Trevor Horn’s adventures in modern recording with ABC, Frankie, Yes and Rod Stewart
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 3 ноя 2022
- The teenage Trevor Horn could be found playing bass in dance bands on the Top Rank circuit supporting acts like Tommy Cooper (and singing Long-Haired Lover From Liverpool and Hi-Ho Silver Lining). He began writing songs for Tina Charles, had a worldwide hit with Buggles and went on to produce Dollar, ABC, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Malcolm McLaren, Grace Jones, Pet Shop Boys and countless others. In this terrific exchange he talks about life in covers bands (“big money, £150 a week”), how the Fairlight changed the landscape, the diplomacy all producers require, his “pictorial sense” of how ABC should sound, his regrets about Frankie, bands’ paranoia about their record companies, Rod Stewart and the “farting post”, why he’d like to work with Bob Dylan and the drama of making Owner Of A Lonely Heart. Worth it for his uncanny impersonations of Dylan and Rod Stewart alone, and further stories from his just-out memoir ‘Adventures in Modern Recording: From ABC to ZTT’.
Which you can buy here …
www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-M...
@Trevor_Horn_
Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon for a whole host of extra and exclusive content, benefits and rewards!: / wordinyourear 
Видеоклипы
Trevor sprinkles pop magic on anything he touches: total legend.
Thanks,Trevor for making the 80sgreat
Horn is one of an elite group of producers that changed the game... Spector in the 60's, George Martin in the 70's and Trevor Horn in the 80's. His work with ABC, Frankie, Dollar and so many others is so definitive and original. He is also very warm, witty and grateful for his place in music culture. The cat is a real class act.
I’ve just finished this book, and thought it was superb, highly recommended
Have to say i'm half way through the book and it is excellent. Highly recommeded.
Trevor is just awesome...real soul and straight shooter...80s were tough times...thanks TH
I saw Trevor Horne sing twice in fall 1980
Fun stuff from one of the great 80s prpducers. Thank you.
Great to hear Trevor on here. Shame it wasn't longer, would've loved to have heard more detail about "The Lexicon Of Love". Also, the genius behind his work with Dollar and Grace Jones' superb "Slave To The Rhythm" album.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book too. I was hoping to read more on one of my heroes, Lol Creme but I understand that the Producers period doesn’t really fit the hit making years.
Trevor Horn is one of the best pop producers and is a huge presence in the music business and such a nice geezer.
For me, Lexicon of Love is my favorite Trevor Horn production, an almost perfect pop record
The closest any producer got to perfection! Horn always maintains its lyrics that spark his whole approach to a record. In Martin Fry he found pop's poet laureate. A stunning debut LP.
I think its his best overall production and a major production at that. The whole ZTT thing just fantastic
Trevor is a huge talented producer with a brilliant musical ear. After the Buggles, the first I heard of him again was five years later producing Frankie, though of course he'd been successfully producing for years by then. I was impressed by that huge dramatic sound, but it wasn't the sort of thing I wanted to buy and listen to on my record player. Then, many years later, I checked out his discography and it clearly demonstrated that he knew exactly the sound each artist needed at that particular time. I've now probably got a hundred albums he contributed in some way. Amazing.
Trevor so unassuming... All of My Heart and Owner of the Lonely Heart be two of the best ever pop songs
Lord Windemere vs. Carl Uberboomer. Depending on which version of you get, it's either called, "The Contest" or 'The Crepitation Contest". Usually, it's a 4-parter so, it's two 45's or 78's.
I will purchase ‘Adventures in Modern Recording: From ABC to ZTT’ for sure! Glad Trevor never worked with Dylan, he's a folkie by nature and technology doesn't fit his music IMO. But imagine Trevor producing ABBA in the day? They could have had confidently approached the 80s and kept soaring!
He brings up an interesting point around the 4:40 mark.
British beat groups had no history of horn sections in their bands. They had no history of bands led by keyboardists. They had no real knowledge of Jazz theory, so they had no ability to play in flatted keys. They played everything in guitar keys like E and A.
It drove Chuck Berry up a wall when he tried to hire pick-up bands in the UK.
I guess John Mayall did (have horn sections and play in alternative keys)
The work with Dollar was crucial in the development of the eighties sound and paved the way for production of other bands like ABC, FGTH, PSB, etc. I am surprised it is not discussed more in interviews because as well as some amazing pop songs there must be a lot of technical detail in respect of how he got arrived at those sounds and created a palette not heard with bands previously through producing Dollar. I like a very eclectic mix of music right across the board but can only assume it is snobbery and disdain for Dollar's image that means the music they made with Trevor Horn is overlooked.
Very true and it's overdue for people to say this. I'd always read that Dollar was very lite, trifling pop, no where near new wave or other serious music. Only 5 years ago via RUclips did I properly hear their music. Especially the Trevor Horn produced tracks are fabulous and way ahead of the times. Still I had to order the CD from eBay to get it in my collection. Now I see that album as important as Dare, Lexicon, Cupid & Psyche, etc.
@@dmerls8571 Interesting. The Dollar Album is a great collection of tracks in my view. I don't think Trevor Horn produced them all but several he did. Their image was no more deserving of mockery than numerous other bands of the era (not that I am advocating this) yet the context of their importance to the development of the eighties sound was mostly disregarded at the time and since. I don't think the evolution of the eighties sound(s) can be understood without reference to Trevor Horn's work with Dollar. I agree the sounds that he produced with them were ahead of the time. They have stood the test of time too in my view.
That's a classic. Good on you, Trev.
Some of these songs I must have heard 100s of times Fascinating how he conjures up the magic regardless of how clued up (ABC) or clueless (Dollar) the artists are
Great interview and the rod stewart impersonation was hilarious 😂😂😂
interesting and humorous interview.
My favourite yes album is drama it was the first album of that's I listened to
What there was of it was very interesting, but it could easily have been twice as long. Would have liked to hear more about the Buggles and his work with Dollar and ABC. For anyone who doesn't know, the title of his book is taken from the title (track) of the Buggles' second album.
It’s true about the message of Video Killed…playing a part in its success. I seem to remember radio 1 DJs reacting with slight umbrage at spinning this record that was supposedly killing them off. It was a zeitgeist-y sort of moment. And even if the song didn’t exactly come true, there’s always been talk of a new thing killing off something else, whether home taping, piracy, streaming or whatever.
Saw YES in NYC in 1980 and he was great.
I was at that show as well.
MSG.
They were very good, despite a few dissenters in the audience.
Thank you all first class 👍
Someone convinced Jon Anderson he wrote 'Owner of a lonely heart'.
Ohhh! I recognise those two interviewers as being former 'Old Grey Whistle Test' presenters only _now_ , two minutes before this video is finished! 😅 🙄
Love his book.
No glasses, leaning in, David Essex.
A Hetton boy!!
Enjoyed the book
Ha I was just going to say that!! Well Houghton anyway! :)
Boris Rose, the legendary and famous bootlegger, pressed up the farting contest on vinyl.
Farting Contest with Paul Boomer & Lord Windesmear: ruclips.net/video/2FyD95Hv7CU/видео.html
Disagree about Bob Dylan live - he is great.
You didn’t ask him for his “best record ever?
....he said it was 'like a rolling stone'
I remember him saying years back how much he loved Telstar by The Tornados
Propaganda A Secret Wish. WOW.
Manages to take a dig at Bowie, Nile Rodgers and Elvis Costello. Big cojones! Can’t think of one Trevor Horn production I like: too plasticky for me, epitomises everything I don’t like about the 1980s.
Great producer but come on! He could have treated the band far better than he did. Shame on him.