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Post by Timeblue on Apr 11, 2017 22:08:47 GMT
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Post by Chippa on Apr 11, 2017 22:24:18 GMT
The house in which "Armchair Theater" was recorded, if I'm not mistaken.
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Post by Timeblue on Apr 11, 2017 22:36:06 GMT
Yeah, I heard that it was too. Jeff had been there for some time...
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Post by ShardEnder on Apr 12, 2017 1:10:48 GMT
"Posh Studios" was a room at Jeff's old house that he fitted with a Raindirk mixing board in the late 1980s, this indeed being where Armchair Theatre was recorded. Before that, he'd used a small converted outhouse, and according to Dave Morgan, not only did some practice sessions for the European leg of the Time Tour take place in this most unlikely of venues (affectionately referred to as The Rat Club because of its dark, cramped environment reminding Jeff of a location you'd expect to find in Beirut!) during the final days of '81, but the group went through several of their leader's newest compositions ahead of starting proper work on Secret Messages, with Rob Caiger revealing that he's since located a tape containing many of these. My understanding is that demos of Hello My Old Friend and Danger Ahead were also captured there, plus the eventual album version of Letter From Spain, which is actually a Jeff solo track. I've always been curious to know how much - if any - of his makeshift facilities survived the move to Bungalow Palace, and of course I'd love to hear the mythical so-called Garden Rehearsals...
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Post by ShardEnder on Apr 12, 2017 16:59:44 GMT
Here's an article from January 1982 with some rare pictures of not only Walsh Hall, but Jeff's young daughters:
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Post by eloneen on Apr 12, 2017 18:11:35 GMT
Can you give the name of the paper and the exact date? Is it available online in the paper's archives to read?
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Post by ShardEnder on Apr 12, 2017 21:37:37 GMT
I'm not sure if The Sunday Mercury - a local Birmingham newspaper - even has an online archive, but that article is from its first edition of 1982, published on January 3rd, and was found at an ELO fan site... I do hope someone can find digital copies of those pictures, as they're quite rare.
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Post by eloneen on Apr 12, 2017 21:45:37 GMT
I'm not sure if The Sunday Mercury - a local Birmingham newspaper - even has an online archive, but that article is from its first edition of 1982, published on January 3rd, and was found at an ELO fan site... I do hope someone can find digital copies of those pictures, as they're quite rare. Thanks so much!
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Post by elophile on Apr 12, 2017 22:58:45 GMT
Here's an article from January 1982 with some rare pictures of not only Walsh Hall, but Jeff's young daughters: Wow! What a find!!! The intimate family photos. Jeff in that horrible fur coat. So cool !!
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Post by Timeblue on Apr 12, 2017 23:18:21 GMT
I wonder how much Robin Campbell changed the house,obviously you have to put your own mark on a house that you buy and I'm guessing that the house is a listed building so certain changes that Robin wanted would have had to have strict planning consent. If the house was relatively unchanged, then WOW! I love the period detailing in the living room,especially the inglenook fireplace and the lake outside the front door? priceless. One thing that looks odd though is that ladder/steps in the bedroom that seems to go into the wall,very odd, apart from that it is a magnificent home fit for rock royalty ...
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Post by BSJ on Apr 12, 2017 23:31:08 GMT
Ladder leads to a loft. The only thing I'd change is the kitchen. Kind of blah, but a kick ass stove.
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Post by eloneen on Apr 13, 2017 1:02:33 GMT
I'm not sure if The Sunday Mercury - a local Birmingham newspaper - even has an online archive, but that article is from its first edition of 1982, published on January 3rd, and was found at an ELO fan site... I do hope someone can find digital copies of those pictures, as they're quite rare. I spent some time looking for the article, even going so far as going to the British Newspaper Archives website and doing a search there, with no success. However, I did find a response to a query by a person looking for an old article from that same paper. The person responding recommended contacting the Birmingham Central Library Archives Department. With all of the time you've spent researching for your book, you're probably aware of this already, but maybe other forum members might be interested, as well. Here's a link to the request and response I found. birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-find-an-old-article-in-the-sunday-mercury.39056/Good luck!
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Post by ShardEnder on Apr 13, 2017 11:47:10 GMT
I'd love to know exactly when any ELO adverts or articles were printed in the early '80s, as without dates I might as well be searching for a needle in a haystack. Finding pieces on Kelly's lawsuit, concert reports and album or single reviews has only been slightly easier, while the Billboard archives have proved very useful.
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Post by Timeblue on Apr 13, 2017 11:58:45 GMT
Would it be an option to try and contact the photographer for this piece, Rebecca Naden? she may have copies...
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Post by Timeblue on Apr 13, 2017 12:01:14 GMT
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