Robert Palmer : Music & Style

Scarborough group, The Mandrakes, went to Hull on Sunday and found that recording is no easy business. They were there to make demo-disks of four numbers written by lead singer Allen Palmer (19).

They arrived at Mr. Keith Hird's recording studio at Willerby at about 10 a.m. and the session started at 10.30. It finished nine hours later at 7.30 p.m. when five weary Mandrakes started for home.

Allen Palmer said: "We were quite surprised. Originally we thought we would just go there and reel off four of our own numbers. In the end we only did two. It was hard work and it took a lot longer than we thought."

The numbers, Baby Sitting and It's The Hardest Thing In The World, were recorded in parts, the instrumental backing first, and then the vocals.

Altogether, there were five takes of the first number and two of the second. Conditions were very cramped. To get the right sound balance, drummer Mick Stephenson was boxed away in a recording unit of his own.

What was the result? Allen said: "It does not sound a bit like The Mandrakes. It's very commercial type stuff and sounds something like a cross between Herman's Hermits and The Everly Brothers."

The demo-tapes will be sent to the Fontana Recording Company and the Beatles' own recording company.

For the Mandrakes - who paid £12/10/0 for the use of the studio and who intend to make more tapes there in the future - Sunday's session could be the start of bigger things.

The Mercury (23 May 1968)