Recorded live (ambiently) from the back of the hall at our first unofficial gig.

Jeannette Owen - piano
Paul Dawson - guitar/vocal (and foot stomp!)
Ian St Barbe Anderson - harmonica

The Triplets "Sweet Lorraine".......live.....14 July 2013

This is our cover of a 1920's song with Paul Dawson on vocal and acoustic guitar and Jeannette Owen on electric piano

The Triplets "Paper Doll"

THE STORY............Written to play to a girl I used to see around locally (on the folk scene) and quite like the look of, at a 'Medieval Feast' organised by Charlie Scott to thank people who had supported his 'Monday Open Mic night' at the Cork and Cheese in Southend. Anyway, I wrote the song, then didn't have the courage to GO along to the evening let alone perform it!
 A few years later we did meet and she WAS special..........

Originally written on acoustic guitar (as a groove thing), when I went round to help Chris North mix some of the tunes he'd recorded on his Fostex 1/4" 8track he let me record this using his equipment. Sadly I only got the one mix (on cassette tape again!)  but John Chapman's performance (on Clarinet) alone warrants it being up here. All I said to him was "Think Rhapsody in Blue".....He certainly delivered. Fantastic...

Chris North plays the organ!!

 I programmed the drum loop (Alesis HR16B), played all the other instruments. And of course did the mixing...Using my trusty AKG K141 headphones.

Paul M Dawson "STRANGE TOWN"..... featuring John Chapman on clarinet

Two LIVE acoustic guitars and a live lead vocal - This is how it began...When I was recording this live song (with Phil noodling on the top in his usual 'vibey' way) I was hearing the final arrangement within and left space accordingly. In a couple of days the overdubbed 'other-voices' completed the 'mosaic' nature of this piece. 
Another analogue 8 track recording.


THE STORY of the song....................Very early one morning, whilst finding myself semi-comatose on Jenny Flitman's living room floor (as one usually did after one of her infamous parties) I vaguely overheard snippets of a conversation which became the lyrical foundation upon which I added all the things I wanted to say at the time. I later played and sang Jen the lyrical bit (which she said she liked, whilst looking at me quizically, like a memory of a past conversation had just emerged....)
She never heard this version (the live parts were recorded the day I heard she'd lost her battle with cancer) but I like to think she would've enjoyed it........

Paul M Dawson "NOTORIETY"..........original acoustic song

Live recording made 23rd July 1991 in Miche's bathroom, straight to DAT.


THE STORY.........In 1991 I left my adrenaline-fueled position as FOH sound for Edwin Starr's live touring band and returned to Southend (to be near at hand for my dad's final months on this earth - he died of some Parkinsons related illness later that same year).

Feeling that maybe time was running out, I took the opportunity to set up a DAT deck and stereo mic in my good friend Miche's bathroom (good acoustics) and spent an afternoon rattling off as many of my own compositions as would fit on the tape. This is one from that session.

Just my acoustic guitar and voice.......(and the occasional dog-bark!)


............warts 'n' all!

Paul M Dawson "LOVE ME INDEED"....original acoustic song LIVE

Live vocals (inc harmonies!) and acoustic guitar, all recorded in one single take.

'Morphine' cover.

.............it's a bit sad.

Paul M Dawson "GONE FOR GOOD".........LIVE acoustic cover song

Written and performed by me (usually on guitar with just my single voice).

Here we have a version where I've dubbed lots of voices and skatted along with a drum machine (Chris North's trusty HR16) which I had midi'd to his korg keyboard (set to 'marimba') and tuned the drums to sort of fit.

Intentionally VERY hectic at times........with the machine-gun-snare REALLY annoying Chris, who was primarily a drummer.

Another song from his little home studio in Pitsea, where he was SO concerned about disturbing the neighbours that I couldn't play my guitar on that visit.......

Again recorded and mixed using my trusty AKG K141 headphones!............
 
Transferred from cassette tape.

Paul M Dawson "HERE I GO"..........marimba and drums.............taster

With Mike Howlett and Pierre Moerlen (Gong) on Bass and drums (recorded in Strasberg by them, and mixed to stereo by Mike Howlett from 8track analogue tape in my studio in Southend) as a basis, I lived with the rhythm track for about a week before adding the repeating 2 note pattern on acoustic. Then the lead voice, synth (SH09), then the effortless lead guitar playing of Noj Marshall. Rob Mellet added percussion and together him and me added the 'backing voices'. I finished off by adding some rhythm electric guitar, power chords and noodling here and there.

Mike Howlett quite liked it (I think) and when I uploaded to mp3.com Europe under the name 'Daevid's Disciples' it got to #1 (and remained there for about 6 months) under 'Experimental Music' category...

A MOST productive time.....


This is the edited version.............

Daevid's Disciples "I CAN FLY"  ft Mike Howlett, Pierre Moerlen and Noj Marshall...taster

Great song from the lyrical pen of Steven Heath with Rick Birmingham and Bosch's music.

Recorded and mixed by me at Trevor Taylor's in Hadleigh, Essex in April 1979, and as fresh today....

Steven Heath - vocals and percussion
Rick Birmingham - Piano, organ and synths.
Julian Bacon - Bass
Ashley Gough - Drums
and guest (session) guitarist Jerry Stevenson  http://www.besharp.co.uk/biography_jerry.php

A most enjoyable and highly productive session.


This track was transfered from cassette tape.

BOSCH 'Sexist Rhythm' ...Paul Dawson @ TrevTaylor's mix - April'79...with Jerry Stevenson on guitar

Written and sung by Bernie Dawson. A few years ago now.....
Arrangement, acoustic guitar and all midi-instruments played and recorded by Paul Dawson (me) in Westcliff on sea Essex.

THE STORY.............This ditty was first sung to me over the phone one January afternoon and within about a day of the call, my sister Bernie (with her two year-old son Charles along for the ride) added her LIVE lead and harmony vocals to the basic backing track I'd made.
Whilst recording her (in my then analogue 8track studio) I noticed her son singing along to each pass, sitting in the control room with me (- she'd obviously been practicing within earshot of him!). So I immediately set up a mic, we both donned headphones and I discretely recorded HIS voice too.

Anyway..... job done, they left and I got on with adding acoustic guitar flourishes, tweaking the track and did two rough mixes. Her face was a picture when the 2nd mix got to Charles' singalong parts......She's still singing (gospel mostly these days) and Charles is most definitely blossoming into his fathers son!

Shared here with all of you.......

Bernie Dawson "NEW BEGINING" ........mix inc. her young son on baby voice

Me and the drum machine (for now......)

.........a different mix.

Paul M Dawson "NEXT STOP....PARADISE".....from my ongoing Brook Benton Project

One of my favourite local bands at the time, and one of the first sessions I managed solo.
I recorded and mixed four songs that session with the band.
This is one of them.

SLOW HAND personnel -
Mick Aldworth - 1st Guitar and Vocals
Tony Darke - 2nd Guitar and Vocals
Bob Simmonds - Bass Guitar
Chris Thomson - Drums and Vocals

Another mix from my days at the sound-on-sound 2track studio owned by Warwick Kemp,
who taught me so much.

For more details of the band visit http://slow-hand2.tripod.com/

With my thanks to Tony Darke 'Slow Hand' guitarist and singer.

.........another cassette transfer from my personal archives.

Slow Hand "DAY OF THE SAVAGE"...Paul Dawson @ Spectrum'75 + tweaked 2012

Recorded in the control room of my analogue 8track studio, Phil plays
all the instruments and sings all vocal parts.

This song appeared later on his "Dandelion wishes...." release.

visit http://www.philburdett.com for all info.


This was transferred from cassette tape............


Nsfnn pg1 en5pN8 NEW sfnn N 270398

Phil Burdett "CUTTER LYNCH" .......multi-track demo - Paul Dawson @ PaulMs'98

written about TWO different girls (one of whom was a TOTAL bitch) and recorded immediately on a portastudio (4trk cassette) with Phil Webb and myself jamming LIVE.

Within a week all the extra voices were dubbed and this rough mix was made.

Words and Music by Paul Dawson

PAUL DAWSON "The girl's a bitch" .....with Phil's usual noodling away!

Yes please..............!!!!


....work in progress STILL!

Paul M Dawson "COME ON BABY LET'S GO"........another taster from my Brook Benton Project

all voices and instruments are mine.

Recorded a year ago (to the day) to test out a new multi-track recorder.....

Very basic but it convinced me I needed 24 tracks!





You can't 12 12 norm

Paul M Dawson "YOU CAN'T DO THAT".......acoustic Beatles coversong

....another classic Brook Benton cover song, with myself on all vocals and instruments jammin' with the drum machine......





Walking Together WEB

Paul M Dawson "WALKING TOGETHER" .....from my forthcoming 'Brook Benton Project'

Another Brook Benton cover song, from my forthcoming  'Brook Benton Project' .....as usual, all instruments and voices are mine (playing along to the drum loops when they appear)....





I never knew (vox) WEB

Paul M Dawson "I NEVER KNEW" (vocal mix)....from my Brook Benton Project

A newly-formed South-West trio recorded live in rehearsal in Somerset.....there will be more!

The Triplets "Sleepy time gal" ........live in rehearsal 10 April 2013

A newly formed trio of South West musicians recorded live in rehearsal............

The Triplets "I'm shooting high" ...........live in rehearsal 10/4/13

Paul M Dawson - Sound Engineer 
singer-songwriter/guitarist/fretless bassist/synthesist/percussionist/arranger/producer 


I've been professionally involved in sound reproduction for two thirds of my life and will be using these pages to share some of  this life in music with you.

With my thanks to all those who have allowed me to use their recorded works here. 

Each historic track usually has a story that goes with it - visit the TRACK page itself for these stories and for personnel details.

It has certainly been an interesting journey so far and on the whole a most enjoyable one.

And long may it continue......

Thank you for visiting and please feel free to comment.

Paul M Dawson ........ 17/08/2012

Paul M Dawson

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