1975 ~ Misty Studio began with a humble TEAC 4 track and a Revox in my garage in Parkstone. I had a job driving a dustcart for Bournemouth council at the time and starting at 6.30 each day I could be home and in the studio by 1.00pm

This was before the days of midi and synths so the studio had an upright piano visible in the bottom right corner. The picture above would have been around 1977 as it features the Les Paul Gold Top purchased for £260 from my share of the Polydor advance (see comp slip from our Manager Don Hurley!) with my Music Man amp . The guitar would probabably be worth around £4000 currently and the amp around £1300 ~ if I'd had the sense to keep the bastards that is  :~(
 


1978 ~ Early 4 track demo session




Roland MSQ 700 + TR 909 drums

1979 ~ Endeavouring to be at the cutting edge of technology not only do Tino Licinio  and myself utilise a Roland MSQ 700 sequencer and TR 909 drum machine in the studio but we utilise them as out rhythm section on gigs as duo 'DATABASE' setting (according to our press release) 'The standard by which our duo's will be judged' ~ our tagline 'Bringing Technology out of the studio ...To You' . Our stage hand 'ZELDA' (pictured above) would accompany us and hold the aforementioned MSQ 700 onstage at gigs.

1980  - Thanks to a hand shake loan from a friendly Barclays Bank manager Mark Eden opens 8 track commercial recording studio at Norwich Road behind the Triangle in Bournemouth called Misty Studios. Over the next 3 years he engineers and produces virtually every upcoming band in Bournemouth.



Pic : Micky Fudge & Mark Eden

1983 - As a result of corporate investment secured by Nigel Hopkins (of opportunity knocks fame) Misty Studios undergoes £70,000 refit and upgrades to a full fledged 24 track production facility with in house management, production and publishing division administered initially by by Ral Lofting (Magic Moon Records) and subsequently by former Misty bass player John Lee and Micky Fudge and 'Prima Voice' (formerly 'the Accused') are first to acts signed to production roster.





Studio ~ Late 1983

'Pookah Makes 3' sessions ~ 1984

1985-1990 Record releases by Prima Voice and Micky Fudge fail to register and Misty Studios flounders in recording industry recession as home recording equipment becomes more affordable and commercial bookings dry up. Mark Eden is recruited by John Parr ('St Elmo's fire' fame) and Misty Studio client as his personal sound engineer .

 

Off the back of his global #1 one hit with theme from brat pack movie 'St. Elmo's Fire'  Mark Eden subsequently embarks on tours across the length and breadth of USA and Canada with Parr opening for Toto,  Brian Adams, Heart, the Beach Boys and Tina Turner on the North American leg of her 'Private Dancer' tour performing in 25,000+ seat stadiums .... No pressure then given I'd never engineered a live concert in my life ? ... First show in Phoenix in front of 6000 people opening for Toto .... How difficult can it be ?
 

 

Load in opening night of Toto 'Isolation' tour Phoenix Arizona 19-03-1985

The obligatory Tour Bus

WATCH VIDEO of TINA TURNER sing PRIVATE DANCER live on YOU TUBE
 



 

Pic : Mark Eden , Pat Torpey (Parr drummer ) Tina, Parr
Tina's 'Private Dancer tour becomes the second biggest grossing American tour of 1985 surpassed only by Springsteen also on the road with his 'Back in the USA' tour
On return from Private Dancer Tour re-locate to Yorkshire to assist in turning a cow shed in Sykehouse into a million dollar home studio for John Parr which takes a bout 9 months and nicknamed the 'Doghouse' studio given he as three Alsatians. John and I travel to London to procure one of the first Atari games consoles equipped with a midi port ~ the cutting edge of technology in 1985.
The studio is equipped with an Otari console, an Otari 24 track tape machine and humungous Quested monitors set in the walls. The studio recording area also has a dedicated 'Minstrels Gallery'
Subsequently spend the next 12 months engineering tracks for John's third album 'Man with a Vision' along with numerous other studio writing projects notably three tracks by 'Romeo's Daughter' ~ a co-production project with legendary production genius Mutt Lange (the band were managed by Mutt's ex-wife Olga prior to Mutt's subsequent marriage to Shania Twain). You think you know quite a lot about music production until you are privileged to spend a week in the studio with Mutt Lange and his engineer Nigel Green. You can read the story and background in an interview with Romeo's Daughter vocalist Leigh Matty.
In recent years The 'Doghouse' studio underwent a multi million pound state of the art up grade and was re-christened 'Somewhere in Yorkshire' but from 1988 to 1991 when I quit and returned to Bournemouth I was living the dream. Click on the links below for lots more pictures of the kind of eye watering studio that money can buy you in the 21st century.

John Parr website

Somewhere in Yorkshire website

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