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Eric Radcliffe | |
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| Born | December 3, 1950 |
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| Years active | 1968–present |
Eric Charles Radcliffe (often credited as E.C. Radcliffe, born 3 December 1950) is an English recording engineer and producer who worked with new wave and synthpop bands in the early 1980s in Basildon, England. He later became owner of Blackwing Studios.
Eric Radcliffe is believed to have had a huge part in the success of Yazoo (Yaz in the USA). In March 1984 Radcliffe gave an interview to Electronics and Music Maker [1] in which he mentioned how he got into the business:
When I was about fifteen the group I was in was booked into a four-track studio to do some demos, and I got a taste for recording then. I got an Akai reel-to-reel at home and I built a studio in the front room, with multi-core cable running into my bedroom which acted as the control room... it snowballed... eventually I was able to afford an eight-track TEAC and it was with that machine that I came up to London and set-up the studio here, which I called Blackwing and it took off in earnest... [2]
And a snippet on his contribution to the Yazoo sound:[ clarification needed ]
We often combine more than one [device] to create a sound. One particular one that sticks in my memory is the snare-drum sound on Yazoo's "Don't Go", I did that using the Lexicon 224 and 224x [reverbs] ganged together. We came across that sound entirely by accident, but then again, in the final analysis I think you discover almost everything by accident, just by fiddling around. [2]
After Yazoo, Radcliffe and Yazoo-songwriter Vince Clarke continued to work together. As the Assembly they released the single "Never Never" with singer Feargal Sharkey in the autumn of 1983. Clarke and Radcliffe also founded the record company Reset Records, and released singles with Robert Marlow, Peter Hewson, Hardware and Absolute, until 1987 when the label shut down.
Eric Radcliffe now lives in Gravesend in Kent, with his three daughters Kai, Fay and Mae. In the documentary video accompanying Yazoo's 25th anniversary release In Your Room, Eric Radcliffe delivers the following message:
I count myself fortunate and privileged to have worked with such a talented team. I remember that we had to build a studio in my house (in about ten days) to complete the recording of Upstairs at Eric's because Blackwing Studios London was fully booked. My mother provided us all with her famous "egg and chips" and also appeared on the record. Wonderful days!
- Best regards
- Eric Radcliffe
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the lineup of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists of Gahan and Gore.
Yazoo were an English synth-pop duo from Basildon, Essex, consisting of former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke (keyboards) and Alison Moyet (vocals). The duo formed in late 1981 after Clarke responded to an advertisement Moyet placed in a British music magazine.
Vincent John Martin, known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously the main songwriter for several groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and the Assembly. In Erasure, he is known for his deadpan and low-key onstage demeanour, often remaining motionless over his keyboard, in sharp contrast to lead vocalist Andy Bell's animated and hyperactive frontman antics.
Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grinderman, Inspiral Carpets, Moby, New Order, Laibach, Nitzer Ebb, Yann Tiersen, Wire, Yeasayer, Fever Ray, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Yazoo, and M83.
The Assembly were a British synth-pop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England, by Vince Clarke and Eric Radcliffe.
Francis John Tovey, known also by his stage name Fad Gadget, was a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both new wave and early industrial music, fusing pop-structured songs with mechanised experimentation.
Upstairs at Eric's is the debut studio album by English synth-pop duo Yazoo. It was released on 20 August 1982 by Mute Records. It was produced by the band and E.C. Radcliffe, with assistance from Mute label boss Daniel Miller on some of the tracks. Named after producer Radcliffe's Blackwing Studios where the album was recorded, Upstairs at Eric's was preceded by two UK top-three singles, the ballad "Only You" and the more uptempo "Don't Go". The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments in excess of 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.
John Fryer is an English record producer. Best known for his production work, he has also performed as a musician, as one of the two constant members of This Mortal Coil, providing keyboards, strings and synthesizer sequencing for the band, and its offshoot, the Hope Blister.
You and Me Both is the second and final studio album by English synth-pop duo Yazoo, released on 4 July 1983 in the United Kingdom by Mute Records and in North America by Sire Records. The album's title was an ironic reference to the fact that the duo had grown estranged from each other and recorded much of the album separately; they announced their split a few weeks before the album's release.
Under the Flag is the third studio album released on September 1 1982, by experimental electronic artist Fad Gadget. It was recorded at Blackwing Studios, All Hallows Church, London. The album was produced by Fad Gadget and John Fryer.
Gag is the fourth and final studio album released by Fad Gadget on 1 February 1984 on Mute Records. The album was produced by Gareth Jones, who is known for working with acts such as Depeche Mode and Erasure, both being fellow Mute artists. It would also be the last album released under the name Fad Gadget, due to Frank Tovey wishing to release under his real name.
Fireside Favourites is the debut studio album by Fad Gadget. It was released on 7 November 1980, through record label Mute.
"Only You" is a song by English synth-pop duo Yazoo. It was written by member Vince Clarke, while he was still with Depeche Mode, but recorded in 1982 after he formed Yazoo with Alison Moyet. It was released as Yazoo's first single on 15 March 1982 in the United Kingdom, taken from their first album, Upstairs at Eric's (1982), and became an instant success on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number two on 16 May 1982. It would also reach the top 10 in neighbouring Ireland as well as Australia. In the US, "Only You" was released as the band's second single in November 1982 and charted at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also made the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Robert Marlow was an English synth-pop singer, songwriter and musician.
Daniel Otto Joachim Miller is a British music producer and founder of Mute Records.
In Your Room is a box set by English synth-pop duo Yazoo, also known in North America as Yaz. It is the first Yazoo release since Only Yazoo, a 1999 greatest hits compilation album.
"Nobody's Diary" is a song recorded by British synth-pop band Yazoo. It was released in May 1983 as the first and only single from their second and last album, You and Me Both (1983). The song was written by Alison Moyet and produced by Yazoo, Eric Radcliffe and Daniel Miller. "Nobody's Diary" peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart.
Blackwing Studios was an English recording studio, most notable for early Depeche Mode and Yazoo recordings in the early 1980s.
Reset Records was a British record company founded in 1983 by Vince Clarke and Eric Radcliffe.
"Mr Blue" is a song by English synth-pop duo Yazoo, which was released in 1983 on their second and final studio album You and Me Both. The song, written by Vince Clarke, was notably covered by Dutch singer René Klijn in 1993.
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