09.23
Parford Well, B&B Exceptional, Dartmoor.
Breakfast may even have been cooked by God today; if not, it must have been Tim working with his customary excellence. It is a joy to be near somewhere who takes care in what they do.
Off to work.
10.28 Super Audio Mastering, Monks Withecombe, Dartmoor, Devon.
The door to sonic wonderment I…
II…
The Master indicates our beginning work I…
II…
Finger of the Master….
Our day began just before ten with Side One of No Pussyfooting -The Heavenly Music Corporation. We are working from the original 7.5ips master recorded by Eno himself in Brian’s Maida Vale front room in mid-1972. The guitarist was visiting socially for the first time, having met Brian in the EG Management office at 63a, Kings Road, Chelsea, a member of the about-to-be-becoming hugely successful Roxy Music. I had recommended EG to Bryan Ferry at the time he auditioned for King Crimson (1970), a recommendation that Bryan acted on. This is a recommendation that, in the long term, proved to be a mixed blessing, given the eventual repercussions. Bryan is subject to a gagging clause, so is not likely to be commenting on his involvement in Endless Grief; although Deep Throat did provide me with much relevant information; this now sits in the Endless Grief archive at World HQ.
On this social visit to Bari Neon’s, for no particular reason of which he was aware at the time, the guitarist took his guitar & pedalboard.
Here today, I was asked to check the stereo, a particular concern & speciality of mine. The centre is here…
Now, we are moving onto a F&E piece never ever before released, although it was once played on the radio: Noitaroproc Cisum Ylnevaeh Eht; aka the backwards version of The Heavenly Music Corporation.
10.50 The half-speed version of Tthhee Hheeaavveennllyy Mmuussiicc Ccoorrppoorraattiioonn is underway. Is this the first time a master for (possible) commercial release has run at 3.75ips?
11.54 Side Two of Evening Star – An Index Of Metals - now up. This is also the original Eno master at 7.5ips, recorded in Brian’s other front room in Maida Vale, some 3 years after the original visit.
12.54 An Index Of Metals has just slipped away, with its terrifying vision of the future (as of 1974-75).
14.44 Now checking the 7.5ips original IOM alongside the Copy Master taken from it at Air…
… from September 10th. 1975…
15.52 On to Side One of Evening Star, four pieces including the title track.
16.04 Evening Star underway. This is stunning; the main theme is one of the most gorgeous guitar statements I have ever heard, played through a little Fender Champ. . It is what, today, I recognise as a being melody. It was almost never possible for me to play like this within Crimson; the theme from Starless a rare exception.
16.36 Evening Star underway again, but my ears have done more than their prescribed 6 hours. Time to leave.
19.42 Lotsa computing at Sandy Park Inn. Enough.
