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john leckie
producer
associated with simple minds: 1978-1980


John Leckie John Leckie, producer, was already on his way to legendary status when Simple Minds contacted him to produce their debut album. Starting as a studio engineer at Abbey Road, he worked with The Beatles and Pink Floyd before leaving EMI and becoming a freelance producer. It was his work with Doctors Of Madness and Be-Bop Deluxe which initially attracted the Minds, but they were certainly aware of his other credentials. (Leckie had just finished producing Magazine for instance).

He first met the band when he travelled up to Scotland, along with Arista's A&R Ben Edmunds to see the group at the Technical College in Dundee on the 15th December 1978.

Although originally pleased with the result, Simple Minds quickly disowned Life In A Day. They felt it was drowned in influence and didn't capture their real sound.

The band blamed themselves, putting the whole matter down to inexperience. Leckie was behind the controls again, when they embarked on their second album. But it wasn't until Empires And Dance that both Leckie and the band felt they'd finally committed to vinyl what they set out to do.

He worked with the band so often, that he was dubbed the 'sixth member'. But Empires And Dance was the last time they worked together, as Simple Minds wanted to work with other producers to see how it would change their sound.

Leckie's production credits continued to appear on great albums, and his name could be found on material by The Fall, The Stone Roses, The Verve, Radiohead, Cast and Kula Shaker.

Numerous awards included Best Producer (Music Week 1995), Best Producer (Q 1996) and a Brit (1997).




discography: mainstream singles
Life In A Day Chelesea Girl Changeling I Travel Celebrate




discography: mainstream albums
Life In A Day Real To Real Cacophony Empires And Dance




family tree
Simple Minds #6




website
www.sjpdodgy.co.uk