Key player ... Richard James Burgess pioneered the use of synths and samplers
Chances are you won't have heard of Richard James Burgess . That is unless, like me, you happen to think Landscape's From the Tearooms of Mars ... to the Hellholes of Uranus is one of the best synth albums of the 80s (dreadful schoolboy title notwithstanding).
Burgess co-wrote, co-produced, sang and played drums on the album. But his most important contribution was programming. He was a pioneer in the use of synthesisers and samplers. He introduced the Fairlight CMI to the mainstream audience on Kate Bush's Never for Ever album and Visage's Fade to Grey. In more recent years, he's written industry standard guides to music production, but there's hardly a genre he hasn't been influential on: he is attributed with first coining the term "New Romantic" while he was Spandau Ballet's producer. His work for Colonel Abrams is cited as a precursor to house and he is currently director of marketing and sales for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
You get the picture; he's pretty important. Here are five reasons why you should know about him:
1. Performing Landscape's Einstein A Go Go.
2. Introducing Kate Bush to the Fairlight.
3. Producing and mixing King's Love & Pride.
4. Producing Trapped for Colonel Abrams.
5. Playing drums for the Buggles.
