Recorded Work - Atom Heart Mother

Like many things, my involvement with AHM was circumstantial. Robert and I had produced demos for the band, which featured former NMA merchandiser Rainwort Van Gliding Frog, Tim 'Slim Jim' Rockshaft, and Andy Stratford, the guy I beat to the New Model Army job. After I left NMA I ended up sharing a flat with Tim. Strat left the band and I stepped in to cover for a few gigs. We went to a studio in Swindon to record a few tunes, as the guy who owned it used to be in a band with Strat and Tim. Nigel Morton liked the demos and passed them on to Edward Christie from Abstract, who signed the band for an album and some singles. We recorded some additional tracks in Swindon, and then remixed in London. No-one liked the remixes, so it was back to Swindon again. Unfortunately, you can't mix by committee, and I was unhappy with the compromise, but then it got screwed in the mastering process, with the first half-second clipped off of every track. However, it was too late to do anything, as Edward had already sent it to be pressed. I fell out with him over the marketing, as he wanted the New Model Army name on the packaging. It didn't help sales and looked tacky. We changed drummers just before I deserted my friends for The Damned. They did another single and were then quietly dropped. The whole thing was good fun, and we did some good gigs, even if we weren't the greatest musicians. I always enjoyed the little bits in the middle of songs, and the way we never knew how to finish one properly.