Record producer and songwriter Clive Langer recently discussed some of the high and not-so-high points of his long career, which include working with a who's who of rock royalty, but turning down the queen of pop. It was a big 'no' to Madonna, but Bowie and Jagger were "majestic".
Langer's discography reads like the history of rock and pop music, which is understandable given he started his illustrious studio career way back in the mid 1970s. He has worked with everyone from Bowie to Madness, Blur to Jagger, but in a recent interview with The Guardian, he revealed some of the missed opportunities of his studio career – some deliberate, some not so.
Langer, often alongside production partner Alan Winstanley, made his name in the 1970s and '80s recording Madness, Teardrop Explodes, and Elvis Costello, not to mention Mick Jagger and David Bowie's huge single Dancing in The Street. He said of that infamous recording, "Bowie ran the show and was always looking after Mick. ‘Everything all right, Mick?’".
Langer describes working with the late singer on the single Absolute Beginners as a high point in his career, revealing that Bowie did the vocal in one take: "He sounded utterly majestic. We hung out. Sometimes I’d get him for an hour or so and we’d just drink and talk. He was so intelligent, funny, knew what he was doing. After that I thought, ‘Where do I go next?’”
Somewhere Langer didn't go was into a studio to record Madonna, even though he was offered the opportunity at an early stage in her career. “I went to see her at the Music Machine and I just didn’t get it," he said, adding, "I still don’t get it.”
One regret in Langer's career was not working on Foo Fighters’ second album, despite meeting Dave Grohl in Los Angeles. "I suggested that he should play drums on the record instead of the drummer they had then,” he said, but realised that his suggestion meant he'd blown the chance to record the band, even though Grohl actually ended up playing most of the drums on the final recording.
Langer and Winstanley created one of the most sophisticated recording studios in the world after buying Hook End Manor from Dave Gilmour, which was largely financed with the proceeds of the 6-million-selling Bush album Sixteen Stone, which was recorded in 1994. Later that decade they sold the studio to Trevor Horn, who renamed it Sarm Hook End.
Langer's latest project is his own band, The Clang Group, which also features Deaf School members Gregg Braden on drums and John Wood on keys, along with Jamie Reynolds (Klaxons) on bass. Their new album New Klang is out on 21st February and you can get more info from the band's website.
