Bob Pridden
Encyclopedia
Bob Pridden is an English
sound engineer
, best known for his long-standing position as principal sound engineer for the rock band The Who
. He has also worked with a number of other rock musicians and with individual members of The Who on solo projects.
, England, and married Lady Maria Noel, the daughter of the Fifth Earl of Gainsborough. Pete Townshend
of The Who is the godfather of Pridden's son Benedict.
Pridden grew up only a few miles from the west London neighbourhoods in which Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey
and the other original members of The Who
lived, and went to work for the band early in their career. According to Pete Townshend in 2007, Pridden and the rest of the band "all converged just before the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. So we have worked together for 40 years."
and Quadrophenia
, need to have pre-recorded tapes when performed live. Pridden once said, "I don't trust machines. Machines go wrong. My heart pounds before I press the button hoping for it to work." Daltrey also said, "Bob has had the tape recorder thrown at him many a time - especially when the thing'd break."
Pridden is commonly credited for having created on-stage "wedge" monitors in the late '60s; previously, onstage performers had no way to hear themselves, and Pridden requested a slanted speaker cabinet that sat on the floor and tilted toward the performer. Since that time, onstage "wedge" monitors have become standard equipment at virtually every live performance of any scale worldwide.
Pridden has worked both on stage and in the studio with many other of classic rock's major names, as well as with younger acts. He is credited on several of The Who's albums including Live at Leeds
, and produced the 1973 Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert
. Pridden served as sound engineer for The Who's 1969 performance at Woodstock, and for The Who, David Bowie
and Paul McCartney
at Live Aid
in 1985.
Pridden is unusual in the music business for having attained recognition for his technical rather than musical input. Although past sixty, he continues to tour with The Who, mixing many of their later live CD/DVD releases, and in 2006 he co-produced Roger Daltrey's vocals on The Who's album Endless Wire
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sound engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, best known for his long-standing position as principal sound engineer for the rock band The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. He has also worked with a number of other rock musicians and with individual members of The Who on solo projects.
Biography
Bob Pridden was born in 1946 in IckenhamIckenham
Ickenham is a suburban area centred on an old village in Greater London, part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.While no major historical events have taken place in Ickenham, settlements dating back to the Roman occupation of Britain have been discovered during archaeological surveys, and the...
, England, and married Lady Maria Noel, the daughter of the Fifth Earl of Gainsborough. Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
of The Who is the godfather of Pridden's son Benedict.
Pridden grew up only a few miles from the west London neighbourhoods in which Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
and the other original members of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
lived, and went to work for the band early in their career. According to Pete Townshend in 2007, Pridden and the rest of the band "all converged just before the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. So we have worked together for 40 years."
Career
Many of The Who's songs, especially songs from Who's NextWho's Next
Who's Next is the fifth studio album by English rock band The Who, released in August 1971. The album has origins in a rock opera conceived by Pete Townshend called Lifehouse. The ambitious, complex project did not come to fruition at the time and instead, many of the songs written for the project...
and Quadrophenia
Quadrophenia
Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album by English rock band The Who. Released on 19 October 1973 by Track and Polydor in the UK, and Track and MCA in the US, it is a double album, and the group's second rock opera...
, need to have pre-recorded tapes when performed live. Pridden once said, "I don't trust machines. Machines go wrong. My heart pounds before I press the button hoping for it to work." Daltrey also said, "Bob has had the tape recorder thrown at him many a time - especially when the thing'd break."
Pridden is commonly credited for having created on-stage "wedge" monitors in the late '60s; previously, onstage performers had no way to hear themselves, and Pridden requested a slanted speaker cabinet that sat on the floor and tilted toward the performer. Since that time, onstage "wedge" monitors have become standard equipment at virtually every live performance of any scale worldwide.
Pridden has worked both on stage and in the studio with many other of classic rock's major names, as well as with younger acts. He is credited on several of The Who's albums including Live at Leeds
Live at Leeds
Live at Leeds is The Who's first live album, and is the only live album that was released while the group were still recording and performing regularly. Initially released in the United States on 16 May 1970, by Decca and MCA and the United Kingdom on 23 May 1970, by Track and Polydor, the album...
, and produced the 1973 Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert
Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert
Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert is an album recorded live at London's Rainbow Theatre on January 13, 1973, and released within the year. The concert was organized by Pete Townshend and marked Eric Clapton's comeback after the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh...
. Pridden served as sound engineer for The Who's 1969 performance at Woodstock, and for The Who, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
at Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
in 1985.
Pridden is unusual in the music business for having attained recognition for his technical rather than musical input. Although past sixty, he continues to tour with The Who, mixing many of their later live CD/DVD releases, and in 2006 he co-produced Roger Daltrey's vocals on The Who's album Endless Wire
Endless Wire (The Who album)
Endless Wire is the eleventh album by the English rock band The Who released on 30 October 2006, through Polydor Records and the following day in the United States by Universal Republic. It was their first new album of original material in twenty-four years following the release of It's Hard in 1982...
.