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Blog Entry January 24th 2007

Posted by Aynsley on Wednesday 24th January, 2007.

Well, a belated ‘Happy New Year’ to you all… a bit late I know…. but I’ve been busy! Yes, I’ve been in the studio working stupid hours doing the new album. Now, the master has finally gone off to the pressing plant. It’s been a lot of hard work over the past few months but now it’s finished, I really am pleased with how it sounds. So I suppose you’ll want a little insight into the whole thing….

It all began after the making of the album ‘Pilgrimage’ in September 2005. I began writing and planning towards what the new album was going to be. Recording in Mississippi really was an amazing experience as it is just so different to how I’d ever recorded before – the laid back cool vibe of catching the moment… being so laid back in fact that half the time I completely forgot it was being recorded!! So, together with all the other albums I’ve done, the people I’d worked with over the years and the experiences I’d had, I set to work thinking how to do it. Of course, like anything, in retrospect there are always things you would and wouldn’t change about the way you’ve done things…so I made some decisions….

I decided: to record in the U.K., for it to be as live as possible, for the material to be rootsy and raw but still have a contemporary edge and finally the decision that I was going to produce the album myself. Now that was quite a decision… but after working with several producers and picking up things along the way, I had learnt a hell of a lot, so I decided it was time for me to take the plunge …and I’m really glad I did! Here’s what happened:

After checking out quite a few studios and having a few hiccups along the way with schedules etc, we finally settled on Elevator Studios in Liverpool. On closer inspection it was perfect – housed in a 4 story converted warehouse it has a massive live room, a very impressive control room with all the right gear and the all important chill out area with walls adorned by commemorative discs and posters of bands who have recorded there. Well, if it is good enough for The Zutons, then it was good enough for me!

Next: the musicians. I had already asked Alex Thomas to play drums some 12 months ago and so working around the heady schedule he now has with his current full time employer, Badly Drawn Boy, I managed to steal his services for a couple of days before Christmas. Jo Nichols came in and took care of the bass and a very nice job she did too!

So, the week before Christmas we met up in Liverpool and after two days of pre production we started recording. Now, because Elevator has such a great live room, we were all able to set up and play in the same room – just as planned! So, the mikes were set up and off we went. The aim was to record all songs with live guitar, drums and bass in order that the songs had the raw energy and vibe over technical perfection. Well, by lunchtime of the second day, Jo and Alex were packing away! Job done. Next, I started on the overdubs.

Then it was Christmas. Of course I went home for this and New Year before starting back during the first week of January. So, I added the rest of the guitars, the vocals, then backing vocals and any necessary percussion etc. For the harmonies I got in my friend Sue Quin who has been on countless albums.

Then was the fun part – mixing! Working with Elevator’s resident engineer really was cool – he knows the studio inside out so was able to interpret what I wanted really easily.

The final result? Just how I wanted. I’m over the moon!!!! Each song sounds how I had envisaged; with the more bluesy songs being as raw as possible, and the more contemporary songs still having the energy from the live basic tracks but having the extra layers and production in keeping with the feel of the song.

Ohhh…. So I forgot to tell you what is actually on the album! Ok, so there are twelve tracks altogether (all originals!!), ten with the band and two solo acoustic. Out of the twelve tracks, eleven are new and one is an old song. I wrote ‘Falling Down’ a few years ago but never actually recorded it on a studio album and felt it belonged on one. The other eleven are all new songs: a handful you may have heard at gigs while we’ve been trying them out, some you won’t have.

Well… I could go on forever but why not just wait a couple of weeks and then you’ll find out for yourself!

‘UPSIDE DOWN’ the album will be available direct from us from February 1st.

For those in the U.K., see you next month… for those of you not, see you VERY soon!!