Phil
Harding - record producer feature
PHIL HARDING – BIOGRAPHY
KYLE MINOGUE - EAST 17 - RICK ASTLEY - CHIC - THE JACKSON FIVE - THE FOUR TOPS - DIANA ROSS - PET SHOP BOYS - BOYZONE - THE CLASH - DONNA SUMMER - DEPECHE MODE - BANANARAMA - ERASURE - DEAD OR ALIVE - CLIFF RICHARD - OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN & JOHN TRAVOLTA - FIVE STAR - THE THREE DEGREES - DEBBIE HARRY - JIMMY SOMERVILLE - SINITTA - JIMMY RUFFIN - JASON DONOVAN - THELMA HOUSTON - GARY MOORE - T’PAU - LET LOOSE ABC - MEL & KIM - JESUS JONES - LONIE GORDON - PETER ANDRE - ROXETTE - BROTHER BEYOND - SAM FOX - MATT BIANCO
These are just some of the artists Phil has worked with in a career spanning 30 years.
Phil Harding started in the music industry aged 16 at the Marquee Studios in 1973. There he worked with some of the top producers in the world as they recorded the great albums of the day.
As Phil’s career progressed, a very hot list of credits soon started to stack up with artists as diverse as The Clash, Killing Joke, Toyah and Matt Bianco, all taking advantage of Phil’s ever-growing reputation as a top engineer. At the start of the 1980’s, the name of a newly formed production team was added to the list – Stock/Aitken/Waterman.
Phil engineered and mixed their first chart successes (Divine and Hazell Dean) then their breakthrough and first No 1 single, ‘You Spin Me Round’ by Dead or Alive.
The hits came almost faster than you could count them – Mel & Kim, Bananarama, Rick Astley, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and Kylie Minogue. Phil has just started writing a book about his escapades at PWL in the 80’s and is making good headway.
By the early 1990’s Phil was regarded as pre-eminent in his field and left PWL to set up his own production facility with Ian Curnow at the Strongroom Studio complex in Shoreditch, London.
A further deluge of hits followed but this time with Phil and Ian as producers for: East 17 (including the Christmas No 1 ‘Stay Another Day’), Deuce, Boyzone, 911, Caught in the Act and Let Loose.
Phil is undertaking a radio interview tour to promote his single, forthcoming album and to talk about his heady days at PWL.
www.philharding.co.uk
Phil is a leading member of the British Music Producer's Guild
(MPG).
From the heart and mind of legendary Producer Phil Harding, comes this storming debut album. Teamed once again with lyricist Mila Bogen, the songs are an intricate mixture of rocking, uplifting and reflective music.
Recorded at 7 locations both in the U.K. and U.S.A the album includes virtuoso performances by some of the world’s top session musicians. The result is nothing less than you would expect. A beautifully produced and textured collection of infectious melodies and lyrics that you’ll want to hear again and again.
SINGLE; ‘FLAWLESS LAND’ – WBCD004PROMO - 31.03.08 - ALBUM: ‘THE STORY OF BEGINNERS’ - WBCD002 - 28.04.08
DISTRUBUTED BY SHELLSHOCK/PINNACLE
We hope to feature Phil with an updated video interview soon as the archive videos here were filmed in 2000. The following is the archive feature from 2000:
Phil
Harding's Biog
Phil Harding started as a Tape-Op at Marquee Studios,
London in 1973 aged 16 years old. Phil was engineering
by the age of 19.
 Having
engineered for acts as diverse as The Clash through
to Dead or Alive - including Toyah, Killing Joke and
Matt Bianco. Phil began to earn a reputation as a specialist
remixer and in the early eighties teamed up with Stock,
Aitken, Waterman at the beginning of their association.
In 1984 Phil left the Marquee Studios to be chief engineer
at PWL Studios which soon became nicknamed 'The Hit
Factory'.
 Phil
went on the engineer and remix most of the early SAW
hits including Princess, Mel and Kim, Bananarama, Rick
Astley etc etc. Phil formed a production and remix partnership
with Ian Curnow at that time and went on the produce
and remix hits for Pet Shop Boys, Jesus Jones, Climie
Fisher, Donna Summer, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan.
In
1992 Phil and Ian set up their own studio at The Strongroom
Studio complex in London and under the guidance of manager
Tom Watkins produced and wrote many hits for East 17
(including No 1 single 'Stay Another Day') and Deuce.
 Since
then Phil and Ian have produced and written hits for
Boyzone (including No 1 single 'Words'), and 911, also
providing all the music for the Channel 4 series 'Boyz
Unlimited' in 1999. Phil has recently been recording
tracks with 'Jamie Shaw' - a Decca Records signing,
and he is also enjoying a sabbatical from Studio work
after 27
years constant work.
Phil
is currently Chairman of the MPG (Music Producers Guild
Ltd). See our 'Audio Links'. |
