Editing Aztec Camera (section)

==History==

===Early years (1980–1983)===

Aztec Camera were formed in [[East Kilbride]] in 1980 by [[Roddy Frame]] and drummer David Mulholland after they had left the punk-inspired band Neutral Blue.<ref>Davis, Hays [https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/aztec_camera_-_roddy_frame_on_1983s_high_land_hard_rain Aztec Camera – Roddy Frame on 1983’s “High Land, Hard Rain”] Under The Radar 9 April 2014</ref> Aztec Camera first appeared on a [[Glasgow]] cassette-only compilation of local unsigned bands on the Pungent Records label, affiliated with the ''Fumes'' [[fanzine]] run by Danny Easson and John Gilhooly.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} The band's first United Kingdom (UK) [[Single (music)|single]] release was sold in a [[Gramophone record|7"]] format by [[Postcard Records]]—a Glasgow-based [[independent record label]] cofounded by [[Edwyn Collins]] and Alan Horne—in 1981. The single featured the song "Just Like Gold" and a B-side entitled "We Could Send Letters"; an acoustic version of the latter song appeared on a [[compilation album]], entitled ''[[C81 (music)|C81]]'', that was released on [[Cassette tape|cassette]] in 1981 through a partnership between ''[[NME]]'' magazine and [[Rough Trade Records]]. Frame, aged 16 years, met Collins for the first time during the Postcard period when the latter was 21 years old.<ref name="Tom">{{cite web|title=The Tom Robinson Show|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/b044v68w#|publisher=BBC Radio 6|access-date=29 May 2014|format=Audio upload|date=24 May 2014}}</ref>

A second single, also released in 1981, featured the songs "Mattress of Wire" and "Lost Outside the Tunnel". Following the two 7" releases with Postcard, the group signed with Rough Trade Records in the UK and [[Sire Records]] in the United States (US) for their debut album.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Mike Duquette|title=Walk Out to Winter: Aztec Camera's Debut Expanded for 30th Anniversary|url=http://theseconddisc.com/2014/01/08/walk-out-to-winter-aztec-cameras-debut-expanded-for-30th-anniversary/|website=The Second Disc|access-date=5 July 2014|date=8 January 2014}}</ref> At this point, the band were officially a quartet:  Roddy Frame (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Bernie Clark (piano, organ), Campbell Owens (bass) and Dave Ruffy (drums, percussion).

===''High Land, Hard Rain'' and breakthrough (1983–1984)===
Aztec Camera's debut album, ''[[High Land, Hard Rain]]'' was produced by John Brand and Bernie Clarke for the Rough Trade record label. The album was released in April 1983 and was distributed in different formats on Domino Recording Co. Ltd. in the US (in addition to Sire); WEA and Celluloid in France; Nuevos Medios in Spain; Powderworks in [[Australia]]; MVM Records in [[Portugal]]; and WEA for a general European release.<ref name="AMG"/> The album was successful, garnering significant critical acclaim, and peaked at number 129 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Aztec Camera "High Land, Hard Rain"|url=http://coolalbumreview.com/?p=4620|work=Cool Album of the Day|publisher=Dilapidated|access-date=1 March 2013|author=John Driscoll|date=28 November 2011|archive-date=28 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928223555/http://coolalbumreview.com/?p=4620|url-status=dead}}</ref> Frame later revealed that the song "[[Oblivious (Aztec Camera song)|Oblivious]]" was consciously written as a ''[[Top of the Pops]]''-type [[Pop music|pop song]] and received a corresponding degree of popularity.<ref name="Meg"/>

During the recording process for the album, Frame used a different guitar for every song. For the song "Orchid Girl", Frame explained in 2013—during the 30th anniversary tour—that he was attempting to merge the influences of his favorite guitarist at the time, [[Wes Montgomery]], and punk rock icon [[Joe Strummer]].<ref name="Kay" /> In a late 1990s television interview, Frame explained that a "boy" image was associated with him during this era, and that he was annoyed by it at the time.  He was taking his music very seriously—"you don't want to be called 'boy'; especially when you're listening to [[Joy Division]]"—but he eventually stopped caring about it.<ref name="Party" />

===WEA Records and ''Knife'' (1984–1987)===
After ''High Land Hard Rain'', Bernie Clarke left the band, and was replaced by [[Malcolm Ross (musician)|Malcolm Ross]] on second guitar and backing vocals.  Aztec Camera changed record labels once again for the release of their second album, ''[[Knife (album)|Knife]]'', which was released through [[Warner Records|WEA]] (Warner Music Group). Frame revealed in a May 2014 BBC radio interview that he was not informed of the ownership arrangements of the record deal, stating that he was unaware as an 18-year-old that the record company would own the rights to all of his corresponding recordings.<ref name="Tom" /> After ''High Land, Hard Rain'', Frame spent a significant amount of time living in [[New Orleans]], United States (US), listening to [[Bob Dylan]]'s album [[Infidels (Bob Dylan album)|''Infidels'']]. Upon reading that [[Dire Straits]]' guitarist and singer [[Mark Knopfler]] produced the album, Frame began writing songs based on a sound that he thought Knopfler could work with.<ref name="Pop" />

Frame signed the band to the [[Warner Records|WEA]] record label—at the time his manager was Rob Johnson<ref name="Clyde">{{cite web|author1=Billy Sloan |title=Roddy Frame session |url=http://www.clyde2.com/on-air/billy-sloan/roddy-frame-session/ |website=Clyde 2 |publisher=Bauer Radio Limited |access-date=21 June 2014 |format=Audio upload |date=5 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714160922/http://www.clyde2.com/on-air/billy-sloan/roddy-frame-session/ |archive-date=14 July 2014}}</ref>—and secured Knopfler as the producer for Aztec Camera's second album, ''[[Knife (album)|Knife]]'', which was released in 1984;<ref name="Pop">{{cite web|title="Anyone Can Do It, So We Did": An Interview With Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera|url=http://www.popmatters.com/feature/179268-anyone-can-do-it-so-we-did-an-interview-with-roddy-frame-of-aztec-ca/|work=Pop Matters|publisher=PopMatters Media, Inc|access-date=17 April 2014|author=Kevin Korber|date=20 February 2014}}</ref> Frame explained in 1988 that Knopfler was "professional" and efficient during the recording process.<ref name="Meg"/> Frame's experimental mindset in relation to music emerged on ''Knife'', as the duration of the [[wikt:titular|titular]] song is nearly nine minutes and synthesizers appear throughout the album. Prior to the album's release, the band previewed a selection of songs as part of a performance for the [[BBC]] television show ''Rock Around the Clock''<ref>{{cite web|title=Aztec Camera – Rock Around The Clock 1984|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52coAtV5UFo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/52coAtV5UFo |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=Steve Kay on YouTube|publisher=Google Inc|access-date=5 July 2014|format=Vide upload|date=21 January 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and the song "All I Need is Everything" received radio airplay subsequent to release.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aztec Camera : Knife|url=http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/magsitepages/Article.aspx?id=6758|work=Penny Black Music|access-date=17 April 2014|author=Malcolm Carter|date=6 December 2012}}</ref> In a 2007 interview alongside Collins, Frame explained further:

<blockquote>
He's [Knopfler] a great guitarist. Mark Knopfler's recording techniques were great—you [Collins] would have liked him, 'cos that was ... then, it was quite a thing. 'Cos everyone was going digital, and going MIDI and all that, and his thing was all about using the right microphone. If you use the right microphone, then you don't have to use too much EQ and all that stuff, and it was all about that. Yeah, I kinda liked that—the right mic[rophone], the right amp[lifier], the right kind of board and stuff.<ref>{{cite web|title=01 Edwyn Collins Podcast (with Roddy Frame) from 2007|url=https://soundcloud.com/user4708889/01-edwyn-collins-podcast-with|website=Kalavas1 on SoundCloud|publisher=SoundCloud|access-date=5 July 2014|format=Audio upload|date=June 2012}}</ref></blockquote>

===''Love'' and line–up changes (1987–1990)===
At the time that the band's third album ''[[Love (Aztec Camera album)|Love]]'' (1987) was created, Frame was the only original member of the band involved with the project; ''Love'' and future Aztec Camera albums were written and recorded by Frame under the "Aztec Camera" moniker, and [[session musician]]s recorded with Frame on a track-by-track basis.<ref name="Soho" /> Frame explained in August 2014 that he contemplated the conception of ''Love'' during a three-year hiatus following the release of ''Knife''. Frame said that he moved even further away from the British "indie ethic" and was listening to the "pop end of hip hop", including artists such as Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, [[Cherrelle]], the [[Force MDs]] and [[Alexander O'Neal]]. Frame wanted to make a record based on such influences and "Working in a Goldmine" was the first song to achieve this aspiration.<ref name="Soho" />

Frame relocated to the US to record the album—"pretty much against the wishes of Warner Brothers", who were unsure of his decision-making at the time—and was primarily based in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York. Frame recorded with American session musicians, like Marcus Miller and David Frank, and explained that his audience was "mystified" by the transformation of the band, but he was "too far gone" to care and just wanted to do his "own thing" by that stage. Due to the significant change of musical direction, the album's first three singles did not make a strong impression in the marketplace.<ref name="Soho" />

The ''Love'' album produced the popular song "[[Somewhere in My Heart]]", recorded by Frame with dance, R&B and pop producer [[Michael Jonzun]] in Boston.<ref>{{cite web|title=Roddy Frame – Live – Crossing Newbury Street, Paisley Abbey 27-10-12|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xHwoKCLIOY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/3xHwoKCLIOY |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|access-date=20 April 2014|format=Video upload|date=30 October 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Frame said in 2014 that the song has been "great" for him, but at the time of creating the album, the song was not "in keeping" with the rest of ''Love''. Frame revealed in a radio interview with the "Soho Social" program, presented by Dan Gray, that he considered "Somewhere in My Heart" an odd song and initially thought it would be best as a B-side. Frame concluded, "I can't pick them [the successful songs]."<ref name="Soho">{{cite web|author1=Dan Gray |title=August 2014 |url=http://www.sohoradiolondon.com/shows/archive/august-2014 |website=Soho Radio |publisher=Flatpak Radio |access-date=6 September 2014 |format=Audio upload |date=19 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906111201/http://www.sohoradiolondon.com/shows/archive/august-2014 |archive-date=6 September 2014}}</ref>

Frame was asked during a television interview, following the release of ''Love'', about the new sound of the album, and he referenced artists like [[Anita Baker]] and [[Luther Vandross]]. When asked if the album could be labelled "[[Middle of the road (music)|Middle of the road (MOR)]]", Frame replied: "Call it what you like. I don't really mind."<ref name="Party" />

===''Stray'' and "Good Morning Britain" (1990–1993)===
[[File:Mickjones.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]] from [[The Clash]] collaborated with the band on their 1990 single "[[Good Morning Britain (song)|Good Morning Britain]]"]] 

For the band's fourth album, ''[[Stray (album)|Stray]]'', Frame collaborated with [[the Clash]]'s [[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]] on the song "[[Good Morning Britain (song)|Good Morning Britain]]", and Jones also toured with the band following the album's release. Jones performed with Aztec Camera at the Glasgow Barrowlands and the Ibiza Festival in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=AZTEC CAMERA & MICK JONES – The Crying Scene (Ibiza 90)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXwdrD-6Vjk|work=Manu Guinarte on YouTube|publisher=Google Inc|access-date=18 April 2014|format=Video upload|date=15 May 2012}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref> In a 1990 interview, recorded during a tour of Japan, Frame explained that he wrote "Good Morning Britain" in 45 minutes after a two- to three-hour conversation with Jones in the canteen of a London rehearsal studio that both [[Big Audio Dynamite]] and Aztec Camera were using.<ref name="Fut">{{cite web|title=Aztec Camera interview 1990 – Roddy Frame on who exactly he is|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBdGr3ZPSRQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/MBdGr3ZPSRQ |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=futsal1958 on YouTube|publisher=Google Inc|access-date=2 July 2014|format=Audio upload|date=1 June 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In an August 2014 radio interview, Frame elaborated further, stating that at the time he wrote the song, Jones lived near his London home; Frame visited Jones after recording the song and said to the Clash guitarist, "You'll either sing on it, or you'll want to sue me", as Frame believed the song was so similar to Jones' previous work.<ref name="Soho" />

===''Dreamland'', ''Frestonia'' and split (1993–1995)===
Frame then recorded the next Aztec Camera album, ''Dreamland'', with Japanese composer [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]]. Released in 1993, the album was mixed by [[Julian Mendelsohn]], who had previously worked with the band. While mixing the album at Hook End Manor, an 18th-century red-brick building that had been converted into a studio in the Berkshire countryside of England, UK, Frame explained that he waited for a lengthy period of time to work with Sakamoto, due to the latter's busy schedule. Frame finally met with Sakamoto in [[Ibiza]] and both eventually recorded the album in New York City, US over a four-week period.<ref name="Giles">{{cite news|author1=Giles Smith|title=MUSIC / The Roddy and Ryuichi roadshow: When Roddy Frame wanted to make his new album with Ryuichi Sakamoto, he had to wait in line. Giles Smith reports|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/music--the-roddy-and-ryuichi-roadshow-when-roddy-frame-wanted-to-make-his-new-album-with-ryuichi-sakamoto-he-had-to-wait-in-line-giles-smith-reports-2321177.html|access-date=22 June 2014|work=The Independent|date=6 May 1993}}</ref> Frame's interest in Sakamoto was elaborated upon in the same interview:

<blockquote>
I liked what he did when he was in the Yellow Magic Orchestra, and I also liked that album where he plays the music from Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence on piano. That's where you realise that the atmosphere around his compositions is actually in the writing – it's got nothing to do with synthesisers.<ref name="Giles" /></blockquote>

Frame's decision to ask Sakamoto was finalised after he saw his performance at the Japan Festival that was held in London, UK.<ref>{{cite web|title=Roddy Frame Interview Safe in Sorrow, Spanish Horses, Belle of the Ball|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50oDFsCDVLM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/50oDFsCDVLM |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=mrjbroberts on YouTube|publisher=Google Inc|access-date=22 June 2014|format=Video upload|date=10 March 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> During the recording process, Frame's routine consisted of: working in the studio from the early afternoon until around 2{{nbsp}}am; a turkey sandwich at a deli off [[Times Square]] ("because it was possible to get one at two in the morning, and for no other reason"); a cab-ride back to the [[Mayflower Hotel]], where he was staying; an hour of listening to [[Shabba Ranks]]; and then bed.<ref name="Giles" />

For Frame's final album under the Aztec Camera moniker, and the last original studio recording for the WEA label, Frame worked with renowned production team [[Clive Langer|Langer]]-[[Alan Winstanley|Winstanley]], who had previously worked with [[Madness (band)|Madness]] and [[Elvis Costello]].<ref>{{cite web|title=CLIVE LANGER & ALAN WINSTANLEY: Producing Madness, David Bowie, Mick Jagger & Elvis Costello|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul98/articles/langer.html|work=Sound on Sound|publisher=SOS Publications Group|access-date=17 April 2014|date=July 1998}}</ref> ''[[Frestonia (album)|Frestonia]]'' was released in 1995 and the Reprise Records label issued it in the US. "Sun" (1996) was the only one song from the album that was released as a single.