Excitement yes, after all she is a national icon and an artist I have admired for many years, but it had been more than ten years since her last album for Sony and since then, she had not recorded or performed in concert and had only occasionally returned to singing as a part of her hugely successful television series Surprise!, Surprise!. My initial thoughts were: "Can she still sing?", "Can she still cut the mustard?", and "What is the best way to approach this artist?".

As it turned out, I need not have worried at all, instead I was in awe of this woman who sounded as good today as she did back in the seventies and in some ways better. I did in fact produce a very basic track for Cilla last year of the Van Morrison classic, Have I Told You Lately which was a one off recording that she made as a leaving present for her Blind Date producer. I remember thinking then that she sounded great, but this is an album project which is a whole different ball game.

There was months of preparation before we could start recording. Choosing material for the album was a wonderful time of nostalgia and discovery and very early on in my meetings with Cilla at her London flat, she was very clear about the kind of album she didn't want to make. She didn't want to do the obvious, lush orchestrated ballads, covering the same songs done a million times before. We talked endlessly about the early days and it became apparent that Cilla is still a Rock 'n' Roller; she was excited about making an album that was eclectic and challenging for her as an artist. Between us, we submitted hundreds of titles, everything from Motown to standards, to The Eagles to current hits by artists like Faith Hill. It was fun listening to hundreds of CD's, ploughing through ideas gradually seeing the album coming together. Initially, we were looking to record just six new songs, with the balance of the album made up from her hits, but as we went along the number rose and I had to juggle the budget so that we could record as many songs as possible.

Dale Winton was a wonderful help as well. He has a tremendous knowledge and found some real gems for us to listen to. As we were listening to these songs, Cilla would sing along to virtually all of them. I would sit next to her as she belted out song after song, and I was surprised and delighted to hear just how great she still sounded. I am not quite sure what I was expecting, but this was a very pleasant surprise. She was in tune and sounded much younger than her years. In many cases, she was comfortable singing in the original key registers which was a great bonus as most artists as they mature, tend to drop the songs key in order to reach the bigger higher notes, but not Cilla, she was there every time. Her vocal range was fantastic and my only thought was that if anything the power was a little lacking and so was her confidence. She was nervous about how she would be accepted by the public and the industry after so long away from the studio.

With this great insight into Cilla and how she felt about herself as an artist, I could formulate a plan. Nick Fiveash (her publicists) and I decided that it would be good to put her into training with a vocal coach to strengthen her voice and get back the control and power. For about two months, Cilla worked with top vocal coach Mary Hammond in Camden Town, North London. I attended a lot of these sessions, so that I could hear her progress and as we selected songs, we could rehearse them with Mary who could also find the best key to sing in. I wanted to retain the youth in her voice and I knew that by setting the keys at the top of her range would achieve this. Cilla was very receptive and is probably the hardest working artist I have ever worked with. The progress was swift and all of us including Cilla were delighted at the results. It was a fun time with Mary especially when Cilla was doing her vocal exercises that involved going up and down the scales with a sort of quacking sound designed to open the throat and enhance her vocal range. It definitely worked, though I know that Cilla was always a bit embarrassed about doing her exercises in front of me and preferred me to arrive later when she started singing.

I wanted to create a recording environment that would be as familiar and as comfortable as possible for Cilla. By this time I also knew that the new recordings were going to have to sit beside all the biggest hits on the album, so with this in mind I decided to go back to basics. I had decided to make essentially an album of performances. I wanted Cilla to sing guide vocals while we recorded each song live with the rhythm section. This is always the best way to record if possible, it is better for the musicians to hear the vocal as they play and it gives me the opportunity to make changes with the artist and musicians as we go along, ultimately creating a better vibe and performance. Selecting the right musicians is always a pleasurable part of my job. David Arch, my arranger is probably the best arranger around at the moment. He has worked on countless hits in recent years and was very excited about working with Cilla. The rhythm section was made up of the very best studio musicians in the business today.

Actual recording commenced at London's Westside Studios in early June and the backing tracks were completed on all the songs in just four days. I remember it was very hot weather and Cilla stood in the vocal booth for hours in about 90 degrees as we performed take after take. Always totally professional, enthusiastic, never complaining about the heat, she was just wonderful. We recorded all the vocals at my friend Terry Britten's 'State of the Ark' studio in Richmond. (Terry wrote and produced all of Tina Turner's biggest hits and of course he wrote Cliff's monster, Devil Woman) Terry's studio is not a commercial studio, he only allows friends to work there on occasion. I had recorded there before with David Cassidy when I produced his hugely successful comeback album Then and Now a couple of years ago. There was another good reason to record at Terry's and that was the console he has. It is an original EMI console just like the one Cilla would have used on all those early hits back in the sixties. This would give the new songs the same warmth as the hits and that was what I wanted for this album. In fact the desk in Terry's studio was used by the Rolling Stones to record all their early hits, so it was fitting and perfect for us. Cilla recorded all her vocals in just five days. I would collect her each day at around 3pm from her house in Denham and bring her to the studio. I always made sure there was a bottle of Champaign on ice and we would work through until the early hours. It was wonderful, because there were only the three of us there. Cilla, myself and my engineer, Chris West, a kind of closed set. I prefer to work this way and I never allow people into the studio when I am recording vocals. It is more productive and comfortable for the artist who can then concentrate of the performance.

As a producer, working with the great Cilla Black was a wonderful experience that I shall never forget and a definite highlight in my career. Cilla was a joy to work with in every way and I am tremendously proud of this album as indeed I know Cilla is.

The Songs...

1. KISS YOU ALL OVER

This is a song that I have always liked immensely. It was a huge hit for seventies band Exile and later for soul diva Millie Jackson in 1979. It is a song that I have always wanted to record and Cilla I thought would be perfect. I played it to her and she immediately wanted to include it on the album. It has a wonderful soulful funky feel to it and Cilla delivered a great tongue in cheek very sexy vocal. I remember she told me she had a message on her answer machine from her friend Jude Law that she felt would be a bit of fun over the intro. At first I thought it was a bit cheesy, but of course it worked brilliantly.

2. IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Dale Winton found this one. It was a high energy dance version with a great arrangement that Cilla and I loved. I wanted to emulate the dance element but with a live band. This song came to life in the studio as we recorded it take after take making changes along the way. It has a very seventies feel, again funky and very poppy. Cilla and the backing vocalists did a great job on this one.

3. BEGINNINGS
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During our initial meetings with EMI we decided that most of the songs should have a connection with Cilla's 40 years in the business. There were very obvious people that have been an essential part of Cilla's story. Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach immediately sprang to mind and so I started thinking about the possibility of finding new songs. I approached several key writers like Elton John, Elvis Costello and Cathy Denis but found that either they were unavailable or the songs were unsuitable or that schedules just wouldn't come together. I approached Paul McCartney who was on tour at the time in Europe. Unfortunately, it was impossible to co-ordinate a meeting with Paul to coincide with our recording schedule to discuss a new song for the album so that was a little disappointing. I then approached Burt Bacharach's publishers in London. They in turn contacted Burt in LA and he came back with a brand new song he had recently written with long time lyricist Hal David for a new musical about to open in New York that had not yet been recorded by anyone and only existed in demo form. The song was called Beginnings which we felt would be perfect for the album as this was essentially a new beginning for Cilla. The original demo tape was more R&B and surprisingly rather disappointing but the song itself was great.

I decided that our version should be bigger so we added strings, French horns and the guitar solo and a key change toward the end making it a bit of an anthem. In terms of range it matched Alfie and this would be a huge challenge for Cilla to sing. At first Cilla wasn't sure about the song but it grew on her as we rehearsed it and I think she delivered a stunning vocal performance full of power and sensitively.

A very special moment for me was when I picked up the phone one day and this voice said, "Is that Ted Carfrae" and I said "yes it is", he said, "this is Burt Bacharach here". I was totally stunned and initially thought 'yeah right'. After my initial shock, we chatted for a few minutes and he told me that he was delighted that Cilla was going to record Beginnings and that he has always thought of her as a fine vocalist and looked forward to hearing the final recording. How brilliant was that? I thought to myself  “No pressure then”.

4. BEAUTIFUL GOODBYE
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Dale also found this great new song when he was on a trip to Nashville last year. It was a huge smash stateside for a new country artist called Jennifer Hanson. Cilla played it to me and we both jumped for joy. Cilla sang along and sounded fantastic so I agreed straight away that it should be included on the album. Our version is a little heavier and bigger than the original and of all the songs on the album, this one has had by far the best reaction as it is so fresh and modern sounding and Cilla has made it her own. We all had a great time recording this song and I think you can hear that.

• Video directed by Jon Diamond

5. IMAGINE
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This was the very first song that Cilla said she would like to record even though she was afraid to tackle such a definitive John Lennon song. For me, I couldn't think of anyone more appropriate to cover the song than Cilla due to her connection with John Lennon, it felt right to record it. In terms of arrangement, I didn't want to copy the original for obvious reasons. I met with my arranger Dave Arch with my idea of adding the guitar solo and a key change to lift it. Again I wanted to orchestrate it to make a statement that Cilla could sing to full effect. I wanted to create a track with the dynamics to sustain Cilla's powerful voice. I remember the night we recorded the lead vocal very well. Cilla was nervous but she loved the new arrangement. The vocal came very quickly and she added a sensitivity that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The atmosphere in the room was brilliant, warm and peaceful almost spiritual. Her interpretation of the lyric is superb, the feeling she evoked was touching filled with emotion and the final verse for me was magic. After just three takes we completed the vocal. The next day, Cilla asked me what I thought of the idea of Cliff Richard adding some backing vocals. I immediately loved the idea and put together a rough mix of the song for Cliff. Cilla was attending Wimbledon the following day with Cliff so she wanted to play it to him before they left. She called me later and told me Cliff was very enthusiastic about doing it and I just then needed to organize the diary. Cliff came to Terry's studio on July 9th to record his vocals. Cilla was unfortunately in New York on that day so couldn't be there. Cliff was fantastic to work with and very generous to me. I had a basic idea about what I wanted Cliff to sing and coincidentally, Cliff came up with the same ones. He was very prepared with a piece of paper outlining his lines and we stood together singing to each other, along with the track making changes as we went along. That in itself was a thrill, to be singing with Sir Cliff. Cliff finally went into the vocal booth and put down his first track. I remember I was pinching myself constantly throughout the session. Here I was producing a version of my favourite Lennon song with two of the best and distinctive voices in British music history. Trust me; it doesn’t get better than that. After about an hour Cliff was finished and Chris West my engineer and I just sat back talking about how great that experience was. I think we have made a classic version of this very special song that stands up to the inevitable comparisons. It is probably my favourite track on the album.

6. LET THERE BE LOVE
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‘Let there be love’ has always been a favourite song of mine from Nat King Cole’s songbook. I remembered that I’d seen Cilla sing the song when she was a guest on a 1965 edition of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore’s Not Only But Also BBC television programme. I suggested the song to Cilla and she loved the idea as it was a song that she had always intended to record. I wanted to base the arrangement on the 1965 version and expanded it a little from a trio to a quartet. We recorded live at The Bunker in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, the studio owned by my drummer Ralph Salmins. Cilla came down to sing a guide vocal. It was a great day because it was so simple and laid back, a bunch of musicians getting together to play music. Cilla loved it, we would exchange stories, reminisce, then record a take, then stop for a glass of champagne. Wonderful. Cilla later re-recorded the vocal at Terry’s studio in a single take. This is a great version.

7. THIS KISS

This was another song that Cilla played to me. To be honest it was not a song that I would have probably chosen for her, though I did very much like Faith Hill’s original version. We wanted to album to include some newer songs and again Cilla felt very comfortable with this one. Cilla recorded it in the same key as the fore mentioned original and our version was slightly faster and bigger sounding. Cilla nailed this song in I think one take, again with a fresh approach that makes the song her own.

8. MY MAN

I have had this song in my collection for over twenty five years and always thought it was a song that Cilla should record. It originates from an album by Martha Reeves from 1975. When I first played the song to Cilla at her flat in London, there was a huge shriek of laughter. She really liked the fact that the song was split into two very different parts with the vocal going up an octave half way through. After a few listens through, I asked Cilla to sing along with the original. To my utter amazement and delight, Cilla could make the octave transition very easily indeed. The key was also perfect and could have been especially written for her voice. I was immediately convinced that we were going to create a classic Cilla Black recording. When we actually came to record the vocal, Cilla found it very comfortable to sing up there all day if we had to. If you listen carefully over the fade, you will hear that Cilla in fact goes up a further octave which is amazing. I think it’s one of her best ever vocal performances and definitely one of my favourites on the album.





9. PHOTOGRAPH

I reminded Cilla about this song and she then recounted how it was actually written for her by George Harrison and Ringo Starr. We both felt it was appropriate to include it on the album and Steve Davis at EMI particularly liked the choice. I decided to simply update the original arrangement keeping it pretty much the same, but a little bigger and obviously we had to change the key. We added a lot more backing vocals and again I think this will become an all time Cilla favourite. Cilla and I discussed the idea of flying out to Monaco to overdub drums with Ringo, but unfortunately schedules never came together and sadly it never happened.

10. I’VE BEEN WRONG BEFORE

This wonderful Randy Newman song came about as a demo recording I did for EMI in 2002 when the initial idea of the album came up. I wanted to update one of her hits more of an experiment. EMI sent my demo to Cilla and she wanted to record a vocal on it. I recorded the vocal with Cilla in February at a friend’s home studio in Slough. I remember Cilla saying to me at the time, “I’ve never recorded in a garage before”

In fact the vocal on the album is the actual vocal we recorded back then. It was a great and it had a certain vibe about it that Cilla and I liked a lot, so we decided to use it. I then decided to expand the arrangement to fit better on the album, Ralph and Steve Pearce replaced the drums and bass respectively, we added some guitar and alto sax and then remixed it. Done.

11. ANYONE WHO HAD A HEART (Late Night Version)
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This was in fact the first original idea I had for the album last year, to record a late night jazz trio version of Cilla’s classic hit. I assembled three fantastic musicians, Ralph Salmins on drums, Steve Pearce on bass guitar and Pete Murray on Rhodes at Ralph’s Bunker studio in Hertfordshire. First, we listened to Cilla’s original version and mapped the song out while comparing ideas. The key was a problem as I hadn’t yet met with Cilla, in fact at this point the album was just a distant thought. So I had no idea of Cilla’s vocal range or abilities at this point, so we had to guess a rough key. With rough ideas in mind we proceeded to record a take. Immediately the tempo and feel came together as if by magic and for me it was a matter of getting the perfect take. We didn’t have to wait for long, the second take gelled together, it had something special about it, everything and everyone locked together and that was it, a piece of pure magic. I mixed a backing track and asked a friend of mine to sing a guide vocal for me. Once finished I sent it to Cilla. Cilla fell in love with this very different version and was very excited about recording it but the only thing for her was the key. She felt it was too high. Some months later, during the same vocal session for I’ve Been Wrong Before we found a better key for Cilla but unfortunately it was about a semitone lower, so in May this year, I reassembled the lads with a view to re-recording the song, this time in the new key I had set some months earlier. It was a total disaster, we just couldn’t emulate the same feel of the original demo. We had the same musicians, same studio but it just didn’t sound as good as the demo version so imprinted in my mind. This presented me with a real problem. By this time Cilla was working with Mary Hammond, the vocal coach. I took the original demo to Mary’s and asked her if in her opinion Cilla could sing in this original key. I had attended many of the sessions with Cilla and Mary and had heard for myself that her range had extended. To my complete delight, Mary assured me that this key was well within Cilla’s new extended vocal range. It was a great feeling of relief. Cilla was initially a little unsure, she had built up a mental block with the song, thinking it was too high for her to sing. Cilla liked to rehearse with me at home before we started recording any of the songs, it gave her confidence and made her totally familiar with the tracks and arrangements before we started recording, so I went down to Denham and we rehearsed the song together and again later with Mary at subsequent vocal sessions. As we rehearsed it got better and better until Cilla was totally comfortable with the key.

What you hear on the album is the original take, nothing added or taken away.

Recording the vocal was a great experience. We started at about midnight, lights down low, just the three of us as usual and a glass of champagne. Chris started the multi-track recorder, dropped into record and if you listen carefully there is a wonderful breath, a deep release of air before the vocal starts. When Cilla sang the first line, the hair on the back of my neck immediately stood on end, she had captured the moment and proceeded with an intimacy and feel that was perfect with the track. It was so good that I remember thinking, please don’t stop r make a mistake, she was on a roll. The vocal for me is perfect because of the imperfections in it, the lip noise, the occasional slight crack in the voice, it has real emotion and her interpretation of the lyric is perfect. When she finished and we listened back we just looked at each other in silence and smiled. We knew something magical had happened. This particular recording is one that was destined from day one. Everything about it spells class.  Cilla.