Pop Music Production: Manufactured Pop and Boybands of the 1990S
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Pop Music Production Pop Music Production delves into academic depths around the culture, the business, the songwriting, and most importantly, the pop music production process. Phil Harding balances autobiographical discussion of events and relationships with academic analysis to offer poignant points on the value of pure popular music, particularly in relation to BoyBands and how creative pop production and songwriting teams function. Included here are practical resources, such as recording studio equip- ment lists, producer business deal examples and a 12-step mixing technique, where Harding expands upon previously released material to explain how ‘Stay Another Day’ by East 17 changed his approach to mixing forever. However, it is important to note that Harding almost downplays his involve- ment in his career. At no point is he center stage; he humbly discusses his position within the greater scheme of events. Pop Music Production offers cutting-edge analysis of a genre rarely afforded academic attention. This book is aimed at lecturers and students in the subject fields of Mu- sic Production, Audio Engineering, Music Technology, Popular Songwriting Studies and Popular Music Culture. It is suitable for all levels of study from FE students through to PhD researchers. Pop Music Production is also designed as a follow-up to Harding’s first book PWL from the Factory Floor (2010, Cherry Red Books), a memoir of his time working with 1980s pop production and songwriting powerhouse, Stock Aitken Waterman, at PWL Studios. Dr Phil Harding started at the Marquee Studios, London, engineering for acts such as The Clash, Killing Joke, Toyah and Matt Bianco. During the 1980s, Phil was chief mix engineer for Stock Aitken Waterman (PWL Studios), working with acts such as Dead or Alive, Mel & Kim, Bananarama, Rick Astley, Pet Shop Boys and Kylie Minogue. In the 1990s, Phil and Ian Curnow ran P&E Music Studios from The Strongroom Studio complex, producing hits for East 17 (including ‘Stay Another Day’), Deuce, Boyzone and 911. Phil’s first book,PWL from the Factory Floor (2010, Cherry Red Books), was followed by productions for Holly Johnson, Samantha Fox, Belinda Carlisle and Curiosity. He completed his doctorate in Music Production at Leeds Beckett University in April 2017. Mike Collins began his music recording career in 1981 as a songwriter- producer at Chappell Music Publishing, where he achieved chart success with leading Brit-Funk band Light of the World. As part of a vibrant songwriter’s workshop in the mid-1980s, Mike co-wrote with a range of established writers and artists such as Sly Fox, Cameo, Shannon, Jermaine Stewart and Joyce Sims. This led to top-flight session work from the late 1980s as a studio musi- cian and MIDI programer working with Cubase and Pro Tools. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s Mike developed a successful technology-driven writing career with a highly respected series of books for Focal Press (Routledge) on Pro Tools. Mike leaves us with excellent music productions and his Pro Tools books, which are stocked in most university and college libraries. Perspectives on Music Production This series collects detailed and experientially informed considerations of record production from a multitude of perspectives, by authors working in a wide array of academic, creative and professional contexts. We solicit the perspectives of scholars of every disciplinary stripe, alongside recordists and recording musicians themselves, to provide a fully comprehensive analytic point-of-view on each component stage of music production. Each volume in the series thus focuses directly on a distinct stage of music production, from pre-production through recording (audio engineering), mixing, mas- tering, to marketing and promotions. Series Editors Russ Hepworth-Sawyer, York St John University, UK Jay Hodgson, Western University, Ontario, Canada Mark Marrington, York St John University, UK Mixing Music Edited by Russ Hepworth-Sawyer and Jay Hodgson Audio Mastering: The Artists Discussions from Pre-Production to Mastering Edited by Russ Hepworth-Sawyer and Jay Hodgson Producing Music Edited by Russ Hepworth-Sawyer, Jay Hodgson and Mark Marrington Innovation in Music Performance, Production, Technology, and Business Edited by Russ Hepworth-Sawyer, Jay Hodgson, Justin Paterson, and Rob Toulson Pop Music Production Manufactured Pop and BoyBands of the 1990s Dr Phil Harding Edited by Mike Collins For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/ Perspectives-on-Music-Production/book-series/POMP Pop Music Production Manufactured Pop and BoyBands of the 1990s Dr Phil Harding Edited by Mike Collins First published 2020 by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 and by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2020 Taylor & Francis The right of Phil Harding to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Harding, Phil, 1957– author. | Collins, Mike, 1949– editor. Title: Pop music production : manufactured pop and boybands of the 1990s / Dr Phil Harding ; edited by Mike Collins. Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2019. | Series: Perspectives on music production | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2019010011 (print) | LCCN 2019012004 (ebook) | ISBN 9781351189798 (Master e-book) | ISBN 9781351189781 (Pdf) | ISBN 9781351189767 (Mobi) | ISBN 9781351189774 (ePub3) | ISBN 9780815392804 (hbk : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780815392811 (pbk : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Popular music—1991–2000—History and criticism. | Popular music—Production and direction—History. | Boy bands—History. Classification: LCC ML3470 (ebook) | LCC ML3470 .H366 2019 (print) | DDC 781.6409/049—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019010011 ISBN: 978-0-8153-9280-4 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-8153-9281-1 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-351-18979-8 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by codeMantra Dedicated to my wonderful and supportive family Frances, Jenny and James And in Memory of Mike Collins Contents List of Illustrations ix Author and Editor Biographies xi Foreword xiii Preface xv Acknowledgements xvii Introduction – Methodology: Research and Interview Questions 1 1 BoyBands and Pop Music Culture 10 2 The Business of Pop Music Production 37 3 Pop Music Production Creativity 58 4 Pop Music Songwriting 65 5 Pop and BoyBand Production 79 6 Pop Music Mixing 89 7 Pop Record Examples 108 8 Conclusions and Theories 138 Appendix: Technology for Pop Music Production 159 Glossary of Terms 177 Bibliography 179 Discography 183 Index 185 vii Illustrations Figures 4.1 Hangman Sketch. Illustrated by Vince Canning, 2018. Copyright Phil Harding 2018 73 5.1 Ian Curnow (left) and Phil Harding (right) at their P&E Music Production Suite within Strongroom Studios, circa 1993 87 6.1 Typical Maxim settings, inserted on the stereo Master Fader in Pro Tools 102 6.2 Logic Pro: Export ‘All Tracks as Audio Files’ menu choice recommendation 104 6.3 Pro Tools Mix Template edit window 105 6.4 Pro Tools Mix Template mix window 105 6.5 The Phil Harding E.Q. chart. Illustrated by Vince Canning, 2018. Copyright Phil Harding 2018 106 8.1 A Service Model for (Pop Music) Creativity and Commerce. Illustrated by Vince Canning, 2018. Copyright Phil Harding 2018 145 A.1 The ‘classic’ orchestra semi-circle. Illustrated by Vince Canning, 2018. Copyright Phil Harding 2018 168 A.2 The Beethoven Studio Assimilation. Illustrated by Vince Canning, 2018. Copyright Phil Harding 2018 169 Table I.1 Themes Derived from Interview Analysis 7 ix Author and Editor Biographies Dr Phil Harding Phil Harding joined the music industry in 1973 at the Marquee Studios, London, engineering for the likes of The Clash, Killing Joke, Toyah and Matt Bianco by the late 1970s. In the 1980s, Phil mixed for Stock Aitken Waterman tracks such as ‘You Spin Me Round’ by Dead or Alive followed by records for Mel & Kim, Ba- nanarama, Rick Astley, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and Kylie Minogue. In the 1990s, Phil set up his own facility at The Strongroom with Ian Curnow. Further hits followed with productions for East 17 (including ‘Stay Another Day’), Deuce, Boyzone, 911 and Let Loose. Recent projects include the book PWL from the Factory Floor (2010, Cherry Red Books) and mixing Sir Cliff Richard’s 2011 album Soulicious. Harding has recently worked for Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Holly- wood), Tina Charles, Samantha Fox, Belinda Carlisle and Curiosity with his new production team PJS Music Productions. Phil is also Co-Chairman of JAMES (Joint Audio Media Education Services) and was the Chairman of the Music Producers Guild in 2003. Phil completed his doctorate in Mu- sic Production at Leeds Beckett University, April 2017. Mike Collins, Editor Mike Collins began his music-recording career in 1981 as a songwriter- producer at EMI Records and Chappell Music publishers, where he achieved early chart success with leading Brit-Funk band, Light of the World. ‘Ride The Love Train’ by Light of the World, co-produced and co-written by Mike Collins, reached number 40 in the UK charts in November 1981. As part of a vibrant songwriter’s workshop in the mid-1980s, led by leg- endary producer Gus Dudgeon at Dick James Music publishers, Mike co- wrote with a range of established writers and artists. Several years of TV work, producing recordings mostly for visiting US pop, soul and R&B art- ists in the 1980s, put Mike in the producer’s chair with Sly Fox, Cameo, Shannon, Jermaine Stewart, Joyce Sims and similar acts.