Alexander Pizzorni, A.K.A. Merlin Moon, may not be a household name, but his next album, Bohemian Side of the Sky, is currently being put together with the help of a slew of recording notables and a collection of esoteric, vintage gear.
Produced by Alan Parsons side-project SubClones, Moon’s album is being recorded by 11-time Grammy-winner Rafa Sardina, mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers, Fleetwood Mac, Bloc Party, Hot Hot Heat) and mastered by Stephen Marcussen. Some of the album is being recorded in Moon’s home studio, and that’s where the old-school equipment comes into play; as he tells it in this mini tour, occasionally it’s the very gear that was used on his favorite songs and albums.
RCA BA6A Tube Limiters (1950’s) – “I learned about these pieces after becoming a fan of Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page has a collection of about 50 of these. One of the best notable examples of their sound is in ‘Stairway To Heaven.’ I also went to Manny Marroquin’s studio once and I heard what he was doing with it and I got hooked. One of these two units is serial number 8 – a historical piece right here.”
Pultec EQs – “This pair of 1950’s Pultecs was used by Alan Parsons for the recording of Dark Side of the Moon. Mark Needham sold them to me last year. Proving it is a small world indeed, my album, Bohemian Side of the Sky, is being produced by SubClones.”
Korg PS3100 – “A very rare and old synth, used by bands such as Tangerine Dream. Great-sounding piece of history. The pedals on top are the famous UNI vibes used by Hendrix and David Gilmour.”
US Army Signal Corps Limiter (WWII era) – “When I first saw this unit in a French studio, I fell in love with it. It’s my favorite compressor for vocals. It took a while to find it, fix it and have it running, but now I use it for every vocal track.”
The album isn’t due out until next year, but if you can’t wait to hear all that gear put to use, here’s the lead single, “Empty Shell.”
