Talking To... Phil Harding
Welcome to the 7th of “Talking To” where FATEA editor, Neil King gets to chat to some of the artists that have impressed
him through their work and releases. This occasional series continues with an interview with Phil Harding
#NK When you join a church music group like that, with the background you've got as a producer/sound engineer, worked with The Clash, worked with Stock, Aitken and Waterman, but on an unfamiliar instrument, does that bring it's own pressure?
#P To be honest it was only the group leader that knew I had that background. The rest were blissfully unaware of it. It wasn't a problem really, it was really just to play contemporary music alternating with a traditional choir. From that point of view it was easy going and a good way to build back into it.
#NK Back to the album, "The Story Of Beginners", interesting title.
#P I was asked this on the radio the other week and I thought they summed it up quite nicely. I'd gone back to being a beginner as an artist. At least it feels like that. For me it was like taking a huge leap back. I used to play in bands when I was a teenager and I left that behind when I went on to the other side of the glass.
A combination of that and it's part of the lyric of the second song on the album, "Ninth Dimension". We both felt it would be a good title for the album. Overall the album's about love and spirituality, coming together and beginning their story.
#NK Which is something that is very much reflected in the album's sleeve as well.
#P I was determined not to have myself on the front of the sleeve. It took me some time to track down that image and get permission to use it.
#NK "The Story Of Beginners" is a strong album of songs. How difficult was it to choose "Flawless Land" as the single?
#P It was quite democratic, a majority feeling. It may not be the best song on the album, but a sensible choice as a song on it's own. We wanted to go with something strong and up-tempo and there were a lot of thoughts that that should be the first single. As I've be going around, people have been chosing different tracks. "There Is Time" has proved quite popular. A couple of people have also picked up on "The Thinking Tree"
#NK I like "The Thinking Tree", but it's not a single, great song, but not a single.
#P It's an interesting song, but maybe not as instant as a single needs to be. I did it as a live radio session track and it was the one the studio engineer really went for
#NK Briefly looking at you career behind the desk now. How do you move from a band like The Clash to sound engineering with Stock Aitkin and Waterman?
#P Via 911. It is quite a journey and it is quite weird. When I first went into the industry in the early 70s I was into rock music. I liked pop, but mainly rock.
By the time the punk explosion happened I'd started engineering. I did The Clash and the first Killing Joke album, but around that time there was also a lot of pop happening.
As an engineer you always had a series of regular clients and one of mine was Peter Collins. Peter, was a partner of Pete Waterman's before SAW. He used to produce Tracey Ullman, Nik Kershaw, acts like that. Did a lot of work for Stiff. I did a lot of engineering for Peter Collins and got to know Pete Waterman quite well.
When Peter met Stock and Aitkin in 82/83 he did a lot of records where I was based at the time, The Marquee Studios, behind the club. After a year of them recording there and me mainly doing the mixing, we had a number one with Dead Or Alive, "You Spin Me Round" it was clear it was going somewhere.
Pete decided to open his own studio and asked me and a couple of others to join him. It was a no brainer. It was clear it was going to be big.