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The Ponderosa
People often ask us about our studio compound, "the
Ponderosa" where we have recorded and or mixed our last fourteen
albums.Here, for your edification is a guided tour of our joint. Of course,
we can't
show
any
studio shots as industrial espionage is rife in the music scene and we
don't want no bastards copping our EQ settings or scoping our compression
knees. |
This is the aloof , uninviting
north face of the Ponderosa. This is as far as Postman Plod is allowed
to go. We wait until his motorbike has turned the corner and scurry out
to get our precious parcels. He knows too much already.
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The stairs leading up to
the vocal booth. We have designed the studio so as to be indistinguishable
from a normal , everyday 21st century aristocrats living quarters. We
don't like to see the joins in our lifestyles. Its gotta have the flow,
its gotta be seamless.
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The Most Southerly aspect of the Ponderosa,
facing the railway lines. We got all these horses in for a bit of an F
Troop vibe when we were cutting "My Life on the Plains". The
bloke that brought them never came back to get them again.We like people
riding past to think that we're too poor to own a car. I like to come
out here in the morning for a piss and a look around.
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Just around to the right, Clare is laying down
some drum tracks. The cathedral ceiling gives it that cool natural slapback
she digs from her Gretsch.
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To the
Northwest is our private entrance. This is where we get to walk
in to our house.
Only us.
No other bastard is allowed to use this particular portal. It is ours.
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To the South East. I took
this snap at night using my old Boldera with an F8 stop. I was just having
a piss and a look around and the light caught my fancy.
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This is what I see when I'm sitting on the can.
Gold records and old leather settees. Of course, no other bastard can
ever see this for real. There is a Supermarket about 15 clicks down the
road. They have a public toilet there.
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Everybody needs a quiet place to get away to.
Another joint where they can unwind and collect their thoughts.
This is
ours. We call it Fernando Po, connected to the Ponderosa by a short bike
track. Just over the back fence. It looks onto the creek. Everybody
thinks
its owned by some other bastard that we hate. We like them to think that.
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At night, Fernando Po,
the Eastern aspect. I took this with a disposable polaroid. The lights
just looked cool the way they came on.
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Fernando Po, looking out towards the back. Thats
me sweating over some lyrics down on the deck. |
The kitchen. The whole
floor area , including table and chair depressions is carved out of a
single piece of wood. I found it when I was tooling around in the back
lot one day.
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