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To Purchase by Mail Order Please send a cheque made payable to "Mossley Band" to: Mossley Band, 3 Argyle Street, Mossley, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, OL5 0HF. |
The Making of
To understand the way The Mossley Band's excellent CD Top Mossley came about, one has to cast one's mind back to the summer of 2004 when my brother Sam Johnson, at the time a former Mossley Band cornet player, was persuaded to return to the band by the chairman, our Uncle David, albeit as a part time second cornet player. Sam and I are members of Detours, a songwriting, acoustic rock trio from Saddleworth, in which Sam's brass playing and wonderful voice feature strongly. Sam is also a member of a cabaret duo Coxx, so it is difficult for him to continue to be active as a bandsman. The other member of Coxx is a gentleman by the name of Paul Adshead, who comes into the equation later. Paul is Detours' sound engineer and session musician, whom we refer to as our "fourth member." Reading Paul's CV of over thirty years of professional sound engineering is quite breathtaking, but as a very modest fellow, he is not one for singing his own praises. The members of Detours do this for him, however! Detours had recently performed twice at The Players' Theatre in Delph, Saddleworth, and Sam decided it would be great for The Mossley Band to perform a Christmas concert with us there. And so it came to pass on Saturday 4th December 2004. What a memorable night that was! Our friend, singer/guitarist Ged Casserley from Uppermill opened the show, followed by some anecdotes from our dad Eric Johnson, recalling his days as a founder member of the reformed Mossley Band in 1955, through to when he left in the late 1970s. He then recited two of his Christmas Lancashire dialect poems from his book Follow The Tame, published in 1976. He then very proudly introduced The Mossley Band, who had now achieved championship section status again.
Mr Paul Adshead and I recorded the performances that night. Sam and I, our dad and our Uncle David enjoyed hearing the recording over the Christmas period, which led Sam to be keen on The Mossley Band recording an album whilst they were enjoying new success as a strong band. It made sense to Sam for the band to record through my own label, Detours Music, as I would put my heart into the project due to such an extensive family connection with the band. Sam then discussed the possibility of such an album with other band members at rehearsals, and all of the soloists in the band were keen. The committee then looked round for quotes, and I was delighted when Detours Music's was considered the best option. The band decided upon Sunday 5th June 2005 as the recording date to my disappointment, as it was my wife Nealm's birthday, and Nealm, our daughter Nikita and I already had plans so would have to miss the recording session. The CD was requested to be completed for sale at Cholmondley Castle, which was the last week in July! This seemed an impossibility with the other commitments of all invloved and as I had to arrange MCPS clearances, but Paul and I are ones to rise to a challenge. And so on Sunday 5th June 2005, Mr Paul Adshead turned up at Denshaw Village Hall in Saddleworth at 5.00am, and set the place up as a recording studio for the day. The Mossley Band turned up at 9.00am, full of enthusiasm and anticipation, engaging firstly in a photo session. They then set up and warmed up in preparation. The recording session lasted a gruelling nine hours, which was an incredible experience for all involved. The result was a collection of fifteen different pieces of music, many including several takes, making a total of around 7 hours of recorded music. Over the following fortnight Paul, conductor Martyn Evans, and myself spent many hours analysing the recordings, and making the preparation for the editing stage. With very little time indeed due to the deadline hanging over us, I had to put together the full package, arrange MCPS royalty clearances, arrange the sleeve artwork and text, and tidy up the cover from a drawing by Joe Longden, the son of Nicky who was then the Principal Cornet player, and his friend Adam Chesney (Chez). After many phone calls and discussions I was able to arrange the manufacturing of the CD. I was able to deliver the batch of completed CDs to the band on 20th July, which is by all accounts a rapid turnaround. The result, I believe, showcases an incredible performance from The Mossley Band and their conductor, and shows the genius of Paul Adshead. To say this one hour, fourteen track collection of music was recorded in one day is remarkable. It truly is a great achievement, and a milestone in the history of The Mossley Band. I still play it whilst having a candlelit meal, and am very proud to have been involved. Eric Johnson, March 2006
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