Early Works Vol.2: Music From The Archives [ATA Records]

Format: LP in printed sleeve
CAT: ATA026

2020 was a scary time as Covid swept across the world, shutting down countries and isolating friends and families alike.

Within a matter of months, the world seemed a smaller and more menacing place, as many people experienced isolation and a diffuse uncertainty for the first time.

For those lucky enough not to be touched by tragedy during the pandemic, or not to have had to personally battle the illness, lockdown certainly created a space and time to open a book, binge a series or soak up some music.

Some decided to make life even harder for themselves with gargantuan tasks, so big that they only really existed as a concept, as in theory there would never be enough free time to complete them.

But then, of course, a huge amount of time was bestowed upon us all to play with, time to back up what you were saying with actions.

It was in that context that ATA’s Neil Innes took on a monumental task that year.

He decided to “kill off” the studio he had spent 14 years building.

Luckily for everyone, his plan went further: ATA was to re-emerge bigger, stronger, and, fortunately, cleaner than before.

Over many exhausting and expensive months, the heart of ATA Records was dismantled; monolithic equipment was brought out of dusty corners and into the light to decide its fate: to be relocated to the new ATA or sold off to finance the studio's renovation.

Difficult decisions were made, but the end result was worth the sacrifice.

Now ATA has natural light, a very stylish carpet, new sound insulation, and even a surprisingly elegant sofa in the now spacious control room. No more sitting on wobbly stools or balancing coffee on your knee.

Although there were obvious aesthetic and practical benefits to rebuilding the studio, for Neil, who was directly involved in the entire process, it was also cathartic.

A moment of reflection on the last 14 years, the slow construction of ATA, piece by piece and through effort, punctuated by periods of doubt and fear, as surely happens in so many projects born of love.

Once the studio began to take shape again and Neil could finally breathe, he began digging through the label's archives, pulling out reels that had for years been holding up tables, blocking doors, or simply forgotten in corners.

“I just wanted to put a final stop to the old studio; I suppose you could say I killed it, but it was a ‘death’ for a good reason, because look at it now.

“The last few months were the perfect time to delve into the archive… revisit some of the earliest recordings.

“Some I didn’t even remember making… so they’ve been a pleasant surprise,” Neil explained.

He added: “I spent an awful lot of time working with the artists in the early days, polishing everything down to the detail… working with them to bring out the best.

“If I’m honest, I think I was scared to listen to them again; I can be very critical of my own work, and I may have distorted my memories of the recordings.”

It didn’t take him long to realise how special some of those fragments from the past were, especially some vocal recordings with his old Love of the Brave bandmate, Fuzzy Jones.

As he went through that memory journey, he began pairing these rediscovered treasures with tracks by more recent artists, such as The Magnificent Tape Band and The Sorcerers, and thus the compilation began to take shape.

Studio favourites The Mandatory Eight reappear, as does Asteroid by Ivan Von Engleberger.

There's finally an opportunity to get The Joe Tatton Trio's “Bang Bang Boogaloo” on vinyl, a rollicking track that was only released on 7” and now fetches very high prices on the second-hand market.

Also included is a track by regular ATA collaborator Chris Dawkins, an artist Neil speaks of with great enthusiasm.

“Now the label is at a point where we can support musicians who have been with us since the beginning, people like Chris. He is an incredible talent, always willing to help out on a session.

“I want to use the label to put him on the map,” Neil said.

In this case, Chris records under the name Earl Dawkins, a conscious decision to separate his jazz side from other work (and it’s also his first name).

Reviewing the new compilation, Neil commented: “What I can’t understand is why I didn’t release these tracks at the time. They haven’t changed, but in my head, I feel as if they’ve come together years later.”

As the ATA studio enters its next phase, it seems fitting to celebrate the music born in the early days of its first incarnation.

Early music to celebrate a new dawn.