Stay Awhile

'Stay Awhile' (from 'The Gospels According to Dr Sax')

This was one of the tracks that helped create the 'Gospels' album concept, inspiring, uplifting songs and vocals together with the backing of a gospel choir and also; one of two tracks on the album featuring the wonderful Beth Rowley. Beth has since gone on to sign a major deal with one of the 'big 4' record companies, Universal and as well as chart success she has also sung with the legend Bert Bacharach at the BBC Electric Proms (pictured above).

As with the other tracks on the album, it was all recorded at Supersonix, with Beth and the guitar parts being added again some 6 months after the rhythm tracks were recorded.

Kit Morgan played all of the rhythm guitar tracks but the lead guitar was performed by another awesome guitar player, Kirby, who previously played with Curved Air and enjoyed chart success with his own band Stretch.

I had spent the last year performing with Kirby in a blues band and I invited him to play solos on two tracks. Kirby arrived at the studio with a very old Fender combo, his Fender Strat for all of the slide guitar and his Les Paul. Our wonderful resident engineer, Tony Hobden, set up a couple of condensors and a dynamic mic on the cab and a second condensor just under 1 metre away, as you can see from the photo above. The final sound was a mix of the different mics.

If you would like to see footage of Kirby warming up as well as a more detailed look at the mic set-up with Tony discussing the mix, please check out the accompanying video here.

Backing vocals on this track are supplied by the gospel choir but also by Sedge who was the original lead vocalist with the band.

http://rapidshare.com/files/178545712/Dr_Sax..._Stay_Awhile.mp3

Crescent Moon

'Crescent Moon' (from 'The Gospels According to Dr Sax')

Recorded one winter's afternoon in Supersonix studio, this was the first recording that we made for the 'Gospels' album. The studio was booked out to another musician and we were booked as his backing band for the afternoon but as it turned out he didn't have anything planned, so we offered to put something down for him that he could add to later, which he subsequently decided not to use(!) so we did!

The drums, bass and sax all went down live and this is the second take. There were a couple of dumbeks (turkish drums) in the studio and Steve overdubbed these and later on I added the keyboard parts.

The guitar parts were added another six months later when guitar genius Kit Morgan came down to the studio for a day to add all of his guitar parts for the album. This absolutely stunning guitar work was overdubbed live in the control room in one take, a truly awesome performance.

http://rapidshare.com/files/178545710/Dr_Sax..._Crescent_Moon.mp3

Lucky 13

'Lucky 13'
(from the album: 'Take It to the Bridge' 2009)

This was recorded in 'Supersonix', (2nd picture above) Tony Hobden's first studio where we recorded all of the Gospel's album, two years previously. As was usually the case, the recording started out with keyboards, bass & drums. Bass & drums recorded together in the live room with keyboards recorded at the same time but in the control room.


There were very clear intentions with this track, firstly the basic structure is based around a 13 bar idea which has it's roots in the classic blues sequence but with a variation at the end taking it away from blues (chord wise) and up to 13 bars in length.

The second intention was to try and capture a 1970's / Billy Cobham / Spectrum type groove. I hope that we got some of the way with that and out of deep respect we did put the rhodes electric piano through a ring modulator for the solo!

Great solo by Cliff on guitar and great bass & drums as always!

Things always seem to go in threes for us and as you can hear Richie (the bass player) saying at the end of the track, this particular version is take 3. Each take was actually quite different and I might do an alternative mix of one of the others someday.

Drums & percussion: Steve Wilson
Bass: Richie Blake
Guitar: Cliff Moore
Rhodes: Paul Raymond
Alto saxophone: Paul Raymond
Engineer: Tony Hobden
Production & mix: Paul Raymond

http://rapidshare.com/files/178509353/Dr_Sax..._Lucky_13.mp3

Tender Touch

'Tender Touch' featuring Sarah Davies
(from the album: 'Take It to the Bridge' 2009)

Recorded in the same session as 'Take It to the Bridge' (and also 'Talking to You'), all three tracks were put down in one morning in a converted church recording studio. We wasted most of the morning in the main live room, which was far too live but it gave us the opportunity to really get to work out the structure and the grooves. All three songs were new to Richie (bass), Steve (drums) and Cliff (guitar) but we all had chord charts and we are used to this highly spontaneous way of working... it helps keep things fresh!

This particular track was really tough for Steve in particular... the rhythm is similar to a style known as the 'Purdie Shuffle', basically a 12/8 feel but it is very slow and very difficult to keep steady. We eventually got it in three takes but I seem to remember Steve sweating blood!

Cliff (pictured above with his favorite Strat) plays some lovely and very tasteful guitar throughout the track. A bit of a showcase for him really!

Everything that we record is tracked to Pro Tools and after we put down the basic rhythm tracks I overdubbed some of the sax parts including a lead line for the eventual lead vocalist, though at this stage, we didn't know who that was going to be.

All of this took place in April 2008 and by September, everything else, backing vocals, extra keyboards, sax section, percussion had all been recorded and mixed but still without any lead vocal. We actually tried 4 different singers but none had the right feel or attitude to the song. Then in October we met Sarah Davies (pictured above) who was just perfect and finished the whole track in three takes. Sarah was just 18 years old when she recorded this track but she already has a sound and style that is totally her. Which ultimately is what we're all looking for.

Lovely backing vocals as well from Abby, Danni & Lexie.

Drums & percussion: Steve Wilson
Bass: Richie Blake
Guitar: Cliff Moore
Rhodes & Hammond: Paul Raymond
Backing vocals: Abby Tweddle, Danni Douel & Lexie Raymond
Lead vocal: Sarah Davies
Saxophones: Paul Raymond
Engineer: Tony Hobden
Production & mix: Paul Raymond

http://rapidshare.com/files/178509354/Dr_Sax..._Tender_Touch.mp3

Brief Encounter

'Brief Encounter'
(from the album: 'Take It to the Bridge' 2009)

I wrote this tune almost exactly 1 year ago, Christmas Eve 2007 to be precise!

I live for writing songs and the writing of this song was the best possible experience. What I really enjoy about the composing process is the way it consumes me. Life goes on around me but the ideas for developing the melody, the chords, the arrangement are buzzing around my head all day, when I wake up and when I go to sleep.

I sat down at my piano in the morning, knowing that I wanted to write something new. The melody came first with something similar to the final chords and I knew that I had to record the idea there and then otherwise I would probably forget it. So I recorded the verse melody and the chord structure and that was the start. For the next section I knew that I wanted the melody to climb and develop emotionally and that came pretty quickly as well but I didn't find the chords for a couple of days, and then I woke up with them in my head. This is what I mean by the way the song consumes me, I went to sleep wondering how and woke up with the answer.

I was on a real and natural high for days as a result of this tune. Lyrics were supplied by my long term collaborator Steve Fowler and Steve Williams, (pictured above at the piano), our hugely talented keyboard player and a part of the band from the beginning, delivered the most perfect vocal.

Once I had the song structure, chords & melody worked out, I dropped the Pro Tools session round to Richie, who came up with the most perfect bass line. Check out the video clip below to hear Richie's comments on how he came up with it.

Hope you like the song:

http://rapidshare.com/files/176951741/Dr_Sax..._Brief_Encounter__vocal_.mp3

'Brief Encounter' (instrumental version)

This is the original version of the song that I recorded, before the lyrics were written.
Features:
Bass: Richie Blake
Keyboards: Paul Raymond
Soprano sax: Paul Raymond
Alto flutes: Paul Raymond
Backing vocals: Abby Tweddle, Danni Douel & Lexie Raymond
Lead vocal: Steve Williams
Engineering, mix & production: Paul Raymond

http://rapidshare.com/files/176951740/Dr_Sax..._Brief_Encounter__instrumental_.mp3

Take It to the Bridge

'Take It to the Bridge'
(from the album: 'Take It to the Bridge' 2009)

Drums & percussion: Steve Wilson
Bass: Richie Blake
Guitar: Cliff Moore
Rhodes & Hammond: Paul Raymond
Backing vocals: Abby Tweddle, Danni Douel & Lexie Raymond
Lead vocal: Kelly Griggs
Saxophones: Paul Raymond
Flugel horn: Gary Alesbrook
Spoken: Liam
Engineer: Tony Hobden
Production & mix: Paul Raymond

The title track from the new album: a full ensemble piece featuring the rhythm section, horns and singers. The flugel horn solo is performed by Gary Alesbrook (pictured above), backing vocals by Abby, Danni (pictured above) and Lexie. And finally, the lead vocal is by Kelly Griggs.

If you're wondering what the 'middle way' might be, check out the Bhuddist connection!

Drums, bass and keys were recorded live in a newly set up recording studio based in an old church. We started out in the main live room, which Tony, our sound engineer had raved about, saying what a fantastic natural reverb there was. Unfortunately, fantastic though it was, it was too much and we couldn't work with it, we couldn't hear ourselves yet alone each other, so after wasting the best part of three hours, we hastily set up the drums in the tiny drum booth and the bass and keys in the control room. After all that wasted time, we nailed the basic rhythm track on the first take.

Richie took away the session and re-recorded the bass part and we added guitar parts in the studio and some of the sax parts. Below is a video of Richie talking about the bass part.

http://rapidshare.com/files/176963576/Dr_Sax...Take_It_to_the_Bridge.mp3

Welcome - December - 2008

Welcome to the Dr Sax blog.

The intention is to provide everyone and anyone interested in our music with an insight into how it was written, performed and recorded.

We have written and recorded four albums since 2001, culminating in the completion of our most recent album 'Take It to the Bridge' in January 2009. Tracks from that album as well as the earlier albums will be available here to download for free. There will also be music and video featuring the band posted here that will not be available anywhere else.

We hope you will enjoy and support our music.

With our best wishes

Dr Sax