Forty years ago England were about to win the World Cup, and we had already given the globe The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who. MP3s hadn't been invented, bedroom mixing would have been some kind of improper activity, and recording studios were held in high esteem.
London was the centre of the music industry universe, with the likes of the legendary Abbey Road studios.
Out in the sticks, way up yonder in Willerby, near Hull, local musician and electronics wizard Keith Herd was setting up what has proved to be one of the country's longest-running and well respected studios, Fairview – which is still attracting some of music's biggest names, as well as providing an exemplary stamping ground for new and upcoming acts.
Andrew Newlove, who played in several bands in the '80s and '90s and once played at London's Marquee Club, has been Keith's business partner for the past five years and tells of Fairview's early years.
"Keith worked for a local music store and always dreamed of setting up his own studio, which he started from the front room of his house. He really pioneered music recording in the North of England.
"There was nothing in Sheffield, Leeds or Newcastle, so all of the acts came here. At the time, clubland was very big with lots of touring bands all around the country. They needed to make records to sell at their gigs, like bands do with CDs now.
"Keith made a good name for himself with record companies in London and the studio took off."
Marty Wilde was one of the first big name acts to record at Fairview, along with other famous names such as Jet Harris and Vince Hill. Keith recognised there was a market not just for recording but also duplication and he ploughed profits back into both the studio and a cassette duplication company, which, in turn, is now a CD and video duplication organisation. Fairview's roll call of artists reads like a who's who of the music industry and shows that they have very rarely suffered a period of tranquillity.
Disco giants Heatwave, Robert Palmer, Def Lepard, The Sisters of Mercy, Beautiful South, The Housemartins, Barbara Dickson and recent hitmakers The Paddingtons have all graced the floors of the studio.
So what makes Fairview so special? After all, it's not a massive emporium (it's actually tucked away behind the house that was once Keith Herd's home) and with the advent of being able to record from your bedroom, with all the advancements made in IT, where does Fairview fit in today's music scene?
Andrew tells it straight.
"Sure, you can use programmes like Cubase and Cakewalk at home, and you can mix some great dance records," he says. "Quite a few in the charts have been made that way, but when you're dealing with live music, not computer-based, either as a band, solo singers or whatever combination of instrument and voice, you'll never get the right sound from your bedroom.
"You need a great engineer, and ours (John Spence) is one of the best in the industry. He's been with us for 25 years and knows all there is to know about getting the best possible recording. You also need the right equipment. There's an old cliché that you're only as good as your worst piece of equipment and we have always invested in quality.
"Everything we have here is just what you would find in any of the top studios in London and around the world. We're finding that many of the aspiring bands and acts in the North are coming our way at the moment. The Paddingtons recorded their single Panic Attack here and with bands like the Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs leading a northern assault on the music scene at the moment, everyone is wanting to get into a studio."
Andrew talks of bands being more understanding of the music scene these days.
"I think everyone now realises that A&R people are looking for quality from the word go," he adds. "They want to see that the band they are listening to have made an effort and spent a little bit of money beforehand. It's a bit like going to your bank manager and having a business plan already in place. It's usually to every band's benefit because if the A&R guys like what they hear they will then offer to pay towards the band spending a bit more time in a studio."
Of those who have been into Fairview over the past year Andrew tells of some of the names to watch out for:
"Turismo, a local band, are on the brink of things with their ska sound; the Dirty Dreamers are an indie-style outfit with a good future; there's a great singer/songwriter called Emma Rugg. She's fantastic; and an '80s influenced band from Nottingham called Computer Man."
Given Andrew's past life as guitarist and vocalist, and now that he is a partner in what is a highly regarded studio, doesn't he see it as a great opportunity to record all the time – and for free?
"Do you know, I still love recording. When I first set foot in this studio years ago I was terrified, but when I heard myself on playback for the first time it was one of the best feelings in my life. The thing is, everybody that comes here thinks the same, which is great for Keith, John and myself, but it also means we're so busy I never seem to have the time to record anymore."
For more information, email info@fairviewstudios.co.uk or visit www.fairviewstudios.co.uk