Ok, I hold my hands up – this might be considered a thinly disguised bit of PR for an upcoming release, but it’s probably the most fun recording I’ve been involved with this year, so what the hell:

Do Not Adjust Your Set – a 7″ EP featuring re-recordings of classic 60s and 70s TV themes, on the small but savvy Fruits de Mer label. The guys know their market so well, it’s likely to have already sold out by the time you read this – they are without doubt best example I can think of how to run an indie label in these changing times. Strong label identity, very consistent releases in a well chosen niche, self contained distribution, customer loyalty, excellent press releases and a nice black book of well targeted promo contacts.

And I quote:- “Fruits de Mer Records – possibly the world’s smallest vinyl-only psychedelia/progressive rock/acid-folk/krautrock/spacerock record label – classic and obscure tracks from the sixties and early seventies reinterpreted by brilliant new bands – and released on ludicrously-limited colour vinyl.”

But let’s shift focus onto the recording – FdM sets out to prove nostalgia is what it used to be, with a bit of help from yours truly.

I was given pretty much carte blanche in choosing the artists and putting the EP together.  Novelty concept records,spoof ads and the like have always appealed to me in a twisted sort of way, ever since I heard a Goons album when I was 8 years old.  In fact the first recordings I ever made were daft adverts and sketches, on a little battery operated reel to reel with the most astounding wow and flutter there ever was.

So it was immensely enjoyable re-creating the ITV and BBC stings that open each side (and strangely gratifying to hear the BBC play your cover of their own time signal!).  The guys even let me design the back cover like a page from an old copy of the Radio Times… complete with naff black and white ads, the lot.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  Otherwise from a production standpoint, it was mainly a matter of offering direction, tweaking a mix here and there, then squeezing the six mastered tracks onto vinyl – “Robinson Crusoe”, “White Horses”,”The Sky At Night”, “Ace of Wands”, and the inevitable Gerry Andersonness of “Captain Scarlet” and “Fireball XL5″.  Yes, I know I’ve done a Gerry Anderson record before, but it was a looong time ago, and I still like puppets that sing.

Most producers do, don’t they?

http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com/tvthemes.html

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