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Professional recording

Well, after playing several open mic events and a couple of local festivals, I was asked to perform on the acoustic stage at a record companies launch night.

A few weeks later the owner of the company Robert Harrison of Long Haired Music in Spilsby, Lincolnshire saw me in Lincoln and asked if he could record my playing. This would be great, but I could only perform original material. Well I had 4 songs that I have been playing on and off for some time but I had to get down to writing another 4 songs or tunes. Actually I was surprised that this was not the difficult bit. The problem was finding enough time to rehearse and learn the songs.

Rob invited me over to the studio for a pre recording meeting and I learnt that the recordings were to be put onto i-tunes.

So, the recording day came around and I found myself 'on the road' at 7 o'clock - in the morning - to Spilsby.

What an amazing set up at the studio. A beautiful room with so much equipment in the booth that the U S S Enterprise would look under equipped. After setting up came the awkward bits. Rob said the bass drum kick pedal was squeaking and the hi hat tambourine was producing a thud as my foot hit the floor. Lots of work with oil and gaffer tape meant we were ready to record and after one tune it was time for breakfast.

At about six o'clock - in the evening - all was recorded and I was shattered. Rob will be mixing the music as although each song was recorded 'live' all the instruments went through individual microphones.

All that is left is to decide on a name for the recording. Like an album name if you like and the order of the tracks and a photo' for the 'cover'

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tales from a long road..

Its 1972, I'm around eleven years old- I'm in a working mans' club somewhere in the north and we'd just played a set.This particular night we get told not to come out of the dressing room during the next performance as it was unsuitable for kids to see.So of course I sneak out onto the balcony.I remember peering down at the stage.I can still see the scene now in my minds eye.Theres this woman singer on stage-she is gorgeous-long blonde hair, full lips,long lashes-a skintight silver dress that leaves nothing to the imagination.Damn shes hot.I may be eleven but-well, you know.

After a number she asks which guy would like to come onstage and kiss her-the crowd are going crazy "ME! NO ME!!!" eventually she chooses some jammy bugger and up he goes-man I bet he cant believe his luck-the kiss turns into a full blown snog and everyone is drunk and cheering and all that.All I can think about is-I wish it was me.Well the guy goes back triumphantly into the audience and the sexy blonde starts singing her next number-she starts stripping-oh man-this gonna be great.Nobody has spotted the wide eyed kid on the balcony-my heart starts to race- off come her over the elbow gloves, singing all the while..off comes the hair-uh oh-out come the plastic boobs-oh shit! the fake lashes get peeled off and discarded..well by the time she gets to the last chorus 'she' is a short haired,gravel voiced man-aarrgh!! holy cow!-I cant believe it and judging by the noise, the crowd weren't expectin it either.Sheesh-I always wonder what the guy from the audience must have felt like and also marvelled at the fact that the tranny didn't get decked-it was a northern working mens club after all-it sure as shit wasn't Madam Jojo's in Soho.

Well I'm just remembering some of the gigs I played as a kid you understand.Self indulgent I know but what the hell.

Laters..HB

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