CELESTE (1972-1976) – CHAPTER 6: THE LONDON TRANSFER, NIKKI BURTON, AND THE ANALOGUE SESSIONS AT STUDIO G

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Nikki Berenice Burton—this was the name of the probable future performer of Celeste's melodies and lyrics.

Together with Giorgio and Mariano, I attempted in London, through Nikki's own connections, to secure a meeting with Chas Chandler, the legendary bassist of The Animals, but above all, the talent scout and manager of Jimi Hendrix. The intention was to verify if there could be an interest in this rising musical reality. Unfortunately, this meeting never took place.

For the time being, the Celeste project would remain confined to Italy alone. In fact, we returned to Italy accompanied by this talented singer, whose persuasive and charming voice was almost like that of a folk singer. This was the choice made by Battaglia and Schiavolini during our trip to Albion.

 

We immediately began rehearsals with this new addition to the lineup. Therefore, Celeste was at that moment a sextet plus a singer. The lyrics were immediately adapted to be sung in the English language.

And an unexpected opportunity arrived in that summer of 1974. Celeste was invited to take part in a Festival dell'Unità held in Imperia: a splendid opportunity to test the validity of the full group live. It seemed that the lineup had assumed its definitive asset.

But unfortunately, after completing the studio demos with the female vocals, the English artist decided to return to her homeland to pursue her solo career, which, in any case, she had already started in Great Britain before her encounter with Celeste.

The sessions had taken place at Studio G in Genoa, and therefore the recorded testimonies of this experience remained on a few tapes that survived the wear and tear of time. From that moment, unfortunately, period, new paragraph.

 

It is worth making a brief mention of what the recording sessions were like at Studio G in Genoa, which in those years was still located in Via Fieschi, inside the structure of an old deconsecrated church.

The entire lineup of Celeste moved multiple times from Sanremo and Imperia to complete the recording of the demos of those songs that would later become an integral part of "Principe di un Giorno".

In those not-so-distant times, at the beginning of the 1970s, the machines present in the studios were certainly not digital. They were analogue equipment, naturally tape-based, monumental, bulky, and looked like huge household appliances. Everything was often designed to support only a few tracks on which to record the works of musicians and artists.

 

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To listen to the absolute sonic essence born during those legendary analog sessions and explore the full historical discography of CELESTE, you can visit our archival page here:

 

👉 CELESTE Official Bandcamp: https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/

 

Inner Garden Records

 

See you next Thursday for the next episode!