Studio Tan #2 - Now We're Getting Somewhere!

18.8.07

So it was back to Craigmont Studios on Saturday 18th August for round 2 of the "solo album". Big thanks to the guys at The Pad again! This time round it was Dougie at mission control who, like Colin, was extremely welcoming and humouring of the middle aged, balding muso with weird ideas... Wait til the next session for weird!!

We rolled in just before 12 after braving horrendous roadworks on the M8 and typically Scottish weather - it was pissing down! In went three guitars, the trusty Marshall, keyboard, Moog Taurus - and young electric pipe player Jane. Jane seemed to be in awe as we looked into the BBC's prop store and she took the obligatory photos of the flats where Still Game is filmed and the Me Too pink taxi...

Down to business! First up (starting easy as Iain and I had been up til 3am the night before gigging and, in my case, then back on the road at 9am), the acoustic guitar went down on Children Of War. Couple of takes, job done! We then listened back to the bass tracks with fresh ears and made the decision that they were actually OK - job done! Next up, we decided to lay down the Taurus tracks. WOW!! What a sound!!! Taurus was strategically placed on Children, Close and Ghosts - now we're getting somewhere! The previously bare tracks were now starting to come alive.

I decided to take a quick break and a sit on the control room for the next part - Janey was going to lay down her electric pipes. Thankfully, as I was completely knackered from the night before, Mr Wilson and Dougie took up the roles of musical director and guided Jane through a few takes which will be added strategically to Follow The Piper. Quite possibly we could have done this section a bit faster if I'd realised earlier that, in addition to Jane going through my amp, she was also going through my effects on Floyd setting - 10 delay bounces for every note she played!

Then things got decidedly noisy! I re-entered the studio to record the guitar parts at higher than gig volume on Les Paul & Marshall. Big thanks to Shiny Andy for helping me tune in that perfect Les Paul sound - it was skull cleaving!! All OD guitar parts down, it was time for some clean. We got about halfway through the 10 tracks before time realistically was up. As Dougie and Iain rightly said, that was enough for the day anyway as I was starting to flag - and Dougie's tea was rapidly heading in dog direction!

So, there we go... One more session of recording to go by my reckoning and job's a good 'un. Next time it's just complete the clean electric guitar parts, lay down the lead parts, keyboard washes on 3 tracks, vocals - AND TONS OF RHYTHMIC SILLINESS FROM MESSRS. MACKIE & WILSON!

Back on the road again about 6.30pm and again, thank God for Iain. With the roadworks, the M8 was as bad heading east so I literally stuck to his rear bumper like a bungee. Fife to drop Jane off through torrential rain and back home for quarter to eight and a well deserved bottle of wine!

Oh, and thanks to Stevie Lawrence for leaving another copy of his Hidden Gem CD for me. Saved the postage and the waiting - the tenner's in the till!