Adrian Sherwood

Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 1958, London, England) is an English record producer specializing in the genres of dub music and EDM. Sherwood has created a distinctive production style based around applying dub effects and dub mixing techniques to EDM tracks as well as mainstream songs. Sherwood has worked extensively with a variety of reggae artists as well as the musicians Keith LeBlanc, Doug Wimbish and Skip McDonald. Sherwood has remixed tracks by Coldcut, Depeche Mode, Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy. Within his role as a record producer, he has worked with a variety of record labels, however his most well-known label is On-U Sound Records, which he founded in 1979. Sherwood has been a member of the band Tackhead. As someone who considers himself tone deaf, the producer focuses on making sounds and noises rather than melody. Sherwood also did side projects under several aliases such as Adrian Maxwell, Barmy Army, Crocodile, Eddie Echo, On-U Sound, Prisoner and Voice Of Authority.

Links To Peel
Peel was a long-time fan of Tackhead member Adrian Sherwood's work as a producer. In a 1988 Observer article, the DJ wrote:


 * “I have long been wary of the reputations of producers – since I saw a photograph of Phil Spector’s haircut (incorporating, naturally, Phil himself) – but am happy to admit devotion to Sherwood.”

Peel had played Sherwood’s early collaboration with Keith LeBlanc on the one-off Enemy Within miners’ benefit 12”, and the producer’s work with Tackhead coincided with a period in which he worked less frequently in the reggae field, following the 1983 death of mentor Prince Far I. In the Observer article, Peel suggested “tracks made with singer Mark Stewart have been especially disconcerting”.

On a lighter note, the DJ was hugely enthusiastic about Sherwood’s football-centered Barmy Army side project, describing the ‘Sharp As A Needle’ single as “the only football record of merit yet released”. It is not currently known whether Peel played the earlier and similarly themed Tackhead single ‘The Game (You'll Never Walk Alone)’, but both Doug Wimblash and Skip McDonald from the band appeared on the Barmy Army LP. 

In 2012, the ‘Tackhead Tape Time’ and ‘Friendly As A Hand Grenade’ LPs were among the first 100 albums by artists beginning with T when details of Peel’s record collection were initially released via TheSpace website. (See Record Collection: T.)

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1987 Festive Fifty: Sharp As A Needle (under the name of Barmy Army) #17

Peelenium

 * Peelenium 1987: Sharp As A Needle (under the name of Barmy Army)

Other Shows Played
1986 1987 1989
 * Peel 046 (BFBS): 'Sharp As A Needle (12")' (On-U Sound) (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 25 November 1986: Glory Glory / Sharp As A Needle (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 08 December 1986: Glory Glory / Sharp As A Needle (12") On-U Sound (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 17 December 1986: Glory Glory (Sharp As A Needle) (12") On-U Sound (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * Peel Late 1987: Sharp As A Needle (12") On-U Sound (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 29 December 1987: 'Sharp As A Needle (12")' (On-U Sound)(under the name of Barmy Army) FF #17
 * 30 August 1989: Sharp As A Needle (12") On-U Sound (under the name of Barmy Army)

1990 2000
 * 26 October 1989: Brian Clout (album - The English Disease) On-U Sound (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 07 June 1990: Sharp As A Needle (album - The English Disease) On-U Sound (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * Best Of Peel Vol 6: 'Sharp As A Needle (LP-The English Disease)' (On-U Sound) (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 1991
 * 24 March 1991: Blue Moon (compilation album - Pay It All Back Vol 3) On-U Sounds (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 20 April 1991: Blue Moon (compilation album - Pay It All Back Vol 3) On-U Sounds (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 06 July 1991: Que Sera Sera (album - The English Disease) On-U Sound
 * Best Of Peel Vol 25: 'Blue Moon (Compilation CD-Pay It All Back Volume Three)' (On-U Sound) (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 1999
 * 21 December 1999: 'Sharp As A Needle (12")' (Blast First) Peelenium 1987 (under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 19 December 2000: Sharp As A Needle (12") On-U Sound(under the name of Barmy Army)
 * 2001
 * 21 June 2001: Sharp As A Needle (John Peel's Live Set) (under the name of Barmy Army)