Andrew John Richards (born 26 October 1952) is an English pianist, composer, music producer and keyboardist.
Andy Richards | |
|---|---|
 Richards in his studio, Out of Eden, September 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andrew John Richards |
| Born | 26 October 1952 London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, producer, film scoring mixer and engineer, music supervisor |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizers, Pro Tools music engineer |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Website | andyrichards |
Richards has played with artists including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, George Michael, Propaganda, Grace Jones, Rush, Annie Lennox, Gary Moore, Pet Shop Boys, Godley & Creme, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Strawbs, OMD, Malcolm McLaren, Nik Kershaw, T'Pau, Maddy Prior and Denny Laine.[1] Richards has performed and programmed keyboards on eight UK No. 1 singles, namely: "Relax" (1984) and "Two Tribes" (1984) by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Careless Whisper" (1984) by George Michael, "The Lady in Red" (1986) by Chris de Burgh, "It's a Sin" (1987), "Always on My Mind" (1987) and "Heart" (1988) by Pet Shop Boys, and "Spaceman" (1996) by Babylon Zoo.
Richards worked on films including Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Touching the Void (2003), The Last King of Scotland (2006), Slumdog Millionaire (2009), which gained two Academy Awards for the music, and 127 Hours (2010).
Early life
editRichards began studying piano at the age of six. At eight, he went to Yarlet School in Staffordshire, England. He also took up the organ and by age 13, whilst at Rugby School (Warwickshire), he dropped piano tuition to focus full-time on the classical organ. He studied with David Gatward in the school chapel which housed a cathedral-sized 4 manual Walker organ.[2]
Richards left Rugby School at the age of 17 and moved to London where he played with various artists and bands, including the singer Maggie Nicols at her experimental voice and jazz workshops at the Oval House Theatre. At that time, Richards also took jazz piano lessons with jazz pianist Howard Riley.
At 19, Richards returned to the Midlands and studied piano, organ and composition under Dr. Leon Forrester in Newcastle-under-Lyme. In 1975 he gained an LRAM in Pianoforte Teaching and 1976 an ARCM in Pianoforte Performance, while at the same time working and playing in a number of semi-professional rock and jazz-rock bands in Stoke-on-Trent. After completing his studies with Leon Forrester, Richards taught music at South Cheshire College.
Career
editStrawbs
editIn October 1977, Richards auditioned for the folk-rock band, Strawbs. Pete Solley, the producer and keyboard player in the band Paladin spotted Richards playing in the band 'Rock Workshop' in Stoke-on-Trent and recommended him to Dave Cousins at a time when Strawbs were looking for a full-time keyboardist. A week later, Dave Cousins and the band invited him to join the group.
Richards toured and recorded with Strawbs, his first gig being at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, but the first album that he made with them in 1978 had its release stalled due to management and record company problems. Heartbreak Hill was recorded at Startling Studios in Ascot, Ringo Starr's home. Heartbreak Hill was finally released in 1995.
In 1979, Tom Allom, Heartbreak Hill's record producer, invited Richards to play for the very first time as a session musician on Michael Chapman's album Life on the Ceiling at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall.
Early sessions
editIn mid-1980, Strawbs split up and Richards became a musician for hire, working and recording with Maddy Prior (from Steeleye Span) and Denny Laine (from Wings) touring both Europe and Scandinavia. He played on sessions for Junior Campbell (from Marmalade) at Startling Studios and in Manchester at Pluto Studios with Keith Hopwood where he played keyboards and wrote a number of jingles.
Whilst in Manchester, he was part of a band called Sneaky Pierre,[3] featuring the cream of Manchester's session musicians which included some members of Sad Café, and in 1983 was invited by Mike Stone of Clay Records to produce the synth-pop band White Door from Stoke-on-Trent. It was recorded at Pluto Studios by Phil Bush and was mixed in Sarm East Studios by Julian Mendelsohn who was working with Trevor Horn at the time.
Trevor Horn and "Relax"
edit
In the fall of 1983, Richards was playing keyboards for the show Electric Ice, which was being performed at the Victoria Palace Theatre by ice skater Robin Cousins and his troupe of skaters, when he received 2 calls – one from the band Yes and the other from record producer Trevor Horn via a recommendation from audio engineer and mixer Julian Mendelsohn. He auditioned for Yes but immediately began work as Horn's keyboard player in October 1983; the first track they recorded together being Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey", written by Gerry Marsden, and the second was "Relax".
Horn had made 3 versions of "Relax" prior to Richards and guitarist Stephen Lipson joining his ZTT Production 'Theam' in late 1983. Horn left the studio late one night asking for Lipson to erase the multitrack (of version 3) due to lack of progress, but came back into the studio some time later to hear Richards playing a variety of modal chords based around the key of E minor with Lipson playing guitar along to the unerased multitrack.[4][5] The final version of "Relax" was born and it won Best British Single at the 1985 Brit Awards and was at No. 1 in the UK charts for 5 weeks after being banned from BBC Radio, initially by DJ Mike Read, for being "obscene".
In 1984 as a keyboard player, Richards was at number one on the UK Singles Chart for a total of 19 weeks,[6][7] performing on Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax" and "Two Tribes" and George Michael's "Careless Whisper". This launched his career as both a Fairlight programmer and a top UK session musician. During the following years, apart from playing the keyboards for Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Richards played with bands and artists including Propaganda, Grace Jones, Nik Kershaw, Rush, Gary Moore, Pet Shop Boys, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Seal and Godley & Creme.
Music production
editFrom the mid-1980s and throughout the 1990s, Richards continued with his session work but also branched out into record production, producing for bands and artists including Pet Shop Boys (with "Heart" being at No. 1 in the UK for 3 weeks[8]), T'Pau, Fuzzbox, Prefab Sprout, Malcolm McLaren, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, OMD and Berlin.
Out of Eden Studios and film score mixing
edit
In 2000, Richards setup one of London's first bespoke all-digital mixing/recording studios, Out of Eden – a partnership between himself and the directors of the late studio complex Eden Studios in Chiswick, West London.[9] It was a revolutionary audio concept which was the subject of a number of articles on the web, including The Polymath Perspective.[10][11] It was here that Richards began the transition from being purely music-based into being involved in music for film and beyond.
In 2005, Richards began a partnership with acclaimed film music editor and producer Mike Higham[12] (who had also worked with Trevor Horn) which has endured as Higham-Richards.
Film scores mixed in Out of Eden include Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Dirty Pretty Things (2002), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), Touching the Void (2003), Shaun of the Dead (2004) and The Last King of Scotland (2006).
Current projects
editRichards continues to run his own digital studio, Out of Eden, in West London where he has mixed a number of film scores, including the surround scores for Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire (2009) (which gained 2 Oscars) and 127 Hours (2010), State of Play (2009) and Tim Burton's Frankenweenie (2012) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) (nominated for a Grammy). On The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Frankenweenie]] (2012), Richards played the classical organ in the chapel of his alma mater, Rugby School.
He worked on his solo project entitled This Time... An Imaginary Soundtrack that was due for release in 2019.[13]
Discography
editSource:[14]
1970s
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Heartbreak Hill | Strawbs | Piano, synthesizers |
| 1978 | Life on the Ceiling | Michael Chapman | Piano, synthesizers |
| 1979 | The Old Pals Act | Peter Bennett | Synthesizer (Yamaha CS80) |
1980s
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Snaigow | Dougie MacLean | Synthesizers |
| 1980 | Japanese Tears | Denny Laine | Keyboards, piano, organ |
| 1981 | My Very Favourite Nursery Rhymes | Tim Hart and Friends | Synthesizers |
| 1981 | On a Wing and a Prayer | Dougie MacLean | Piano, synthesizers |
| 1982 | The Unexpected Guest | Demon | Keyboards, synthesizers |
| 1983 | Windows | White Door | Keyboards, synthesizers, producer |
| 1983 | Mixed Emotions | Ian Sutherland | Synthesizers |
| 1983 | The Plague | Demon | Keyboards, synthesizers |
| 1983 | Love Breakdown (single) | White Door | Keyboards, synthesizers, producer |
| 1984 | Phonogenic | R.P.M. | Piano, synthesizers |
| 1984 | Make It Big | Wham! | Piano, synthesizers |
| 1984 | The Riddle | Nik Kershaw | Keyboards |
| 1984 | Welcome to the Pleasuredome | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | Keyboards, synthesizers |
| 1984 | You Caught Me Out (single) | Tracey Ullman | Keyboards |
| 1984 | Careless Whisper | George Michael | Piano, synthesizers |
| 1984 | Relax (single) | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | Pianos, keyboards, synthesizers |
| 1984 | Two Tribes (single) | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | Pianos, keyboards, synthesizers |
| 1985 | Phantasmagoria | The Damned | Keyboards |
| 1985 | The Ups and Downs | Stephen Duffy | Keyboards |
| 1985 | Whats the Password | Trio | Keyboards |
| 1985 | Power Windows | Rush | Guest artist, keyboards, programming |
| 1985 | A Secret Wish | Propaganda | Keyboards, synthesizers |
| 1985 | Big Music | Machinations | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1985 | Shine | Kids in the Kitchen | Keyboards |
| 1985 | Slave to the Rhythm | Grace Jones | Keyboards, synthesizers |
| 1985 | Run for Cover | Gary Moore | Keyboards |
| 1985 | Air Supply | Air Supply | Keyboards, synthesizers, programming |
| 1985 | Kiss and Tell (single) | The David Austin Band | Keyboards, synthesizers, programming |
| 1985 | Cry | Godley & Creme | Keyboards, synthesizers, programming |
| 1986 | Disco | Pet Shop Boys | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1986 | Radio Musicola | Nik Kershaw | Keyboards, programming |
| 1986 | Liverpool | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1986 | Into the Light | Chris de Burgh | Keyboards, synthesizers, programming |
| 1986 | Enough is Enough | Billy Squier | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1986 | Count Three & Pray | Berlin | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1986 | Suburbia (single) | Pet Shop Boys | Keyboards, synthesizers, programming |
| 1986 | The Lady in Red (single) | Chris de Burgh | Keyboards, synthesizers, programming |
| 1987 | Hold Your Fire | Rush | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1987 | Actually | Pet Shop Boys | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1987 | Soldier of Fortune (single) | Thin Lizzy | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1987 | Walk on Fire | Silent Running | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1987 | Always on My Mind (single) | Pet Shop Boys | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1987 | It's a Sin (single) | Pet Shop Boys | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1987 | Rent (single) | Pet Shop Boys | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1988 | The Power of Six | The Mint Juleps | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1988 | Introspective | Pet Shop Boys | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1988 | Medicine Man | Habit | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1988 | After the War | Gary Moore | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1988 | Flying Colours | Chris de Burgh | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1988 | Push | Bros | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1988 | Don't Say Goodbye | Strawbs | Keyboards, synthesizers |
| 1988 | Hey Manhattan! (single) | Prefab Sprout | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1988 | Heart (single) | Pet Shop Boys | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1988 | Missing You | Chris de Burgh | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1989 | Waltz Darling | Malcolm McLaren | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1989 | Results | Liza Minnelli | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1989 | Blast | Holly Johnson | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1989 | Big Bang! | Fuzzbox | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1989 | Love and Power | Cry No More | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1989 | Young Man Running | Corey Hart | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1989 | The Best of Berlin 1979–1988 | Berlin | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1989 | Losing My Mind (single) | Liza Minnelli | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1989 | Love Train (single) | Holly Johnson | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1989 | Americanos (single) | Holly Johnson | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1989 | International Rescue (single) | Fuzzbox | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1989 | Oh Sharon (single) | Cry No More | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
1990s
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1234 | Propaganda | Keyboards |
| 1990 | Move Until We Fly | Nick Kamen | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1990 | Planet Oz | Inga Humpe | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1990 | Reputation | Dusty Springfield | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1991 | The Promise | T'Pau | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1991 | Discography: The Complete Singles Collection | Pet Shop Boys | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1991 | Sugar Tax | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1991 | Dreams That Money Can't Buy | Holly Johnson | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1991 | Call My Name (single) | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1992 | If You Don't Love Me (single) | Prefab Sprout | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1992 | The Singles | Corey Hart | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1992 | Oxygen (single) | Petula Clark | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1994 | Blue Nights | Denny Laine | Keyboards, synthesizers |
| 1994 | Can't Get Off | Robin Beck | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1995 | Heart and Soul - The Very Best of T'Pau | T'Pau | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1995 | Anthology | Nik Kershaw | Keyboards, programming |
| 1995 | Memento: The Best of Maddy Prior | Maddy Prior | Keyboards |
| 1995 | Are My Ears on Wrong? | Jakko | Keyboards |
| 1995 | Medusa / Live in Central Park | Annie Lennox | Keyboards |
| 1995 | Right Here, Right Now (single) | The Flood | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1995 | Free Vol (single) | Pierre Morin | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1995 | Wherever Would I Be | Dusty Springfield & Daryl Hall | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1995 | No More I Love You's (single) | Annie Lennox | Keyboards |
| 1996 | Reach for the Sky: The Anthology | Billy Squier | Keyboards, synthesizers |
| 1996 | Spaceman (single) | Babylon Zoo | Fairlight programming |
| 1997 | Reputation & Rarities | Dusty Springfield | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1997 | The Plant Life Years | Dougie MacLean | Mini Moog, piano |
| 1998 | Salvation | Alphaville | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1998 | Wishful Thinking (single) | Alphaville | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1998 | Human Being | Seal | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1998 | The OMD Singles | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1998 | Where We Belong | Boyzone | Keyboards, programming |
| 1999 | Concert Classics, Vol 6: Alive in America | Strawbs | Keyboards |
| 1999 | Turn It On Again: The Hits | Genesis | programming |
| 1999 | The Seduction of Claude Debussy | Art of Noise | programming |
| 1999 | Visions of Dreamscapes | Alphaville | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, producer |
| 1999 | Every Day I Love You (single) | Boyzone | Keyboards |
2000s
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Ronan | Ronan Keating | Keyboards, piano, synthesizers, programming |
| 2000 | Sonnet | Oberon | Engineering |
| 2000 | Dino | Jessica Folker | Keyboards |
| 2000 | The Singles Collection: 1994–1999 | Boyzone | Keyboards |
| 2001 | They Called Him Tin Tin | Stephen Duffy | Keyboards |
| 2002 | Tracey Ullman Takes on the Hits | Tracey Ullman | Keyboards |
| 2002 | Ringing Down the Years/Don't Say Goodbye | Strawbs | Keyboards, composer |
| 2002 | The Ultimate Collection | Petula Clark | Arranger, producer |
| 2002 | Kylie Fever: 2002 Live in Manchester (video) | Kylie Minogue | Producer, director |
| 2003 | Blue Angel | Strawbs | Keyboards, composer |
| 2008 | Gold | Dusty Springfield | Keyboards, producer |
2010s
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Ultimate | Pet Shop Boys | Keyboards, producer |
| 2010 | 40th Anniversary Celebration Vol 1: Strawberry Fayre | Strawbs | Piano, synthesizer |
| 2011 | Sector 3 | Rush | Keyboards, piano, synthesizers, programming |
| 2011 | Combined | Claudia Brücken | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 2013 | Greatest Hits | Dido | Engineer, mixer |
| 2015 | Prognostic | Strawbs | Piano, synthesizers |
| 2018 | WGAF... AWGUI! (single) | Fuzzbox | Keyboards, programming, engineer, producer |
Filmography
edit1980s
edit| Year | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Biggles: Adventures in Time | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1987 | Turnaround | Keyboards, Fairlight programming, composer (with Mark Shreeve), producer |
| 1989 | The BFG | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
1990s
edit| Year | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Glam Metal Detectives (TV series) | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
| 1996 | True Blue | Keyboards, Fairlight programming |
2000s
edit| Year | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Bridget Jones's Diary | Score mixer |
| 2001 | The Parole Officer | Score mixer |
| 2001 | Mike Bassett: England Manager | Score mixer |
| 2002 | Dirty Pretty Things | Score mixer |
| 2002 | Ali G Indahouse | Score mixer |
| 2002 | My Little Eye | Score mixer |
| 2003 | Mona Lisa Smile | Score mixer |
| 2003 | Touching the Void | Score mixer |
| 2003 | Johnny English | Score mixer |
| 2004 | Terrible Kisses (short) | Composed, performed (as Andy Richards/Mike Higham), produced & score mixer |
| 2004 | Bushido: The Way of the Warrior (short) | Composed, performed (as Andy Richards/Mike Higham), produced & score mixer |
| 2004 | Dead Cool | Composed, performed (as Andy Richards/Mike Higham), produced & score mixer |
| 2004 | Shaun of the Dead | Score mixer |
| 2004 | Out of Reach | Score mixer |
| 2004 | Dear Frankie | Score mixer |
| 2005 | The Jacket | Score mixer, music supervisor & producer |
| 2005 | Avant l'oubli | Score mixer |
| 2005 | Mrs Henderson Presents | Music editor |
| 2006 | The Bridge | Score mixer |
| 2006 | The Last King of Scotland | Score mixer |
| 2006 | Wild Romance | Composed, performed (as Andy Richards/Mike Higham), produced & score mixer |
| 2006 | Tsunami: The Aftermath | Score mixer |
| 2007 | Hannibal Rising | Score mixer |
| 2007 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Music engineer, score mixer, organ & additional music. |
| 2008 | Incendiary | Score mixer |
| 2008 | Slumdog Millionaire | Score mixer |
| 2009 | State of Play | Score mixer |
2010s
edit| Year | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Inside Job | Score mixer |
| 2010 | Kick-Ass | Music editor |
| 2010 | The First Grader | Choir production, score mixer |
| 2010 | 127 Hours | Score mixer |
| 2011 | The Rum Diary | Song producer: The Mermaid Song by Patti Smith |
| 2011 | The Ballad of Sandeep (short) | Composed, performed (as Andy Richards/Mike Higham), produced & score mixer |
| 2012 | Dark Shadows | Additional score mixer |
| 2012 | Frankenweenie | Organ and additional score mixer |
| 2014 | Big Eyes | Composed, performed, produced score mixed the cue: "The Art Gallery" by Andy Richards |
| 2018 | Mission: Impossible – Fallout | Piano |
References
edit- ^ "Andy Richards - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Pipe Organs | Rugby School". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ MakeTrax: Sneaky Pierre – Don't Hold On For Love. BBC. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ "Classic Tracks: Frankie Goes To Hollywood – 'Relax'". Sound on Sound. April 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ zttaat.com. "Zang Tuum Tumb and all that - Articles - The making of relax". www.zttaat.com.
- ^ "Frankie Goes To Hollywood – UK Singles Chart Information". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ "George Michael – UK Singles Chart Information". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ "Pet Shop Boys – UK Singles Chart Information". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ "Eden Studios". RecordProduction.com. 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ "Interview: Andy Richards (Part 1)". The Polymath Perspective. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ "Interview: Andy Richards (Part 2)". The Polymath Perspective. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ "Michael Higham". IMDb.
- ^ "Andy Richards - Composer, Producer & Musician". www.andyrichards.com.
- ^ "Andy Richards". Discogs.