MAY 1983

Mon 1
Ian has a long meeting with brother Bill to try and make some sense of Polydor's rejection of  his Photography and Comfortable Life masters. Bill is very adamant that Comfortable Life at least should be allowed to see the light of day and Ian agrees.

Fri 6
News arrives of arrangements for another demo session next week. This time in Liverpool at Amazon studios which Hugh Jones has apparently recommended. Polydor's Billy spends about an hour on the phone doing a morale boosting job, and there is a hint that Hugh might get involved  at some point in helping with these demos.

Wed 11
An ideas day at Ian Booth's studio. The band are obviously keen to go into Amazon prepared. New song ideas are structured. By the end of the day they have a song called Blue Emotion which Steve and David have worked up and another funky one which Ian has been at the forefront of called Private Parties.

Thur 12
First day at Amazon studios, Liverpool, which from the outside looks like a nuclear bunker in on the outskirts of a very dodgy housing estate. Arrive at 1030. Band immediately get on with their engineer who is called Geoff Higgins. We are in the little 16 track studio. There is also a very posh 24 track facility down the corridor. China Crisis are apparently regular users and another Steve Wright recorded the Brookside theme here. Got the basis of Blue Emotion down then a fraction of Private Parties. Geoff takes us to a local pub for an evening snack and drink then the band returns. Steve has half an idea for another song and while Ian continues with Private Parties,
David and Steve get into a huddle and emerge with a complete tune with the working title of Diary. Finish at 10pm and check into the appropriately named Rockfield hotel in nearby Hutton.

Fri 13
Amazon Studios. Back at 10am for more demos. Continued work on Private Parties. Mixed Blue Emotion then onto the new song for which there is plenty of excitement: Diary. Hugh Jones arrives at 9pm and helps out on the later. Chris Carr and Billy Keane ring with news that we can get more time here with Hugh tomorrow.

Sat 14
Amazon Studios. Demos. Hugh has all our 16 track work transferred to 24 track, and then we are in the big studio for the day with Hugh at the controls. Complete Diary. Then Hugh does rough mixes of this and Private Parties. Hugh leaves at 7pm and we are off back to Yorkshire once tape copying has finished. A very satisfactory demo session. Everyone is well pleased. Lets hope Polydor approve of this one!

Mon 16
To London to deliver the Amazon demo tapes. Get to Chris Carr's office by 3pm  and play tape to him, then onto Polydor. Most people are involved in a Barclay James Harvest boat trip, so instead we meet A&R head Alan Sizer at the relatively quiet Grosvenor Hotel. Visit Steve's dad's pub for some food then head back to check into The Columbia Hotel, but we don't seem to have the expected bookings. We have  a daft conversation with the receptionist which is a bit like the Monty Python cheese shop sketch: "Fiat Lux?" "No!", "What about Polydor?" "nothing in that name sir" "Billy Keane?" " No". etc. In the end we all have to share a quad room which is the only thing left.

Tues 17
Ian and David to Polydor to negotiate the purchase of  equipment. Most notably a Jupiter 8 and Memory Moog keyboard.  They meet the rest of us at The Hog and The Pound off Carnaby Street for lunch with lawyer James Wylie. Back to Polydor for a bit of hanging about then check in and out of the Lancaster Gate Hotel. On a revised plan the band and Chris and his wife recant to Steve's Dad's pub where the Wakefield contingent stay for the night. Much chat about band direction.

Wed 18
Steve, David and Ian try to meet Billy at The Grosvenor for lunch but some jobsworth doorman refuses them entry. I visit Performing Rights Society H.Q to get the band signed up as members. All back to Polydor. A deal is brokered by Polydor for the keyboard purchasing and we go to a warehouse in Putney to collect the gear before travelling back to Yorkshire.

Sat 21
Janice Long Saturday afternoon show plays "Winter" as a "one that got away" request.

Mon 23
Band take train to London. Meeting with photographer Richard Houghton at his Baker Street flat. Chris Carr has a heavy discussion about image later on the back of this visit.

Tues 24
Ian and David oversee purchasing of a new sax and a couple of JC120 amplifiers. Then a meeting about sleeve design for (as yet to be satisfactorily recorded) "Photography" single with designer Al. Everyone then returns to photographer Richard's flat and Chris makes arrangements for a photo session to be done with him in Yorkshire. Band take train home in evening.

Thur 26
Band on a pre-photo session clothes hunt in Leeds, and hair cuts all round at Vidal Sasoon.

Fri 27
Pick up Richard Houghton from Wakefield train station. Band take hire car to Sheffield to get final items for photo shoot and arrive at my office to collect Richard. Look for locations with him. Visit Bretton Hall, where the boiler room has potential. Then on to Heath Common on the outskirts of Wakefield.

Sat 28
Still not satisfied on the clothing front. There is another trip to Leeds. This time we hire costumes from Homburgs. The guys choose three loud striped suits. First photo location is back at the boilers at Bretton Hall. Evening meal for all at The Raj Poot in Wakefield.

Sun 29
Up early and back to Bretton for some more photographs. Outdoor locations around the lake are used, including a Greek style Folly, where the boys throw leaves in the air to make what might be a good shot. Afterwards drive Richard Houghton to Doncaster to get a direct train back to London. Band go on to Ian's house where his wife Mary makes a slap up dinner for them.

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