The Nic of Time #3: Producer Tony Visconti, 1983: "Just Another Day at the Office"

The famed producer, known for his decades of work with David Bowie, suddenly turns up on Nic's calendar...and at the studio! But, does Nic's boss even know who Tony is?

It pays to be ready! Nic, readying himself for another workday: “Just in case Flock of Seagulls wander into the studio today….”

“The Nic of Time”: Periodic short excerpts edited and “carefully adorned” from the original essays by early-’80’s Trident Studios/London assistant engineer,

🅝🅘🅒 🅑🅡🅘🅢🅒🅞🅔🖋🎸🎵🎥🎙, (shown above), from his The Song’s the Thing!

“The Nic of Time #2” can be found here:

The Nic of Time #2: Lemmy Outta Here! What Propelled the Motörhead Engine

This excerpt is taken from Nic’s recent “Just Another Day at the Office…1983”:

Just Another Day at the Office... 1983

The Tony Visconti File

Producer/musician/singer, Tony Visconti, in photos 47 years apart: 1969 and 2016. The New York native is now 80.

Tony Visconti is an American record producer, musician and singer, born April 24, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York. Moving to London in 1968 altered his career path significantly. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of mainly British performers. He had his first hit with T. Rex’s “Ride A White Swan” single in 1970.

Visconti’s lengthiest involvement, though, was with David Bowie ( shown above): Intermittently, from the production and arrangement of Bowie’s 1968 single, “In the Heat of the Morning” b/w “London Bye, Ta-Ta” (both links, above) to the 2016 release of Blackstar, Visconti produced and occasionally performed on many of Bowie’s albums (in 1970, he played bass on Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World album).

Plus, he scored the orchestral arrangements for Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1973 album, Band on the Run. Suffice to say, Visconti’s production credits are numerous, with around 1,000 to his name.

☀London, One 1983 Morning⚡⏰⚡

Nic: I was working as a freelance sound engineer in London, based mainly at Maison Rouge Studios, in Fulham Broadway, under the guidance of its studio manager, Tony Taverner:

Like many twenty-year-olds, I was from time to time slightly late for work and at least slightly hungover. On arrival, I would attempt to disarm and distract my boss usually by simply just talking too much, like nothing had happened, trying to be charming, and making a joke.

My boss, Tony, was totally wise to this, however very cool with me. He didn’t give me a hard time, usually just a mildly disapproving glance, and then let me dig myself deeper into my own nonsense!

Maison Rouge Studios

I remember one day coming through the studio’s main entrance mid-morning, maybe ten or fifteen minutes late, and immediately seeing my boss, Tony, off to my right sitting in the bar area, at a small table, talking with someone.

I went straight over and positioned myself so he could see me. He glanced at his watch and then looked up and acknowledged I was there. I immediately started babbling: First, a brief apology for being late, and (in hopes I could pull focus from the being-late bit), a quick but enthusiastic, “What am I working on today, Tony?”

“You’re working with Tony Visconti,” he said, as casually as if he was ordering tea.

I was almost speechless. Unfortunately……I wasn’t: “What, you mean THE Tony Visconti?” I sputtered. “T. Rex and Young Americans Tony Visconti?”

“Yep!”

Tony Visconti circa 1985.

“Wow! You know that he produced my friend, Hazel’s album, Breaking Glass?”

“No, I didn’t know that, Nic.”

Back cover of Hazel’s Breaking Glass LP, 1980.

Perhaps my boss hadn’t heard of Tony Visconti or Hazel O’Connor? It was a bit of a push for me to describe Hazel as a friend because I’d only recently met her. But anyway, I continued to fill Tony, my boss, in a bit about Haze and THE Tony Visconti…

You know Hazel O’Connor? She had that big hit with that song about drinking coffee, you know, “Will You,” with that big sax solo (by Wesley Magoogan)? Visconti produced it. Man, he’s a fucking amazing producer!

He’s done sooo many things with David Bowie! He even played bass for him! I can’t believe I’m going to be working with THE Tony Visconti! I can’t wait! When is he coming in?

“He’s here already.”

Tony, grinning, gestured with his head, gazing slowly towards the man sitting opposite him at the table.

Me…….if only.

Roll Tape

I don’t remember exactly what we worked on that day. I think it was some Modern Romance tracks, doing some multitrack editing and general sorting out, maybe an overdub or two.

“Don’t Stop That Crazy Rhythm,” the third single from the Trick of the Light album👇

[Ed: Research reveals that, if Visconti came to work on tracks for Modern Romance, it was likely for their second album, Trick of the Light. The band released 3 records in 1983: A compilation album, Party Tonight, on Ronco/UK, a Japan-only album release, Juanita, and Trick of the Light, their only new-material album of the year (released in April ‘83) on WEA (Warner/Elektra/Atlantic)/UK. It reached #53 on the UK album chart. The album was released in the States on Atlantic Records.]

Tony Visconti had his own studio in Soho, Good Earth; however, that day or week, his studio was either busy on another project or had some maintenance going on. Hence, he booked a day or two at Maison Rouge.

Keepin’ it reel, tomorrow’s another day!