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[02R96]

Anyone know what Eddy Offord is doing? Is he still around? I did a few quick searches on the web and did not find a lot of new info on him.

Dan

[Steve Hudson]

From Wikipedia:

"In 1999 Eddie Offord retired from the music business. In an interview for NME Offord said, that music isn't a big part of his life anymore, but that he had a wonderful time working with people like David Sancious, ELP, and Yes. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife and his two children and spends most of his time either sailing or playing with his boat."

[compasspnt]

People can only take so much...

[cerberus]

i've never understood who fired offord from yes and why. he seems to have left as wakeman returned, then briefly returned after wakeman left;  but i don't think that's it since rick is notorious for being candid about what he doesn't like.

311 i recall being totally enthused by the production, had just quit my last salaried job in a studio and was starting to miss engineering.. and we were riding our bmx bikes under the brooklyn bridge where someone had built a ramp and rails for stunts (the cops took that away after someone got hurt, but this day the scene was slammin' all the best riders came out every thursday evening for this, under the orangey mercury vapor lamps of the brooklyn bridge's on-ramp ...) and there were skaters too... and someone is cranking the  whole 311 album from their car,, and i just stopped riding and stood there facing the car to take it in. i had no idea it was him!

do you know more, terry?

jeff dinces

[compasspnt]

Nope, haven't talked to any of them in years.

[Rader Ranch]

the interview that Wikipedia points to is a nice one: http://www.nfte.org/interviews/EO234.html

I vaguely recall that 311 had said they liked Eddy and had wanted to keep working w/him at first, but then they had some conflicts with him during negotiations for the next album or such. Freinds of a good friend were making an album with him mid 90's, I believe they were called Water, and they were saying he was a bit jumpy but an overall nice guy, worked really hard, never ate, and blasted the hell out of the JBL mains.

So maybe he did just burn out and get out. Good for him, enjoying life and family is of course more important.

[flanger_folly]

I always thought it was an amazing story that all of those songs on the Yes record were edited by Dowd... and that they were just a recorded as a bunch of seperate sections, with no real intent about how they would go together in the end.

As much as I like it, that was kind of the beginning of the end, and really brought on that "write it in the studio" thing. Actually, I guess the Beatles deciding to stop touring is what made every band think that is the goal.

[mjgreeneaudio]

I give my little Eddie Offord story.  

When I was living in L.A. the studio manager came in one day and said that some guy just called and was having problems with his Tascam 8-track machine and wanted to have an engineer check the alignment.  She mentioned he was on his way.  I asked what his name was one she said Eddie Offord.  I about shit myself!!  She was clueless and had never heard of him or his history.  I was so excited to at least be able to meet the guy.  30 minutes later he shows up looking very trim and tanned and says hello and instantly puts me at ease.  He was so nice, humble and mellow.  It was amazing how someone's persona can just have this air of calm and peace about them and it was instantly transfered to me and everyone who walked into the room.  

We hook up his older beat up machine and throw on an alignment tape and sure enough its a bit out of wack so I go about aligning it for him.  Once we get it done he throws on a reel and starts playing back this amazing tape of some amazingly tight and unique band.  It sounded just fantastic.  The sounds were just un-godly.  I asked him where he recorded it at and he mentioned they were just demos for this new band he was producing and they did them in a rehearsal space.  We chatted for about an hour and I told him how much of an influence his records had had on my life and my career and he was so humble about it and mellow.  He said that he was thankful for the success that he has had but that it was more about being in the right place at the right time and working with great people.  It taught me a great lesson in humility and is one that I try to keep with me everyday.  

I would see him from time to time on sundays at Jerry's deli and he would always remember me and say hello.  His family was so nice and it was always great to see him.  

It always amazes me how such a brief encounter can (If you let it) shape your life and change your entire approach to this business.  He did that for me.

A true genius of a generation and a hell of a nice person.

Oh and the demos?  They were for a band named 311!!!!

If only I knew then how big they would become for their time.

Michael Greene

[wwittman]

Rader Ranch wrote on Thu, 29 March 2007 13:48

...and blasted the hell out of the JBL mains. .

a man after my own heart.