Demonstration by Tony Hazzard

He may not be a household name, but Liverpool-born Tony Hazzard wrote many hits in the 1960s for such pop acts as the Hollies, Manfred Mann, Herman's Hermits, Cliff Richard, Gene Pitney, and Andy Williams. Demonstration features all except for one of the songs which appeared on his 1969 solo debut, Tony Hazzard Sings Tony Hazzard, but adds an additional pair of tracks. Recorded between 1966-1969 at Regent Sound in London, the songs are presented in demo form, hence the title. The thirteen songs are charming, hooky, often whimsical, and feature orchestrated arrangements in the style of the period.

Here's some notes from Tony:

This album is a reincarnation of my first album, Tony Hazzard Sings Tony Hazzard, first released in 1969, with one track missing but two more added. It was recorded between 1966 and 1969 at Regent Sound A in London, using Studer J37 4-track tape recorders and a Neumann M49 valve microphone for vocals. This current recording has been remixed and remastered from the original 4-track tapes I was lucky enough to buy before they were due to be destroyed. All the tracks were demos. We re-recorded “Fox on The Run” and “You Won’t Be Leaving” again for the album. In addition, Tony Hicks of The Hollies recorded his lead guitar part on “Listen To Me” and it was edited into the demo, otherwise all the other tracks are the original demos. I used to book a 3-hour session for 10 am, and in that time, having given out chord charts and dots where needed to the band, we would record a rhythm track, followed by lead and harmony vocals using the Neumann, and then any other overdubs, backing vocals, solos, etc., mix it, and be in the pub over the road by 1pm.

This way of working meant that in some cases, 12-string guitar would be on the same track as the bass, and drums with lead guitar. In the early days, a mix would often have the drums on the left, and other instruments elsewhere, in order to show off the marvels of stereo. In this remix Jerry Boys and I decided to go for an overall good sound, even if some tracks turned out to be in mono. One of these sessions took place on the morning of Friday,10th February,1967. The previous night, since EMI Studios were fully booked—The Beatles booked an overnight session at Regent Sound A—the studio having similar Studer J37s to those they’d been using at EMI, and recorded “Fixing A Hole, “which subsequently appeared on Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in May that year.