This time ten years ago, we had just completed recording the "Turn" CD. At that point, it had been the biggest project I had been a part of. Well known signed to a national label, and garranteed to be heard by hundreds of thousands of people. The Lads had Steve Berlin producing (Los Lobos member, Tragically Hip producer, and during the recording process - Grammy winner), and they had Miles Wilkinson from Nashville (originally from TO) engineering. My role being that of assistant engineer, this was going to be something I'd never forget.
In addition to working/learning from some top-notch folks, I was going to be laying hands upon some killer tech: Neve, API, Urei, Great River, Empirical Labs Distressor (still one of my all-time fave compressors). Not to mention a brand new piece of digital technology from Mackie called the Digital 8-Buss console. This was the first version of it. And for someone like me who hadn't laid eyes on anything remotely like it before.... complete drool-factor! When Great Big Sea approached me about putting together their own studio, we got a hold of Version 2 of this board. We're still using it with Version 5 software. Ace!
But, as you can imagine, it was more than just technology and gear-lust. Those six weeks in th studio left an indellible mark on me.
Why am I bringing all this up?
Well, I was replacing the the hardware on my kitchen cabinets this weekend (the endless freakin' reno that just won't finish), and threw on a couple cds into the player while I toiled. As Mrs. Crewe was out running errands around the city, I first threw on Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction. RAWK! Nothing like a good dose of thrash-metal to accompany power tools!
The second was Turn. I hadn't really listened to it in its entirety in a number of years. No sooner had the first opening notes of "Consequence Free" blared through the entire house that the memories came flooding back....
Yes... lots of toys. It was a six freaking week workshop for me. An entirely new world of ideas and techniques were laid out before me to absorb.
And I did.
"Jack Hinks" was the first tune commited to tape (ADAT XT-20s) My most vivid memory of that tune is Darrell playing his Godin guitar through Berlin's delightful 'comptortion' pedal. Only on every beat three. For the whole song. Neat!
I remember Alan destroying no less than 3 D-strings on his guitar recording "Demasduit Dream". The String gods were displeased with Doyle that day. He was particularly proud of the effort. That, and warping Sean's bodrhan through the Distressor.... WOW! I have not been able to duplicate that sound with anything else since.
One of my duties was mixing headphones for the guys. Due to space constraints in the control room (maybe because the Wall of Gear that occupied half of it), my station was in the big room with them. I remember nearly asphixiating myself trying to stiffle a cough as the last notes of "Consequence Free" faded away.
I remember recording "Captain Wedderburn" the day after the ECMA Gala. Sean did his guitar and vocal live off the floor. He nailed it in one! He didn't even realize that he had. As soon as we were done, he went to replace them with the "final" tracks. He was met with formidable resistance to that idea.... ;)
I remember all hands standing at their vocal mics (a collection of U-67s and C-12s - LUST!!!) for "Old Brown's Daughter" and being in awe. In a similar circumstance, I remember when the vocals for "Bad As I Am" were getting ready to be cut: Sean and Alan on opposite ends of the studio, each on a mic. For some reason, I had been scrambling around running cables, repatching things behind The Wall, mixing headphones. At a request of Steve, I left my station to do something else in the CR, only to trip over one of the seemingly thousands of mic cables spidering across the floor. Not having headphones on myself, I missed Berlin's remark of, "And bring me another cabin boy - this one's bum has burst" as commentary to my Chevy-Chase-like fall. Five minutes later, when the ensuing laughter died down, we started recording. That damn Cabin Boy moniker has followed me ever since.
Another shining moment was when I had to step into the engineer's chair to fill in for Miles, as he had to take the night off to deal with an illness. I was elated to be the one sitting next to Steve, while Sean belted out "I'm A Rover" at 10 pm at night. The next day, we did harmony vocals with Dermot and Fergus joining GBS for the effort! More awe ensued.
The keg of Guinness in the kitchen, hanging with Bob in the studio lounge while he answered fanmail, the creation of the 'Snarehron' for "Margarita", getting to record Al Cross, falling asleep at my station for the duration of a full take of "Feel I Turn" (hey, I was punching 14-15 hour days... cut a bugger some slack), nearly breaking my hand when one of the heavy studio doors closed on it..... Sweet Jeebus, the memories!!!
Ahh... good times.
Cheers!
S
