CD “NEVER TOO LATE “ BL109CD
RELEASED 19: 3: 09
CD review by John Steele (MUSIC MAKER MAGAZINE)
At times amidst the swirling guitar of Dafydd and
the heartfelt vocal of lyricist Brian Raybould,
I could almost see the rugged cliffs and wild sea, but more
often I fourn an urban background of over indulgent Saturday
nights, such as the opener ‘Taxi.’
As well as guitar, Dafydd also supplies the
rich and texture keyboard sound which gives many of the tracks,
particularly ‘Taxi’ a cinematic quality. I don’t
mean movie themes, but music that paints a picture.
This isn’t in your face riffing but more
introspective indie rock shot through with a good dose of the
blues. Dafydd music, Brian vocal’s are ably supported
by husband and wife Chris and Wendy Phillips and the younger
Gwen Cottam and Sarah Smith with their fine harmonies and backing
vocal.
‘The Money’s Gone’ is a poem
from our times with its main refrain of ‘The Money’s
Gone, Its all been spent, It’s time to change the government.’
Dafydd shows what a fine guitarist he is on
the soulful ballard ‘Whispering’ with a hint of
JJ Cales about. ‘Louise’ again showcases the guitar
and Brian adopts a conversationalist style vocal which works
well, and the whole has something of the John Martyn's about
it, the likes of ‘Big Muff.’
‘Dance’ gives airspace to some
final vocal harmonies from the Balkers and, as it says in the
title, definitely one for the dancefloor. ‘ Never Too
Late’ actually has Sarah Smith on lead vocal and it makes
for a very cool and sophisticated sound.
All in all this is a fine collection of songs
showcasing a wide variety of influences from 80’s alternative
rock to a strong blues sensibility. Dafydd was writing collaborator
with Chris Jagger in the 70’s and went on to work on
too many projects to mention from La to London and Back to
Wales.
‘Never Too Late’ was recorded in
Dafydd’s own studio, Welsh Media Music.
CD Review by John Steele (Music Maker Magazine
July 2009)
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CD Artical (MUSIC MAKER MAGAZINE)
Dafydd Pierce
I’ve been in an awful lot of bands over the years. Having started
at the age of 7 with a brass band. Through the 60’s, 70’s 80’s
and 90’s with so many different groups of all sorts mainly in the
rock genre. All aras have retrospective merits and characteristics and
these days music fans are more broad minded in my view. I’ve had
over a dozen different recordings studio’s in various places and
have worked with many bands and musicians of all sorts. At 16 I left home
and headed for London where I was fortunate to work with Barry Jenkins
who had been the drummer of the Nashville Teens and the Animals. We did
some recording at Olympic Studios in Barnes.
I began learning about the recording process proper with the Rolling Stones
Mobile in the late 60’s / early 70’s prior to going to Los
Angeles to work on various projects there as a co producer, composer and
session musician (Guitar and Piano). It was a privilege and a very steep
learning curve. The album that I co produced there was Chris Jagger’s
first album for Asylum Records, mixed by Glyn Johns and used a plethora
of different studios and musicians, great experience, and it charted in
the US and various European countries as well but not in the UK unfortunately.
I had the opportunity to work with Mick Jagger, Mike Kellie (Drums, Traffic
Spooky Tooth), John Uribe (Guitar, Neilson, B.B.King).
Jim Keltner (Drums, John Lennon), Micheal O’Mardin (Keyboards, Steely
Dan), Mark Andes )Bass, Spirit), Chris Sarns (Bass, Buffalo Springfield), to
name but a few.
Returning to my native Wales, Chris Jagger and I did a second album for
Asylum at Rockfield Studios “the Adventures of Valentine Vox the
Ventriloquist” and Dave Edmunds helped us though it didn’t
do as well sales wise. I eventually settled back in Wales as I’m
from Snowdonia originally, started my own studio and was playing in a band
called Dino and the Wildfires, gigging a lot, doing covers and stuff. Dino
had been around a long time in bands like the Whackers and the Persuasions
and he did the guitar arrangement of “ You’ll Never Walk Alone” that
Jerry Marsden has had so much success with. At that time I was asked to
join a Welsh band called Bran, we co produced an album for Sain Records
called “Hedfan” which was the band of one John Gwyn, who went
on to produce the Tube for Tyne Tees T.V., I went on to Cardiff and opened
123 Music Studios on Bute Street where the likes of Pino Palladino and
Aran Ahmun (Drums, John Martyn) were the resident rhythym section. Over
the 7 years that studio was much used by hundreds of local bands, and we
started 123 Records and did our own duplication as well. We had to go to
London to cut the master discs then used a factory in Caerphilly near Cardiff
to press.
Among some of the bands and artists on the label, a lot of whom were welsh
language acts, was “Hywel Ffiaidd” (Hywel the Disgusting) and
Mochyn ‘Apus (Happy Pig). We played a lot of welsh gigs and the Pino
Palladino (Bass), Paul Westwell (Drums), Dyfed Thomas (Vocals) and Dewi
Pws (Vocals) and the legendary Tich Gwylim (Guitar) who sadly is no longer
with us. I also played guitar for Huw Chizwell’s 10 piece band with
John Weathers ex Gentle Giant and Mad Dogs and Englishmen Drummer.
I moved in to T.V. music as musical director writing sig. tunes and scores
and eventually moved the studio to a mansion house deer park that was a
television centre in West Wales where I did music and dubbing, whole T.V
programmes. I progressed to becoming a full T.V. sound tech by getting
a job in Agenda T.V. Studios in Swansea for a couple of years, we did a
daily live magazine programme and abroad variety of stuff in and out of
the studio. That gave me a taste for working outside the confines of the
studio and I eventually went freelance. The plethora of different things
I did since was amazing from live outside broadcasts on several networks
simultaneously to CNN special features, to film and documentaries, pop
videos, sport you name it.
Nowadays the studio is at my home and is mainly used for projects that
I produce. The set up is still fairly conventional with 2 Yamaha digital
desks and a Soundcraft 6000. I like to work with analogue and digital it
gives me a lot of flexibility and I use Pro Tools to mix and edit. I have
quite a lot of kit, through favourite has to be my 1958 Gibson 335 that
I’ve had since 1971.
I always recommend having the work Mastered by someone else as it ensures
that the eq and levels will compare favourably with everything else that’s
out there. It overcomes any doubt about compatibility as well. |
Brian Raybould (Lyricist)
Strummed guitar and was writing songs
at the age of 12. Played rhythm guitar, harmonica and vocals
firstly in Flashback, and later in Bravura a seven pierce rock
blues and soul band, that played extensively around the Birmingham
area in the 80’s and 90’s. Where they reached the
finals in the battle of the bands at the Famous Robin r and
b club in the West Midlands, the judges were Noddy (HolderSlade),
Brian Tatler (Diamond Head), and the legendary Steve Gibbons.
His favourite guitars are his ’76 Gibson Les Paul, ’85 Fender
Strat and Ovation Adamus played through a Marshall Anniversary stack and
a Trace Elliot Acoustic Amp.
Brian is currently working on the second Blue Lagoon Rock Album.
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