Ireland is the setting for the next tale from our visit to "Doon The Cellar" and illustrates the trials of recording and getting that all important track down:
SnugL had the studio set up in Theresa's sitting room and is getting the beats going, he and Big Frank had already started on the port, and when they found a bottle of potent Wray & Nephew White Rum, they did that too. There was much banging into things and falling about, but Frank started to sing somewhere along the way, the vocal was good and has to be recorded. More chaos ensued throughout the session and finally, after SnugL fell over and banged his head, sleep followed....
.... the next morning, checking the studio revealed the good news - the vocals were saved, despite everything!
"Stand by me" is one of Frank's pain songs - you can feel it in the music, the vocal, no doubt fuelled by the energetic consumption of port and rum, has a mournful edge to it, the lyrics speak of loss and grieving.
Later additions to the song, recorded at Liverpool's Parr Street Studio, include John Giblin on bowed double-bass giving further depth to the mourning, and a "genius" contribution from Harry Potter, who manages to play a soul-rendering sad electric guitar anguish-howl part over strings - ALL on keyboards.
"That," exclaims our host, "is pure SnugL!" he means the sound - it's all done on his terms, the sonic is as he wants it. The apparent comedic interlude with the falling down water masks a genuine commitment to getting it all down as it should be, and this is a good'un.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Folking About "Doon The Cellar" - The Prophet in the Church With One Bell.
Not long into our visit to "Doon the Cellar" in Birkenhead, producer SnugL underlined his policy on sound recording - "I try to record what's there - I go for the purity" he said, and later we would get to hear some of the results.
What follows is the first of a number of reports stemming from this visit, and a number of interviews and other visits relating to the music of John Martyn today. John has very kindly allowed us a preview of many of the rough mixes from the new album, and we will be telling some of the stories behind the tracks, talking to the musicians, engineers and producers involved and telling their stories too. Some of the names used are the familiar names used by the protagonists.
"This is my gaff." said SnugL leading us into his studio - "more of a cutting suite really.", but this is where it happens. This is where many of John Martyn's songs are assembled; some of the tracks have even been recorded here.
We hope to be able to bring a complete technical description of the rig, and describe some of the processes involved in recording an album in the not too distant future, but for the time being lets just say that the editing is done on one of an ever growing collection of PC's - currently an AMD Dual Core with 8Gb RAM - a significant step up from what SnugL dismissively described as a Pentium II word processor that they used to use. Next in line may well be an anonymous laptop lurking near the desk - "I can do everything on that now - may as well flog this lot." In fact SnugL reports that John has been very keen on using the laptop himself and suggests that HE will produce the next CD, SnugL is fired and Tools can be the tea-boy if he is lucky.....!
We'll start our stories with a trip back in time, 5 years or so when John still had the "Church With One Bell" studio up in Scotland. Big Frank is sleeping up in the church gallery, but is awakened by SnugL and Harry Potter getting a new groove going down in the studio, the air is heady with incense from Scratch Perry's burner as Frank thunders downstairs to find out what all the row is about. Anger soon melts as the incense and the music combine to inspire Frank into a creative mood, and he is soon stood naked and fired up at the ever ready microphone, lyrics tumbling out, Spencer playing along. Some of the lyrics would prove to be prophetic - "How can you stand when you're sitting?" and "Sitting on the porch, me and my little dog."
Events would soon see these premonitions materialise, within months John had part of a leg amputated and now spends most of his time sat down, and he now has Gizmo - his own little dog.
There's more to say here, we fast forward to 2007 and a day's recording in Parr Street, Liverpool. Arran Ahmun and Alan Thompson are laying down drum and bass tracks to this vocal - John is sat there, encouraging, conducting, "master of ceremonies" and "much more like his old self." This is the on day after the band's amazing performance at John's Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall appearance - click here for our review. The results are terrific, soulful vocals follow the groove, the bass impassioned. SnugL suddenly stops it, winds the track back a few bars and laughs - "Listen to that, that's Harry Potter taking the p*ss with his da da daaa, da da daaa... on the keyboard."
It's a small insight into the way a song is born - others follow - some can be told here - stay tuned for more tales from Folking About "Doon the Cellar"
What follows is the first of a number of reports stemming from this visit, and a number of interviews and other visits relating to the music of John Martyn today. John has very kindly allowed us a preview of many of the rough mixes from the new album, and we will be telling some of the stories behind the tracks, talking to the musicians, engineers and producers involved and telling their stories too. Some of the names used are the familiar names used by the protagonists.
"This is my gaff." said SnugL leading us into his studio - "more of a cutting suite really.", but this is where it happens. This is where many of John Martyn's songs are assembled; some of the tracks have even been recorded here.
We hope to be able to bring a complete technical description of the rig, and describe some of the processes involved in recording an album in the not too distant future, but for the time being lets just say that the editing is done on one of an ever growing collection of PC's - currently an AMD Dual Core with 8Gb RAM - a significant step up from what SnugL dismissively described as a Pentium II word processor that they used to use. Next in line may well be an anonymous laptop lurking near the desk - "I can do everything on that now - may as well flog this lot." In fact SnugL reports that John has been very keen on using the laptop himself and suggests that HE will produce the next CD, SnugL is fired and Tools can be the tea-boy if he is lucky.....!
We'll start our stories with a trip back in time, 5 years or so when John still had the "Church With One Bell" studio up in Scotland. Big Frank is sleeping up in the church gallery, but is awakened by SnugL and Harry Potter getting a new groove going down in the studio, the air is heady with incense from Scratch Perry's burner as Frank thunders downstairs to find out what all the row is about. Anger soon melts as the incense and the music combine to inspire Frank into a creative mood, and he is soon stood naked and fired up at the ever ready microphone, lyrics tumbling out, Spencer playing along. Some of the lyrics would prove to be prophetic - "How can you stand when you're sitting?" and "Sitting on the porch, me and my little dog."
Events would soon see these premonitions materialise, within months John had part of a leg amputated and now spends most of his time sat down, and he now has Gizmo - his own little dog.
There's more to say here, we fast forward to 2007 and a day's recording in Parr Street, Liverpool. Arran Ahmun and Alan Thompson are laying down drum and bass tracks to this vocal - John is sat there, encouraging, conducting, "master of ceremonies" and "much more like his old self." This is the on day after the band's amazing performance at John's Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall appearance - click here for our review. The results are terrific, soulful vocals follow the groove, the bass impassioned. SnugL suddenly stops it, winds the track back a few bars and laughs - "Listen to that, that's Harry Potter taking the p*ss with his da da daaa, da da daaa... on the keyboard."
It's a small insight into the way a song is born - others follow - some can be told here - stay tuned for more tales from Folking About "Doon the Cellar"
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Danny Thompson lights a fire at Cropredy?
A lovely, warm summer's day and the audience at Fairport Cropredy Convention are gathering for a third and final day of this 40th anniversary celebration. The sound crew have relented from playing their compilation CD over and over again and we are being treated to John Martyn's soulful "Rock salt and nails" over the PA. A inner feeling of warmth joins the outer sunshine as we recall that today it is 12 months since John's magnificent gig on this very stage.
"Big Muff" follows and today's compere, Danny Thompson strides out onto the stage to greet the crowd; "Wotcha Cropredy! - How good is it to hear the great John Martyn?" Danny, long time musical partner, drinking partner and frequent sparing partner with John Martyn delighted us with yet more: "I love that man. You know in these days of awards and knighthoods and all that, isn't it time that John Martyn was recognised for his remarkable musical contribution? How many people agree that John Martyn should be rewarded in some way?" A huge cheer rose up from the ever growing crowd - the campaign for Sir John Martyn has started!
"Big Muff" follows and today's compere, Danny Thompson strides out onto the stage to greet the crowd; "Wotcha Cropredy! - How good is it to hear the great John Martyn?" Danny, long time musical partner, drinking partner and frequent sparing partner with John Martyn delighted us with yet more: "I love that man. You know in these days of awards and knighthoods and all that, isn't it time that John Martyn was recognised for his remarkable musical contribution? How many people agree that John Martyn should be rewarded in some way?" A huge cheer rose up from the ever growing crowd - the campaign for Sir John Martyn has started!
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