Opening up and marching on
As England slowly opens up again, the opportunity for old-fashioned collaborations returns. And not one minute too soon!
I took advantage of the situation to join my friend and long-time collaborator Claudio Corona. I spent a very enjoyable and fruitful day at his studio in East London, where he helped with a song that I’d been battling with for some time. In a few intense hours we re-recorded the bass part, which we decide to share for stylistic reasons. So, he played on the intro and verses and I played on choruses, bridge, solo section and outro. You probably won’t notice the difference in sound and style, but it felt right doing it that way. He also recorded a Hammond which adds a new dimension to the song.
Being in Claudio’s studio is a bit like being the boy in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. You’re surrounded by all kinds of vintage instruments, drums, bass, Hammond, Leslie amps, Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, guitar and bass amps and all sorts of vintage microphones and studio gear.
That’s not surprising! It’s how we grew up. 25 years ago we would be seen driving up and down Sardinia, carrying all sorts of vintage gear in our van. We were a four-piece band, not surprisingly called Vintage. Our passion and our band name required us to perform with the right gear, and so every night we would joyfully carry a Hammond organ with a huge Lombardi amp, bigger than your fridge, 2 guitar amps (a very much missed Fender Dual Showman head with a blue Marshall 4x12 cab for my Fender Stratocaster, and a Marshall combo for my lap steel). Our wonderful bass player Silvano had two bass amps (one of which found in a country lane near his home). Our drummer Giovanni had a shiny silver Ludwig kit, one glimpse of which would instantly take you right back to the golden era of rock bands. It’s nice to know that 3/4 of Vintage are involved in these recordings. Maybe one day the four of us should book a studio and work as a band again.
Our PA was another big beast, built to withstand the stifling heat inside smoky venues or the humidity of a mid-summer night in some sub-tropical beach bar. Every time my back stiffens up these days, I’m reminded of the cargo we used to carry.
Claudio kept up the vintage theme when building his studio. Of course neither me nor him shy away from what modern digital technology has to offer, but if you want that old-fashioned sound, nothing can beat the old gear.
When it comes to production, Claudio has been on a similar journey to mine, so it was nice to be able to get a second opinion and some much needed help with the mixes. A few other faithful friends have given me precious advice in recent months. That helped a lot! So even if this project may appear to be a very individual and lonely effort, given the restrictions we’ve all had to endure, there has been some some very helpful input by very knowledgeable people, particularly the musicians that graced the songs with their mastery.
Check out Claudio’s music and gear at:
