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| I have written it for those who are interested in IBC and those that I knew, who I hope won't mind me sharing my memories with strangers. I think they should all be remembered for working in a great studio. I'll start with Brian Carroll (that's me) Living in North London, married with four children and still trying new things, such as this web site. I thought I would do it as if not, all that happened would be forgotten as well as it gives me the chance to show my kids how their dad looked when he thought it was cool to have long hair.. | ![]() |
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I want to start out this list with the best person I ever meet at IBC and that was ERNIE CRIMMINS, our caretaker that's me and him in the photo). An ex navel man Ernie ran the studio and if you upset him and then asked for toilet paper there would be a sudden shortage. He organised the session men getting in the lift to Studio A and if you were short at the end of the month he would always lend you a sub. One of the best moments I remember with him was when the staff were called into the MDs office, who was about to tell us that the studio was being sold and he did not know what was going to happen to us. This was all done with that caring attitude of someone who was all right jack and he hit a nerve when he said he cared about us. (good reason to sell the studio) |
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Now
I have to mention another friend LESLIE WARMISHAM,second in command
to Angela until she took over and great companion over at the Dover Castle.
Leslie was the girl that everyone liked as she hardly said a bad word about
anyone (you know who you are if she did!) I am still in touch with her and
hope to get some of her stories. Leslie was the one people went to if they
had any trouble and she would usually come up with a sensible answer by
the end of the conversation. Living in North London. Me,Leslie and George Clouston (MD) |
Next up is real old friend (I hope) DAMON LYON SHAW who was also my song writing partner. A multi talented musician, who could play guitar, bass, drums and keyboards, which he would overdub in all the tracks we made. Not only that but he was a top engineer who has worked with many of the songs mentioned on this site. He has worked on tracks by the Stones, Bee Gees, Cream, Small Faces, Lee Hazelwood, Pentangle, Bob Dylan and many more. He was the engineer on "Tommy" and ended his career engineering and producing for Status Quo. Perhaps it was these session that left him with an ear complaint that meant he could no longer do the job he loved. Don't think many of the artists he worked with bothered to check him out and he drifted away from the business. But he did end up marrying PAULINE, who also worked in the office and they are living down in Dorset surrounded by their children. I am still in touch with him and hope he can remember a few things.
The rest of this list are of people I worked with and some that I did not, Some liked me and some didn't and as I have learnt in the past, that sometimes the written word is not taken in the light hearted way it was meant to be, any comments I make here are how I saw it and no offence is meant.
One of those that had left IBC when I joined was HOWARD BURROW, who was later my studio boss when I went to work for Pye Studios in Marble Arch in the late seventies. I hope I can class him as a friend as we have shared a few pints and laughs, especially in the company of MALCOLM DAVIES (Abbey Road and Apple) I am hoping to get in touch with him and perhaps get more information about the early years. Founder member of the Dorothy Squires fan club!| MIKE
CLAYDON was the studio manager at IBC from the day I started till the day
I left. He gave me the chance to get into a career that involved some
of the best times of my life. Mike was the "Orchestral " man and
you can hear his work on many of the Bee Gees early hits. He worked with
Johnny Mathis, New Seekers, Gerry Marsden, The Peddlers, Tony Blackburn,
Paul and Barry Ryan, David McWilliams (Days of Pearly Spencer), engineered
the live Bob Dylan tour, which included the words "Judas. When anyone
wanted an engineer who could get a good string sound Mike was up there with the best of them. I heard recently that he died a few years ago and that was bad news. ( see tribute on memories page) |
That was about the crew who were either engineering or working in the office when I first started, with (fat) PAT CLARK being Angela's number two. Pat was fun and for a young man like myself I thought she was good looking but unobtainable. Both the girls in the office kept me in my place until I had been there long enough not to fear them!!!!!
After Ernie the most important part of the studio was "The Workshop" down in the basement, where there were a bunch of guys who were the boffins of the organisation. What they did not know they found out about and they saved many a session. Any trouble and you called the workshop and they would come up armed with tools and oscillators. Some found them hard to get to know but from an early stage they knew I knew nothing about the inside of a mixing console, which they also built. Leader of the squadron was DENIS KING, a wise man who would not suffer fools gladly. I always looked upon Denis as a kind man who would get me out of trouble if I had an irate client. His Assistant was PETER SMITH who was nearly always by his side when something went wrong, sometimes with forty musicians in the studio waiting to get started. Peter had a wry sense of humour as did they all in a workshop that scoffed at upstart pop stars. It was another world down there and my only hope was to crack a joke or two and get them on my side. Once you had their trust you were allowed to enter their world. There was DAVE ANGEL and BRIAN STOTT (who later went on to engineering) and they both had that "smirky" workshop humour which mocked those that knew less than them. A great bunch of lads who were the engine of the studios. They kept it updated and invented things that you needed. It was Peter who sent some of the IBC pictures. I will see if they have any memories and receive flack for mentioning "smirky" workshop humour.![]() |
The guy who took over from me in the disc cutting department was DENIS BLACKHAM but as he never mentioned me on his site I wont mention him on mine, only to say he became one of the best disc cutters in town. If you want to visit his site go to www. and if he writes about me nicely on his site I will remove this picture! (only joking Den) |
THEN
AND NOW 
And to those
chums from above if you read this site and do not like what I have written you
can notify me and I will just leave out your name and send a book called "Its
later than you think".
Thanks to all I worked with, you suffered me well.........
(As an after
thought it was Malcolm Davies who has come up with the answer to the rarity
of " a cracking joke" Back in the sixties you would always hear a
classic joke every few weeks and Mals theory is the demise of the live studio
musician who would spend most of his day travelling from one studio to another
to do a session. Forty men in a room and the odds of one of them having the
whole studio in fits of laughter was quite high. I believe Mal as without harping
on about how good the sixties were, there was a time in there when things were
vibrant,while there was a buzz about creating new sounds and just being there,
although engineers were still regarded as technicians.
I think it is because they were happy times, when a real string sound was the
norm and before the lawyers took over the music.
One week you could be recording or mastering classical music and the next it
could be a radio jingle. Number ones and hopeful misses were all recorded at
number 35 and I hope some of the above can add a few more stories so that those
interested in these times have something that is interesting and factual.