FIFTY years ago one of contemporary music’s most iconic albums was released.
The Beatles’ Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band topped the album charts in the UK for 27 weeks, and theUS for 15 weeks.
Two key figures in its production were audio engineers Richard Lush and Geoff Emerick.
Later this month inMelbourne, the pair will feature The Masters of Sgt Pepper, celebrating the album’s half-century milestone.
“I was 18 and had been at Abbey Road studios for two years when Sgt Peppers was recorded,” Richard said. “I spent hours and hours working with The Beatles in more than 100 sessions.
“They were a great team and serious about their music. John Lennon’s son once commented they were like a car with four wheels. Without any one of them, it just didn’t work.
“They went through many different ways of playing their tracks, mainly driven by Paul McCartney. There was a great vibe – I’ll never forget the takes of Sgt Peppers Reprise. Every time I listen to it, it seems like it was just 10 years ago.”
At Abbey Road, Richard worked with a multitude of top-selling artists from diverse musical genres, and had a number of mentors who read like a who’s who in music production, including Sir George Martin, John Burgess, Phil Spector, Phil Ramone and Mickie Most.
“I worked with the best of theUK’s pop and rock musicians, world-leading orchestra conductors, jazz and brass bands – today there are virtually no studios like that.
“I also learned how to converse with a whole range of musicians. By the time I departed, I’d done just about everything.”
Richard left Abbey Road to take what was originally a two-year contract at EMI inSydney. When he returned, he realised he missed Australia and headed back.
Now 68, he has worked with hundreds of top Australian and international musicians. He saidAustralia has some amazing talent, identifying James Morrison and Tommy Emmanuel as two of the best.
Over the years he’s also seen technology change his profession.
“People don’t believe that Sgt Peppers was recorded on a four-track system. Everything back then was based on the sound and feel of the music.
“Today, it’s visual – you monitor it all on screen and it’s technically perfect. But perfection gets in the way of creativity. Many records back then were recorded with bands playing together. Now you have one member in theUS, another in theUK, another inEurope; they all play their individual bits and it’s put together.
“And compression of digital files compromises sound quality – files downloaded from iTunes are deplorable, but then life in general today is all about convenience.
“It’s a bit like buying a Macca’s burger versus enjoying a serious meal – there is a huge quality difference.”
- Richard Lush and Geoff Emerick will appear at Planetworks in Southbank on February 24 and 25.
The event includes them in conversation with Alan Howe, an acoustic performance by Australian rocker Davey Lane and an audience Q&A moderated by Leo Sayer.
A string quartet will play renditions of Beatles songs in the foyer, and exclusive Beatles memorabilia will be on sale.
Tickets, $99, are available from www.showbiztickets.com.au