Popular music of the 80s decade had its own unique sound. Shaped by breathtaking developments in studio recording equipment and techniques, from digital processing to sampling, the music that is still enjoyed today would not be the same without it. This book tells the story of how one such young engineer/producer navigated his way through this exciting and pivotal period in music history by working with this technology within the confines of the last great era of recording studios, from 1978 to 1988.

This was all before musicians and producers retired to their bedrooms with a laptop. Using diaries recorded at the time, Peter Woolliscroft lifts the curtain on the private world of the closed session, with daily accounts of all projects worked on, how they were made, who made them and most importantly how they became hits. It tells of the highs and lows, the expectations and disappointments of recording many of the top acts of the day while navigating the various technical challenges along the way.

Along the way, he worked with such names as: Yes, Soft Cell, Cat Stevens, Thin Lizzy, New Order, Buzzcocks, Psychedelic Furs, 10cc, John Cooper Clarke, Frank Zappa, Kate Bush, The Who, Queen, Peter Gabriel, Elton John, Squeeze, Tina Turner, Sam Fox, Talk Talk and Def Leppard. He also worked with producers Trevor Horn, Tony Visconti, Jeff Wayne, Martin Hannett, Robert John 'Mutt' Lange, Frank Zappa and Gus Dudgeon.