When I hear the Name Peter Pearlson I immediately think of two things – the first associated with the concept of a best friend and the second of one of our country’s best engineers and one that has shaken George Martin’s hand with the words “thank you for sgt. Pepper’s”.
Peter Pearlson and I met in the mid eighties at the then Satbel studios that later moved and became Downtown Studios c/o Fox and Goud streets, Jhb. Chris Kritzinger was producing my 7 th album City/stad. I did the vocals on crutches because I chased a noisy rooster on the farm when I was writing for the album. So I strained a ligament. That was when I discovered that lift doors can be kept opened with one crutch. I also discovered how skeef and downhill the pavement outside was. Inside in studio 2 was Chris Kritzinger and a kinda new kid on the block with blue eyes and very long hair. His name was Peter Pearlson.
Over the next two weeks whilst recording the album we discovered a big overlap in taste for the same music except Dylan, Cohen, Willie Nelson, Neil Young and the Stones. But all the rest. I once showed him the 30 year anniversary concert of Dylan and when Ol Willie came mentioned how serene he came across. “That man is not serene, that man is stoned”. We also shared exactly the same humor. I once gave him a Best of Charles Bosman, but I don’t think he liked that. At first I mentioned to him that the British – yes Peter came from London to Hottentots High in Somerset – were responsible for murdering our forefathers in the Anglo Boer War. The look on Peter’s face was not one of laughter. I then mentioned that I was making a joke and do not really care about things of such a long time ago and that I don’t really hold it against anyone around, and Peter laughed and a bond was formed at that moment. Chris Kritzinger decided to leave the mixing of the title track to me and Peter. Chris was more of a commercial producer. Peter and I didn’t care much about that with this 6 minute track. This suited us both. It was a lengthy mbalanga kind of song. We immediately both acknowledged that we would like to work together on an entire project. In 1989 that time came with the Kommissie van Ondersoek album- Winde van Verandering.
Satbel became Downtown and time was booked. It was wonderful. At one stage Mauritz Lotz came to do overdubs. The entire studio area was stacked with Marshall amps and an ambiance mic or two. Mauritz plugged in at the desk. The studio became one gigantic amplifier. Trevor Nasser was editing in studio 4 and rushed to us complaining that the loud music was “leaking” onto his tracks. Huh? Anyway I couldn’t believe Peter’s work rate, his concentration ability and hearing. I still smoked pipe then and often used Peter’s pencil to scratch the ashes out of the pipe bowl. He needed the pencil to fill in the track sheet. “Do you mind if I borrow your pipe cleaner”?
I often stayed over at his house first in Kensington and later in Edenvale. And he and the family often came out to the farm on a Sunday. The Hennops River borders the farm. The first time Peter visited, he sat on a rock in the middle of the river and closed his eyes and identified the sounds and then opened his eyes and found the objects he heard. He mentioned that in a studio environment one often stared into space.The kids grew up in front of me. I and all the Pearlsons shared a lot. Tragedy and joy. In 1992 we were allowed to do the concept album we both dreamed about doing with complete freedom from Gallo: Danzer. It was a concept album and Peter and I decided to use Mauritz as an arranger.We often met at Hennops and Kensington and the we started working on it. I still feel today that this was my best album ever – not because of me or the songs, but the overall concept. This was in a way our Sgt Pepper’s. Lucky Dube was sitting in the reception area when I arrived. On the spur of the moment I suggested to him why not sing on one of the tracks. Producers/managers etc had to be phoned and half an hour later there were two singers in the studio and two producers behind the desk. And magic on the tape with the title track. Danzer went on to become a #1 on both 5Fm and Metro. Lucky, world star that he was, later told me how he got out of a speeding ticket in the Free State when the traffic cop recognized him :”you’re that ouk that sings with Anton Goosen”… Ha ha. Mixing Danzer one of my jobs was to provide tea. Downtown used polystyrene cups. We decided to stack the empty cups one inside the other and one night after mixing the tower of cups reached the roof three times stacked on the side of the desk.
Peter and I worked together on various further projects inter alia Bushrock, Om te breyten, Elke Boemelaar se droom of Koos Kombuis, Sonja Herholdt’s Ritsel in die Rietbos, ’n Vis innie Bos, Anton & Vrinne live in die Staatsteater, Groen Blomme projek and we are currently working on the next one… We share the same love for football – mine for Man United because I once saw George Best play, and Peter for Arsenal because he comes from London. Somebody once on the farm misheard and asked “how can you support a team called “arsehole”? Often on tour I’d come across another Arsenal fan and then I texted Peter:”I have discovered another Arsenal fan- you two can have a quick rap”!
Peter is arguably one of our finest sound engineer/producers in the country and he has earned more than a piano full of awards – SAMAS and stuff – to back the statement up. He has worked wih a variety of different genres and acts including Hothouse Flowers. Almost three decades of friendship – being with Peter and his people, is being with family.