FURNESS singer-songwriter Barry Postlethwaite waited more than 20 years to put out his debut album - now he's released his second in the space of 18 months.

As with his debut, this new record features his old original recordings, but this time they were re-worked with additional instrumentation.

Entitled Greetings from East Beach Studios, the album is the result of a number of weeks spent recording and mixing in the Barrow studio with well-known local producer, Graham 'Gripper' Newby.

Barry says: "These songs were recorded one afternoon in the old Southlake Studio, in Ulverston. I have a number of songs I wanted to get onto tape before I forgot what they were supposed to sound like.

"Colin Williams set up a couple of mics and I just sat there and sang 12 to 15 songs with my guitar, one after the other.

"I had them transferred to digital and then onto a CD. Over the years I listened to them and thought I could work on them.
Greetings from East Beach Studios

"Following (2017 album) The Circle and the Stone, I considered just tidying up the recording and putting out a very 'unplugged' album - but my guitar work is not really suitable.

"I then contacted Graham Newby at East Beach Studios and we decided that we could use the original recordings and add the instruments I wanted."

This time around, former Barrow AFC director of football Barry decided that if he was going to 'work up' the old songs, he would enlist some help from musicians around the area.

The result is a more succinct, yet well-rounded album that he is justifiably proud of.

"I thought my first album was too long at 14 songs, so I decided on eight for the new album, just choosing what I deemed to be the best," he says.

"I contacted some fabulous local musicians - Pete Kassell on guitar, Julie Rogerson on sax, Amy Stretch-Parker on keyboards - they were superb.

"Graham and I worked every Tuesday afternoon over winter and eventually came up with the finished album. He remastered and engineered, and did whatever producers do, and it sounds great."
Gripper working on the album at East Beach Studios

The album is available now on CD and for digital download via the major retailers, and he has so far had plenty of positive feedback from local radio stations and fellow music fans.

While there is no talk of his burgeoning music career bringing him out of the studio, Barry is enjoying the challenge of putting together some new songs for the next release.

He continues: "BBC Radio Cumbria Introducing have played tracks off both albums and the favourite, and the one I've had most feedback on, is on the second album called Nearly Found The Love... - it has a wonderful saxophone solo by Julie Rogerson.

"I have no plans to gig though. The tricky third album is on the drawing board in about 150 bite size chunks, which have to be whittled down to 10 or 12 and expanded."

Greetings from East Beach Studios, by Barry Postlethwaite, is available now via the main digital retailers and the link for the physical CD can be found at www.facebook.com/eastbeachstudioremasters