The Making Of A Record - Flashez 1975

The Making of a Record - Flashez 1975
Featuring the album 'Smiling For The Camera'

Ross and Mike Meade met when they were both working for Channel 9 in Perth. Mike a cameraman and Ross an audio op. After Ross scored a record deal with EMI, Mike also headed east where one of his first jobs, typically, was to take a hand puppet act he'd worked up at channel 9 (Claude the Dragon) and to put it on ABC radio. As Claude would say: 'Well, duh yea ..."

This association with the ABC eventually lead Mike to Flashez, a five day a week popular music 'magazine' TV show that he hosted with singer Ray Burgess.

Because of their friendship, Ross was a regular visitor and guest on the show and so when the producers were looking at doing a piece on the making of a record, Ross, who by chance was recording his 'Smiling For The Camera' album, was an obvious choice.

The episode follows the course of the Ryan song 'Anthem' from his Sydney farm ("the seclusion he needs to write ..."), then to the studio and winds up with Ross and Mike walking into a record shop to buy the album.

The best part of this segment is the manufacturing process. Is this really how records were/are made? It looks like they're making car bumpers or anvils. Do people really want to bring back vinyl? It's a wonder the damn things work at all!

'Anthem' can now be found on the 'Difficult Third Compilation'.

 

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