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LIMF grills the legendary
song writer and producer Lamont Dozier
Photographs and report by Patrick
Trollope.
A unique event was held at The Epstein
Theatre, in Liverpool City Centre, on Thursday, 27 August 2015. Taking to the
stage was no other than the legendary Lamont Herbert Dozier. This evening
promised to be as fascinating as it was unusual... We all know that Lamont was
able to get talented artists to perform at their very best, in very unusual
ways, but how did he do it? Thanks to Liverpool International Music Festival (LIMF),
Steve
Levine and broadcaster Richard
Allinson, were both able to give us a
glimpse of what is behind this musical genius mind. They used the format of
their acclaimed and award winning BBC radio series:- 'The Record
Producers,' along with a very unique use of modern equipment, that
you would normally find in a class rooms. Thanks to a mix of recorded interviews
with the stars that had worked with Lamont, a video projector and a computer
running a simple audio editing program, the 2 presenters were able to quiz him
to reveal the hidden aspects of some of his best known hits.
Using the computer they were able to both
visually and in audio form, reveal the hidden tricks of the trade. Though
analytical analysis and discussion of rare archive and original session tracks
of some of 'Holland Dozier Hollands' classic recordings, including
Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, a hidden world was revealed to us all. From funny
stories, through to discovering some of the sounds you would never realise were
on the tracks, from police car sirens going past the studio to hand written
notes being shuffled. Even the remarkable use of broken instruments, like an old
tambourine, to deliver sounds that were unparalleled at the time, making the
music just as remarkable as they were when first made... The more you heard, the
more respect you developed for Lamont, who set the standards in terms of
recording production styles and techniques which are still used today, so that
you wanted to know much more. It’s no wonder why
he is hugely and directly influencing the
world of music today right across the board. We truly did spend an evening in
the company of genuinely original soul royalty. This was a wonderful evening
that we hope will be the start of many more like it for LIMF. After taking
questions from the audience about his song writing and production career, all 3
received a standing ovation from the audience, something you don’t get in an
average lecture room, but this was an educational experience as well was
entertaining occurrence. Don’t miss out if the do it again next year! If you attended, please let us know your thoughts about the
event via emailing us to:-
news24@southportreporter.com.
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