Peter Gabriel 'Sledgehammer'

CLASSIC TRACKS RICHARD BUSKIN he words to Peter Gabriel’s most commercial song and biggest T international hit aren’t exactly subtle. Sonically drawing on some of his previous numbers, like ‘Games Without Frontiers’ and ‘Shock the Monkey’, as well as 1960s American soul records by the likes of Otis Redding, ‘Sledgehammer’ is chock full of sexual innuendo: a steam train, an aeroplane, a big dipper, a bumper car, you name it. Still, thanks to its infectious groove, Peter Gabriel ‘Sledgehammer’ contributions by the likes of legendary Stax house musicians the Memphis Horns When Peter Gabriel made the transition from and an iconic music video, it topped the prog to pop with ‘Sledgehammer’ he did it on American chart in July 1986 and climbed to number four in the UK. his own exacting terms... ‘Sledgehammer’ was the second track on So, Gabriel’s fifth solo studio album who took over as the album’s engineer albeit on my own terms.” and the biggest seller of his career, hitting after David Bascombe — who’d recorded When Genesis fan Kevin Killen received the top spot in his native Britain where it the basic tracks — left the project to a call that May, asking him to help finish was certified triple platinum and number work with Tears For Fears. “Beforehand, the record following Dave Bascombe’s two in the US where it went five-times they’d worked on the soundtrack of the departure, he jumped at the opportunity. platinum. Produced by Canadian musician Alan Parker film, Birdy, re-purposing and “I’d had quite a bit of experience Daniel Lanois, it melded Gabriel’s overdubbing on existing material that working with SSL consoles,” Killen world-music sensibilities and love of Peter had in his catalogue, and this had explains. “An SSL had been installed at experimentation with Lanois’ own ambient given them an interesting view into how Windmill Lane just prior to the making leanings to create a stone-cold classic. they might work on So, enabling things to of The Unforgettable Fire, and pretty “Peter would immerse himself in unfold naturally.” much all of the studios where I’d been anything rhythmic, whereas Dan was very working in New York also had SSLs. soulful as a producer,” says Kevin Killen, In For The Long Haul Peter and Dan got on the phone with A native of Dublin, Ireland, Killen kicked me one day and suggested I join them off his career there at the small 24-track for four to six weeks to take care of final Lombard Sound studio in late 1979, overdubs and mixing. I agreed and flew working on jingles and post-punk album to the UK, where I was picked up at projects. After a couple of years, he was Heathrow Airport by Peter’s assistant, then hired by the city’s premier facility, David Stallbaumer, who informed me I’d Windmill Lane, and in 1984 assisted and be there until the following March. I said, did additional engineering duties on U2’s ‘How do you know?’ and he replied, The Unforgettable Fire, produced by Brian ‘I know Peter. Things don’t move that Eno and Daniel Lanois at Slane Castle. quickly in his world.’ As it turned out, he This, in turn, led to Killen’s association was spot on. The sessions ran into the with Peter Gabriel; after relocating to New Year and the album wasn’t mastered New York City in November of that same until mid-February of 1986, at London’s year, he secured work as an assistant and Townhouse Studios by Ian Cooper. During then as an engineer at Electric Ladyland mastering, I fully expected Peter to Artist: Peter Gabriel while recording several gigs on U2’s call and say, ‘I have another idea for an Track: ‘Sledgehammer’ American concert tour. Meanwhile, Lanois, overdub,’ Well, we took a week off after Labels: Charisma (UK), having worked with Gabriel on the Birdy mastering and returned to Ashcombe to Geffen (US) soundtrack at the latter’s Ashcombe tidy up some other tracks that were slated Released: 1986 House home studio near Bath, Somerset, as B‑sides.” also started working on So there during Producer: Daniel Lanois the early part of 1985. Home Studio Engineers: Kevin Killen, “I’d had my fill of instrumental The Ashcombe facility was located David Bascombe experimenting for a while,” the artist within the long, rectangular cow shed of Studio: Ashcombe House would explain a quarter of a century later, a converted farmhouse, with a control “and I wanted to write proper pop songs, room overlooking the valley, but not the 82 August 2014 / www.soundonsound.com recording area that, separated by a small Peter Gabriel in front of his Yamaha CP70 piano and Fairlight, Ashcombe House. tech area, was situated just behind it. instruments and a bunch of guitars. The musicians freedom to explore new ideas, As such, there were no direct sight lines stock Studer A80 served as the A machine which sometimes ended up in the next between the two. during the initial tracking sessions, while take of the song. “We didn’t have a video connection,” the modified Studer was used as the B “Lyrically, Peter likes to ponder his says Killen. “When the musicians were machine. An Adam Smith synchroniser, choices over a long period of time and tracking, the bass, drums and guitar which controlled sync between the two he will play around with various ideas. would typically be in the recording space, machines, was installed a day before Initially, he would come up with sounds whereas when it came to the overdubs tracking began. Peter’s original demos for the basic track and try to fit key words pretty much everything — including the of his songs had consisted of a Linn 9000 into those sounds — he describes this vocals — was done in the control room. drum pattern and chord progressions on process as Gabrielese — and then the That studio was very home-spun; quite the Prophet 5 or CP70, and these had lyrics would develop from there. When basic in terms of its acoustic treatments been played back on the B machine while people came in to record overdubs, they and trapping, but it somehow managed the A machine was used to simultaneously might be playing to something that was to sound quite true.” record the band and a rough mix of the still only partially formed or completely A 56-input SSL 4000 E Series was demoed parts for reference on playback. blank vocally. As a result, even if they complemented by a stock Studer A80 “The basic tracks had mostly came up with a great part, there was 24-track machine and a modified Studio been recorded in long form, so the no guarantee it would stand the test of A80 with customised Colin Broad Audio arrangements that we now hear weren’t time. Peter was constantly upgrading his cards. Outboard gear included an EMT necessarily on the multitracks when I got ideas, and so original parts would have echo plate, AMS 1580 digital delay, RMX involved. Some of them were almost the to be replaced to accommodate the 16, Delta Labs DL2, Lexicon 224, Quantec same, but others were really elongated; new arrangements.” Room Simulator and Decca compressors, ‘Sledgehammer’ was close to 10 minutes, as well as Revox B77 quarter-inch and as opposed to the five minutes that Unique Sounds Ampex ATR half-inch tape machines. ended up making it onto the single and “The first song I heard on my arrival was “The live room had a PA system that the five minutes, 16 seconds on the album ‘Sledgehammer’. The drums, bass, guitar we also used as an echo chamber,” Killen version. When they were tracking, they’d and keyboards had been recorded in recalls, “and the control room was where do these extended sections and extended their most basic form. Peter was working Peter had his keyboards — an Emulator, vamps, because at the time Peter just on a lyrical idea and he was trying to a Fairlight, a Prophet 5 and a Yamaha had basic chord arrangements that he’d cement a melody for those lyrics. There CP70 — in addition to some percussion wanted to pursue. That also allowed the was no lead vocal, no backing vocals, www.soundonsound.com / August 2014 83 CLASSIC TRACKS RECORDING ‘SLEDGEHAMMER’ no horn parts, no organ. Even the bass part changed, going from a slightly Daniel Lanois and Kevin different tone to what it became with Killen in the Ashcombe House Tony Levin’s Boss octave pedal. In its control room. extended version, it sounded like a really cool track that needed to be edited down into a more manageable form so that its great ideas could be presented in a more concise fashion, possibly with a view to being a single. “Obviously, what [drummer] Manu Katché played had much more of a soulful feel, so that served as the master drums. Tony came back and redid the bass part at some point during the summer, based on conversations as to where the track was heading, and [guitarist] David Rhodes, Dan and Peter provided additional groove parts, including organ, in the middle of that summer.” While Levin’s bass was recorded direct, the guitars went through a Roland “As we processed each sound source, though they were listening to a drum JC120 and a Fender Deluxe, miked with it informed and affected how David, machine pattern, the track undoubtedly Shure SM57s and, on occasion, a Sony Dan and Peter would play and, given makes you want to get up and dance C500.

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