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FAQ :: MISCELLANEOUS Q:
I wanted to ask you a few questions... 2. Do the band members of Gentle Giant have a classical-music background? 3. What do you think about the Gentle Giant bass player? (in my opinion he's one of the best I ever heard). Thanx :) A: 1. The reason the lead singers sound alike is because they are real brothers. Phil, Derek and Ray Shulman were born in Scotland and had formed many bands together. They were actually more famous as Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. Derek Shulman was the lead singer in that group and they had a big U.K. hit single called "Kites", with a spoken word section in Japanese (spoken by a young Japanese lady). 2. Kerry Kinnear, the keyboard player, was trained classically. He is responsible for the magnificent classical direction of Gentle Giant. The rest of the band were just great progressive musicians. 3. Ray Shulman is not only a great bass player, but he is also an accomplished violinist (and probably had some classical training) and guitarist. It is said he plays a total of 20-odd instruments. As a teenager he also trained as a tailor. The Gentle Giant albums are a real feather in my cap. I'm very proud of the two albums we made together. Q: Hi Tony, I loved your work on the only release of the Electric Angels in 1990. Did they do anything else after that great album? I got to your site by doing a search on your name after seeing it on their CD jacket. There is no information about them on the internet at all that I could find. Are they "gone forever"? Some of their lyrics were hilarious...you guys had to have had fun doing that album. Thanks! A: The band stayed together to reform as The Loveless. I think they are amongst the finest musicians and writers I've ever worked with. If you sign up with AOL, you'll find an Electric Angels/Loveless bulletin board there. You can also check with the UBL, there were links to them in the past and there might still be. Currently, Jonathon Daniels, the bassist and song writer, is working in New York as a publisher. He is also writing new songs with Shane Mansfield (that's what he called himself then) for a solo project for Shane. I recently wrote an arrangement for a British group called Cuff whom Jonathon publishes. The song is happily called "Suicide." Look for it. Q: By the way, I am so glad to hear you are still around and busy. I've always loved Bolan's works and as a "youngster" I had the headphones glued to my head just listening to the orchestrations alone, which I thought were brilliant! Any chance of your working with Kate Bush? Thanks so much for your talent. It seems I still try to find artists who are creative enough to use orchestration and "odd" sounds, to this day. They're difficult to locate. A: Kate and I met in the late seventies and talked about working together. We were getting on very well. Then she made the decision to produce herself and never worked with another producer after that. Thank you for your compliment. I still do what I do well and you can hear that on two new productions of mine, the new Luscious Jackson album due out in April 1999 and the new D-Generation album due out in March 1999. Q: What ever happened to Carmen? Anyway, when I was thirteen, I got an Import of "Dancing on a Cold Wind", that was in I think '75. Anyway, I played it till it wore out. For years I looked for it again and I never had any luck. Two years ago I was in London and I just happened upon a little CD store in Kensington. Well, much to my surprise, I found a copy of "Dancing" on CD. I was so happy I couldn't wait to get back to my hotel and play it. It sounded so sharp and clear just like I remember my old Zonophone label copy. After listening to many of the other recordings you have produced, I've come to the conclusion that your style and overall arrangements are one of the major factors in the success of the projects that you have worked on. Your sound has a very distinctive feel. Well Tony, I just happened on to this site and I wanted to take the time to thank you for the many years of enjoyment. Thanks a lot!!!! A: Thank you very much. Carmen made a third album without me and then disbanded. It seems the world at large was never ready for such an unusual amalgam of rock and flamenco. Roberto Amaral, the lead singer, still sings and dances in Los Angeles, where he also runs a flamenco dancing school. David Allen, the incredible lead guitarist of Carmen has changed his name to Housk Randall and works in London as an artist, his paintings are also incredible. He still writes music and is looking to score for films. His sister Angela went to work in television and is now an executive with a television company. John Glascock went on to become Jethro Tull's bassist but died a few years later from a drug overdose. Paul Fenton, the drummer, left the music business for a long period and worked as a carpenter. I have heard from him recently, via e-mail, and he is drumming again on various projects. Q. The French group Les Rita Mitsouko, can I have more info, I used to work on a French Radio Station "Force 7" they sounded a bit "Rexy" I know you produced them? A: Sure. They are a very "underground" French group that are revered by French music fans. I produced three albums by them and they were very bizarre and lots of fun to make. You can get their earlier recordings from Virgin Records and their current stuff is available on another French label, Delabel. When the new label was formed, Catherine Ringer was asked what they should call it. She, of great wit, replied in a New York accent, in English, "The label", and it stuck. Q: On one of your informative pages on your "old" site, you described something that I forgot the exact name of. I haven't found the same info on your new site, but it might be there, lurking... It was listed a number of times where you describe what stuff you use for recording. As far as I remember you use a board, which I think was an 8-track digital recording device (?), which could be patched together with more of the same kind. Using these, anybody could buy the size of recording equipment suiting one's own needs and wallet, and later be able to upgrade with more channels, etc. I remember that you really recommended it. With this info, do you know what I'm talking about? If you do, I would be really pleased to know the brand and model name of the device in question. A: You are thinking of the ADAT MDM system. I have three ADAT XTs in my studio, giving me 24 tracks. The machines come in an 8 track configuration, but you can link up to 16 ADATs together, giving you a total of 128 tracks (if you can find a mixing console that large!). Recently ADAT has made a more stable machine that is also a 20-bit machine, which gives you 16 times more digital density (smoother sound) than their earlier versions (please don't ask me to explain the maths for you here). Fostex and Studer also support this system, whilst Tascan and Sony have a similar 8 track modular digital machine (MDM) system that uses a different type of tape. These two different systems are not compatible. I have since graduated from digital tape and now record directly to my computer via two programs, Pro Tools and Logic Audio (Emagic). My ADATs are often turned off these days. Q: I saw that you produced the "live" versions of "Bad" and "a Sort of Homecoming" for the U2 EP, "Wide Awake in America". Was it really live or in the studio. What was it like to work with U2? Would you actively pursue working with them again? What are your thoughts on U2 and in particular, Edge as a guitarist? A: I only completed that "live" recording of "A Sort Of Homecoming." I followed them around to three different gigs and recorded them for a live album, which never came to light. They knew that "A Sort Of Homecoming" was a hit and they admitted that the album version was not the definitive single version, even after Eno and Lanois tried to edit it down many different ways. I listened to the album version and came to the same conclusion that it couldn't be edited for many reasons, but it would have to be totally rearranged and recorded again. We rehearsed it for a day or so before the tour began and the band loved it and played it night after night in its new form. However, we were not able to get a suitable version on tape due to over-excitement on the gigs -- it was always played too fast or some serious mistakes were made. So we recorded it on the stage of Wembley arena, at an afternoon sound check, then we took the tape back to my Good Earth Studio in Soho, London and overdubbed some more guitars and vocals. We also took the applause from that night and dubbed that onto the track. It was wonderful to work with this amazing band and I think the world of Edge. Unfortunately I never got to work with them in later days, especially when they started to borrow heavily from the T.Rex primer of rock. Q: Thank you again for your great work and thank you for this insightful and well put together sight... Bowie, T.Rex, The Seahorses, U2... my, you must have the most rewarding job! A: No, it stinks! I wanted to be an astronomer, but my mother said they didn't make any money. She pulled me away from the comfort of my telescope's eyepiece and forced me into the recording studio, where I've been until this day! Q: Hello. I'm trying to find information about Darling Cruel and its band members. All I have is their 1989 release, Passion Crimes and I'm trying to find if anyone from the group did anything in the almost 10 years since that album. I found a Gregory Darling at Monaco Records that sort of looks and sounds like Gregory of Darling Cruel but I'm not sure. http://www.monacorecords.com/darling.html is that page location I found with the pictures and sounds. Thanks for any help in advance. A: I can't help you there. I made a fabulous album with Darling Cruel in 1991 which the powers-that-be at their former record company never released because they didn't "hear" a single in the batch. It was one of the best progressive rock albums of my career and I don't think anyone will ever hear it. Q: Hi Tony. I recently picked up a CD release of the soundtrack to "Breaking Glass" after searching for it for literally years. And I'm listening to it, and I'm loving it, and the question that preys on my mind is whatever happened to Hazel O'Connor? She was (and maybe still is) a very talented songwriter and performer, but this is literally ALL that I've heard from her. I did notice another album in the discography, but I couldn't get any other information or find any links. Is that other recording currently available on CD? It's really bugging me now, so I'd appreciate any info... A: I was in London recently and picked up a magazine which had a great interview with Hazel in it. She's had quite a tragic life since her success with Breaking Glass with disastrous business and love affairs. She lives in Ireland and is busy writing and appearing in small venues in the UK. She sounded very positive in the interview and apparently her voice is better than ever. Hazel always deserved more respect than she received. I still think the world of her. The other album I produced for her was called Cover Plus. I recently tried in vain to get a CD of it myself. She made another album, I don't exactly know where it fits in her chronology, called Sons and Lovers. Q: 1) Could you tell me if there are any outtakes or unreleased materials with sessions with Mary Hopkin (Apple era or beyond)? The CD "THOSE WERE THE DAYS" included an unreleased track "When I Am Old One Day" from "ES/OS" sessions. 2) In 1971 there were a couple of unique releases for "Let My Name Be Sorrow" on different tongues; French and Japanese. I'm wondering how it realized and if there were any plans of releasing more alternate- language versions for that number. A: I think everything from the Apple days have been released. Mary and I recorded about 40 tracks for my defunct Good Earth label. Most were never released. I gave Mary the right to market these tracks the way she sees fit, but nothing has ever come of it. She still has the tracks in her possession. Some of these tracks, especially the self-penned songs, are real gems. It was standard practice in those days to get an English lyric translated and sung in foreign languages to get some sales in other countries. It's not really done these days because the accent in some languages is so difficult for a person who is not a proficient speaker. Mary couldn't really speak French or Japanese, but she was coached during those sessions by native speakers. I don't think we recorded in any other languages. Q: I've followed your records for over 20 years of my life and they still sound vital and fresh in the late '90's. One album that was very overlooked here in America was Adam Ant's, "Vive Le Rock'. I thought it sounded very joyous and live. What was it like to work with Adam? A: What a creative ball of energy! He was great to work with. He's very opinionated and knows what he wants. We didn't quite agree during the mixes, he kind of wanted everything very trebly and I'm a bassey kind of producer. Q: Have you ever worked with Steve Lillywhite? How do you rate him? A: No I haven't, but I rate him very highly. He's one of the best. Q: Would you consider producing Ray Davies if the chance arose? A: Sure. He's great! I've always been a Kinks fan since the '60s. Q: I notice you don't mention the Afraid of Mice work or the mixing of Nasty Pop or your wonderful work with Nana Mouskouri in your discography nor your Inventory LP which though a little over-indulgent produced, what were for me two standout cuts: "I Remember Brooklyn" and "Oopitty Mowp Mowp" (sp?). A: I'm not terribly proud of those records. Working with Nana was great but a conflict of interests between her, me and her record company diluted that album to its present state. It was much better before it was taken away from me. Nasty Pop just....phizzed out! But I'm reissuing "Inventory" through these pages. Watch for an announcement. Q: What's your favorite part of the process? The pre-production, (getting and imagining the vision) The recording,( reaching and acting on the vision) or the Mix, (Shaping the vision and the satisfaction of hearing it before you)? A:
It used to be the mixing. I was so relieved that the recording was
finished and most of the decisions made. In those days we committed
a lot of final effects to tape. Also, due to the limitations of 16
track, I labored over bounced backing vocals, guitar submixes, keyboard
submixes, etc., so mixing was almost a celebration of all the brain
power I expended to date. But, as you are aware of, mixing is the
time to get it all right and do some really crazy shit! Which I did,
but in the comfort that I didn't have to deal with performances anymore. Q: If you could either release a horrible dictaphone recording of an incredible performance with true feel or an incredible recording mixed beautifully and creatively but with poor feel and stale energy, which would you release? (I know in real life it doesn't have to be one or the other, but I asked the same question to George Martin and I'd like to hear your answer as well) A: Performance is everything. I'd have to go with the dictaphone version, but not after brow-beating an artist into recreating that dictaphone version to the best of her abilities within a professional studio environment. I have faith in time. I'd re-record that song every few days until we couldn't stand it any longer. But I'd through in the towel if we could never do better than the dictaphone version. Q: Being a musician yourself, you REALLY seem to collaborate with your artists. How do you draw the line, musically, between being a catalyst for their expression and actually creating your own music and tastes on their work? Or is it a mixture of you creating through AND with them? Is that the magic? A: I don't really get involved as a musician until I get the complete trust of the artist. But by then I have proven that my musicianship is chameleon-like and I am playing in their style. What won over Marc Bolan (who was super paranoid about having his music tainted) was when I innocently arranged one of his songs for four recorders and played all the parts myself one Sunday afternoon in my home studio. He was thrilled to hear someone else play his melody. Shortly afterward he felt confident enough to cut me loose and write strings, etc. over his backing tracks. Ultimately I played Mellotron, sang backing vocals and just came up with wild ideas that made it with him. He realized I loved his music and felt just as precious about it. Q: Desert Island studio....one mic. which one and why? A: The Neumann U87 is just about perfect. It is colorless, yet eq can bring out just about any sound color you'd want. If I had the money I'd own 40 of them and use nothing else. Q: Any favorite drum tips or mic set ups when tracking? A: Too much to say here. I've taken a lot of photographs when I mic'd well. I may write this info up in my book. I believe in both very close miking and simultaneous distant miking, so that there is a choice of combinations on the mix. I usually use two mics on the kick and two on the snare, to bring out both brightness and thump. Q: MIC PRE AMPS? This is an area I know little to nothing about because I have not had the luxury of hearing a wide variety. Are they useful to add different flavors? Do they really do that much? What do you like? A: I've only just started plugging a mic into an external, tube (valve) pre amp, then through a compressor, then straight to tape. The results are "in-your-face", crystal clear sound. I'm still wondering if this is an improvement over going through a board's pre amps. My experimenting never ends. At the moment I'm grooving with the ART Pro MPA and VLA combo. It's fat and blows the analog vs. digital myth. It's almost too fat. Q: Of course this depends on the artist, but how do you handle studio "atmosphere"? What lengths have you gone to creating the right setting? Do you simply suggest using a studio that possesses that quality? A: I've lit candles, incense... I've turned all the lights out in the studio, then some of my artists (for reasons unknown to me) have decided to strip!!! I've often asked guests to leave , since it is most important to make the soloist feel at ease. I've persuaded group members to tape their artwork or even pinups from "men's" magazines all over the walls. In other words, I've turned studios into living rooms. They must never be sterile and intimidating. My project studio is a living room and a bedroom for overdubs. Without exception all my artists love the laid back atmosphere. Q: From your experience, what's important to you in making the artist comfortable...anything some producers might not think about? I know I'm asking a lot of things...basically tell me what you think about creating studio atmosphere. A: Artists are sensitive and vulnerable. It is so tempting to try and coach them to be technically correct, but that sucks. It makes them feel inadequate, just going for singing in tune, etc. I let an artist sing their hearts out and record many complete takes -- up to eight. In between I make a few gentle suggestions, then I "comp" them and put them into a computer to tune up some notes. This way the technology is always an afterthought and never gets into the way of the emotive performance. If, for some silly reason, only one track is left for a solo or a vocal, I coach the artist with a philosophical lean towards "it's no big deal, just enjoy yourself" and usually get great results when I convince them that there is no pressure. Q: The "digital is cold" rumor. I have to admit, I love how tape compresses and distorts when pushed. Digital is great for editing, correcting, and changing wave forms...How do you make it warm? What turns you on about digital recording? A: It doesn't matter. In the late 20th century both mediums are sounding almost alike. Digital is no longer "brittle" and analog is no longer "warm". It's like trying to tell the difference between 7/8 and a whole spoonful of sugar. Just get on with it!!!! The only reason I prefer digital is because it locks up better and more accurately with a computer for editing. And don't kid yourself, everything ends up in a digital format for mastering. Q: Hi, Tony! You've intrigued me. I've never heard of F. M. Alexander or the Alexander Technique. Do you have any suggestions about how I can find more information regarding this technique? Are there any books or written material? Thanks for any assistance you can give me. A: My favorite is by Wilfred Barlow, an English physician who became an Alexander Teacher and also married FM's niece, Marjorie. Marjorie still teaches today. The name of the book is simply "The Alexander Technique". You can find many books on the subject in any big bookstore such as Barnes and Noble. See the address below for NASTAT, the American organization of Alexander teachers to which I belong. They can give you a comprehensive lists of books on the subject and even help you find a teacher where you live. Mention that you discovered them through my site. Q: I have a friend who has back problems. She is interested in more info. on this technique. We are from Rochester, NY. Is there anyone up here who teaches the technique? She isn't on-line, so I am relaying any info. you might be able to give me. A: To find an Alexander Technique teacher near you, call or write to NASTAT. PO Box 517, Urbana, Ill 61801. (217) 367 6956. Mention that you were referred to them from this site. Q: We found your pages through the Moody Blues links. I used to live in Birmingham and was interested in the fact that you produced Shazam by the Move. Roy Wood is another of my favorites. Do you have any info. on what he might be doing now? A: I was merely the assistant producer on Shazam. I wrote the string parts for "Beautiful Daughter" and played the bass on that one too. My boss, Denny Cordell, was the producer. Roy is living in Birmingham still. I saw him at an Annie Haslam Christmas concert at Christmas '95. He was accompanied by Cheap Trick and they were all absolutely fabulous! Gary Brooker of Procol Harum and Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues also performed at that concert. Q: ...I am particularly fond of your work with Annie Haslam, my all-time favorite female vocalist...I hope you and Annie will work together again in future. Any plans? A: I know that Annie is currently composing some material for a new album with Steve Howe of Yes. She and I speak to each other regularly but no recording plans have been mentioned yet. Q: I understand you are married to May Pang. Being a George Harrison fan I have always been curious if it is indeed her voice on Lennon's "#9 Dream" saying "Hari Krishna George". Could you enlighten me? A: May tells me it is her voice but she is saying, "John", not "Hare Krishna George." Later in the track her voice is reversed so she is heard saying 'John' backwards -- "Nohj"????? Q:...Moreover I would like to know what your future projects will be? A: Information about my future projects will always be updated in the "What's He Done Lately" part of this website.
Q: Well I understand the most current work was
with The Seahorses. And I think it's a great sounding album. I liked
the way you panned the lead guitars to one side. And it does have
that 60's feel but at the same time a very big sounding album. Was
this your idea to record this way? What kind of mikes did you use
to mike the guitars? A: The solos on DIY weren't panned to one side all the time. I often pan solos and other things to unconventional positions just to keep things interesting, or not to cover up another important musical element in the same space. It was a mutual decision to record the Seahorses as live as possible, but not necessarily retro. Maybe it sounds like a sixties recording to many because almost all bands recorded live in the sixties! As for the microphones used on the guitars, there were too many to mention or even remember. John's amp looked like a press conference setup -- there were at least 10 different mikes in front of it, from an SM57 pressed right up against the speaker grill to high end condenser mikes positioned about 40 feet away. Every time John recorded something new we tried a different combination of mikes and he was also using different amps and guitars all the time. The permutations could fill a short book, and they do! Our assistant engineer Jeff Thomas kept copious notes of all mike placements and e.q.s -- at least 100 loose leaf pages worth. Miking a Leslie Speaker in stereo sometimes defeats the effect. The whole idea of the rotating horn speaker in the unit is to make the Doppler Effect -- the sound of a note raising and lowering in pitch as it speeds towards you and away from you. On the Seahorses album, engineer Rob Jacobs was trying both techniques -- mono and stereo miking on the Leslie. Sometimes the guitar and other instruments were sent through the Leslie during the mixing stage. Q: Hey..Great web site. I know you worked on McCartney's BOTR album but I swear I've seen your name elsewhere connected with him. Was it Thrillington? Or something more recent? Got any good stories to tell? Ever work on songs that never saw the light of day? A: The last time I worked with Paul was on Press To Play. I arranged only one song, "Only Love Remains". There is nothing else I did with Paul that has not been released. I produced one song for Linda McCartney which never saw the light of day, but maybe as a bootleg. It is called "Love's Full Glory". I thought the song was amazing -- a mini-symphony with three different sections and tempi. I think it conflicted with Paul's plans to release "Give My Regards To Broad Street", so it went on the shelf and there it still remains. Linda was great to work with, her musicianship amazed me -- she came a long way by the time I'd worked with her. As a note of interest my ex-wife Mary Hopkin and Lena Lovich sang backing vocals for Linda. Q: Do you have plans for a book chronicling your life, career, and advice for others who are interested in working in the music business? Or any part thereof? A: I have planned to write a book for 10 years now. I have thousands of personal photos I've taken of my artists and thousands of anecdotes to tell. I'm still looking at different ways of writing it. I don't want to use a ghost writer, I want to do it myself, as I did this website. Q: Not that this will mean much, but I, for one, dig BIGLY the Seahorses LP. Are any more EPs forthcoming in the UK? And any future plans to work w/Squire and Co.? A: As of this writing (August 15th, 1997) I know that there are tenuous plans to begin recording the next Seahorses album, starting as early as December 1997. Nothing is certain. When we completed the first Seahorses album there was a great feeling between the entire team and we all expressed our wishes and desires to work together again. As for EPs, I think we exhausted all of our B sides by now. The group will possibly be recording more soon.
Q: I think I speak for most fans that what we'd
like to know is what your experiences were with various artists and
your personal opinions about their music. Being a fan of Bowie and
Sparks, I would like to know how it was to work with them and if you
would again in the future. What albums do you think are the highlights
of their careers? I think the artists mentioned above obviously owe a debt of gratitude to you for your work. Is it a great effort for you to get past the egos and guide an artist toward his or her strengths? I imagine being a producer requires a certain delicacy, diplomacy and restraint at times. I suppose one has to offer constructive criticism to focus the artist in keeping the work at a high level of quality. A: I think I've already said what it was like to work with the various artists whose records I've produced and gave my opinion of our work together, in this website. I will elaborate further in my intended book. Of course I would work with any of those artists again and that may happen! How large was my role in Bowie's production? I consider it to be very large. I was the sound engineer on most of them. I was instrumental in the band arrangements and backing vocal arrangements. I sang backing vocals, played various instruments (my credits are apparent in the liner notes) and I mixed all the albums I produced for Bowie (I produced more than 10). What do you think? Eno was a very important influence on 3 Bowie albums I've produced, namely Low, Heroes and Lodger. He's got a mind that doesn't work like most people's; it's very surreal and practical at the same time. Thank you for your compliment about Annie Haslam's album. It's a very special album for me, produced on a shoestring budget but with a lot of heart. Okay, artists have huge egos (and so do some producers, sitting not less than two feet away from their laptop), but that goes hand in hand with a huge vision. That is what I respond to and address. There is a great thrill conceptualizing a music project and then spending months creating a great album from such an abstract vision and a handful of demo tapes. I have to use tact sometimes because it is simply a matter of courtesy, but I always follow my heart when I communicate to an artist during a production. The outcome of a production is so important, we can only achieve excellence if we tell the truth. |