Mike and the Moonpie‘s 2019 record, Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold, contains one of their biggest hits to date, You Look Good in Neon, as well as other popular tracks such as Danger and Cheap Silver. Any fan of the red dirt band recognize these tracks; however, many might not know the album’s history.
Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold was recorded in London, England in Abbey Road Studios. Made famous by the Beatles, the studio has been used by iconic artists such as Pink Floyd, Kanye West, Amy Winehouse and Adele.
In an interview with Country Chord, frontman, Mike Harmeier, recalled the process of recording the album in London, “It was pretty intense. I was still kind of writing the songs up to the day that we went into the studio. And we had been touring in Europe for about two weeks prior to going to the studio, so I was pretty nervous that whole tour about what I had to get done. And we only had two days in the studio with the band.”
The independent band made the bold decision to collaborate with the legendary London Symphony Orchestra. Their presence on the album can be felt in every song, giving them an added hint of sophistication and spectacle.
Harmeier later touched on the history of Abbey Road and how great the working environment was, “The strings came in on the third day, and we left. It was a lot, man. But you kind of get in there, and you’re overwhelmed by the studio at first. There’s just palpable history in there, you know? So you have to get through that ’cause you have to get all this work done in two days, and then it becomes any other studio. It’s like some stuff doesn’t work and you have to figure out some things. It was a great working environment, which I was very happy to have ’cause we needed that ability to get it done.“
Earlier in the interview, Harmeier gave his thoughts on the Americana vs. Country debate. You can read it here.