Episode 9: Abbey Road Studios
After Simon had done a few gigs with The Weeds, he ended up getting spotted by Mark E Smith from The Fall. Also on tour, Mark signed Simon up at a gig in Bristol.
In this episode, we join Si outside the legendary Abbey Road Studios. This studio brings back many great memories for Si in The Fall. At a beautiful time of year, the band would be chauffeur driven to Abbey Road Studios from Swiss Cottage.
The Fall recorded several records with world famous producer, John Leckie (Lennon, Pink Floyd, The Stone Roses). Leckie actually began work at Abbey Road Studios on 15 February 1970 as a tape operator. He later graduated to balance engineer and record producer.
With the studio clock ticking and in true rock n roll fashion, Mark E Smith would often turn up hours late for each session! He would rubbish the work John Leckie and the band had made in his absence. He disliked modern recording techniques, often kicking mics away from drums, preferring the live sound over a U2-sounding rock track! There was always the energetic power of Studio Two and Mark obviously fought well to get his sound just as he wanted it.
The Bend Sinister album was the band’s ninth offering. It was a recording period that Smith would later describe as the band’s glory years. A period in which The Fall’s commercial success was matching the brilliance of their song writing. The music seemed to perfectly echo a certain mood of the time.
Credits: @VideoChain Digital Blanket
Producers: James Delargy John Steven Locke