A Mark In Time

Vinyl Corner => DS & MK => Topic started by: Love Expresso on March 03, 2024, 08:44:54 PM

Title: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Love Expresso on March 03, 2024, 08:44:54 PM
I am spinning Missing.... Presumed Having A Good Time right now and I am deeply satisfied about how great this pressing and the whole recording sounds. I know about the small Mews House recording studio with its flaws and all, but to me, this sounds definitely MUCH better than f.e. Down The Road Whatever. (Checked some reviews on Discog and it seems I am not alone with this. Highly praised are recording, sound stage and pressing.) Together with the just uplifting good mood music and the fine spirit of the whole thing it is easily one of the nicest records I have and also one of the best ones of MK's career.

I bought this vinyl on (a rainy) release day in 1990 in the then still existing small record shop in my home town, they had exactly one copy in stock. No pre order or anything, just trying and got lucky. It was one of the last vinyls I originally bought for a long time before I changed to CD completely. The record was with me all those years but never been played between 1993 and let's say 2017. I cleaned it and it still sounds exceptionally good apart from one minor cracking on One Way Gal. Love this copy, the sleeve picture and everything and above all that clear, crisp and open sound. Great bass, perfect mix, phantastic vocal recording. It was not all bad before British Grove Studios...

LE

Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Mossguitar on March 04, 2024, 01:25:36 AM
I am spinning Missing.... Presumed Having A Good Time right now and I am deeply satisfied about how great this pressing and the whole recording sounds. I know about the small Mews House recording studio with its flaws and all, but to me, this sounds definitely MUCH better than f.e. Down The Road Whatever. (Checked some reviews on Discog and it seems I am not alone with this. Highly praised are recording, sound stage and pressing.) Together with the just uplifting good mood music and the fine spirit of the whole thing it is easily one of the nicest records I have and also one of the best ones of MK's career.

I bought this vinyl on (a rainy) release day in 1990 in the then still existing small record shop in my home town, they had exactly one copy in stock. No pre order or anything, just trying and got lucky. It was one of the last vinyls I originally bought for a long time before I changed to CD completely. The record was with me all those years but never been played between 1993 and let's say 2017. I cleaned it and it still sounds exceptionally good apart from one minor cracking on One Way Gal. Love this copy, the sleeve picture and everything and above all that clear, crisp and open sound. Great bass, perfect mix, phantastic vocal recording. It was not all bad before British Grove Studios...

LE
Nice! And yes, a great record! Who played the bass?
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Love Expresso on March 04, 2024, 06:34:32 AM
Marcus Cliffe on bass.

LE
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Jules on March 04, 2024, 07:16:17 AM
Marcus Cliffe on bass.

LE

Not in the record.

The bass and drums in the record were programmed by Guy, or player in the Synclavier, or both!
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Love Expresso on March 04, 2024, 07:22:20 AM
I knew you were posting within 20 min.

Cliffe is credited on the album. Can't check right now but am pretty sure.

LE
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Mossguitar on March 04, 2024, 07:41:30 AM
Marcus Cliffe on bass.

LE

Not in the record.

The bass and drums in the record were programmed by Guy, or player in the Synclavier, or both!
Yepp ;)
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Jules on March 04, 2024, 08:44:22 AM
I knew you were posting within 20 min.

Cliffe is credited on the album. Can't check right now but am pretty sure.

LE

I never seen any reference to any bass or drum player in that record, as far as I remember.
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Love Expresso on March 04, 2024, 10:07:18 AM
I knew you were posting within 20 min.

Cliffe is credited on the album. Can't check right now but am pretty sure.

LE

I never seen any reference to any bass or drum player in that record, as far as I remember.

True, sorry my fault. Must have mixed it up with the Wikipedia entry about the band.

LE
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Jules on March 04, 2024, 10:18:44 AM
I knew you were posting within 20 min.

Cliffe is credited on the album. Can't check right now but am pretty sure.

LE

I never seen any reference to any bass or drum player in that record, as far as I remember.

True, sorry my fault. Must have mixed it up with the Wikipedia entry about the band.

LE

I always thought that it was weird that the bass and drums were programmed by Guy instead of using any musicians, specially as MK worked before with Brendan Croker playing in "No money at all", it could had been logical to call the bass (Marcus) and the drummer from Brendan's band. Probably the project had a very low budget but the 5 O'clock shadows would had cost much, lol
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Love Expresso on March 04, 2024, 10:30:09 AM
It was the time when Guy had made complete Orchestra soundscapes on Last Exit To Brooklyn and The Princess Bride. The analogue/vintage era seemed to start not before 1996 when MK obviously had changed his mind about the whole real playing and vintage thing. But indeed it seemed to be very low-key and maybe that's the main reason. Although synclavier bass, it sounds very good to my ears.

LE
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Jules on March 04, 2024, 10:53:03 AM
It was the time when Guy had made complete Orchestra soundscapes on Last Exit To Brooklyn and The Princess Bride. The analogue/vintage era seemed to start not before 1996 when MK obviously had changed his mind about the whole real playing and vintage thing. But indeed it seemed to be very low-key and maybe that's the main reason. Although synclavier bass, it sounds very good to my ears.

LE

I play drums in a very amateur way, but as you would know, I'm very fan of drums and drummers, and some of the drums arrangement in that record sound so real and well made that before internet times where you can find info about everything, I thought it was a real drummer!
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: dustyvalentino on March 04, 2024, 11:08:02 AM
It was the time when Guy had made complete Orchestra soundscapes on Last Exit To Brooklyn and The Princess Bride. The analogue/vintage era seemed to start not before 1996 when MK obviously had changed his mind about the whole real playing and vintage thing. But indeed it seemed to be very low-key and maybe that's the main reason. Although synclavier bass, it sounds very good to my ears.

LE

I play drums in a very amateur way, but as you would know, I'm very fan of drums and drummers, and some of the drums arrangement in that record sound so real and well made that before internet times where you can find info about everything, I thought it was a real drummer!

Technically, it WAS a real drummer - Ed played the samples that Guy loaded into the synclavier. So they are real drum sounds, just not played live.
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Jules on March 04, 2024, 12:01:30 PM
It was the time when Guy had made complete Orchestra soundscapes on Last Exit To Brooklyn and The Princess Bride. The analogue/vintage era seemed to start not before 1996 when MK obviously had changed his mind about the whole real playing and vintage thing. But indeed it seemed to be very low-key and maybe that's the main reason. Although synclavier bass, it sounds very good to my ears.

LE

I play drums in a very amateur way, but as you would know, I'm very fan of drums and drummers, and some of the drums arrangement in that record sound so real and well made that before internet times where you can find info about everything, I thought it was a real drummer!

Technically, it WAS a real drummer - Ed played the samples that Guy loaded into the synclavier. So they are real drum sounds, just not played live.

I'm not sure Ed played the samples, as far as I recall they asked Ed to join them at drums for the tour, I always thought that they used the Linn drum machine for that, which is the same one they used for Going Home.
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: dustyvalentino on March 04, 2024, 12:02:45 PM
I recall someone saying that Ed played the samples but can't quote you a reference off the top of my head I'm afraid. :)
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: dustyvalentino on March 04, 2024, 12:11:19 PM
From 2hrs 18mins...

https://omny.fm/shows/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/ed-bicknell
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Jules on March 04, 2024, 12:24:48 PM
From 2hrs 18mins...

https://omny.fm/shows/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/ed-bicknell

Oh yeah, I remember that podcast.

I can be wrong but I understand that Ed says MK kind of auctioned him for being the drummer for the tour rather than recording samples.
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: dustyvalentino on March 04, 2024, 12:50:28 PM
From 2hrs 18mins...

https://omny.fm/shows/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/ed-bicknell

Oh yeah, I remember that podcast.

I can be wrong but I understand that Ed says MK kind of auctioned him for being the drummer for the tour rather than recording samples.

No, that's not what he says.
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Jules on March 04, 2024, 12:52:24 PM
From 2hrs 18mins...

https://omny.fm/shows/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/ed-bicknell

Oh yeah, I remember that podcast.

I can be wrong but I understand that Ed says MK kind of auctioned him for being the drummer for the tour rather than recording samples.

No, that's not what he says.

I understand that MK played him the songs and asked him if he was able to play them, he did, and then Mk says to him, Ok, we're going on tour and you'll be our drummer.
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: dustyvalentino on March 04, 2024, 01:00:58 PM
He literally talks about the recording process, where the microphones are placed etc. He also says that they sampled him as well and he may not be on every track.
Title: Re: Notting Hillbillies LP
Post by: Love Expresso on March 04, 2024, 02:28:38 PM
Very interesting to listen to, thanks for the link.
I was laughing about the phone call "what are you doing?" - "wanking"  because in the other thread about Ed there was a similar sort of thing on the phone ("guess what I have on my table right here" - "your cock").. shows some good sort of humour and some kind of running gag between them.
 
And more serious he praised Mark's working ethics and called it hard to keep up with. That is a thing I am thinking a lot about lately. Just thinking that in 1992 something "ended" and today it is 32 years later  and 10 solo albums and 11 big tours later and he is still going on. In Germany, pension starts at 65/67 and is seen as well deserved. MK is 75 soon and still going on. Very impressive.

LE