Back In The Game

This month Nev Marten talks about the joys of recording his album and how cathartic the process can be for any musician or band

You may recall, in previous issues, I mentioned I’d been recording an album of my own songs. It’s the first I’ve done and it’s at (what I deem to be) a ridiculously advanced age for one’s ‘debut’. While I shouldn’t really be using my column to plug it, such was the catharsis I derived from creating something from scratch, that I wondered if a few words about my project might inspire you to do the same?

I’ve done a lot of recording over the years, from helping mates out on their albums, to regular studio sessions back in the 90s, and of course 25 years’ worth of Blues Headlines and Guitarist demos (I’m also on Marty and Kim Wilde’s new single, 60s World). For years I’ve wanted to do something but never got round to it. But I’ve also been jotting down lyrics, and I’d try out chord progressions and feels while doing Blues Headlines, etc. And so, all of a sudden I had several songs ready to demo, which I did with my keyboard player mate. It was while in the studio recording his latest project that I bit the bullet and booked a weekend, too.

The plethora of recording solutions available today is astounding. Macs have GarageBand built in and there are stripped-down versions of all the major DAWs available, which cost peanuts compared with even a day in a studio 20 years ago. But I chose to hire the same studio and get a band in to do ‘takes’, not simply layer things up. These are the guys I regularly work with plus a great pedal-steel player, tenor saxophonist and blues harpist, because I didn’t want it to be guitar solo after guitar solo – although there’s plenty of that to be found, too…

I knew I wanted certain ‘feels’ on the tracks and I also knew I didn’t want a procession of 12-bar blues. Also, what guitar to use on what track? And which songs would feature the extra musicians? In the end, everything chose itself; I instinctively knew which of my guitars I’d use on what, and in fact never once deviated from that. Same with the musicians; I used people I’d played with for years. Only in one case (the blues harpist), did I not personally know him, but I’d seen him play at Snail’s-Pace Slim’s 65th birthday party and he was brilliant.

The Sounds Of Self-Belief

One thing I did notice was how my confidence built. At first I was almost apologising for daring to think my stuff was worthy, so let things go that weren’t quite what I wanted – mostly stuff I’d played or sung. But as time went on and the results began to sound okay, I grabbed hold of the project and clearly expressed what I wanted. All the players pulled the stops out and made the tracks sound ‘proper’.

The album isn’t yet available on streaming platforms but I will do this soon. In the first instance, I had some CDs done and my friend Mick Taylor offered to sell them through That Pedal Show’s merchandise shop (www.thatpedalshowstore.com). I wrote a track called The Blues Headlines and have named the album that, too (it was my title, after all!).

I can’t recommend highly enough that, if you have the equipment or know a local studio, you have a go at it yourself. Even an EP’s worth will involve the planning – instrumentation, tempos, keys, musicians, guitars, amps and so on – that makes something like this so rewarding. And so what if it is a vanity project? We’ve all got something musical to say, and the right to say it. My album is no Sgt Pepper but I’m glad I did it and that people seem to like it. Go on, give yours a go too. See you next month.

“One thing I did notice was how my confidence built… As time went on, I grabbed hold of the project and clearly expressed what I wanted”