TN:119 Blur & James Ford

In this episode, John is joined by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and producer James Ford, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘The Ballad of Darren’.

With Damon’s initial demos to hand, the pair give us a guided tour of the record, right through the early versions and studio sessions, from the moments that reignited the feelings they had when writing in the 90s, to piecing together the musical jigsaw that forms the Blur sound.

Along with stories of Damon’s inspirational chickens and the dangers of making pesto while writing an album, we’re treated to an in depth production and songwriting masterclass, with details on manufacturing the sound of a room, and the importance of energy and intention behind a song.

Listen to find out what makes the first performance of something so special, why a 4-track recorder can sometimes be a great replacement pillow, and what benefits come with giving yourself distance from a record.

Tracks discussed: St. Charles Square, The Everglades (For Leonard), The Narcissist

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES  

linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to ‘The Ballad of Darren’ here 

•  Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective

GEAR MENTIONS

Eventide H3000

U47 Mic

Neve 1073 Preamp

Neve Desk

TON-1501 Analog Strings Synthesizer

Powertran Transcendent 2000

Coles 4038 Mics

Mellotron

Whurli

Clavinet

Fender Amps

Semler Amps

Garageband

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) 

Donate

Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns.

KEEP UP TO DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

Instagram: @tapenotes 

Twitter: @tapenotes 

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast

Discord: Tape Notes

Patreon: Tape Notes

To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! 

Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

TAPE NOTES TEAM

Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor

Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer

Will Lyons - Editor

Videographer - Andy Tindall/Herbie Elton-Rowley

Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant