1986 – Secret Level
Robbie – lead vocals
Claude Brown – guitar & vocals
Hylton Reiff – bass, keyboards & vocals
Niall Bell – drums & vocals
Secret Level was another of the original-music projects I became involved with during 1986. I was once again working with drummer Niall Bell, this time alongside guitarist and vocalist Claude Brown and lead singer Robbie.
The band recorded six original songs with my longtime friend and musical collaborator Adrian Bekker, using a 4-track Portastudio. Considering the limitations of home recording equipment at the time, these sessions captured a surprisingly complete picture of the band and have survived as an interesting snapshot of our music in the mid-1980s.
The Original Recordings
The sessions produced six tracks: 69 Young Warriors, Back In The Box, Stand On Up, You're The Fire, Tell Us More and Coco.
Although we were never particularly happy with the finished lead vocals, the backing tracks were worth preserving. Fortunately, we were able to salvage instrumental versions of most of the songs, which can also be heard below.
Instrumental Recordings
These versions strip away the lead vocals and provide a much clearer picture of the arrangements and playing behind the songs.
