While in Beijing with The Jimi McRae Band I stumbled on this Chinese harmonica orchestra. It was the Chinese New Year in February 2005. After hearing this rendition of what sounded to me an awful lot like Auld Lang Syne I mentioned to the conductor, with the help of an interpreter, that it was amazing to hear this famous Scottish song written by Rabbie Burns played in this way.
The entire orchestra’s mood changed and everything went very quiet ..they were clearly not at all amused. In no uncertain terms I was then corrected by the conductor, that this classic tune was in fact a very famous Chinese Folk Song written for Chairman Mao in commemoration of The Long March. It wasn’t easy but being a foreigner in a strange land I decided not to disagree
Thirty years ago in 1980 songwriter and guitarist Jamie Campbell and I formed Psychedelic New Wave band Flying Colours along with drummer Pete Griffiths. Quite far left of centre, edgy and positively uncommercial, we recorded a demo album called Waiting With ZaZa with Cocteau Twins ( and later Capercaillie) producer Jon Turner at Palladium studios in Edinburgh. Within six months we were gigging in Scotland and had built up a great following and were selling the album like hot cakes to a very alternative anti-pop audience. In Summer of 81 we went to London to try and get a record deal. One day I bumped into friend Pate Tacon in Soho, Pete was an English/Brazilian singer who had a top ten hit in Italy. He informed me her was going to meet a guy at EMI who he was hoping would release the single in the UK. We went to the EMI offices in Charing Cross and Pete introduced me to a young guy called Simon. Pete did his pitch and as we were about to leave he mentioned I was in a new band called Flying Colours and I left a cassette of the album with Simon.
A few days later after returning to Edinburgh, I got a phone call from a very excited Simon Cowell informing us he was about to leave EMI and start a music publishing company (E+S Music) with head of music at EMI – Ellis Rich - now head of PRS in UK. They both loved the album and offered us a publishing deal. Soon after signing the deal we moved to London and they got us regular gigs playing at Londons Embassy Club where Ellis and Simon pitched the band to lots of interested major labels.
Simon Cowell Pop Idol with my Fender Lead
No expense was spared and we had access to hire any gear we wanted, costume hire, and rehearsed on a boat on a canal in east London with an open bar tab. I shot this pic of Simon with his friend Jim at the Embassy club posing as a rock star with my Fender Lead guitar just before a gig one night.
They also arranged for our first single to be produced by Robert Bell from Blue Nile and producer Calum Malcolm at Castle Sound studios in 1982. Soon after that Simon and his mate Jim expressed they would like to manage the band as well as be our publisher. He said he was already acting more like a manager than publisher by getting us gigs and tours and trying to get us a record deal. Our lawyer at the time – a guy called Graham Balfour Lyn who was just starting out in the business -advised us that this would create a conflict of interest and was a bad idea so we turned them down. Not the cleverest business move looking back.
My experience working with Simon was very positive and I found both him and Ellis to be very friendly, creative and supportive. Definitely the best people I have worked with in the music business. I had the opportunity to work in their offices in Soho as they had offered us access to their facilities to promote the band. During this time I learned a fair amount about music publishing.
We then toured supporting Level 42 who had just had their first hit single. On the eve of our first headline tour later in 1982 Pete the drummer, who had just had a child with his partner Rosie, decided to leave the band for family reasons. This was a devastating blow. He was such a huge talent that we couldn’t replace him and were forced to attempt to programme his drum parts for the tour. The first drum machine had just been invented..the Linn Drum, it was way too expensive to buy at £3 grand so we had to book into a studio to programme up the live set. The gigs went well enough in the end but we had lost the momentum and Jamie and I finally parted ways in late 1983. Jamie now lives in New Zealand – still making music (and raging against the machine?). Pete lives in Grangemouth … and we all know what Simon is doing!!
Following a recent resurgence in Japan ex Bay City Roller Pat McGlynn has had all his early solo albums re-released on SONY/BMG in early 2009. We worked together along with his wife and vocalist Janine Bond in late 2008 on four new songs at the Offbeat studio for Pat McGlynn’s STORM earlier this year.
I wrote a track for him in March entitled I Wanna Be In Your Cult. The track is currently getting lots of airplay in Japan. All the tracks are featured on the Offbeat homepage mp3 player. Pat is great to work with and is a true music lover. He’s a gifted guitarist and songwriter
I met Pat back in 1984 when I was working on my solo album under the name ZED with vocalist Kirsty Anderson… I co-wrote two tracks with him and Les McKeown on the BAY CITY ROLLERS hit album Breakout. The title track was originally recorded at Jon Turner’s Palladium studio and also featured Anne Turner on backing vocals. and another on the album called You’ll Find Out was recorded at Wilf Smarties Planet Studios. Wilf was the guy who discovered Wet Wet Wet and he produced their first hit single “Wishing I Was Lucky’. Apart from being a studio boffin Wilf was instrumental in my training as a recording engineer, giving me a break to work at Planet from 1983 until 1985.
For the fourth year running now I have been working with Musical Director Richard Anderson on adapting tracks for the panto season at The Kings Theatre.
Richard usually finds that tracks which are provided for the show need to be edited, pitch changed and for sound effects to be added.
Richard is also MD for musicals Songs of Sister Act, Shout and The Rocky Horror Show.
Eddie Elliott is a pro actor and amazing vocalist who is part of the original UK tour cast of We Will Rock You Musical by Queen and Ben Elton which is currently at Edinburgh’s Playhouse until January 9th.
In between performances Eddie is writing songs and has been visiting the studio and experimenting with new ideas.
I have been helping out by providing musical accompaniment on guitar, bass and drums and keyboards.
Eddie’s other theatre credits include: The Music Man (Chichester Festival Theatre) directed by Rachel Kavanaugh; The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre); A Chorus Line, The Buddy Holly Story (Gaiety Theatre); Fame (Electric Theatre, Guildford).
I’ve recently done some remixing for songwriter Graham Hannah and Italian born singer Valentina Cazzola. Graham works on Cubase at his home studio and writes his own compositions.
Graham was formerly guitarist and songwriter with The Passengers and Restless Natives and has had recent tracks featured in music mags and his lyrics published in poetry collections.
The first song we remixed was an evocative atmospheric song- entitled No Consolation - itfeatured piano, bass, brass, programmed drums and guitar and vocals.
We imported the audio files into Logic and the midi file which Graham had originally programmed using Reason 3.
We re-triggered sounds on the midi parts and I replaced the programmed drums with live kit which gave the track much more of an acoustic feel. We kept Valentina’s original vocal which she had recorded using a PZM microphone.
Back in 2oo2 Beau McClellan, producer of the theatre art performance show Fulgor, asked me to co-write and produce music for the show which was staged in Almancil, Algarve for Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, The show involved 75 performers and four stages at the famous golf course location Pinheiros Altos. A studio was designed by Beau and I for the event. Recently some new footage has been added into a short promo video I put together for the event which i have now re-edited and out on you tube… and here it is!!
Robert Maitland (left) and Rich Anderson work on the arrangent of "Surprise"
Songwriter and musician Robert Maitland has been recording at the Offbeat studio now for several years on various projects. A while back he began demos for the musical Taking Care Of Business. The musical is based around the time of the first Edinburgh Festival in 1947 and as such the music is fashioned on the period. Lastweek Robert came back to the studio ,this time with arranger and pianist Richard Anderson, Drummer, Ross Whyte, Bassist Andy Sharkey, Trumpet player Gavin Spowart and Sax player Leon Thoren to perform two songs from the musical entitled Surprise and Alibi.
Andy Sharkey on Bass and Ross Whyte on Drums
The rhythm section and piano were performed live and the horns and guitar, which was played by Robert were dubbed.
The resulting recording is still to have vocals added before mixing and mastering at the end of November. Surprise is a soulful ballad, beautifully played and Alibi is an authentic big band arrangement.
Gavin Spowart on Trumpet and Leon Thorne on Sax
Robert has also been in the studio with a dance track entitled Passion, playing guitar and singing. I produced the tack and played guitars, bass and programming. Amy Fowler aka DJ Siren produced a remix of the song.
Robert is also about to launch a mp3 download site featuring tracks unavailable anywhere else. More news to follow.
james performing at an open mic night in edinburgh
18 year old Singer Songwriter James Ross is currently in the studio recording one song after doing a series of demos on his home set up using a Zoom multitracker. The song entitled Right Next To You is an epic guitar based composition which features James on Drums, Guitar, Keyboards and Vocals. Classically trained, James surprised us all with his proficient drumming and guitar playing and vocals. I’m playing Bass and producing and Amy Fowler is engineering. James has recently signed to Red Monster Records, we hope to get the chance to produce more of his amazing songs here at the Offbeat Studio.
Singer/songwriter Chris Bradley has just completed his second album which he recorded and produced himself at home. I’ve been involved in the mastering of the record over the past two weeks and I love this album.Chris played all the instruments including drums, guitars, piano and bass. he started off the tracks by playing the drums unaccompanied and added the parts once he was happy with the rhythm tracks.
There are eleven great songs on the album which will be released on Seventeen Seconds Records, date to be announced. The title of the album is still to be decided.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Singer/songwriter Chris Bradley has just completed his second album which he recorded and produced himself at home. I’ve been involved in the mastering of the record over the past two weeks and I love this album.Chris played all the instruments including drums, guitars, piano and bass. he started off the tracks by playing the drums unaccompanied and added the parts once he was happy with the rhythm tracks.