30

I was born in Scotland, but my family soon moved

to Tanzania (or Tanganyika, as it as called then),
which Britain had won from Germany in the war,
says Roberton from his London home. My father
was a huge Benny Goodman fan, and I was always
encouraged to take an interest in music. In the
mid-50s his family upped roots again, this time
to Kenya, just as the Mau Mau uprising was
taking place. With the unrest came British
troops, and with British troops came
forces radio. I could tune into records
that youd never normally hear in
Africa, all the early rock and roll
classics, he enthuses. I was at the
Prince Of Wales boarding school in
Nairobi, and formed various bands
with likeminded friends there.
I already knew that music would
be the focus of my life.
In 1961 Roberton moved back to
England, trained as an accountant and
found work as a salesman for Olivetti
typewriters. But his vocation lay firmly in
music, and his evenings were spent singing in
coffee-houses, accompanying himself on an acoustic
guitar. In 1964 he teamed up with another aspiring
singer, Rick Tyekiff, and they began performing as
Rick & Sandy. Our managers were TV people, so
we were getting guest spots on TV before wed made
a record. One of these was seen by Tom Springfield,
who auditioned us and signed us up to his
production company, FXB. The duos first single,
Half As Much / Cottonfields (Mercury MF 843)
appeared in January 1965, produced by Springfield.
It wasnt a hit, but they continued to appear on TV
(including several slots on Ready Steady Go) and
released three further 45s Lost My Girl / I Cant
Help It (Decca F 12196, 7/65), I Remember Baby
/ Call My Name (Decca F 12253, 10/65) and
Creation / In A Hundred Years From Now
(Decca F 12311, 12/65).
After gruelling tours of the North of England, and
seeing fellow duos Peter & Gordon and Chad & Jeremy
crack the charts, Tyekiff decided hed had enough
and quit in early 1966. Roberton persisted with a solo
45, Solitary Man / Youll Never Know (Columbia
DB 7938, May 1966), simply credited to Sandy. The
A-side was by Neil Diamond, while Roberton
himself contributed the flip. In those days,
a good A&R man could steal a march by
getting a version of an American song
recorded and released in the UK before
the original had been issued, he
explains. EMI put mine out ahead of
Neil Diamonds version, but it didnt
sell, and I knew by then that I wasnt a
particularly strong writer, so I decided
to go behind the scenes instead.
HIs first production was for a British
pop duo named The Chocolate Watch
Band (not to be confused with the US
garage band of the same name, of whom
he hadnt even heard at the time). In those
days producers were more or less A&R guys
who signed off on budgets, while engineers were
more hands-on in actually making the records. By this
time Id been in several studios, and realised I could do it
too but better. The Chocolate Watch Band managed
two 45s, The Summer Of Last Year / The Only One
In Sight (Decca F 12649, 8/67) and Requiem / Whats
It To You? (Decca F 12704, 12/67), which Roberton is
still fond of today. Between those two releases he also
issued one last 45 of his own, albeit credited to Lucien
Alexander. Baby Youve Been On My Mind / Play
Along (Miss R) appeared as Polydor 56205 in October,
with backing from the Peep Show, and again failed to
make commercial headway.
Around this time, he learnt that Chess required
someone to run their remarkable catalogue in the
UK, and applied for the post. I was interviewed by
Benny Goodmans brothers, who were really successful
ALBUM BY ALBUM: Sandy Roberton
Having released numerous 45s as an artist, in 1967 Alexander Sandy Roberton
shifted his focus to music publishing and producing. By the turn of the decade
hed become one of the most prolic producers in Britain, with a roster spanning
poetry (the Liverpool Scene), folk-rock (Steeleye Span), jazz (Harold McNair),
singer-songwriting (Shelagh McDonald), rock (Hard Meat) and more besides.
Still highly active in the music industry, here he gives RICHARD MORTON JACK
a rare insight into many of the classic albums he oversaw...
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THE LIVERPOOL SCENE
The Amazing Adventures Of (RCA SF 7995, 11/68)
I had a book by the Liverpool Poets, which said that they were in the habit of combining
poetry with music in performance. I thought this might make an interesting record, so
I cold-called Andy Roberts in Liverpool, and he confirmed that they did readings with
musical backing. I went up there to watch them, and became their manager. Theyd
already made an album for CBS (The Incredible New Liverpool Scene, 1967), but as there
were no plans for a follow-up, I arranged for them to record for RCA. At the time Ian
Grant was in charge of A&R there. He was a bit of a folkie and championed a lot of
the stuff I was making. (His brother Keith owned Olympic Studios, and Ian went on to be a folk producer at the
BBC.) Through plugging at the BBC I had got to know John Peel, so I asked him to produce it with me. That was The
Amazing Adventures Of The Liverpool Scene. Considering they were fundamentally a poetry band, they did pretty well.
They toured America with some big bands, gigged constantly in the UK, appeared a lot on TV and the radio, and
made some pretty high-profile appearances, like the Pop Proms at the Albert Hall with Led Zeppelin (who loved them
because they were humorous).
HAROLD MCNAIR
Harold McNair (RCA SF 7969) 11/68
I had my ears to the ground, and knew of Harold through working with Chris Blackwell
(whod released an album of his on Island in 1965, Affectionate Fink), as well as through
his work on various Donovan recordings. I went to see Harold at Ronnie Scotts and
asked if hed be interested in making another record. He brought in the other musicians,
who were jazzers, and we made the whole thing in Trident over the course of a single
weekend. He was a total, total musician, and improvisation was second nature to him.
I remember being surprised when he bugged his flute, so it could be electrified, as Id
never seen that done before. When the album was finished I asked the studio for a months grace on the bill and went
out and shopped it a process I repeated for years. RCA made an offer, so I settled up and Harold got an advance.
Chicago music industry guys. That amazed my dad, of course!
They took me through various songs theyd brought over, and
asked me which local artists I thought should cover them.
Evidently they liked my answers, and I got the job of working
the Jewel and Arc Music catalogues, which included great
names like Willie Dixon and Chuck Berry. I had to get the
records released on Pye, with whom Marshall Chess had a deal
at the time, as well as plugging them at the BBC and getting
them covered.
Inevitably, this led to Roberton getting to know a huge number
of people in the British music industry. In particular, he hit
it off with Mike Vernon. Mike was a great A&R man at Decca and also a producer with a wonderful ear. There
were six or seven songs from the Arc catalogue on the first Bluesbreakers album, and John Mayall used to come to
my office to listen to the latest songs, so I began to see a lot of Mike. In late 1967 Vernon and his brother Richard
decided to expand their tiny Purdah label into Blue Horizon. They therefore asked Roberton to join them and run
their publishing wing, Uncle Doris Music and Goody Two-Shoes. By the spring of 1968 the operation was up and
running, and Fleetwood Mac had started to cause a major stir.
Inspired by the Vernons, that summer Roberton decided to form a company of his own to cover his activities beyond
Blue Horizon. September Productions was born, and he began to look for acts, predominantly in the acoustic field,
which he preferred. Good music had got into in my DNA after handling so many great songs, and I had attended a
lot of sessions produced by Mike, so I decided to produce by myself, he reflects. Looking back, I cant quite believe
how many albums I made in such a short space of time. I never thought about sales I was just happy to find and
record great talent, and left it to the labels to sell the records.
The Who with a Rick & Sandy backdrop, 1965
32
I dont know whats happening on the sleeve it was designed by Terence Ibbott, who did a lot of work for Blue
Horizon at the time. Mike Vernon was a great believer in eye-catching sleeves. Harold and I went on to make two
more albums together, Flute & Nut (RCA Camden INTS 1096) and The Fence (B&C CAS 1016). Harold was always
dressed smartly, in a suit. I dont think I ever saw him in jeans. He was a great guy, a sweetie, and a wonderful
player. He died far too early.
LEGEND
Legend (Bell MBLL / SBLL 115) 3/69
This was a band from Southend led by Mickey Jupp (who got a lot of props recently
from Wilko Johnson of Dr. Feelgood). Legend had signed to a publisher in Demark
Street, and when they heard that I was a new record producer they contacted me,
probably realising I could do the job cheaply. We were all young, of course, and most
of the artists I was working with had barely been in a studio before. The Legend LP
was recorded over the course of a week in Regent Sound. In those days bands had all
their material completely ready before going into the studio, and were tight from gigs, so
really all I needed to do as a producer was get the right sound and maybe make suggestions about the arrangements.
They had a very direct, simple approach that wasnt hard to record. Their publishers shopped the tapes and got a deal
through Trevor Churchill at Bell, which was an EMI subsidiary, and that was the end of my involvement with them.
IAN ANDERSONS COUNTRY BLUES BAND
Stereo Death Breakdown (Liberty LBS 83242E) 6/69
Ian was a folk and blues singer-guitarist from Bristol, and I thought he was great. He
was playing other peoples material, but he did it well and it fitted in well with the blues
boom that was going on all around at the time. This album was recorded for Island,
shortly after Chris Blackwell had approached me to become a staff producer (that didnt
work out, because Guy Stevens didnt like the idea). At much the same time, Terry Ellis
had signed a deal for Island to release albums by some of his Chrysalis acts, and of
course Jethro Tulls lead singer was also called Ian Anderson. Terry insisted that Island
couldnt release our album, so Chris arranged for it to be released through Martin Davis at United Artists, who wanted
to stay in with Blackwell because hed signed Traffic to UA for America. I still think it sound really fresh.
AL JONES
Alun Ashworth Jones (Parlophone PCS7081) 9/69
Ian Anderson told me about his friend Al Jones, who was another folk musician in
Bristol, so I called him up, asked him to come to London and arranged to make an
album with him at Sound Techniques (where I would go on to make many other
records). It was in Chelsea, where I lived and had my office. I think that made certain
people think I had it made, but of course Id been working hard for years by this
point. Al was just the loveliest guy, and very talented. Ill always remember the cover
shoot for this album, on Wimbledon Common. We were trying to conjure up the
same old-world feel that the Stones had inside Beggars Banquet. My wife and I had just got married, and shes the
model under the table on the front. She brought her mothers cat along, and it suddenly shot away, so we ended
up spending most of the afternoon searching through the bushes and calling its name! Im glad to say we did
eventually find it again. The album was released on Parlophone, probably through contacts I had from the Legend
album a few months earlier.
ROBIN SCOTT
Woman From The Warm Grass (Head HDLS 6003, with insert) 10/69
I saw Robin performing on a TV show one evening, got a number for him and signed
him up. He was an art student, and would come up to the Blue Horizon office, full
of songs and ideas. He was going through a Leonard Cohen phase at the time, if I
remember correctly. Id got to know a guy called John Curd a bit, because we both
frequented One-Stop Records in South Molton Street. John had just started a small
label called Head, whose office was also in South Molton Street (which was a very flash
part of town for a small label to be located). I told him about Robin, and he put up the
33
money for the record to be made at Sound Techniques. John also had Mighty Baby signed up, so they did the backing
on a few tracks. There were no parts it was like a jazz session. Once an arrangement had been agreed, theyd just
improvise. It was a lovely way to make music. That was perhaps the most lasting thing for me about the album, in fact,
as I went on to use them on many other sessions. They were the best, up for anything musically. Ian Whiteman in
particular was such an inventive player. Unfortunately John Curd went to jail for drug dealing a few months later, so
that was the end of Head Records. When Robin had a massive hit with Pop Muzik a few years later, as M, I couldnt
believe it was the same guy! I recently bought another record by him, using all sorts of African instruments, which
was fabulous too.
SYNANTHESIA
Synanthesia (RCA Victor SF 8058) 11/69
By this time Ian Grant at RCA had more or less given me carte blanche to sign up bands
and make records with them. This was great for me, as the worst aspect of what I was
doing had always been trying to find a label for an album Id made. With Synanthesia
I therefore had a budget in place before going into Sound Techniques. They were a
trio Id seen playing in Les Cousins in Soho one evening, with an unusual approach I
really liked. They were really nice people, too. I thought it was a cool little record, but
unfortunately I realised a little too late that RCA had no clue how to promote what was
then called underground music, even though they felt they should get in on it. They were joining the game too late,
however, and playing catch-up. The album got a little bit of airplay here and there, but disappeared quite quickly, as
did Synanthesia themselves, Im sorry to say.
KEITH CHRISTMAS
Stimulus (RCA Victor SF 8059) 11/69
Keith was amazing, and another figure on the Bristol scene. Al Jones recommended
him to me, and I thought he was really something special because of his tunings and
the unusual way he played. He should have been bigger, and nearly broke through at
one or two points. I dont know why he didnt. Perhaps it was because his songs were
in a jamming style, and not concise enough to be commercial. That said, the jamming
approach meant that other musicians enjoyed playing on his records, and there were
always interesting players on the sessions. I recently spoke to him after he had a heart
scare, and was glad to learn that hes started playing again. [Sandy also produced Fable Of The Wings (B&C CAS 1015,
10/70 and Pigmy (B&C CAS 1041, 9/71].
NADIA CATTOUSE
Earth Mother (RCA SF 8070) 2/70
I was always looking for fresh voices, so reached out to Nadia after hearing her singing
in one club or another. We got on very well, though we didnt know each other for long.
The studio side of this album had Danny Thompson and Terry Cox from Pentangle on
it. Of course, they were the perfect rhythm section. In those days it was never a problem
getting star people to play on records if they were free, they were happy just to play,
and there was always such a good vibe at Sound Techniques. The second side was
recorded live I remember taping her in a church in Notting Hill, but the back cover says
it was done at the Augustine Bristo Church in Edinburgh during the Festival in August 1969, so the London recording
may have been a dry run. Im not sure what became of Nadia, but I do know that her son was in Level 42.
P.C. KENT
P.C. Kent (RCA SF 8083) 2/70
Paul Kent called our office one day and asked if he could come in and play some songs.
Hed already made some pretty good demos with his band, who were Beatle-obsessed,
but they didnt catch on. I remember that ABC Records in America loved the P.C. Kent
album, and offered me an overall deal to produce records for them. I told them Id get
back to them, and thought about it for a few weeks. When I did finally call them, there
had been a change in their management and the deal had gone cold. I learned a valuable
lesson from that when youre offered an opportunity in the music business, you have
34
to decide fast. I went on to make a solo album for Paul (Paul Kent, B&C CAS 1044, 9/71). When that didnt
happen either, he came to work for me for a while, then I got him a job working for Trojan in Neasden. We also
collaborated on a couple of songs that appeared on Marc Ellingtons Restoration album in 1973. He puts on events
these days, I believe.

ANDY ROBERTS
Home Grown (RCA SF 8086, with insert) 3/70
Andys an incredible guitarist, very inventive and always coming up with different
sounds. Hed been spurred on by seeing and hearing other acts while touring America
with the Liverpool Scene, and called me right after getting back to announce that hed
been writing songs and wanted to make a solo record. I was very happy to help. I got the
Mighty Baby guys in, as well as one or two others, and we recorded Home Grown very
quickly in Sound Techniques. The cover was shot at Kew Gardens, I remember, but the
record was another victim of RCAs uncertainty about how to market such music. It
later came out in America with some changes to the artwork and content, when Ampex
was trying to launch as a label. Andy flew over to promote it, but it didnt break through, probably because there
wasnt a particular track they could get onto radio and promo was very dependent on radio in those days. We went
on to make a few more albums together my favourite is Nina & The Dream Tree (Pegasus PEG 5, 10/71). Though hes
had a successful career as an accompanist for Pink Floyd and many others, and has written music for TV and various
other things, I think Andy deserves to have been more successful as a performer in his own right.
HARD MEAT
Hard Meat (Warner Bros. WS 1852) 4/70
Unlike most of the albums I produced, I was hired to make this by the bands managers,
who worked for Marquee Artists. Like Ian Andersons first LP, it was originally destined
to be on Island. A single did come out in 1969 (Rain / Burning Up Years, Island WIP
6066), but before the album could appear, Guy Stevens had decided he didnt like them.
The problem was that their managers had decided on a policy of trying to get as much
publicity as they possibly could, no matter what. As a result, a bizarre story came out
that they were rehearsing in a building in Field Marshal Montgomerys garden! This
got into the papers, Guy decided it was decidedly uncool, and the next thing I knew was that Chris was on the phone
saying Were not quite sure this is the right band for us Island paid the studio bill and returned the tapes to me,
so I sold them to Warner Bros. It did reasonably well, and they gigged a lot, but Hard Meat was a stupid name and in
hindsight they should have been marketed as more of an acoustic act than a rock band. But the Dolan brothers were
very talented, and Warners did take up the option for a second album (Through A Window Warner Bros. WS 3008,
10/70). Bizarrely, I recently had a meeting at Island, on the 6th floor of the Universal building in Kensington, and saw
the Hard Meat 45 in a wall display of all their different label designs!
STEELEYE SPAN
Hark! The Village Wait (RCA SF 8113, with insert) 6/70
Ashley Hutchings and Terry Woods contacted me in early 1970. Theyd been having
meetings around town, trying to get money to make a record, and someone at Harvest
had put them onto me. I was very positive about their music, especially the blend of Gay
Woods and Maddy Priors voices, and I knew I could get them a deal at RCA. They
went away to rehearse, had various arguments, and then came back to London to make
the album. So the seeds of the original line-up splitting were there right from the start. I
thought the album was amazing such an interesting combination of voices and talents.
Gay was a great singer, and she and Maddy really gelled. I was shocked when they told me they were breaking up
the musical spirit was so strong, and in my heart I wish Gay and Terry had never left. That said, I thought Please To See
The King (B&C CAS 1029, with insert, 3/71) was very fresh too, with no drums and the bass high in the mix, but Ten
Man Mop (Pegasus PEG 9, with booklet, 12/71) was just more of the same, and the debut is certainly my favourite.
After the first three albums I stopped working with Steeleye, and I think they wimped out and became cheesier and
more commercial. They went from being the coolest folk-rock band in the country to MOR. But Im sure they did
much better commercially!
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VARIOUS
49 Greek St. (RCA SF 8118) 8/70
This came about when RCA told me they needed another album from me for the
upcoming quarter. I didnt have anything, so I suggested a sampler, either using tracks
that had been left off earlier albums, or recorded afterwards (like Synanthesias Shifting
Sands). Tin Angel was actually Hard Meat under an assumed name, as they were
waiting for their release from Warners at the time. The album was named after the
address of Les Cousins, where a lot of these acts had performed (though the door on the
cover wasnt actually the clubs door). The album represented the end of my association
with RCA. Theyd never really known what to do with the albums Id released through them, but I really appreciated
the fact that they trusted me to sign people, and left me alone to make the records after putting up the budgets.
SHELAGH MCDONALD
The Shelagh McDonald Album (B&C CAS 1010) 11/70
When my arrangement with RCA ended, I was approached by Lee Gopthal, who
owned Trojan. He was an Indian guy and a shrewd businessman more into business
than music, I think. He was distributing Charisma and doing well with their stuff. He
wanted to set up something similar himself, and saw me as someone who could help.
B&C stood for beat and commercial, which seemed dated even then. He proposed that
I find acts, budget their records and then produce them through my own company for
release on B&C (and later Mooncrest). Of course, I agreed at once the beauty for me
was a producer was not having to shop records, and hear everyones different opinions on why they werent right for
them. I met Shelagh through Keith Christmas, who kept telling me about her. Eventually I went to see her play at Les
Cousins and was very impressed. I made her an offer there and then, but she made me wait a couple of days before
giving me a reply! She was a good writer and a good singer, with a certain mystique about her. She also looked great,
and is such a sweet and gentle person all boxes ticked, really. I loved Shelagh and I loved her records, but I wish Id
had a bit more money to make them with. I was always racing the clock in those days, but theyre special, and highly
regarded these days. Shelagh vanished soon after wed made the second one (Stargazer, B&C CAS 1043, with inner,
9/71). Apparently shed had a bad LSD trip, though I dont remember her as a drug-taker at all. Her disappearance
was an enormous shame, as I think she could have been really successful if shed carried on. But Im glad that shes
emerged again now, and it was great to see her performing in London earlier this year.
EVERYONE
Everyone (B&C CAS 1028, with booklet) 1/71
Andy Roberts put this band together after the Liverpool Scene, with John Porter on
guitar and Bob Sergeant on organ, and I managed and produced them. John had been
great friends with Bryan Ferry at art college in Newcastle, and Bob had been in Junco
Partners. Their sound was keyboard-heavy, and they were fantastic live. They were very
interested in record production, so even though I was in charge, they had plenty of ideas
as well. Things were looking good for them they could have toured the US and broken
there but in November 1970, after wed finished the album, their roadie Paul Scard
was killed in a terrible road accident, when an articulated lorry skidded and jackknifed right into his path. Their van
and all their equipment were destroyed, and the subsequent fight to get the insurance company to pay up took forever.
They said Paul had been stoned, said whatever they could, even though it wasnt his fault at all. While I was battling
with them, the band ran out of steam and splintered. It was a real shame, but Bob went on to produce the Beat and
others, while John had great success producing the Smiths, Roxy Music, B.B. King and others.
TIM HART & MADDY PRIOR
Summer Solstice (B&C CAS 1035) 6/71
Tim and Maddy had made a couple of records together before Steeleye Span, and
eventually told me they wanted to make another, which we worked on between Steel-
eye albums. There were some world-class musicians in Steeleye Ashley Hutchings,
Peter Knight, Martin Carthy and so on and my reading was that there was a certain
snobbery towards Tim, good though he was, as if his musical contribution was a dis-
tant fourth to theirs. He played very well on Summer Solstice, though, and I love the
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Beat Instrumental, July 1971
37
record. Some of the sounds and performances really are lovely, but as always it was done very quickly. There
was never enough money, and I have no idea how many copies it sold. B&Cs royalty department was a joke, but
perhaps navely I didnt mind. I was just delighted to making albums without interference. The great virtue of the
arrangement was that my word was enough for them, and they just left me to get on with it. Joe Boyd had a similar
set-up at Island.
SHIRLEY COLLINS & THE ALBION COUNTRY BAND
No Roses (Pegasus PEG 7) 11/71
This came about through Ashley Hutchings, who was living with Shirley and
wanted me to be involved. Ashley is the one who really deserves credit for getting
all those fabulous musicians in Richard Thompson, the Mighty Baby guys, Nic
Jones, Lol Coxhill, Barry Dransfield, Mile and Lal Waterson, Simon Nicol and so
on. I have no idea what it cost to make, but the session fees would soon have added
up! Shirley had a great knowledge of songs from that era, and a true feel for them.
Shes a lovely person, very warm, and a pleasure to work with. It was quite an
adventurous record for her, heading in more of a rock direction, with electric guitar, drums and so on. It cant
have made any money, but its still available to this day, which is kind of surprising.
MARC ELLINGTON
A Question Of Roads (Philips 6308 120) 7/72
Marc was a charismatic and pushy American whod come to London as a draft-
dodger in the late 60s. He had the gift of the gab and quickly fell in with the Fairport
crowd and got a record deal with Philips. For reasons I dont recall, they didnt want
to issue his second album, Rains / Reins Of Changes, even though it had been finished
and featured an amazing cast of musicians Sandy Denny, Chris Hillman, Richard
Thompson, Ian Matthews, Sneaky Pete, Dave Mattacks, you name it. I picked it
up for B&C, as an A&R guy, got friendly with him and agreed to produce his next
albums. He left me to it choosing songs, finding musicians and so on. By this time he was preoccupied by a
rundown castle hed bought in Scotland, Towie Barclay, which he spent a lot of time and energy restoring. I
remember staying with him there once, and he suddenly said Lets visit the Queen Mother! She had a house
nearby, and he drove through the back roads to reach it. I kept saying We cant just turn up! but he was totally
confident, and managed to persuade a plainclothes officer who jumped out at us that he owned a local castle and
so on. Before I knew it we were going up the drive. Being British, I was dying of embarrassment, but he walked
right in, only to return a couple of minutes later and announce that she wasnt at home that day. But thats the
sort of guy he was. We ended up making three albums for Philips A Question Of Roads, Restoration and Marc
Time but they werent fantastic, as he was very reliant on the backing musicians and wasnt really a songwriter.
I last spoke to him a couple of years ago, when my phone in Los Angeles rang in the middle of the night. I was
half-asleep, but it was good to hear from him.
PLAINSONG
In Search Of Amelia Earhart (Elektra K 42120, with insert) 10/72
Plainsong eventually emerged out of Everyone, with Andy Roberts and Dave
Richards coming together again, after Andy had toured America with Richard
Thompson. The guitarist, Bob Ronga, had been a roadie in the US, but was a great
guitarist, and added a bit of American energy to their approach. I had hopes of
them becoming like a British version of the Eagles, and signed a deal for them with
Warners, who had recently acquired Elektra. Jac Holzman flew over and gave the
deal the thumbs-up, only to bend Ians ear about becoming a solo star. Jac was keen on Plainsong, but he really
wanted Ian alone, and sadly Ian took the carrot and moved to the US. That was a bit weird for me, as wed been
good friends, and suddenly it was all over. We were in the middle of making a second Plainsong album, which
Ian then continued in the US with Mike Nesmith producing. I started legal action over that, but soon decided
life was too short and gave it up.
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DECAMERON
Say Hello To The Band (Vertigo 6360 087) 1973
This was another acoustic band, led by Johnny Coppin and Dave Bell. I thought they
were all great guys. When I met them they were being handled by the comedian Jasper
Carrott and his manager. They didnt really know what they were doing, so I took over
and got them a deal on Vertigo. They worked really hard on the folk circuit, and had
a lot of support. I thought their songs were really interesting, but unfortunately one of
the members, Geoff March, wanted to leave and find a proper job and they never took
off. For bands like this to succeed everyone has to be pulling in the same direction, and
willing to struggle together, not that I blame him for leaving. They made what I thought of as thinking-mens folk
records, but just never sold enough to break through, despite having a strong following.
JOE SOAP
Keep It Clean (Polydor 2382 233) 11/73
This was basically the duo of John Tennent and Dave Morrison. John was a Glaswegian
singer and Dave was an American guitarist who was very good at playing bottleneck.
Theyd signed up to a production company called Colour Me Gone, which was co-
owned by a Canadian guy called Mark London, and Peter Grant. Id known Peter since
the Rick & Sandy days, and always liked him. By the 70s he was doing incredibly well
with Led Zeppelin, and his office was very near to where I lived in the Kings Road.
John and Dave had made an album as Tennent-Morrison in 1972, and Peter invited me
to produce their follow-up. We brought in great musicians like Jimmy McCulloch (then with Wings), Mick Kaminski
(who later joined ELO after I recommended he audition) and Gerry Conway. Im not sure why they called the album
Joe Soap, and it did nothing I think Polydor were distributing Atlantic at the time, so they basically had to do
whatever Peter Grant wanted, for obvious reasons. But their deal with Colour Me Gone went south after the album
came out, and it was quickly forgotten. I actually made another record with John and Dave later in the decade, down at
the Sawmills in Cornwall. It came out in Germany in 1981, as Dave Morrison With Joe Soap, and has one of the most
awful sleeves Ive ever seen!
IAN MATTHEWS
Journeys From Gospel Oak (Mooncrest CREST 18) 1974
I met Ian through Andy Roberts, and had always thought he was a great singer,
right from his days in the Pyramid and Fairport Convention. He was managed by
Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, who were hugely successful songwriters and had
done very well with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. We had a meeting in
the amazing house they shared in North London, and they asked if I wanted to
co-manage and produce Ian. At the time he was signed to Vertigo, but wanted to
leave. He still owed them an album, so we made Journeys From Gospel Oak quickly in
November 1972, almost live. It was a contractual fulfilment record, but it has some great stuff on it and excellent
players like Jerry Donahue, Pat Donaldson and Andy. Like Rod Stewart, Ian has always had a talent for choosing
just the right songs to cover, and its well worth a listen. Its release was delayed because of the legal issues, by which
time Ian had formed Plainsong, and our relationship went from there. Hes a very gifted guy, and its a great shame
he hasnt made it bigger. I think he deserved it.
GAY & TERRY WOODS
The Time Is Right (Polydor 2383 375) 1976
Of course, I knew Gay and Terry from the early Steeleye days, and had always kept in
touch with them. Theyd made an album called Back Woods for Polydor in 1975, and
asked me to take over the production from Tony Atkins for the next ones. I think Terry
saw himself as an Irish Neil Young, and Gay saw herself as an Irish Joni Mitchell. I
got some of the Fairport guys involved, as well as Dave Morrison from Joe Soap and
a few others. The third album I made with them, Tender Hooks, came out on my own
label, Rockburgh. It was actually recorded in Ireland. I stayed with them, and got
Kate McGarrigle to fly over and sing and play piano on it. I was recently in a restaurant in London and saw Martha
Wainwright at the next table, so I told her that Id produced an album with her mum on it, and that was it we were
39
away, reminiscing! I really liked the albums I made with Gay and Terry, but I think they suffered from not being able
to tour with musicians, so their live act was quite different to the records, which had a full band on them. Sadly, when I
couldnt keep Rockburgh going anymore, they couldnt get another deal. I think what they were doing was perhaps a little
dated by the late 70s, when punk was in full swing. Theyre divorced now, and of course Terry has been with the Pogues
for years. I dont think Gay sings anymore, and in fact I havent seen her since those days but they were lovely people.
SPRIGUNS
Time Will Pass (Decca SKL 5286, with insert) 1977
Spriguns had already made a few records before signing to Decca in 1976, and it was
another classic case of a major label jumping on a bandwagon too late they were trying
to join the folk-rock scene, but they had no idea what they were doing. Mandy Morton
was a big Cambridge folkie, and Spriguns was her brainchild. She was a frontrunner of
folk-goth. It wasnt just dressing-up for her: she looked kind of witchy the whole time, and
really lived the part. She was very focused and knew exactly what she wanted to achieve.
Their previous album for Decca (Revel Weird & Wild) had come out the year before, and
was produced by Tim Hart. I was simply hired to make Time Will Pass, maybe on his recommendation. I asked Robert
Kirby to do the strings, as hed done arrangements on albums Id produced for Shelagh McDonald, Keith Christmas
and others, and I always enjoyed working with him. What a talent he had. I think that Spriguns would have done well in
the early 70s, but by 1977 it was too late for this type of album to break through. But because of how well-defined their
image was, I think they would have thrived in the era of Facebook and Twitter, when you can reach out and cultivate a
strong fanbase if you know exactly who you are and what youre trying to achieve which Mandy did. F