Foot In The Door

Upon leaving high school in 1991, I felt unsure of which direction I wanted to take in life, all I knew was that music needed to be a part of my future, and that it wasn’t going to happen sitting at home watching Top Of The Pops.

The day of my interview, the singer from Neds Atomic Dustbin walked across the courtyard, eating a banana, I knew this was the place to be! I was also shown the piano that Freddie Mercury composed Bohemian Rhapsody on while ‘bumming’ around the studios during the 1970s.

The place was rambling, and the outside farmyard views could not prepare you for the ’state of the art’ studios inside. To a 16 year old lad, It was like being inside a space control centre.

The Charlatans

I started off as a trainee tape operator, with one of my favourite indie bands of the time ‘The Charlatans’. I can remember sitting in awe of the band, being asked to make tea & coffee for band members, the producer, engineer and record label staff… I was a bit panic stricken, as I couldn’t remember all the different requests; some with sugar, some without, white, black, strong, weak, and so on. I delivered the tray shaking slightly, sitting there watching them drink with trepidation.

It was like a dream working those early days, moving the lead weight tape reels around, narrowly escaping getting crushed to death by the portable sound proof walls, setting up microphones, watching and listening to the endless rehearsals and band banter.

In Between 10th & 11th

The album we worked on was ‘In Between 10th & 11th’, and although the studio takes were raw and rocky, the finished product was mixed down very synthy.

I remember one time, being totally bollocked by FLUD, for playing my own dance music demo over the studio speakers, just as the band were rolling in for a days recording, it was my first effort at ‘Rave music’ created on a Commodore Amiga, that track ended up getting played on BRMB Radio.

Rob’s Departure

The band returned to Rockfield in later years, and Woodside Studios down the road, to record subsequent albums. I took a copy of my first white label record down for Tim some years later; when he was getting into DJing.

The band were sitting on a table in front of a signed picture hanging on the wall, which showed them posing… with Rob. The atmosphere was a bit sombre as we sat there sipping our pints of Murphys, Rob was much missed, but I am sure he was around in spirit.

Since my Rockfield days, I have stayed in loose contact with the band, and it’s nice to see they’re still the same old ‘down-to-earth’ group of guys, that I remember from my days at Rockfield.

Black Sabbath Practical Joke

By the time Black Sabbath came to work at Rockfield I had reached seventeen, the L.A. riots had kicked off and Freddie Mercury had died.. both events were watched in the studios on T.V. by bands recording there at the time.

I don’t think I really understood the importance of Black Sabbath back then, and being into rave and techno music, heavy metal was not something that really inspired me. Their eerie sounds would drift out of the studios, as I waited in the winter darkness for my brother to collect me in his battered old Ford Escort.

I wasn’t supposed to be working with the band, however, as usual I was often somewhere I was not supposed to be, and on this occasion, I was lounging on the sofa while the band were telling dirty stories of their hedonistic days. I had gained a reputation as a ’space-cadet’ by the band, as I didn’t really say much and often drifted off into my own little world.

Tony Iommi asked me if I could go and check the large, powerful speakers in the sound proofed studio in front of the mixing console. 

Paris Angels – Not From Paris And Not So Angelic

Some of the bands I worked with at Rockfield were: The Charlatans, Black Sabbath, The Damned, Crush, Naked Truth, Clannad, Kinky Machine, Paris Angels, Pop Will Eat Itself, Saw Doctors, X.T.C., Rumblefish and various other soloists.

The Paris Angels were another favourite band of the time, these guys were from the “Madchster” indie scene and we got on really well, there were a lot of them, and certain band members were often up to mischief, asking me to get them ’stuff’ from the stores… usually Marlboro Reds!

They were often back and forth to Manchester to bring ’supplies’ down. The sad thing is, that E.P. they were working on never made it to release, they were really very talented but a little unorganised, much to the frustration of the Sound Engineer at the time. I seem to remember him puffing on a lot of roll ups.

Their track ‘Perfume’ is possibly one of my all time top songs from that era.

Captain Sensible & The Damned

I knew a few Damned songs but I was never really a massive fan, so when I was told I would be working with them I couldn’t really say I was over the moon. I actually can’t remember the music they were recording, although this can be said for most of the bands I worked with.

Probably the funniest moment of the band’s stay at Rockfield was when I walked into the living quarter early one morning to discover pellet holes in the walls, the clock on the wall had pellet holes in the plastic cover too. I took the clock off the wall and the pellets rolled around inside like a cheap travel game, I think Mr Sensible had gone crazy with a ball bearing gun the night before. This kind of behaviour was normal for some bands. He must have been quite bored, or maybe angry (I remember PWEI smashing up a guitar for fun).

Music Calling

Towards the end of my time at Rockfield, I found myself drifting into my own music more and more, I ended up day dreaming about being in the band rather than behind the mixing desk.

I was getting a little stuck for things to do, and so I decided to remix some late 70’s Hawkwind and Bad Manners, during studio ‘down time’.

We had an 80s band in the studios soon after, and I was a little uninspired at the slow progress. One morning I made some tea for the producer and engineer, the producer turned around and spat it out, claiming I’d made it out of the hot water tap, hissing “that’s disgusting, go and make it again”.

I did make it again, paying special attention to what went into the mug, and then took great enjoyment watching him drink it down, it was at this point I realised it was time to move on. Rockfield was an experience that I will always remember, and I feel lucky and grateful to have lived that dream.

Oasis Vs Stone Roses

After I left, Oasis and The Stone Roses recorded some of their best material at the studios, and I still keep an eye out for albums being recorded there now.

In my opinion, Rockfield is one of the finest recording studios in the world… through it’s idyllic location, the warm friendly staff and a rich musical heritage. I hope that the studios remain popular and stay vibrant and used, they have already helped shape Britain’s audio identity, and the bands just keep rolling in through the doors.