PWL: From the Factory Floor

by Phil Harding

To the modern pop world, Stock, Aitken and Waterman (and Waterman's PWL brand) form a key link between the analogue past and the digital present of record production and writing. The label and studios produced so many pop hits in the 1980s that their name became a byword for success and perfection; that they created a template which is expertly worked today by Simon Cowell and the like is undeniable. Phil Harding was a key player in the brand's success, becoming an in-demand producer of hugely successful records for Kylie, Rick Astley, Bananarama, Dead or Alive, Pet Shop Boys, Jesus Jones, Erasure, Depeche Mode , and others.

Successes and awards flowed, and demand for Phil's talents was high. This detailed memoir of this period of his life uniquely represents the first account of the PWL world from outside of the core trio. Packed full of anecdotes and production details, the book perfectly walks the line between gossip and insight, and is a perfect fusion of fan pleasing facts and professional and technical details. The addition of a complete discography and a technical appendix make the book a must have for any PWL fan or completist.

Genres: Music

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny story. In the last couple of years I have been getting increasingly interested in audiophilia, as is the wont of men in their 40s. I've been learning about loudness wars, vinyl vs cd vs MP3 vs FLAC, and analogue vs digital. A recent internet wormhole led me to SPARS codes and a list of late 1980s AAD recordings, one of which was Enjoy Yourself by Kylie Minogue. You can imagine my surprise. Wondering if SAW recordings were really truly analogue led me to read PWL: From the Factory Floor by Phil Harding, which literally has an appendix devoted to creation of the 12" version of Hand On Your Heart.

You'd think, then, with that level of serendipity, it'd be five stars. Alas, I didn't know it included that appendix until I reached it. Phil Harding might be a mixmaster, but a doyen of literature he is not. This reads like an extended Wikipedia entry, but with a description of everyone's hairstyle.

To summarise, Rick Astley never really wanted to be famous, Kylie is a consummate professional, Bananarama are a bit dull, Dead or Alive were hilarious and You Spin Me Round is the pinnacle of all their careers, and SAW and the mixmasters wrote and produced a whole lot of songs that no one's ever heard of, and to create them used a whole lot of equipment that remains a mystery, despite the 400 pages of detail described within. Kylie had curly hair.

[marzenie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome deep dive into a legendary studio's output and lore, by one of the best to do it in that era. You do need to be interested in music production to an extent as it's both a memoir of the personalities of the studio and the techniques used to create the songs. I personally ate up the tales of Rick Astley as tea boy, Kylie in general, and studio hijinks like assistants losing tape because they fell asleep, or That Perfect Sound being created by accident. Comes with an extensive timeline and discography. A must for an 80s UK based pop fan.

[Dj'aead1818 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgia Trip...

Being a big fan of the PWL stable of artists back in my early years and being in awesome of Messrs. Harding/Curnow/Hammond more so than SAW, this was a brilliant account of the music, philosophy and politics of a label that soundtracked my informative years prior to becoming a DJ myself. Not for everyone but even if your interested in the story itself rather than the technical side the book is still a must have. Highly recommended.

[Misael Martinez Melo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phil made me feel like I was right in the recording booth of the Hi-NRG era

[Steve Gobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete overview of the music label PWL Records behind the scene.