The in's & out's of a Conga player... Part 3

Ahh-ha!... So!... ear-we go again!


You know... the funny thing about life is, you never can tell whats round the corner?... Life can be going really great, then out of no where comes the shit that makes it all worth while!... NOT... But after a heart attack that that nearlly killed me in 2003, when the shit arrives, I just smile and say to myself "at least I'm here to experience it!" and I always say, "out of something bad, comes something good!"... well, most of the time, lol...

In the late 80's I played in a band called "Blood Money" a speed metal band from Manchester, we had a record deal with a company called "Ebony Records" not a great lable, but it was a deal and we pumped out two albums in 6 months and it was great to go and pull your album to the front of the pile in every record shop that had it in stock, HMV, Virgin and the like... On the release of the second album I was well on the way to anoing Radio 1, (The Tommy Vance Friday Night Rock Show), by sending in albums each week and ringing three times a week to see if we could get a sesion on Tommy Vance's program!... The relentlesness of my onslught paid off! they booked us in to record at the BBC Maida Vale recording studios in London, it was great to be walking through the building that so many of the worlds TOP artists had walked through, the band that recorded in the studio the week before us was Simply Red... Small world, cos the week before I saw Mick Hucknall on the Picadilly Train Station platform in Manchester as I was heading home to see me Mum and Dad! he could have been on his way to the BBC recording studios!? lol... anyway... My Mum told that Terry Wogan always said that the tea in the BBC was discusing! so... I had to try it! and yes... it was bloody DISCUSTING!!!! it was dark brown and I was the only one to have some... I still got the paper cup it came in! lol... They played our session on Tommy's program the week after, 4 songs... he liked us so much he played the session again 3 weeks later! and we got paid for doing it! lol, that sort of thing don't happen much when you not that well known, but hey... the experiance was worth much more than the money... good days...

I remember once when recording the second album I was nearly ripped apart by three Doberman dogs with spit and dribble lashing around their chops... Let me set the scean... The recording studio of Eborny Records was set in an old hall near Selby Yorkshire, the owner Darryl Johnston loved Knights in Armor, he had several suits of armor around his house, the studio was across the huge hall entrance as you walked through the front door, the large staircase loomed up to the right with a Knight in armor on a horse standing at the bottom of the stairs, then another Knight standing on the first level of the stairs as they went round and up again, to the left as you walked in was a long corridor that lead to the kitchin, in the kitchin from time to time was his Dobermans, they were fine if Darryl or his wife were there, and me, well I'm not scared of dogs in the slightest way! so I was ok with them... But this one time I went to make a coffee and a sarny as I was dry and hungry, to get out of the studio there was a really thick door to protect the recordings from any outside noises, then 12 inches of space then another glass door, the glass door was small 9x6 inch pains of glass... Anyway, I made my way to the kitchin totaly forgetting the dogs and just thinking of my belly... suddenly I heard mannic scrapping of claws on the tiled floor and a forosiuos growl and I though "Bugger!" as soon as I had thought Bugger, I saw the first Doberman enter the corridor... man I was backing up so quick you could smell the rubber from my trainers!... I was off, but where to go!? as I headed at great speed towards the studio, I noticed the recording light was on, and that meant I couldent get back into the studio? So... as I was panicking to get away from the mut's aproching my buttocks, I opened the glass door and sqeased into the 12 inch gap between the studio door and the glass door, then for around 5 minutes was nose to nose with the three Dobermans from the gates of hell, raging at the glass snapping and looking like they wanted to rip me apart... finally the light went off and I fell into the studio, saying... if anyone wants a coffee! get the bugger yourself!!!

good days....

hope this Bolg finds you all well...

take care, all the best and lots 'a' love... Brett... xXx.

"The skin slapping Conga thumping Nuttster"