Up The North (Manchester to Wigan)

When Spaceward shut down, I spent a year working for The Stranglers….an odd time, but Jet Black was a gentleman and made me laugh. Marcus Russell, who was sort of managing me……he’d been managing The Bible, who I tried co-producing an album with in Loco Studios in Wales (I’ve only just remembered that happened)…..started managing Johnny Marr. Marcus put me in the studio with Johnny. We did a session in The Strongroom in East London, with Johnnys hairdresser best friend, Andrew Berry. Actually, Andrew was a real character….very funny. We recorded “That’s my business” and “Kiss me I’m cold”. It was pretty amazing recording Johnny Marr. I remember being blown away by his playing and ideas. He was very cool indeed. Johnny taught me a lot about good music.

I got asked to do a session for Electronic…..Johnnys new band with Bernard Sumner. We mixed “Lucky Bag”, the b-side to “Getting away with it”, at Johnnys house in Manchester. And I basically stayed there. I built Johnnys basement studio, and engineered the first Electronic album. It was a good time. I loved working with Bernard. Watching him program and build up his music was fascinating. And it was a good time to be in Manchester….the Hacienda was in full swing. There was a fair amount of partying.

I did a bunch of engineering for Bernard on New Orders “Republic” album. That was an interesting time. I enjoyed meeting Rob Gretton: he was a kind and gentle person.

Also, Johnny and I made an album with Ian McCulloch….which never saw the light of day after the master tapes were apparently stolen en route to Liverpool. Oh yeah, we recorded Billy Bragg singing “Sexuality” as well. Billy is a very nice chap. It was nice to meet him.

Then Oasis came along: the mixing of “Definitely Maybe”. And then I met The Verve…….and I stopped working for Johnny and Bernard….and started producing full time.

I remember something Mike Kemp, from Spaceward said to me while he was producing The Stranglers….it was along the lines of “It’s no fun being in the recording studio and having some idiot tell you what to do. The only way to enjoy being in a recording studio is when you are the one who tells the idiots what to do.” He could have been talking about working with The Stranglers…I couldn’t say for sure. But idiots aside…..it is definitely more fun being in control.