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Feb 19, 2024 By Frank Valish

Trevor Horn was a producer extraordinaire in the 1980s, working on hit after hit for British bands like Dollar, ABC, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Pet Shop Boys. Adventures in Modern Recording is his autobiography, in which he chronicles his rise and time on top as one of the most in demand producers of the 1980s and beyond.

Before Horn delved into producing full time, he was a member of The Buggles, crafting the iconic “Video Killed the Radio Star.” And one might have forgotten he was for a brief time a member of Yes, when he and his partner in crime Geoff Downes substituted for the departed Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman for Yes’ 1980 album Drama and its subsequent tour. Horn has no shortage of anecdotes from these early days.

But his passion soon became producing, with Horn at the helm of such singles as “Relax” (Frankie Goes to Hollywood), “Poison Arrow” (ABC), “Slave to the Rhythm” (Grace Jones), “Owner of a Lonely Heart” (Yes), and “Crazy” (Seal), among many others. Adventures in Modern Recording reads as a time capsule from a different era of music, where synth pop ruled and chart hits were over the top. Horn’s writing is accessible and draws the reader into his world like any good memoir should. It’s paced wonderfully, just like his records, with every piece necessary and nothing bogging down throughout the book’s 300-some pages. As such, Adventures in Modern Recording is essential reading for anyone who grew up on ‘80s radio. (www.bonnierbooks.co.uk)

Author rating: 7.5/10