Neil Brockbank (February 1951 – 30 May 2017) was a British record producer, audio engineer and bass player. He is known for working in close collaboration with
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave, producing all of Lowe's albums since 1994's ''
The Impossible Bird
''The Impossible Bird'' is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe and Neil Brockbank, it was released in the United Kingdom in 1994 on Demon Records and elsewhere by Upstart Records.
Reception
In a contemporary review ...
''.
Career
Before working in music production and engineering, Brockbank was a member of the 1970s
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
the Hitmen
The Hitmen are an Australian hard rock band formed in November 1977 by long-term members, Johnny Kannis on lead vocals and Chris Masuak on lead guitar as Johnny and the Hitmen. The group went through numerous line up changes in its first run ...
.
As well as working alongside
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Mary Coughlan, Alison Moyet,
Tanita Tikaram
Tanita Tikaram (born 12 August 1969) is a British pop/ folk singer-songwriter. She achieved chart success with the singles "Twist in My Sobriety" and " Good Tradition" from her 1988 debut album, ''Ancient Heart''.
Background
Tikaram was born i ...
,
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...
,
Martin Belmont
Martin Belmont (born 21 December 1948) is an English rock and country-blues guitarist, best known for being a founding member of Graham Parker & The Rumour.
Life and career
Belmont was born in Bromley, Kent, England. After working as a roadie ...
the Bolshoi
The Bolshoi were an English London-based music group prominent mostly in the mid to late 1980s. They are best known for the hits "Sunday Morning" and "A way" or "Away" (the name is interchangeable and has been noted as both on different albums ...
,
Ocean Colour Scene
Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) are an English rock band formed in Solihull in 1989. They have had five top 10 albums including a number one in 1997. They have also achieved seventeen top 40 singles and six top 10 singles to dat ...
Geraint Watkins
Geraint Meurig Vaughan Watkins (born 5 February 1951) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, rock and roll pianist and accordionist. He has backed many notable artists, including Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, Ro ...
Norman Bergen
Norman Bergen (born May 17, 1945 in Brooklyn, New York, United States) is an American pianist, arranger, record producer, band leader, musical director, and vocalist.
Biography Early years
Norman Bergen comes from a musical family. He is th ...
,
Jim Lauderdale
James Russell Lauderdale (born April 11, 1957) is an American country, bluegrass, and Americana singer-songwriter. Since 1986, he has released 31 studio albums, including collaborations with artists such as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Buddy Miller, and ...
and PictureHouse.
In 2004, Brockbank founded the Goldtop Studio, set up at
Jungle Records
Jungle Records is a British independent record label formed in 1982, specialising in punk rock, post punk, gothic and alternative releases.
From 1982 to 1986 they were also active as a record distributor and were associate members of the C ...
' old vinyl warehouse (in which Goldtop Recordings is a label imprint of Jungle) in Chalk Farm Road, Camden which he ran along with Paul Laventhol and
Bobby Irwin
Bobby Irwin (23 March 1953 – 8 May 2015) was an English drummer, record producer and songwriter. He is known for working in close collaboration with Nick Lowe as co-songwriter and drummer and as a member of Lowe's band the Cowboy Outfit, as w ...
. After the Chalk Farm premises were vacated, the studio reopened as Goldtop at Gravity Shack,
Tooting Bec
Tooting Bec is in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south London, England.
History
Tooting Bec appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as "Totinges". It was held partly by St Mary de Bec-Hellouin Abbey and partly by Westminster Abbey. Its domesday ass ...
in 2011.
Brockbank died on 30 May 2017, after a short battle with cancer.