Gizmo’s ‘Mars’ 

Gizmo's 'Mars'

“Unbelievable! It’s been 40 years since I heard this track that I engineered in my studio 40 years ago!”

Once again, I’m feeling very nostalgic.

Brian Gould was a friend who recently passed, which has prompted me to write this post and to share some of his music.

Brian was a lovely guy and a truly talented musician. He will be sorely missed.

I was very fortunate from my earliest days in the ‘music biz’ to have Brian come and record in my studio: he was at the time the keyboard player in a band called Gizmo.

Gizmo were a lot of fun: a prog rock band with a ton of personality.

Dave Radford, Steve Wyse & Maurice Memmott completed the line-up.

It was 1985, and my new (posh) studio had recently opened in Canterbury.

It was in fact the 3^rd ‘Oakwood’ studio. The 1^st had been in my parents dining room, and the 2^nd was cobbled together from three naff rooms above a ‘greasy spoon’ café called ‘El Ranchero’ in Mortimer Street, Herne Bay. Gizmo had already recorded their first two albums with me, which was an absolute privilege. Thanks guys. Thanks Dave.

One session I particularly remember recording in my new posh studio was with Gizmo.

I can remember this session being really hard work. Loads of parts to record – loads of illegal substances imbibed – and the thought that I might never get to bed. Yes – it went on for a long time!

I thought at the time that the concept wouldn’t work – a prog rock band playing one of the most famous classical works of all time – Mars from Holst’s The Planets.

How would they capture the dynamics of a large orchestra? How would they manage to play all the parts? How would I get through this marathon session? (I’ve never been one of those guys who would love working through the night. I like my bed.)

But how wrong could I be about Gizmo’s ambition?

The track turned out great.

Here it is in its entirety. Quite an achievement, I’m sure you’ll agree!

Enjoy.

Here is the music...

WAV file - higher quality

Your response to my music is welcomed below...

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