 Gary’s
recording career began as an assistant engineer
at SARM Studios where he worked closely with founder
and renowned producer Gary Lyons, his first and
foremost tutor, Mike Stone, Roy Thomas Baker and
the interminable Trevor Horn.
Starting
out as a tea boy /runner, Gary’s enthusiasm
soon saw him progress to an assistant on a variety
of hit albums including Bay City Rollers’
“Rollin”, Queens “News of the
World” and “Day at the Races”
and was present to witness the first edited playback
of the timeless Bohemian Rhapsody (which many
will know was constructed in three sections due
to its length and complexity).
During
his time at SARM, Gary worked on many classic
recordings including Lexicon Of Love, ABC and
Yes and has been instrumental in creating numerous
hit records including UK number ones for Spandau
Ballet, the Boomtown Rats’ hit album “Rat
Trap” and The Buggles’ “Video
Kills The Radio Star” – for which
he received the NME Engineer Of The Year Award.
Gary also worked and appeared on Malcolm Maclaren’s
1982 album "Duck Rock".
Gary
was also a founder member of the ground-breaking
group, Art of Noise who were the first to use
the revolutionary Fairlight CMI Sampler noise
to create listenable, popular, dance music –
resulting in numerous hits including Tom Jones’
rebirth hit “Kiss”, the Max Headroom
experience with “Paranoimia,” and,
most notably, a Grammy Award for the cover of
the Peter Gunn theme on the “Visible Silence”
album. This was a personal landmark for Gary as
well as the music industry in general as it broke
new barriers in the academy’s awards due
to it being, a. instrumental and b. A piece of
urban music created by white musicians, which
became hugely popular in the urban markets.
In
1983 Gary, alongside Carey Taylor and ex SARM
studio manager Karin Clayton formed One Management,
which looked after the interests of various engineers/producers/keyboard
programmers, before founding the illustrious Metropolis
Studios in Chiswick two years later. Gary spent
a year seeking the best staff across the board,
from engineers and management to maintenance and
service to make Metropolis the UK’s premier
studio and, with working relationships based on
respect and trust, the Metropolis engineers were
encouraged to push their work as far as they could
– further than they may have had the freedom
to do at the other studios of the time.
Alongside
his Metropolis business commitments, Gary continued
to engineer, produce and mix albums and singles
for a variety of top artists including Paul McCartney,
Michael Jackson, Scritty Politti, Public Image,
Billy Idol and Spandau Ballet – who he became
close working allies with, producing four of their
five albums.
The
nineties saw Gary venture onto the international
stage with a spell in the States working with
a selection of producers including Jon Carin,
of Pink Flloyd fame, and mixing Billy Idol’s
hit album “Whiplash Smile”, and in
Europe working with The Stranglers’ Hugh
Cornwell on “Wild” before teaming
up with Chris Hughes (better known as Merrick,
the drummer and Producer for Adam and the Ants
and Co-producer and drummer with Tears for Fears)
for a variety of projects including albums for
Propaganda and Gay Dad.
The
late nineties saw Gary enlisted by SSL to lecture
on the use of their consoles to Japanese studio
staff and students in Tokyo. Gary highlights this
as a great experience, which allowed him to pass
on his skills to those as passionate as himself
as well as forging strong links within the Japanese
market. The international links paid off with
Gary teaming up with Personzs, a very successful
Japanese group, enabling mixes for a selection
of albums over the years in London, NY and Tokyo.
Present
day and Gary has just completed 5.1 mixes for
the Spandau Ballet DVD “Live (at the NEC)”
and Jeff Wayne’s epic - ‘War of the
Worlds’ as well as albums for James “Pleased
To Meet You” – working alongside legendary
producer Brian Eno, Wild’s debut album “Time”
(EMI Classical new signing and brainchild of impresario
Mel Bush). Gary was also once-again reunited with
Trevor Horn for Lisa Stansfield’s sophisticated
new album “The Moment” and the soundtrack
for the remake of cartoon classic Magic Roundabout,
whilst also finding time to record singles for
hotly tipped London rock act Rooster’s self-titled
debut album and work with PSII on the research
and development of new game “Play Mix”.
 The
War of the Worlds is described, in Gary’s
own words, as “An original masterpiece of
epic proportions” and due to the depth of
Jeff Wayne’s 1978 original composition there
has been no stone unturned in the production of
the 5.1 version, “The complexity of the
original meant it was one of those definitive
albums made for 5.1 mixing.” (WOTW is released
by Sony Music on 6 July 2005).
Gary
is represented by Karen Goodman at Upfront Management.
Credits
include: artist album Role
Rooster
Singles Eng.
Lisa Stansfield (ZTT) The Moment Mix
Natalie Imbruglia (BMG) Album & LP Tracks
Rec.
Magic Roundabout Soundtrack Rec.
Dina Carroll (Mercury) Someone Like You (from
Bridget Jones) Mix
Dina Carroll (Mercury) All I Ask LP track Mix
James (Mercury) Album & LP Eng
Naimee Coleman (EMI) My Star - LP tracks Mix
Yum (Sony) Forthcoming album & LP Mix
Gay Dad (London) Leisure Noise LP Rec./Mix
Republica (Deconstruction) Single: Pretty Girl
Hate Mix
Archive (Independiente) Take My Head LP Rec.
Bullyrag (Mercury) Songs Of Praise LP Rec./Mix
The Aloof (East West) Seeking Pleasure
LP Rec./Mix
Big Country (Castle)
Eclectic LP Prod.
Voice of the Beehive (London) Honey Lingers LP
Prod.
Hothouse Flowers (London)
Home LP Prod.
Public Image Ltd (Virgin)
Don't Ask Me EP Prod.
Then Jericho (MCA)
The Big Area LP Prod.
Hipsway (Columbia)
The Honeythief LP
Prod
Public Image Ltd (Virgin)
Happy? LP Prod.
Belouis Some (Capitol) Animal
Magic LP Prod.
Divinyls (Chrysalis)
What a Life LP Prod.
Hipsway (Columbia) Hipsway LP
Prod.
Spandau Ballet (Epic)
Through the Barricades LP Prod.
/Eng.
The The (Epic) The Mercy Beat
Single Prod.
The The (Epic) Angels Of Deception
Single Prod.
The Dream Academy (Warner’s)
The Dream Academy LP Prod.
ABC (Mercury) That Was Then... Single
Prod.
R.P.M. (Warner Brothers)
Photogenic LP Prod.
ABC (Mercury) Beauty
Stab LP Prod. /Eng.
My Life Story (Parlophone) The
Golden Mile LP Prod.
Big Country (Castle) Brighton Rock LP
Prod. / Eng
ABC (Phonogram) Lexicon Of
Love LP Rec. /Mix
Dream Academy (Warner Music)
Life In A Northern Town LP
Prod.
Hugh Cornwell (Pheonix Records) Wired LP
Prod.
The Divinyls (EMI) What A Life!
LP Prod.
T'Pau (Circa) Bridge Of Spies
LP Prod.
Mick Jagger (EMI) It's Raining
Single Mix
Mick Jagger (Emi) Ruthless People
Single Mix
Scritti Politti (Virgin) Hypnotise
Single Mix
Jimmy Somerville (London) You
Make Me Feel Single Mix
Propaganda (ZTT) Secret Wish
LP Rec./ Mix
P. McCartney & M. Jackson (Sony)
The Man Single Mix
Yes (Atlantic) 90215 LP
Rec./ Mix
Billy Idol (Chrysalis)
Whiplash Smile Single Mix
Queen (EMI) Day at The Races
LP Rec.
Malcolm McClaren (Charisma) Duck
Rock LP Rec.
Buggles (Island)
Age Of Plastic LP Rec.
Elton John & Kiki Dee (Rocket)
Don't Go Breaking My Heart Single
Rec.
Art Of Noise (ZTT) Who's Afraid
Of… LP Artist /Prod/Eng.
Art Of Noise (China) Invisible Silence LP
Artist /Prod/Eng.
Spandau Ballet (Epic) Heart Like The Sky LP
Prod. / Eng.
Scritti Politti (Virgin) Absolute Single
Mix
Jimmy Somerville (London) Read My Lips Single
Mix
 Special
thanks to Scott
Mathews for the kind use of
his music and to George
Shilling for asking the questions.
Many thanks to Gary
Langan for giving his time and to
Zen at Resolution Magazine for helping tie
things up.
Feature
produced June 2005
|
