The Consequences Podcast 83 - Waxing lyrical with producer and songwriter Phil Thornalley
The Consequences PodcastShow Notes
Some people have had a disproportionately successful music career, having written, produced, engineered or played on a staggering number of sublime pop records. One such person is Phil Thornalley.
Phil cut his teeth in the studio in the late 1970s with pop supremo Mickie Most before a precocious career engineering, producing and/or playing with The Cure, Prefab Sprout, Johnny Hates Jazz and Thompson Twins, among many others. His work on TT’s ‘Into the Gap’ earned him a Grammy nomination. Paul and Sean of course quiz him on his time working with Andrew Gold and Graham Gouldman on their second set of Wax songs, ‘Magnetic Heaven’. Since the ‘80s, he’s enjoyed some spectacular success as a songwriter, most famously perhaps with Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’ and two number ones for Pixie Lott. He’s also worked with Bryan Adams. So this guy has some pretty spectacular pedigree!
Phil’s production style in the mid-late 1980s - along with that of his peers - could be dismissed lazily as dated or of-its-time, but closer examination reveals some delights. We were gobsmacked by his recycling of 10cc’s pioneering tape loop techniques for his work on an ‘80s classic…. We won’t spoil the surprise!
The biggest revelation though has been Phil’s own ‘band’ project: his two albums as Astral Drive. Possibly Sean’s favourite new discovery of the year! It’s deliciously great pop, full of hooks, great melodies and 60s/70s sounds, and we have a lot of fun quizzing Phil on his obvious influences: Todd Rundgren features heavily!
More from The Consequences Podcast
Hi everyone. It's been a while! Paul and Sean have been busy, of late... We may have been embroiled in an uber-ambitious tribute gig, but secretly, Sean's just enjoyed not having to edit endless podcasts in the wee small hours these past few months! In the meantime, our good chum Panayiotis Bogdanos chimed in from San Leandro, California with a proposition: let's talk about 50cc... We've missed the old chap, so we had to give in! We really hope you enjoy our random snapshot of our lovingly-concocted live rendition of what this podcast has been all about. Pany quizzes us on the genesis of the 50cc project, the concept and the crazy ideas, the songs we were dying to play, the challenges, the crushing disappointments and the surprising successes, and of course the extraordinary team that we suddenly found ourselves with on those two nights in Stockport on June 24th and 25th 2022. You'll hear lots of music clips here, including some outtakes that don't appear in the released video, but also a sample of how we attempted to capture Consequences, Godley and Creme solo and 10cc's eclectic career in three hours. The full video download and YouTube stream can be found here: https://www.seanmacreavy.com/50ccshop We truly hope you enjoy our efforts. We've loved doing this, and the gigs were just the icing on the cake! This episode was (mostly) edited by Pany. Cheers old boy!
Paul and Sean make no apologies for enjoying this conversation as much as we did!
Paul and Sean had such a great time talking to established 10cc lead singer Iain Hornal. We fought and lost an uncontrollable urge to geek out about our shared love of The Beach Boys, but eventually got down to business!
Sean and Paul are thrilled to welcome to the pod one Stuart Tosh, the ‘man at the back’ who would join drummer Paul Burgess to share honours on 10cc percussion duties live and in the studio from 1977 to 1983.
Wow. Simply put, this is nothing short of a coup. A decade ago, Charlie Thomas succeeded in landing an interview that Sean and Paul have been chasing unsuccessfully for two years!