Join Hugh Cornwell in the studio to enjoy his new album

Jun 6 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

FORMER Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell is trying a few new things with the release of his latest album, Hoover Dam.

For starters, Blueprint, an accompanying film of Cornwell and his band playing the complete record in the studio, is receiving one-off cinema screenings up and down the country.

It comes to Fact, on Wood Street, next week and the singer himself will be on hand to see the film and answer fans’ questions at the end.

Cornwell, left, explains: “We wanted to make the new album more of a package than just a CD so one day, at the end of the recording sessions, we played through all the songs and filmed them, most of them in one-off takes.

“It was only supposed to be a one-day editing job and we spent four weeks on it.

“I wanted to put a bit more creativity into it, and make it more interesting. I’m so fed up with DVDs that come with band’s CDs that are very disappointing and end up getting thrown in the bin.”

So Cornwell and his colleagues took time to get each song looking just right, splicing it with interview footage.

Its limited cinematic screenings came about almost by accident, when a contact at the Picturehouse chain enjoyed the film so much he asked if they would be able to screen it.

“I wanted to create something that would stand up to repeated viewings,” Cornwell says.

“And it looks great on screen.”

Another unexpected experiment has been the decision to release Hoover Dam on free download, following in the footsteps of bands such as Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails.

The site, www.hooverdamdownload.com, is now up and running, with the album to be made available soon.

For traditionalists, a digipack containing the album, film and complete booklet and artwork is scheduled for the autumn, and there will also be a vinyl pressing.

“The album will be free to download, which is bravery on the part of the record company which decided that they would rather have a million people listen to it on their iPods for free than selling a few thousand copies,” Cornwell says.

“If people don’t buy the record, they might come to the show.

“I got to thinking there’s a number of ways of doing this. Why shouldn’t music be free? But when you do download it, it’s not quite as good quality as the CD, so thankfully that’s still a benefit. People do like the physical product.”

Hoover Dam was recorded at the end of last year in the famous Toe Rag studios with producer Liam Watson, the man behind the White Stripes’ breakthrough album, Elephant.

“It was a suggestion made by my manager that we met, and we got on well and moved things forward. There had been a lot of planning and preparation for this for nearly two years before we got in there.

“We used some very retro equipment, analogue Decca stuff used by the Rolling Stones, so it’s got a really distinctive sound.”

Cornwell will continue to promote the album throughout 2008, and says he will schedule a tour early next year and probably return to the city.

“I’ve played in Liverpool on countless occasions,” he adds.

“I remember The Stranglers played the Royal Court and we were wearing gloves on stage it was so cold. We played lots of different places there – it’s just one of those rock ’n’ roll towns.”

* BLUEPRINT is showing at Fact on Tuesday, June 10, at 6pm. For more information, visit www.picturehouses.co.uk or phone 0871 704 2068.