïve makeshift engineer, the experience of working with such a sophisticated and practiced musician provided an education without parallel. As a studio virgin, of course, I wasn’t aware of how privileged I was to work with someone capable of such intense and relatively faultless performances, take after take. The recording rig was basic to the point that any experienced engineer would cringe. There was no click track, no sequencing, no computer (computer? Roy would have had a heart attack) – nothing other than the Midas, the Brennel (with no autolocate, of course), a pair of Tannoys, a Delta Lab DL1 delay/modulator (for Roy’s electric guitar) and (I think) a Roland Space echo for reverb and delay. Yet over the course of those two months, Roy and I recorded what was later to be released as an album – Born In Captivity.
I contributed a lot of ideas to the arrangements and even sang backing vocals on one song – Stanley – but take no credit. I’d aways arranged the songs in all the bands I’d played in, and enjoyed chipping in ideas and making suggestions. The talent was Roy’s and Roy’s alone. But somehow I engineered the sessions and achieved a passable result, sufficient to meet with Ian Tilbury’s approval and conviction that the tapes would swing the Geffen deal. Tilbury remained bullish about this until, that is, his cheque for the gear hire bounced and he disappeared to America having mortgaged Roy’s house to the hilt (by virtue of the Power Of Attorney Roy had granted him during a particularly dumb and trusting moment) and pocketed the proceeds.
So there we were, Roy and I, me an avid fan, the two of us good friends, a decent set of demos in the can and…and Roy staring ruin and bankruptcy in the face. Drastic action was called for.
Enter John Leckie, engineering genius and human being par excellence. Out of the goodness of his heart, John came up to The Vauld and rerecorded some of my demos and polished others (a few were left alone, inflating my ego hugely). He did a superb job given the lack of gear, but then John Leckie will ALWAYS do a superb job without complaint or fuss. (Come on, some of you ‘credible’ superstars – get John on the case with your next album. He’s too modest to hustle his credentials, but he has more talent and musical ability in his little finger than most ‘happening’ producers who seem to dominate to plumb jobs these days). Meanwhile, I was preoccupied with an extremely time consuming but surprisingly lucrative tour production gig. Despite this, Roy’s predicament remained at the forefront of my mind.
By this time – 1979, I guess – I’d established an enviable reputation for providing top class sound, lighting and logistics for UK and European tours. I knew the ropes, and could usually skim twenty or more percent from other quotes and come in on budget.
I was offered several potential tours by major record companies, but could only take on one. I recall that I whittled the options down to two possibles – a new EMI band that offered a decent profit and an Arista act that intrigued me. I submitted a reasonable budget to Simon Potts at Arista but he came back to me with an alternative proposition; the band in question was not a priority act, and Arista were looking to trim costs wherever possible. If I was prepared to undertake the tour production and coordination at cost, he was prepared to agree a contract whereby I would get 20% of any profits the tour generated. Now, as all you pros out there know, agreeing to such a deal on an unknown act is tantamount to commercial suicide. Bands lose dosh on the road in the early stages of their career, and the dates that the band’s agent had booked hardly left much scope for profit even if they sold out. However, I really liked both the band and their as yet unreleased album and went with my gut instincts. Although I was skimping and scraping to make a living, I negotiated a bonkers contract with Simon Potts and Arista. I’d do the tour at cost, but would pocket twenty per cent of any profits generated.
And the band?
An unknown act called Haircut 100.
The week before the tour hit the road, Haircut’s first single raced to the top of the charts. Hysteria broke out. The tour gigs were swapped for larger and larger venues, and as many punters were locked out as could be shoehorned in. And then the tour was extended. The clubs were cancelled in favour or Top Ranks, and then municipal halls were added – larger and longer and longer and larger. I recall sitting with Simon Potts at the back of the (then) Hammersmith Odeon on the first of five sell-out nights, looking at Arista’s sales figures. Two weeks before Christmas, Haircut’s first album was shifting one hundred thousand copies A DAY. Eat your heart out, Artic Monkeys. This was the 1970’s. When an album shipped big, it shipped B-I-G. And the band put on a great show, night after night. Sadly, they couldn’t cope with the pressures of so much sudden success and record company politicking destroyed the goose that laid the golden egg. After my involvement, the band bombed in Europe and the States, Nick Heyward (a decent talent) was persuaded that his future lay in a solo career and that was that – another ink blot on the history of pop.
So I had brass in pocket, the opportunity to take my foot off the rent-gas and a continuing belief in Roy Harper and what I genuinely believed was a great album waiting to be recorded. But Roy needed a manager. He was broke, The Vauld was close to being repossessed by the bank and there was no sniff of the promised Geffen record deal in the air.
A longstanding friend at the time was John Mostyn, formerly manager of The Beat (and later manager of Fine Young Cannibals). John was currently at a loose end, so I drove him out to see Roy and we spent the afternoon chatting. Fingers crossed, I drove John back to Birmingham, imploring him to take Roy on as a client. As we hit the outskirts of Brum, John shook his head. He didn’t believe sufficiently, he confessed. Roy just wasn’t his bag. However…he turned to me and winked…why didn’t I manage Roy? I had the belief John lacked. I knew Roy. And for the first time in years, I had filthy lucre in the bank. And after all, management was a combination of common sense, efficiency and industry contacts. I would learn the rest in time.
Why not?
Why not indeed?
And that’s how I was persuaded to embark upon one of the more crazy episodes of my life…
(to be continued…)
Roy Harper; Born In Captivity/Work Of Heart Science Friction HUCD008
Eccentric
Follow Eccentric every week here on the RP/Blog
Producer Feature with Max Heyes

With credits ranging from the Doves to Paul Weller, Oasis & Primal Scream to Jamiroquai & Massive Attack. Max Heyes is happiest in a live band environment, as well as with dance-pop projects. We met up with Max at Lynchmob Studios, London, to find out more about his career and the studio that he’s based at.
Watch the Max Heyes Video Feature – Click Here
Combining the best of new technology with the organic feel of true live sound, Max co-produced The Doves’ Mercury Music Prize Nominated UK#1 album “The Last Broadcast”, and contributed mixes for Primal Scream’s XTRMNTR album- recently voted number 3 in NME’s top albums of the decade. Max was also involved in developing the La Roux project with mixes of the smash hit ‘In For The Kill’
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- Eccentric: Can an old dog learn new tricks?
- Danton Supple – New Video Interview
- Yoad Nevo Video Interview
- Dimitri Tikovoi – Music Producer Video Feature
- Fran Ashcroft – Over, Under, Sideways, Down…
- Russell Cottier Video Blog – Haas Effect
- Simon Efemey – Rock Producer Video Feature
- Modern World Studios Special Summer Offer
- David Kershenbaum Video Interview at Westlake Studios
- Fran Ashcroft: Recording At The Cavern, 1964
- Video Tour around Foel Studios, Wales, with Recording Engineer Chris Fielding
- Small new Welsh studio video tour: Opec Studios
- The Full English Podcast – v3.0 Bacon with extra sizzle – Blake talks to Phil about Studio Assistants
- Marc Joy talks production with Fran Ashcroft
- Parlour Studios – Video Tour
- Fay Hield Video Interview with Russell Cottier
- Russell Cottier’s Video Blog – Number Two
- The Full English Podcasts by Phil English
- Basic Drum Recording – Using Just One Mic
- Fran Ashcroft: Dear Editor
- Top NYC Multi-Room Studio Hits 4 Grammys with Dangerous Music Gear
- The blog is a bit broken but will be fixed!
- Russell Cottier’s Video Blog :: Impedance & Guitar Recording
- Bryan Carlstrom, Record Producer Video Feature
- Phill Brown Video Interview – Legendary Record Producer
- Parlour Sound Studios – Neil Haynes Video Feature
- Studio photos of the week: Sphere Studios
- Russell Cottier video feature at Cybaddiction Studios
- Fran Ashcroft: How do Magnets Work?
- Video feature with Dominik Johnson – Multi-instrumentalist & producer
- Art of Recording Vocals
- SSL release Duende Native Plug-In Collection
- Bunny Ate My Microphone
- Mike Skinner of The Streets talks about record production
- MUSIC PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS 2011 – THE WINNERS
- Chairworks Studios adds Prism Sound ADA-8XR Converters
- Tommy D – Music Producer Video Feature
- Fran Ashcroft: Tosspot Digital Recording
- Clint Murphy – Recording Engineer Video Feature
- Mike Hedges – Music Producer Video Feature
- Dave Eringa – Producer Video Feature
- Guy Massey – Recording Engineer Video
- Fran Ashcroft: Is it a Washing Machine? No, that’s my Bass
- PWL – From The Factory Floor – Behind the scenes book by Phil Harding
- Doug Trantow – Music Producer Video Feature
- Art of Recording – An Introduction to Sound Recording
- Art of Recording – How to Record Drums with Greg Haver
- Art of Audio Recording – Recording Guitars
- Tom Allom – The original metal producer – Video
- Fran Ashcroft: Doing an HMV
- Recording Drums Video with George Shilling
- Music Producers Guild (UK) Awards 2011 Returns To Café De Paris
- Ann Mincieli – Recording Engineer Video at Germano Studios, NY
- Kipper – Sting’s Music Producer – Video Interview
- Forward Studios opens “World-Class Mastering Studio”
- Fran Ashcroft – And the Winner is….
- Latch Lake micKing – Microphone Stand with Attitude
- Beatles Zebra saved by Government
- James Towler – Recording Drums Live
- Tony Visconti – The lost Video Interviews
- Fran Ashcroft – On the latest incarnation of MySpace
- Experienced and fancy a job in a new EU studio?
- The Art of Audio Recording – Video tutorials
- Fran Ashcroft – Generals and Majors
- Andy Sneap talks with George Shilling – Record producer video feature
- HD high noon Converter shoot-out at Metropolis Studios
- SNAP! Recording Studios – Video Tour
- David Pye – Recording Engineer Video Feature
- Kore Studios – New Video Feature
- Fran Ashcroft: No Future Jobs Scheme Part 3
- APRS to Honour Industry Greats at Annual APRS Sound Fellowship Presentation
- Neumann launches high end Studio Monitor series
- Fran Ashcroft: The Pain and Suffering Index
- Fran Ashcroft – Ashes to Ashes
- Last call – George Shilling’s Mixing & Mastering Masterclass this Saturday
- The No Future Jobs Scheme – Part 2 by Fran Ashcroft
- William Orbit – Free producer event at the London O2
- Fran Ashcroft: Why You Should Keep Mice Out Of Your Studio
- Musicians in the Studio – Photo Gallery
- Fran Ashcroft: Kiss Your Career Goodbye
- Featured Producer: Chris Sheldon
- George Shilling’s Masterclass: Real-World Mixing in Pro Tools 8 HD
- Neumann TLM103 microphone review
- One Stop Vocal Processing – For Duende
- New R-101 Ribbon Microphone
- Future Loops releases Sarod Loops
- SSL expands XLogic X-Rack with Stereo EQ
- Fran Ashcroft: Am I being Realistic?
- Record Producer Video of the Week: Tony Platt
- Producer photo of the week: Paul Epworth
- Confessions of A Studio Owner, Pt 28: The Compressor’s Useless Facts
- Fran Ashcroft: The No Future Jobs Scheme
- Confessions of a Studio Owner 27: Kitchen Pickers Bigger Knickers
- Record Producer Photo/Video of the Week: Toby Smith
- Fran Ashcroft: Call me Bill, it sounds more expensive
- Part 26 of the Confessions of a Studio Owner: Buy British….
- Fran Ashcroft: Credit Where It’s Due
- Producer Andy Ross feature at Astar Studios, Lancashire, UK
- Steffan Thomas, owner of Octagon Studios, Port Talbot feature
- Fran Ashcroft: That Trident Vibe
- Ed Tutton – Producer Video Feature
- Studio Photo of the Week: Nutshed Studios, Ireland
- Confessions of a Studio Owner: The compressor Turns 25! Time for some Charity!
- Fran Ashcroft asks: Pop or Indie?
- Paint it Black by Fran Ashcroft
- Dean Street Studios – New video feature
- Metal Producer Andy Sneap talks production with Russ Russell
- Fran Ashcroft: ALO, ALO, ALO
- Confessions of a Studio owner, The Compressor Part 24, Stand Up
- Remastered archive producer video of the week: Greg Penny
- Confessions of a Studio Owner Part 23: Waiting for Bono.
- Producer Photo of the week: Chris Porter
- Fran Ashcroft: Answers on a Postcard, Please….
- The Compressor – Part C22 of his amazing saga – Fate
- Record Producer Photo of the Week – Russ Russell
- The Tony Faulkner Video Interview
- Producer Video Feature – Kipper
- Confessions of a Studio Owner – Pt 21
- Photo of the week: Kipper
- AES London – Much better than expected shock
- Confessions of a Studio Owner: Pt 20, The Compressor Cleans Up
- Confessions of A Studio Owner: The Compressor’s Manifesto!
- Producer photo of the week
- New Producer Features This Week: Guy Massey and Mike Crossey
- The Compressor – Confessions of a Studio Owner – Part 18
- James Towler – New recording techniques video
- Fran Ashcroft – Video Blog – On The Decline of Recording Budgets
- Producer Photo and Video of The Week – Andy Gill
- Record producer – Gary Langan- Video Interview
- Bernard Butler Video Interview at Edwyn Collins Studio
- The Compressor – Confessions of a Studio Owner
- Video tour around McNally Smith Studio facility
- Hookend Manor Studios – Possibly the funkiest studio video we’ve done so far
- Photo of the Week – Robert Orton
- James Towler – Drum recording video
- Phil Harding Video Interview Series – Parts 1 to 4
- The Compressor is on a Mission From God
- NEW Yellow Shark Studios Video
- 2 Day Production Master Class with Sean Genockey
- Photo of the week – Ann Miniceli
- Russell Cottier producer video with Fran Ashcroft
- The Compressor…..The Yakuza…The Mistress….The Wine….The advance.
- Whitby Studios, Liverpool, video tour
- Fran Ashcroft – Video Blog – ‘My first record deal earned me 31 p’
- OK Go – This Too Shall Pass – RGM version
- Strive We Must – By Fran Ashcroft
- Confessions of a Studio Owner – The Compressor is Big Brother
- THE COMPRESSOR SEES THE LIGHT…. HALLELUJAH
- Compressor Week: The Compressor gets Philosophical
- Photo of the Week – Real World Studios
- Abbey Road up for sale – lend us a tenner,eh? Fran Ashcroft
- York Street Studios, New Zealand. Video feature
- Doug Trantow – Producer interview at LA Sound Gallery
- Mike Bennett – Music Producer Video – Part 1
- Photo of the Week – Paul Epworth
- The Compressor Rips up the Rule Book
- Right Said Fred – Fran Ashcroft
- Phil Harding Producer/Engineer Video Interview – Part Two
- Dean Street Studios launch new SSL Duality Room
- The Tone Deaf Vocalist – By Fran Ashcroft
- Phil Harding talks about PWL and more. Part One
- The Compressor wakes up in a cold sweat
- Drum Recording Masterclass Video with Sean Genockey
- Photo of the week
- Spot The Suspect Traveller – By Fran Ashcroft
- The Compressor looks for a reason to smile
- A Right Good Panning
- Drum Recording Masterclass VIDEO with George Shilling
- The Compressor : Educashion…..because the kidz iz our future…innit?
- Ye Olde Pye – By Fran Ashcroft
- Turn the Internet OFF and save the Music
- Reasons to be cheerful about audio in 2010
- Clint Murphy’s drum recording techniques – Pt 2
- TOTP, wherefore art thou?
- Drum Recording Workshop
- The Compressor : What do Producers do?
- Keith Grant – Short video out-take
- Why does the digital radio sound worse? (In the UK)
- 2010 – Is it that time already?
- Fantastic Studio Tour / Feature on Modern World Studio’s Site
- John Leckie video interview with George Shilling
- Vocal Comping – Video by Ken Lewis
- Prime Studios, Austria. Outboard gear video
- The Gift That Keeps On Giving
- Confessions of a Studio Owner – The Compressor Way
- 10 Years of RecordProduction.com
- Getting ahead in the music industry – by fair means of foul
- Getting It Taped – Fran Ashcroft
- Ken Lewis vocal comping
- Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year…..HUMBUG
- George Martin photo of the week
- James Towler nominated for 2 Grammy awards & MPG award
- The Old Abbey Road Canteen and Toilet Paper
- Mike Bennett talks about recording Lo Fi
- The Enchanted Chinagraph Pencil – Fran Ashcroft
- Autotune madness – Scientists take a look
- George Martin talks about the X Factor
- Fran Ashcroft: A bit of the old Brian Wilson’s
- George Martin awards Trevor Horn, Peter Gabriel….. APRS
- Part 2 of Compressor’s “What does the future hold for studios?”
- Phil Harding launches book – PWL from the Factory Floor
- Future Loops Announces “Stewart Walker Minimal Sessions”
- Pt 3 of 3 – Recording Electric Guitars with Miggs & Ken Lewis
- Band or Banned? Fran Ashcroft is a slave to the record
- Blue Microphones World’s First THX Certified USB Microphone
- UMPG Publisher of the Year, Song of the Year – ASCAP Awards
- Gustavo Celis nominated for a Latin Grammy Award
- London, UK. Cream Studios under new management
- Dave Rideau feature at Westlake Studios
- Shure SM57 microphone
- What does the future hold for studios? Part 1 – Compressor
- LMS Mobile Studio – A classic is reborn
- Spotify, i-Tunes and the X-Frigging-Factor – Fran Ashcroft
- Gadget Studios – Small London studio feature
- Simon Gogerly – short video feature
- Bill of rights – Compressor
- Pt 2 of 3, Recording Electric Guitars w/ Miggs & Ken Lewis
- Upgrade Me – Fran Ashcroft
- ‘Secret Confessions of a Studio Owner!’ – Compressor
- Hook End Manor – Top UK studio video
- Steve Jordan Feature at Germano Studios, NYC
- How Spotify will end the Loudness Wars – Ian Shepherd
- Short Yard 1 Studios video
- Shameless Self Promotion – By Fran Ashcroft
- Part One – Recording Electric guitars w/ Miggs & Ken Lewis
- Producer & Engineer Pat Dillett
- Last chance to nominate for the UK’s MPG awards
- Kevan Gallagher – producer video interview
- Russ Russell – Producer feature at Parlour Sound
- Modern World Studios – Video
- Shure SM 7 microphone
- dbx 160s review
- Apogee Rosetta 200 review
- Aphex 661 Tube Compressor/Limiter (Expressor) review
- 30,557 plays of Trevor Horn’s video feature – in 2 weeks!
- Dave Eringa – Salt and vinegar – Producer Video Feature
- 25th TEC Awards – Mixing Console prize goes to….
- Guitar Cab Recording Video – Conversation about best techniques
- Caveman discovers Duality, heralds end of dinosaur consoles
- Ken Scott – Drum sample collection from Sonic Reality
- Neumann TL 67 microphone launched
- Monkey Puzzle House Studios – Video tour
- Purple Audio MC76
- Clint Murphy Drum Recording Tips
- Alexander Sound – Milton Keynes has a Studio
- Sun Studios video
- Dave Eringa – World Authority on Spuds
- Chris Lord Alge feature



