11/23/2017 Chris Allison - Wikipedia

Chris Allison
Christopher John "Chris" Allison (born 1961) is a British record producer
and founder/head of Sonic360 Records.

His work has been associated with artists such as The Beta Band, Coldplay,
Walter Becker, Kinky, Plastilina Mosh, Emmanuel Jal, The Wedding Present
and Shack.

Influenced by a range of musical styles encompassing rock, jazz, hip-hop,

electronic, world and Latin. In his career spanning 1984 to the present, Allison
has worked mainly as a record producer and label owner.

He is also well-known amongst fans of the band Shack for having the only copy
of their album Waterpistol following a studio fire allowing it to be released.[1] Record producer and Sonic360
Label Owner Chris Allison.

Contents
1
Early professional years - Sarm Studios, Fairlight programming (1984-
1987)
2 Production career The Wedding Present era (1987-1991)
3 Production career The Shack era (1991-1998)
4
Production career The Beta Band, Coldplay and Kinky Era (1998-
present)
5 Label owner Sonic360 (2000-present)
6 Selected Discography
7 References

Early professional years - Sarm Studios, Fairlight

programming (1984-1987)
In 1984, Allison fresh out of College was thrown into a hive of activity at Sarm Studios, London, home of Trevor Horns
own label ZTT, it was the height of Frankie Goes To Hollywood mania both in the studio and on the streets with the
ubiquitous Frankie Says...... T-shirts. Regular artists in the studio were 80s icons Frankie Goes To Hollywood, George
Michael, Pet Shop Boys, Art of Noise and Propaganda. In November 1984, Studio 1 at Sarm West was the venue for the
recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas" by the members of Band Aid in support of relief efforts for the 19841985
famine in Ethiopia.[2][3][4]

Although working in the tech department Allison got to assist on a number of studio sessions and seeing the potential of
new computer instruments such as the Fairlight and Synclavier, instruments that producers Trevor Horn and Steve
Lipson were championing, Allison set about learning to programme these new gods of the studio. He left Sarm and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Allison 1/5
11/23/2017 Chris Allison - Wikipedia

became a freelance Fairlight programmer working in London and Europe on music for a wide roster of clients including
Iggy Pop, The Triffids, Spear of Destiny, Elkie Brooks and the Emmy award-winning TV series Kingdom of The Ice Bear.

Production career The Wedding Present era (1987-1991)

Allison got his first production break in 1987 producing The Wedding Presents My Favourite Dress single.[5] This
immediately became an indie hit with John Peel championing and giving it a #6 entry in his 1987 Festive Fifty.[6] Of the
same year he produced the Wedding Presents debut album George Best which racked up a further four song entries in
the festive 50.[6] The George Best album and accompanying EPs were such an indie success that RCA snapped them up
and Allison went onto produce their second album, 'Bizarro, which went on to sell 100,000 albums and garner a further
five entries in John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1989.[6] A UK singles chart entry at #33 for the song 'Kennedy'[7] and the album
Bizarro itself reaching #22 in the UK album charts.[7] Allison went on to produce other Peel favourites - The Flatmates
(#2 indie hit with Shimmer), Pale Saints and Ned's Atomic Dustbin.[6]

Production career The Shack era (1991-1998)

Showing his versatility as a producer Allison moved away from indie guitars and on to the psychedelic folk/rock of
Liverpool band Shack and the album Waterpistol. Brothers Mick and John Head were a writing force to be reckoned
with, influences ranged from classic pop to jazz and folk.[8] Things didnt go too well, as Allison recalls: Mick could never
finish anything. Ive never worked with anyone like him, but hes a songwriting genius and one of the most gifted artists
Ive ever worked with.[8]

Allison recalls that Head would disappear for days on end during the recording, so he took drastic steps. I locked him in
the studio and told him I wouldnt let him out until hed done five vocals. He was furious and wasnt used to working
without a few drinks, but the results were amazing.[8] And he says all this with genuine warmth; Head might have been a
trial to work with, but he was capable of greatness. Just after the recording and mixing was completed in 1991, Star Street
Studio burned down taking the masters of Head's opus with it. The Ghetto record label then folded which heralded the end
of Shack. Since then no new material has been released by Head and little heard of him.

After the recording Allison meanwhile had taken off to do his Jack Kerouac in the US and had with him his producer's
copy DAT of 'Waterpistol' but in a cruel twist of fate had left it in his hire car. When he returned and learnt of the fire he
miraculously managed to track it down through the hire car company. But everything lay dormant until German Indie
Marina rang Leahy's office and said it wanted to release the album. So in 1995, one of 1991's best records was released, a
tour-de-force of timeless pop songs that sounded as fresh as anything heard that year.[9] Waterpistol became a cult classic
with the likes of NME, Select, Q, Time Out, Vox, FHM, Uncut and others all championing it as a bona-fide classic.

Q Magazine recently included it in the Greatest Album Stories Ever (April 2012).[8]

Allison went on to work with another Liverpool favourite The Real People. The track Believer was a UK singles chart #38
entry produced by Allison.[10] 1998 saw Allison producing the album Slain by Urusei Yatsura by Glaswegian band Urusei
Yatsura with song Hello Tiger reaching #40 in the UK Singles Chart.[11]

Production career The Beta Band, Coldplay and Kinky

Era (1998-present)
The Beta Band came to Allisons attention in 1998, thanks to Parlophone A&R Miles Leonard. Leonard was a Shack
Waterpistol fan. He asked Allison to produce the Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos and The Patty Patty Sound EPs, that
were later included in their entirety on The Three E.P.'s UK album chart position #35[12] and this led to production work
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Allison 2/5
11/23/2017 Chris Allison - Wikipedia

on the album The Beta Band UK album chart position #18.[12] Newly signed Beta Band stable mates Coldplays early
recordings were produced by Allison. Things got off to a productive start. The first track we worked on was High Speed,
which ultimately proved good enough to make it onto the first album. Allison describes it thus: Youll notice it is quite a
bit different to other tracks, because there are other sounds going on in it: we wanted to mix a soundscape in with the
classic rock sound on that particular track. To give it a slightly different perspective I guess, with the full willingness and
understanding of the band. I thought High Speed was a really good marriage between the classic rock sound and the new
sound that were developing out of it, something that was more atmospheric.[13] Dont Panic, See You Soon and High
Speed were featured on The Blue Room (EP)' and High Speed also featured on the Grammy award-winning album
Parachutes with the album reaching #1 on the UK Album Charts. Allisons version of Dont Panic is a more atmospheric
version than the one that appears on the album Parachutes. There is also a wonderfully atmospheric version of We Never
Change which has yet to see the light of day. In December 1999 looking for a new challenge Allison took off to Monterrey
Mexico to produce the Juan Manuel album for Latin America superstars Plastilina Mosh signed to EMI Mexico.[14] On
his travels he discovered early Sonic360 signing and Mexican electro/funk/Latin artist Kinky, whose eponymous album
was also produced by Allison.[14] The album was nominated for a Latin and US Grammy at the 45th Grammys.[15]

Label owner Sonic360 (2000-present)

Chris Allison is Owner and CEO of music labels Sonic360, Sonic360, Inc., Sonic360 Music Publishing and Sonic360 Music
Publishing America. Sonic360 is distributed by Fontana/Universal.

Allison launched Sonic360 in June 2000. It excels in breaking new musical boundaries, predominantly but not exclusively
marketing and promoting non-western artists to a western audience. Sonic360 has its headquarters in London and a
subsidiary in the United States, (Sonic360 Inc).

Artists that have signed to the label include Mexican electro-funk rock outfit Kinky. They signed an exclusive worldwide
deal with Sonic360 in the summer of 2000. Kinky's eponymous debut album was nominated for the Best Rock Album
award at the Latin Grammy's (2002) and Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album at the US Grammy's (2002). Their follow up
album, Atlas was nominated for numerous awards, including Best Alternative Music Album at the Latin Grammy's
(2004).

In August 2007, Sonic360 signed ex-Sudanese child soldier turned conscious hip-hop star Emmanuel Jal. Sonic360 hired
the talents of Neal Pogue (Outkast, Talib Kweli) to additionally produce and mix the Warchild album. It was followed by a
90-minute documentary [War Child, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and won the prestigious Cadillac Award at the
Tribeca Film Festival. His Autobiography is published by St. Martin's Press. Jal performed an electric set at the Mandela
90th Birthday in Hyde Park, London. He was presented to the stage by an enthusiastic Peter Gabriel, calling him a young
Bob Marley in the making.

Summer of 2008 included one of Sonic360s proudest releases - from legendary Steely Dan man Walter Becker. Over the
past 38 years, Becker and his long-time collaborator Donald Fagen have released 10 albums under the Steely Dan
moniker. 'Circus Money' was Beckers second highly anticipated solo effort, produced by Grammy Award-winning
producer Larry Klein.

Selected Discography
P=Produced / E=Engineered / M=Mixed / R=Recorded

Acida La Vida Real (album, Sonic360)

Kinky Atlas (album, Sonic360) Exec. Producer (Grammy Nominated)
Kinky Kinky (album, Sonic360) P/M (Grammy Nominated)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Allison 3/5
11/23/2017 Chris Allison - Wikipedia

Coldplay The Blue Room (EP, Capitol/EMI) P/M/E

Coldplay "High Speed" from Parachutes (Capitol/EMI) P/M/E (Grammy Awarded Album)
Coldplay Acoustic CD (EP, Capitol/EMI) P/M/E
Plastilina Mosh Juan Manuel (album, EMI Music Mexico/Astralwerks) P/M/E
The Beta Band The Beta Band (album, Capitol/EMI) P/M/E
The Beta Band The 3 EP's (album, Capitol/EMI) - P/M/E
The Beta Band Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos (EP, Capitol/EMI) P/M/E
The Beta Band The Patty Patty Sound (EP, Capitol/EMI) P/M/E
Dot Allison "Message Personnel" from Afterglow (Heavenly) P/M/E
Paul K Wilderness of Mirrors (album, Alias (U.S.)) P/M
Urusei Yatsura Slain by Urusei Yatsura (album, Che/Coalition) P/M/E
Urusei Yatsura Hello Tiger (EP, Che/Coalition) P/M/E
Urusei Yatsura Slain by Elf (EP, Che/Coalition) P/M/E
The Chainsaw Kittens Angel on the Range (album, Mammoth) P/M
Ned's Atomic Dustbin "Scrawl" (Sony Music) P/M
Ned's Atomic Dustbin "Prostrate" (Sony Music) P/M
Shack Waterpistol (album, Ghetto/Marina) P/M
The Real People "Believer" (Sony Music) P/M
The Real People "Dream On" (Sony Music) P/M
The Real People "What You Want" (Sony Music) P/M
The Milltown Brothers "Which Way Should I Jump" (Big Round Recs.) P/M
Pale Saints Half Life (EP, 4AD) P/M
Eat Mr & Mrs Smack (EP, Fiction) P/M
The Flatmates Shimmer (EP, Subway Records) P/M
The Wedding Present Bizzaro (album, BMG/RCA) P/M
The Wedding Present Kennedy (EP, BMG/RCA) P/M
The Wedding Present George Best (album, Red Rhino) P/M
The Wedding Present My Favourite Dress (EP, Red Rhino) P/M

References
1. Liverpool Echo - Entertainment - There's more to singer/songwriter Michael Head than famous fans (http://www.liverp
oolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/music/music-news/2009/07/24/there-s-more-to-singer-songwriter-michael-head
-than-famous-fans-100252-24230739/)
2. http://www.sarmstudios.com
3. http://www.trevorhorn.com
4. Sarm West Studios
5. The Wedding Present discography
6. The Peel Sessions Ken Garner. BBC Books. p203
7. "Archived copy" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120503212416/http://chartarchive.org/). Archived from the original (htt
p://chartarchive.org) on May 3, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
8. 20 Greatest Album Stories Ever: Waterpistol by Shack The Album That Nearly Went Up In Flames. Q Magazine
April 2012.
9. Music Week, November 1995.
10. "Archived copy" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120503212416/http://chartarchive.org/). Archived from the original (htt
p://chartarchive.org) on May 3, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012./r/19596
11. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 577.
ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Allison 4/5
11/23/2017 Chris Allison - Wikipedia

12. http://www.chartstats.com Archived (https://www.webcitation.org/5hGWCuqaE?url=http://www.chartstats.com/) 2009-

06-03 at WebCite
13. Coldplay, Look at the Stars by Phil OBrien.
14. http://allmusic.com/artist/chris-allison-p170041/credits
15. http://sonic360.com/about/

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chris_Allison&oldid=809485512"

This page was last edited on 9 November 2017, at 12:24.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Allison 5/5