C L A R K  S O R L E Y

•  m u s i c   r e c o r d i n g s •

This is an anthology taken from several decades of recorded work. It's an eclectic mix with performances from many outstanding artists and musicians. If you know me there's a fair chance you might be in here. If you'd prefer not to be let me know.

m y T R A X

SPIRITUAL

It was Mahalia Jackson we were channelling here in this great funereal piece

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HONOURED

For sheer vocal prowess Rosie Gaines was up there with Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder

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FOR JOY

The cheerful capturing of musical moments

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INITIATION

It was only after hearing Dick Gaughan that I could fully embrace Scottish folk music

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ENDORSEMENT

I may have helped kick start Tommy Smith’s deal with Blue Note

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OUTSTANDING

Elisa’s voice was the perfect instrument

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NICE

I was no match for the mighty Dave Grusin

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WHOM THE GODS LOVE...

Allan set a tone which long surpassed his own moment

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CHILLING

My music in this film had an etherial quality away from the pictures but in context took on a whole different aspect ⇨

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INAUTHENTIC

I dabbled in composing Celtic music for a bit but never cared much for authenticity

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KIND OF BLEAK

A proud piece of electronica with Rosalie speaking beautifully in her French-African accent

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SCHEME

Scheme could fill Glasgow’s big venues but were virtually unheard of elsewhere

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INNOVATOR

Andy Park: an inspired executive and an accomplished musical arranger

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MASTERS OF PROCESS

Roll On was a lament to the 60s counter-culture in a musical style borrowed from Motown

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HARRY BARRY

Harry was a prolific talent who left a substantial body of work

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SHAKING TREES

The Topplers were a relevant band with an excellent graphic artist in Alan Henry their bass player

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WHO KNEW

We provided studio services to a number of artists who went on to have some success

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PAISLEY PUNK

Hosting a spate of new-wavers was a baptism of fire

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CRIMINALS

Jazz and rock fusions were a great adventure in swordsman-ship

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UNPLUGGED

Unplugged became fashionable for a while but not in time for us to be accepted

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FREEFORM

Of all the types of music I made I especially liked the free-form material

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CLASSICAL GUY

Sandy went on to be one of Scotland's foremost artists

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BLUES LEGEND

I did a good few productions with Big George Watt over the years

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SOMETHING BIG

My head was turned by the phenomenal power of a big band

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INSPIRATION

Free At Last was composed in tribute to Martin Luther King

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QUARTET

I wrote string parts for Bonnie Doon and hired a quartet to play them

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A LA REICH

I probably hadn't heard of minimalism when I made this piece

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A LA MILES

While reading a Miles Davis biography I composed some music inspired by the great man's life and work

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PIANO GUY

Doing arrangements for Deb allowed me to be a piano guy for the day

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STUDIO LIFE

It was easy to see why Phil Campbell had been championed by the broadsheet press

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TOO HIGH

My arrangement fused David McNiven's song about Glasgow with Terry Neason's powerful voice

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NICE WORK

Our session band was a well-oiled machine

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McKELLAR

I worked with many well-knowns earning my professional chops, few more talented than Kenneth McKellar

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UNTUTORED

I found musicians from the Academy good to work with

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NEVER DONE THIS

Mary wasn't a jazz singer, just a young talent open to experiment

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BROTHER BURNS

If it turned out you could meet the old souls in an afterlife I would choose to seek out Robert Burns

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CROSSING A LINE

Pressing vinyl turned the music into a commodity and I wasn't much into that

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OLD TECH

When we recorded The Penetrations the equipment we had would've been about right for Elvis

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WHITE GUYS CAN'T FUNK

Going back to our eclectic roots was the motivation for this song

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AUDACIOUS

La Vista: a perfectly odd amalgam of clattering drum machines and rich harmonic textures

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BAD TIMING

Our bold attempt at making commercial music came to nothing

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LET IT RAIN

You don't have to make rain where I live. Nature obliges - copiously and without fail

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IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS

The songwriter resurrected Montrose from his grave to avenge the Jacobite defeat at Cromdale

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WIDE-EYED

I was interested in Kubrick's film, how it was possible for conformed people to fall to a darker place

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SOUNDCRAFT

A multi-track tape recorder used to cost as much as a house

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THE VOCALIST

In 1974 there wasn't as much talent around as there is now

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THE BASTARD

An ode to younger women and their abiding struggles with the wrong guy

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DESIGNER FUNK

I came across a recording of Shakatak which I produced for radio in 1982

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AWB

For a bunch of Scottish guys the Average White Band had serious soul

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ROMANTIC

This corporate, in which my music was used, chimed with the romantic in me

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FUN PIECE

Fusing dixie with swing was maybe a bit unusual but it felt like a fun thing to do

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JAMIE

Scotland let go of the Jacobite cause after the 1745 rebellion but romanticism lived on in song

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TALENT

If I had to pick a best  who came through my studio in 2009 it would be tough

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AWARD

Debbie submitted one of our recordings to the Scottish Jazz Awards and got runner-up in Best Vocalist

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POIGNANT

Toby managed to pack a fair bit of story and emotion into his five minute film which is no small achievement

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USELESS

I'm not sure I agreed with Rod McKuen in his song when he said that soldiers would prefer to be civilians

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INDIFFERENT

Pipe band music was fine to record but I was otherwise indifferent to it

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NO DEAL

When friends and colleagues were making deals and having hits some of us weren't so lucky

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A Y WHITE

Back in 1947 my grandfather was recording family and friends to disc

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STV

The television series we did in 1987 would've been more suited to radio, sounding better than it looked

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EXTRAORDINARY

Kevin seemed to be pulling from flows of consciousness outside of ordinary experience

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PROTAGONISTS

Turns out it can be quite useful being murdered when you’ve got something to say

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