John Leckie Part 1: Working with John Lennon, Pink Floyd, XTC, and Roy Harper
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
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John Leckie is an English record producer and recording engineer. His production credits include Magazine’s Real Life (1978), XTC’s White Music (1978) and Dukes of Stratosphear’s 25 O’Clock (1985), the Stone Roses’ The Stone Roses (1989), Radiohead’s The Bends (1995), Cast’s All Change (1995), Muse’s Origin of Symmetry (2001) and the Levellers’ We the Collective (2018).
Leckie began work at Abbey Road Studios on 15 February 1970 as a tape operator, later graduating to balance engineer and record producer. During his early career he worked as a tape operator with artists such as George Harrison (All Things Must Pass), John Lennon (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band) and Syd Barrett (Barrett). He moved up to the desk to be balance engineer for Pink Floyd (Meddle and Wish You Were Here), for Mott The Hoople’s album Mott and Paul McCartney and Wings’ Red Rose Speedway and the single “Hi, Hi, Hi”. Other engineering sessions at Abbey Road at this time were with Roy Harper, Soft Machine, Sammy Hagar, Jack Rieley’s Western Justice album and the last recordings with Syd Barrett.
His first job as producer was Be-Bop Deluxe’s third album Sunburst Finish, a collaboration which continued with Modern Music, Live! In The Air Age and Drastic Plastic. In 1977 Leckie produced The Adverts’ Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts, Magazine’s Real Life, and Doctors of Madness’ Figments of Emancipation.
Leckie left Abbey Road in 1978 and produced albums for Simple Minds (Life in a Day, Real to Real Cacophony and Empires and Dance). For Be-Bop Deluxe founder Bill Nelson, he produced the Red Noise album Sound on Sound and Nelson’s subsequent solo album Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam (the latter unreleased until 1981). Leckie recorded the début single, Public Image for Public Image Ltd and produced The Human League’s Holiday 80 EP. Leckie’s work with XTC included producing their debut 3D single and EP, and first two studio albums, White Music and Go 2. He went on to produce 25 O’Clock and Psonic Psunspot, which XTC issued under the pseudonym The Dukes of Stratosphear in the mid 1980s.
In 1989 Leckie produced The Stone Roses’ debut album The Stone Roses. The album was voted the best record of all time on a music poll taken by BBC Radio 6 Music and features as Number 1 on the Observer Music Monthly’s June 2004 “100 Greatest British Albums”. Some months later he produced and mixed their single “Fools Gold”, which charted at No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart, and in early 1990 he produced and mixed the single “One Love” which also charted at no. 4 in UK. Leckie also worked on much of the recording the Stone Roses’ album Second Coming.
In 1994, Leckie produced and engineered Radiohead’s album, The Bends, and in 1995, he produced All Change by the Liverpool band Cast. It became the highest selling album in the history of the Polydor Label.
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Let me know what you thought of this video by commenting below!
Brilliant, well done! Can't wait to hear this one. Phil Brown next please.
@@fuTuRo-Sonic Yes - Phil Brown would be great!
Wonderful interview
I've been waiting for this for a long time! Thanks for doing this Warren. Always a pleasure to hear the legend Mr Leckie. He's produced most of my favourite albums.
Beyond the amazing body of work being discussed I found it interesting that John talked about how fast a finished song would make it to the charts. Great stuff Warren and John!
You can't talk XTC and John Leckie without bringing up The Dukes of Stratosphear. I hope he talks about those sessions at some point!
More to come!
Yes, that first DotS ep was outstanding... My Love Explodes!
These interviews are historical treasures. They cannot be too long! Warren has a talent, (amongst his many talents), to ask the questions we all want the answers to and the ability to let the interviewee talk about everything we want to hear! (well almost) Thank you, Warren, Thank you!
Great interview! I have read/listened to everything I can find about the Dukes of Stratosphear sessions, so I'm hoping they are mentioned at some point. And although I know that few other people would have been interested, I would have loved to hear about John Leckie's work on Bill Nelson's early solo projects. When you mentioned Mick Karn, it reminded me that Japan probably don't get the recognition they deserve. Maybe one day you will interview Steve Nye, who could also talk about XTC and David Sylvian's excellent early solo work.
I really like these longer form interviews. The Hugh Padgham one was fantastic, watched all of them all the way through, so looked forward to all of these :-)
Thanks ever so much Duncan!
Totally agree! Love the deep dives
Lovely to hear John giving Terry Chambers props. Terry is a criminally underrated drummer. He played briefly with Australian band 'Dragon' when he initially moved to Oz and was on their 'Body and the Beat' LP. Terry is also a big fan of Bill Bruford. I read an interview someone had done with him when he was in Australia and he was floored when the interviewer mentioned an interview with Bruford where he stated that "Drums and Wires" was the main LP he was listening to when KC were reforming in the 80's.
Agreed, Terry is an amazing Drummer! Everyone I've talked Ito about him has talked about just how amazing he is! I'm a huge fan!
I saw him live with Shriekback in Boston, Ma way back when. It was amazing!
80sKC & ZTC are both WONDERFUL bands👍
I have to say I'm pretty sure Andy Partridge is the origin of the sheep farmer story. Just saying.
👑👑 (one for John and one for Warren)
Thanks ever so much!
Should talk to Phil Brown, if possible. Wrote a great book about his career (Are We Still Rolling?). And if so, ask him about that guitar solo on "After the Flood."
Great interview, thanks for doing this :)
Thanks ever so much Jens! You Rock my friend!!
@@Producelikeapro This like a peak into a huge chunk of UK music history, I only really know John Leckie from Stone Roses and Radiohead, but now I have a lot of music to listen to. Really looking forward to the other parts!
@@JensLarsen thanks ever so much! Yes, I'm a huge John Leckie fan and this was very exciting to be able to do!
Just Wow!! Wanted to go to bed earlier but this is a must for tonight ✌thanks Warren and John!
Thanks ever so much Ady!
Love to hear his thoughts on working with Mark E Smith and The Fall. He made some amazing records with them.
I believe he also produced the first Stone Roses albem, which was a masterpiece.
More to come!!
@@Producelikeapro You spoil us!
Yes he did! At Angleshare using the Rolling Stones mobile!
Great work, Warren. John Leckie is a legend and I am a big Pink Floyd and Roy Harper fan. #StormcockForever 🥰
What a brilliant interview, so nostalgic takes me right back. John is such a great guy. Loved every minute 👍👍👍
Thanks ever so much Karl!
The picture might be fuzzy but John Leckie's memory and narrative qualities are sharp and clearcut. Amazing carrier! Can't wait until the next part. Thank you John and Warren.
Thanks ever so much Jens!
Finally someone giving a shoutout to XTC. They are criminally underrated. Love those boys.
Underated...I dont think so...
I would love to hear Leckie's account of working on The La's album. An absolute classic, full of emotion and amazing vocals. And yet Lee Mavers - a self-destructive perfectionist - hated it. Mavers' perfectionism, bordering on OCD, was a rock on which the band was finally broken. And yet the album stands as one of the greatest debuts of all time.
Stay tuned!!
Leckie did a bit of work with them (March/April 1988 including an unreleased version of There She Goes) but it was Steve Lillywhite who stitched that album together and who takes the credit there.
And yet head La thought the record was all wrong. Of course, LA was all wrong. Did get to hear the La's play live and they were a great live band but that record is as good a document as any band could wish for.
Would love to hear about working with Kula Shaker and the La's
This is just part one!!
Kula is a slang for crap in Hungarian 🤭
Thank you John Leckie, and Warren!
A proper job indeed❣️😊
Love his work on Stone Roses. Incredible sound. Hope you asked about tracking vocals with Ian Brown. The difference between his in tune recording voice and not so in tune live voice is a mystery. How many takes did they do, and what kind of editing?
I remember reading that they got him to sing in a very quiet voice, almost a whisper, and found that he tended to stay in tune whenever he did this.
Whereas when he projects out, his tuning goes up the wall, as we've all witnessed at times.
Reni's harmonies also make that album.
This was fantastic. Loved every second. I was one of those that suggested interviewing John Leckie and never expected that we’d see it and see it so soon. Thank you 🙏
Thanks! Yes, he's on the top of a very short list~!
Great stories, what a great guy. Reminds me of another great record guy “Alan O’Duffy” who started out around the same time, consummate gentlemen to a man.
There are so many of my favourite artists and key albums/singles here- all of which have in common that they sound crystal clear and with everything balanced in the right place - kudos to Mr Leckie!
Thanks ever so much Daniel!!
The story about John McGeoch getting hit in the face by a bottle was at one of his first gigs with PIL. It wasn't at the end of his playing career and it didn't cause him to stop playing music (fortunately), Great interview though
Oh wow! He produced A storm in heaven too! I adore that album 💚
Very genuine guy. I like that.
Yes, the best!!
These Producer interview series are so addictive. Please don't think for a moment, that we are taking for granted the fact that you are able to have such history filled and long conversations with real legends. That is really something...But also, i have a feeling that in return they get the chance for more general public recognition and maybe a stage to set some things right, so to speak. Beautiful videos, thanks.
Dukes of Stratosphere! There are some long conversations with Andy Partridge on here, including the story of the studio you could only get to by barge! A great supplement to this fine program. Thanks a million!
Thanks ever so much!! Great stuff
Exceptional interview among a series of such great conversation. Thanks for preserving these fascinating memories of music history
Finally getting to this! JL also produced the Posies Dear 23 -- an incredible Alt/powerpop timepiece.
Yes! Amazing record
co produced be bop deluxe lp's with bill nelson
I can't wait. John was one of those names I've been aware of for a long time, initially because of his involvement with Be Bop Deluxe, but he was also just one of those of those 'names' amongst British record producers, and once you'd noticed his name, you saw it everywhere from the 70's through to the Noughties. There was a fantastic interview swith John, with Andrew Scheps, done as part of his, 'Andrew Talks to Awesome People' series, and it really brought home how important people like John were, to me and to the music that filled much of my formative years. Good choice, and no surprise you're doing another '3-parter', one, simply wouldn't do his career justice
Excellent interview, great stories and so looking forward to part 2. Was privileged to do a small tour with Jah Wobble back in 2004 in Northern Ireland. Great times
For me John Leckie is: The Fall " This Nation's Saving Grace" and Verve " Storm in Heaven". Two colossal albums.
Indeed! Thanks for sharing!
No guitar tuner...no click track...that’s the reason they sounded so good...soulful. The bump notes are what makes music great...it’s an art form 😀
Agreed, not cutting songs to a click can be amazing and liberating indeed!
And a bit of m-na, don't forget ;)
This is such a gem and I very much appreciate you both for doing this interview.
Thanks to you both for being a great part of the change in music in your respective times.
Love
Michael
When an Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease....one of my all time favorite records.
One of mine too!
@@Producelikeapro My vinyl copy of HQ was the US version and was titled When An Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease. So I always thought that was the name of that record. Not HQ. I think I got it around 1976.
What a fantastic, insightful interview/video. 🙏
Thanks ever so much
What an amazing interview!!
Shows just how much "greatness" is so manufactured today.
I can't wait for the other segments!!
34:45 - No - the Diddy Men. You're getting two things confused. Michael Bentine's Potty Time, and Ken Dodd's crap. Huge difference. The former was ace - the latter dire.
Really great to hear this conversation and the wealth of amazing stories and experiences John has had!
Thanks ever so much
WOW! Fantastic!
HAIRSTILES
Like you, I remember the era oh so well.
London and New York (I'm sure L.A. too) seemed to be going through the same music and fashion trends at the same time. My first trip to London was was July, 1978. I was 11 years-old, and punk was going strong in London and New York. Fake hair color/colour was par-for-the-course, of course, and it was clear to see that disco was on the decline.
So my mother, my step-father, and I think my grandmother as well, and I, were having dinner in this French restaurant near Brown's Hotel where we were staying. We all see this woman dining across the restaurant at another table. Well, we noticed her because she was wearing a scarlet disco dress with frizzed-out permed hair that matched her dress 😱 So I go get up to go to "les pissoir". Upon my return, my mother and step-father said to me in typical "New Yorkese" : "We were worried: We thought you were going to say, 'Hey Lady: Who puked in your hair?' " 🤪
The variations in hair color and frizziness only increased over the course of the next decade, as did the hair length, as heavy metal and punk/new-wave overlapped.
Thank "Dog" for the mod revival of the late '70s and '80s❣️ 😎
Thank you, so interesting, a very modest gentleman, could listen all day to him. Great questions aswell.
Thanks ever so much Mimi!
What a legend. Just put the faders up and there’s the mix… always the goal of a decent recording engineer! Mastering to do nothing… always the goal of a decent mix engineer…Properly old skool.. absolutely love it.
Amazing content, thanks for sharing.. PS. Would love to see you do an episode on working in your new Genelecs ! 🤓
What a priceless interview. I'm cleaning the house before wife gets home from a trip so I'm only allowing myself ten minutes of view at a time but thanks so much for this PLAP.
You're very welcome Todd!
Maybe cos they had a bit of falling out but still..another example of Johns genius
The man is a legend! He also produced the first two Muse albums and The Bends by Radiohead!
Exactly!!
Is Magazine influential in the UK? because I don’t know many people is Seattle that are properly obsessed with them.
Have been looking this for ages! Thank you so much Warren 🎤🎸🎙️🎹🥁 Floydian here!
Thanks ever so much!!
That was awesome, I love Johns work, Stone roses debut is an amazing production and I’m so happy you mentioned Syd B,
Great stuff!
best wishes from NYC.
Thanks ever so much! Agreed! John is one of the testest producers of all time! Without a doubt
great to hear him talking a bit about Roy Harper, Roy doesn’t get much love. The Nigerian band discussion was great too.
Yes, huge fan of Roy Harper!!
@@Producelikeapro me too Warren, in fact, I’m a big fan of all the bands John talks about here especially Kevin Ayers, XTC, Magazine and PiL.
@produce like a pro I think that he also produced the Verve's Urban Hymns
In the intro you didn’t even mention the greatest album ever..the Roses
A thought on no click, musicians at the level that Mr. Leckie has worked with all possess a very strong sense of timing. For the rest of us using a click at least in the beginning teaches the importance of concentration. The grid is a guide and it's the emotional content and the honesty of expression between friends that makes great art.
The click is a great guide for a song that doesn't breath too much, of course many classic songs we grew up on had tempo shifts in choruses (and other sections) that added to their excitement.
@@Producelikeapro A track can still move around on either side of the click , on the back or on top of the beat, you can "push" on the front of the beat.
It's all about the performance.
Terry Chambers did play in Australia with the band Dragon.
Best record producer ever. This is amazing, thank you!
Yes, incredible talent
Any chance of any talk about verves storm in heaven in part 2? Great stuff
This is XTC crack for me! Gave me so much pleasure! Than ks ever so much!
The stone roses debut album is out of this world, its outrageous
Agreed 100%! Thanks ever so much
Please call out The Lost Jockey. John lept up after a gig we did in the Air Gallery and took us to Abbey Road. John is without question the best producer I ever worked with. xx
That’s wonderful to hear!!
The way he did the vocals on Real Life I go crazzzyyy for it
What an incredible body of work. The Dukes of Stratosphear and Stone Roses records are among my favorites of all time. Thank You!
Agreed, incredible Producer!
Well, I guess I better get into Roy Harper since Pink Floyd and XTC are two of my faves.
I mean, of course I'm into John Lennon too, he just doesn't rank up there with XTC and Pink Floyd, at least as far as I'm concerned.
Why on EARTH would you use Go 2 for XTC?
Do yourself a favour and listen to the three first albums of De Press.
the clips used for the Stone Roses video made me wanna hear more from Mr Leckie! This is great!
Thanks ever so much for sharing
What a wealth of experience this gentleman has. Awesome interview. Thank you!
Thanks ever so much
What? Where's A Storm in Heaven by the Verve?)
My absolute favourite engineer/producer, hope to hear some Verve stories in pt2. Thanks.
Yes! More to come! Thanks ever so much
that resume is a gig lander - HOLY mackerel wait... part 1 is an hour and a half? lol lemme make some coffee
Haha two more parts coming! Hahaha
John Leckie and XTC was a marriage made in heaven.
loved this. cant wait for parts 2 & 3. make my long commute fly by!
Marvellous
Take AI out of music then you have music.
Syd Barrett story for the win!! He described the situation much like Gilmour did, you can actually hear the some of these outakes and false starts on one of the records! David Gilmour played drums on some of it, and actually played over syds acoustic without a click!!!
The dukes of stratosphere are amazing...we love you John!!
Agreed 100% Stuart! Thanks ever so much
Really like the album Mania (1986) he did with The Lucy Show....underrated band (two Canadians and two Brits) and album!
I hadn't realised all these amazingly produced albums, which i often use as reference tracks as they are also some of my favourite ever albums, had John Leckie in common. Brilliant video. I love these long ones- so insightful- thank you Warren and thank you John !
Good stuff Warren.. its always the older, more experienced engineers who are the best to talk to, and John is no exception.. Re Terry Chambers not playing drums in Australia, i live in Melbourne, and i know he did join Oz based New Zealand band Dragon.. i originally thought he played on their album "Body and the beat", and it certainly sounds like him on the single "Rain", but it turns out he was only touring with them.. how long it lasted I'm not sure, and whether he recorded with them or not, I'm again not aware of anything.. it seems weird to me that he didn't play with anyone else, as the scene here at that time was going thru the roof, with many bands breaking thru.. it was very fertile period in OZ music, so its odd to think he didn't continue to play considering how long he stayed.. cheers.
1:28:40 Talking about Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto co-writing "Shot By Both Sides". The Buzzcocks used the identical guitar riff on their song "Lipstick" with Devoto getting a writing credit.
I found Magazine's 1st two albums on CD in a bargain bin in the 90s and was blown away (I'm not sure I was really aware at the time McGeoch was on them or would have realized he was the guitarist on so many of my favorite Banshees tunes - I think it was literally a case of "Hmm, interesting artwork...on Virgin...bargain bin...why not?) I was absolutely blown away and have listened to those albums as much or more than anything else over the years. I think they do still sound fresh. I rate Magazine right up there with Joy Division. I also found their last album in a bargain bin (vinyl promo) and initially thought, "Well, it's not as good as the first two" but it grew on me over time and may be my favorite now - mostly owing to the fact that Devoto can actually be more unsettling or like a fish out of water in a way trying to do more unadulterated pop. Hannett's cold production on that helps with that effect.
TO ALL. House is all clean and the lawn is mowed and plants watered, all done before Marci gets home and now just finished watching this fantastic interview. Thought I'd mention cause I new y'all'd be concerned I would get my chores done or that I might be rushed at the last minute.
Fantastic interview! John Leckie is a legend because he perfectly encapsulates the notion of bringing the best out of the bands he works with without his ego or a 'sound' interfering with the process,really interesting info on Magazine and John Mcgeogh too....though a minor issue John Leckie produced the 'Masquerade' single by the Skids not 'Absolute Game' which was Mick Glossop
Yesterday I watched a tutorial by Jonas from Recording Blog (German) where Jonas referred to a blog of yours (naming Warren Huart from Produce Like A Pro) and admitted that his German Blog is based on yours. Now I found yours about thickening vocals as well and I'm going to watch that too. Moreover I want to tell you that your intro music is great sounding! I seems you are on a first-name basis with all the great musicians/professionals. My respect for that!
As an American boy, we were taught to think Steve McQueen was the epitome of cool.Turns out, by a landslide, it's John Leckie!
Thanks for doing this and so in depth, John Leckie would have been my first choice of all the great producers. Simply the variety and quality throughout the years is astonishing. From these early seventies legends to producing what sound to me the best produced post-punk albums - Magazine's Real Life and Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts, then The Fall's greatest era. Then on to the next era, making The Stone Roses stand out from the rest and giving that first Verve album these wonderful atmospherics, the superb work on Cast's All Change and so on... And what a lovely feller. Will be waiting for the next parts, keep up the good work!
As a drummer a click is like a leash.... I dont like being on a leash... thanks Warren another fabulous video.... Something about working after midnight, " the creative zone" for me happens after 10- 11 pm.
Love these series Warren! fyi I saw Terry Chambers playing in Aust with a band called Dragon in 1985 - I believe he played on their Body and the Beat album and toured with them between 1983 and 1985.
❤️Those Be-Bop Deluxe records!! Great interview. He’s so underrated in music history and he’s worked on some of the greatest records of all time.
man what a great interview the whole way all I kept saying was "what no way I didnt know that" like Steve Vai playing guitar on PIL song rise or Roy Harper singing have a cigar and so and so on man so much info. thanks John not only for doing this interview but also for the years of great entertainment.
Raindirk Symphony was a great desk, and Amek was a completely different company based in Salford, hence a lot of Mcr studios having them...
John Leckie is a hero of mine since I heard Simple Minds first album aged 9. Well turns out that was just a footnote in his career - even more a hero 40 years later! Great interview, keep 'em coming!
Wonderful Warren & John thank you! So much valuable information & that was just in the first 10 minutes! Looking forward to the next ones.
XTC is the best!
Agreed 100%!
Tnx Warren, what a wonderful blast of music history. One of my neighbours a Brit was entrenched in that era as a sort of folk country writer and singer, I have to pass on this video.
I'm currently going through a phase of Pink Floyd synchronicity; Thank you two gentlemen for adding to it with this wonderful conversation! 😀🙏
Warren, have you thought of making these videos into podcasts?
I would like to see the movie in his mind of all the extraordinary things he's witnessed.
Agreed 100%!!
Great to hear these amazing stories. John Leckie became a favourite producer for his work in the 90s for me, then I learned of ALL of the amazing work he's done. Lovely hearing the stories about Magazine.
“Greatest drummer in the world.... couldn’t find a gig in Australia 🇦🇺!” [sic]
😎
As he was telling us about getting bullied by PIL I was thanking god that he put up with it otherwise we’d never have the track!