RECORDING IN OCTOBER '96

Being both the newboy and the only southerner in the band, I'm getting quite used to the 6 hour train trip from London to Glasgow every other week or so. It is one of the dissadvantages of our current situation.

So you can imagine my delight when the latest bout of recording, which reunited the band with the "Love Your Self Abuse" co-producer, Zmago Smon, completely reversed the above geographical position : i.e. the mountain came to Mohammed or to be more exact, the studio booked for the session was a mere 5 minute walk from my house in London. What a result!! I would like to say that I'm most impressed with the band for this. Talk about making the newboy feel welcome, although I'm sure I'll be made to pay for this sometime!

Right, enough of this and on with the FACTS. The purpose of this session was to record 3 new songs which will be added to the American release of "Love Your Self Abuse". As we have just 'transfered' our record contract to Atlantic in America with the above album ready for release, they wanted some extra songs which they felt would make the album their own (it had after all originally been recorded for East West Records). This seemed like a pretty good reason as by the time the record comes out in the US it will be over a year old, and also they said they'd pay for the session. Brilliant!

And so, we found ourselves in London (well I was here already ha! ha!) on Oct 14th in a rather fine 48 track studio, courtesy of Atlantic Records. As is the norm, it's the drums to get set up first as they can take forever. The reason being that once miked up they never seem to sound as good as you think they do. Tuning, changing skins, drums etc etc and then you hit each one individually while the engineer gets the sound sorted.......it can take hours and you're usually knackered before you've played a note!! While you're sweating, everyone else buggers off into town or heads upstairs to play on the Playstation. Actually this week turned into not only a recording session but a Playstation marathon : the studio machine was put to FULL use and I brought mine along too and we linked them up. The T.V. lounge became a mecca of Playstation activity with new games arriving almost hourly from the local rental shop. The 2 most popular titles were undoubtedly "Track and Field" and "F1". Murray Walker quotes were and still are in full effect!

But I wouldn't want you to think that there was alot of free time , Oh No!! We were there to work........you don't believe me do you? So while all the others were enjoying the above paragraph (ahem) there I was sorting out the drums with Zmago, aka Zed or Mr. Z(ee).

By about 5pm on the first day the drums were sounding pretty good (been at it since noon). Bobby Dunn you're time has come! In goes Bobby to his sound booth, repleat with patio doors incase anyone actually wants to see him playing....seen but not heard would be preferable (only joking), but when it came time to record, he shut himself in his room behind the sound proofed glass and turned the lights down, so God only knows what he was doing in there! The resultant odours and noises were both amazing and horrifying; I shall never look at him in the same way again.

Once the drums and bass sound right, you record them. The guitars play along so that you get the live 'vibe' but they are put down properly later; for now it's important to get the rythm section kicking and then the rest of the parts; guitars, vocals, backing vocals, effects, etc get layered over the top. Pretty neat huh!

Anyway, we finally started recording at about 7pm. Apart from the usual playing errors which always happen, there was the added problems of getting to grips with the new songs : we'd only really rehearsed them a couple of times and weren't feeling completely at ease, so they needed a bit if going over, some more than others. Nonetheless, by close of play at midnight Bobby and I had successfully nailed 2 tracks. I was doubly pleased as this was my first stint of live recording for quite a while. ACE!

Oh the joy of being able to walk home after a hard day's slog! My front room became Chaos central for the night ; none of this staying in 5 star hotel nonsense for Baby Chaos - the drummer's living room floor will do mate.

Day 2 and Bobby and I are on first call to sort out track 3 which does not take long (what a team!) and so at last I can hit the Playstation while Chris gets down to do his funky guitar thing. The rest of us check up on him from time to time to make sure he's not making a complete pig's ear of things, but to his credit he seems to know exactly what he's doing and he and Mr. Z work well together. Grant, who is really Nigel Mansell, (he presses a mean pedal let me tell you), finally strumms a few chords towards the end of the day.

The studio menu file is put to full effect and come the end of the week, we've probably been through every take away in the surrounding area, twice, and are on first name terms with the local Off Licence.

Nic, the boss, as ever, spends the entire week charging around - there just do not seem to be enough hours in the day, or night, for the lad. But even he succombs to the pull of the Playstation and can often be seen with his laptop open, mobile phone under one ear and Playstation control pad in his hands, as well as his video camera keeping a visual record of the weeks events. He secures a top blag from Marshall and Trace Elliot amps so we get some great guitar effects and sounds (and some alright playing apparently).

The studio we are in is a 48 track establishment and the reason we can afford such extravagance is that Mr. Z carries some clout there and has sorted out some serious discount, about 50%, which more than pleases the Atlantic Records cheque book department. It really is qiute a place; live room, mixing room, editing suite, T.V. lounge, kitchen, laundry and bathroom complete with jacuzzi bath; this room is second only to the Playstation, oh and the recording of course. We must be the cleanest rockers around!

As things have been progressing so speedily we work out that we've got time to do a fourth song although we'll have to be quick. 8 days to record and mix 4 songs is good going. Day 3 sees us get the rythm section done and the first 3 songs instrumentally complete and lead vocals on one.

As I mentionned earlier, recording only usually involves 1 or 2 people at one time, so there is time to kill. As the Scottish contingent are not in London that often it can seem a big and exciting place, but also quite frightening and dangerous if you wander inadvertantly into the wrong place : the boys are determined to see some of the city and who am I to dampen their youthfull enthusiasm. So like a worried parent I watch them head off into the bright lights and anxiously await their return......BOLLOCKS I DO !! No rush lads, take as long as you like, which is a dangerous thing to say to Grant as his idea of a long time exceeds anyone else's by at least a factor of 50. Let's just say that he is not reknowned for his punctuality and is probably the main cause of Nic's premature greying. (Grey? Not as far as I'm aware - Nic.)

But when it comes to backing vocals, Grant is your man. Well, until now that is. After going over the parts with Chris and Mr. Z, it is decided that the honour should fall to me. This is in no way meant to indicate a permanent replacement of Grant, but, for future endeavours he'd better pull his finger out. (only joking). Actually, it's a case of who sounded better on the day and Mac will always be singing them when we play live. Singing drummers, don't you just hate 'em!?*

I get a real kick out of watching and listening to the lead vocals being put down as it's the only time you hear what the devil he's singing about. It also makes the song sound complete. Chris certainly puts his all into it and that's one of the things that fires me up about this band - everyone plays like they mean it - sorry to get a little self indulgent there but 'tis a fact I thouight you'd like to hear.

Throughout the week the studio becomes not only the centre of recording activity but also a social with band friends and relatives all dropping in from time to time. Both my brothers, Andy, who used to roadie for the band and Jim who is quite adept at home recording, drop in to lend an ear and tell us how crap we are (nothing we don't know already). Jim and Mr. Z get on very well and are planning to do a radical remix of some Baby Chaos tunes. Should be interesting!

I was surprised that we finished 4 songs and Mr.Z must take credit for keeping going at all hours, as well as Zack, the in house engineer. Nice one fellas!

A great week was had by all, well nearly all ...... Bobby "things to do" Dunn did not quite last the week and went back to Scotland 3 days early during the mix. Fair enough, as we are only on call to listen to the songs when Mr. Z thinks he's got it sounding as it should and we then give our opinions on what needs to change, if anything. There is alot of free time during mixing so Bobby probably had the right idea, although he can't moan if he doesn't like the way the songs have turned out. At least he missed the 8 hour drive home in the dodgy rental van. This band and rental vehicles do not get along at all........But that's another story entirely.

Gen Matthews.