On the morning of July the 14th, 1974, 1 took a cab to Heathrow Airport where I had arranged to meet Steve Smith. As soon as I saw his bloodshot eyes and unshaven face, it was obvious that he had been up for most of the night. We were about to fly to New York to master Robert Palmer's Sneakin' Sally... with George Marino at Sterling Sound, after which we planned to move on to Baltimore to start Robert's new album Pressure Drop. We checked in our baggage at the airline desk and headed for the bar and a few brandies. Steve took a couple of downers to help him sleep and we boarded the plane. We settled in for the seven hour flight. I took out my portable cassette tape recorder to record some of the sounds of the aircraft - the take-off, intercom messages, and the general hum when flying at 30,000 feet. This was used later on the track "Off the Bone" from Palmer's album Some People Can do What They Like in 1976 and on "Christians who Kill" - one of the SPA recordings of 1993. Under the influence of a mixture of Mandrax and alcohol, Steve, who was smoking a cigarette, almost immediately fell asleep across the centre section of the 747. Some minutes later he woke up violently. A stewardess was beating out a fire on his jacket lapel - he had set himself alight.
We spent the 14th - 16th of July in a hot and humid New York City, mastering Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley and taking in the night life of the city. Steve made some telephone calls to confirm our arrangements with Little Feat, who were finishing their album Feats Don't Fail Me Now at the Blue Seas recording studio in Hunts Valley, Baltimore. They had agreed to stay on for a further five days and record album tracks with Robert. Before this session we flew to Atlanta, staying at the wonderful Hyatt Hotel - complete with full-grown trees in the foyer and glass 'pod' lifts on the outside of the building. Steve was on the phone at every opportunity, still finalizing plans. With another whirlwind tour of the city behind us we flew north to Washington for a day's sightseeing, before meeting Robert on the 21st in Baltimore to start work.
Robert and I had a quick conversation about sound and approach. "I don't want to tell the guys what to play", he said. "What the song requires should be shown by the way I sing it. The volume and tempo of my voice and the phrasing - that's what determines the music that goes with it. We're going for a certain atmosphere here and if we don't reach it in three takes, then we should leave it and move on to something else. Help me to keep things moving fast."
The Blue Seas studio was on an industrial estate, by the car park at the back of the ITI factory. Originally set up to test their parametric equalization equipment, it featured a 20-channel ITI parametric desk, limited outboard equipment and a 3M l6-track machine. All the band members of Little Feat were there: Lowell George - guitar, Ritchie Hayward - drums, Kenny Gradney - bass, Bill Payne - keyboards, Sam Clayton - percussion, and Paul Barre?re -guitar.
I set everyone up in a small, tight semicircle, only using screens between drums and keyboards. There was an immediate, positive feeling and we spent five days cutting basic tracks, with Robert in the studio doing live vocals and 'helping the vibe', and the band in this half circle in front of him. I used Neumann U67s and Electrovoice RE20s for most instruments, with a Sennheiser on Robert's vocal. I had to concentrate on getting to grips with a new desk and monitors, but nevertheless it was a sheer delight. The band loved Robert and the sound we had created, and I got on well with everyone, especially Ritchie Hayward and Bill Payne. Watching Ritchie play was fascinating, as he always looked as though he might collapse and stop drumming at any moment. Little Feat had just finished a new album and were happy and relaxed, so it was 'eyes down, music and party' - all live - a storming band.
I was in awe of these guys and loved their playing and style. Lowell appeared more distant than the others, but that could have been just my anxiety - I was recording Little Feat! There were no outside distractions and we rehearsed and recorded several songs each day. Besides Robert's collection of song demos, we recorded tracks by Alan Toussaint and Lowell George. This was one of the most enjoyable five days I had ever spent recording.
Steve, Robert and I left on the morning of the 27th of July with six songs mastered and moved back to our base in Washington, DC, for a couple of days' rest. Steve had a friend called George, who was the MD of Head Sportswear Manufacturers and had been promising a trip on his boat for some time. This weekend break seemed an ideal opportunity to take him up on his offer. The boat was a 40-foot ocean-going yacht, and could berth six. It was cramped below deck but had all the necessary requirements for the sort of sailing we had in mind - fridge, cooker, loo and sound system. After loading on board supplies of grass, beer, food and slivovice (plum vodka), we headed out to sea. We sailed for five or six hours and then anchored out of sight of the mainland, about a mile from a bay, made some food and, after a quiet evening chatting, slept.
The next day was really hot from early in the morning and we decided to stay where we were and head back in the evening when it was cool. We got stoned and sunbathed, swam, drank beer and listened to our rough mixes, all feeling really pleased with the results. George was the perfect host - probably in his early forties, with sun- bleached blonde hair, tanned skin, blue eyes and an infectious smile. He was affable and courteous and wanted us to enjoy the sailing experience - even when anchored. He gave the impression of a successful businessman who was laid-back and happy with his life.
