DiscoMusic.com » Disco Records A-Z » W » James Wells

James Wells

My Claim To Fame (LP)

AVI Records (US) / 1978 / AVI 6045
LP-album 33 ⅓ rpm vinyl record

Producer: Ian Levine for Voltafine Productions
Arranged and conducted by Fiachra Trench

Musicians:
Drums: Clem Cattini
Keyboards: Fiachra Trench
Percussion: Frank Ricotti, Tony Carr
Bass: Alan Jones
Guitars: Pip Williams, Chris Rae
Backing vocals: James Wells. Fiachra Trench, George Chandler, Jimmy Chambers, Ruby James, Katie Kissoon, Jo Ann Stone
Strings: David Katz, Des Bradley, John Willison, Nick Mermick, Jim Archer, C.W. Greem, Laurie Clay, Peter Oxer, Bill Hennessy, John Kirkland, Graham Scott, Rusen Gunes, Tony Harris, John Davies, Graham Griffiths, Dennis Wood, Chris Green, Alan Daziel, Davis Strange, David Filmer, Ernest Greaves
Saxes: Ron Aspery, Stan Sultzman, Jim Cuomo, Ronnie Ross
Trumpets: Derek Watkins, Jon Huckridge, John Barclay, Dave Lord
Trombones: Cliff Hardy, Steve Saunders, David Horler, Jeff Perkins

Backing vocal arrangements: Ian Levine, Fiachra Trench, James Wells
Sax solo on "I Guess That's Life:" Jim Cuomo

Recorded at SARM Studios, AIR Studios, Marquee Studios, Threshold Studios and Utopia Studios, London
Recording engineers: Gary Langan, Tom Szaniszio
Mixed at Producer's Workshop, Hollywood by Rick Gianatos
Mixing engineers: Rick Hart, Galen Senogles, Ed Schaff

Track B1 published by Mister Mellow Music, A1, A2, B2 published by Mister Mellow Music / Peterman and Co. Ltd.
Original cover design/art: The Committee

Side A
1. My Claim To Fame (16:10)
2. I Guess That's Life (3:14)

Side B
1. That's The Way The Wind Blows (7:06)
2. True Love Is My Destiny (12:42)

"My Claim TO Fame" by James Wells is an early production by Englishman Ian Levine who would later be a driving force behind Hi-NRG in the 1980's.

Rick Gianatos who mixed this record was kind enough to tell DiscoMusic.com the following:
After the first couple of things I did while at AVI, Ray Harris, president of the label, got it in his head to do his own mastering. At Producer's Workshop, AVI's recording studio, they set up mastering with some sort of direct to disk setup WITHOUT ANY EQ BEYOND WHAT HAD BEEN DONE ON THE MIXING BOARD!!!. That was why a lot of what you are hearing doesn't have high end, etc. The earlier projects (James Wells, My Claim to Fame, got mastered at A&M and were much better than later things like Seventh Avenue, Evelyn Thomas, L.J. Johnson, and remixes of El Coco etc.).

Submitted by DiscoMusic.com (3698)