Music In The 80s: One Man's Journey Through A Golden Decade Of Studio Recording

The popular music of the 1980s had its own unique sound. Shaped by breathtaking developments in studio recording equipment and techniques, from digital processing to sampling, the music that is still enjoyed today would not be the same without it. This book tells the story of how one such young engineer/producer navigated his way through this exciting and pivotal period in music history. He did this by working with this technology within the confines of the last great era of recording studios. His track record in this era included artists such as Yes, Soft Cell, Cat Stevens, Thin Lizzy, New Order, Buzzcocks, Psychedelic Furs, 10cc, John Cooper Clarke, Frank Zappa, Kate Bush, The Who, Queen, Peter Gabriel, Elton John, Squeeze, Tina Turner, Sam Fox, Talk Talk, and Def Leppard. He also worked with producers Trevor Horn, Tony Visconti, Jeff Wayne, Martin Hannett, Robert John 'Mutt' Lange, Frank Zappa and Gus Dudgeon, Using diaries written at the time, he lifts the curtain on the private world of the closed session, with daily accounts of all the projects he worked on, how they were made, who made them, and most importantly, how they became hits. It tells of the highs and lows, the expectations and disappointments of recording many of the top acts of the day whilst navigating the various technical challenges along the way.

The Author

Since training with the BBC, Peter Woolliscroft has many years of experience in the technical arena of television broadcast, analogue/digital music recording, radio journalism, technical teaching, media training and HE Lecturing. As a recording Engineer and producer, he is experienced in all areas of multi-track recording techniques for music albums and singles, orchestral film soundtracks and TV/radio commercials. He now lives in Lancashire, UK.

© 2025 Sonicbond Publishing (Ebook): 9781789524031

Release date

Ebook: 3 June 2025