"In 1972,
when Rock and Roll Part 2 was at number 8 in the British charts, Mike Leander
and I formed the 'Glitter Band' to perform on 'Top Of The Pops'.
Mike Leander played guitar. After that one-off performance Mike decided
to produce and manage rather than play in the band, but I know in his heart
and in his behaviour, Mike was a Glitter Band musician - after all he was
one of the founder members. I will always miss him.............."
Pete
Phipps
"It
goes without saying that Mike will be sadly missed in the music business,
but, what isn't widely known by the general public, was his passion and
talent for cricket. I can remember the fun we all had back in the
70's in the practice nets on Tuesday evenings in Battersea Park.
Mike would put us through our paces in readiness for our matches as the
RAM X1 against the TIM RICE X1. Mike would be elegantly turned out
in his 'whites' and he made a cracking captain. I remember the last
game I played in. The umpire had gone missing and I was 'volunteered'
to stand in for him when our side batted. I gave five of our team
out LBW and we lost the match. Afterwards over tea, Mike came up
to me, drink in hand and a smile on his face and said, "Don't worry Pete,
you had to call it as you saw it". "Thanks Mike", I said sheepishly and
went into voluntary retirement shortly afterwards. Looking back,
I have to admit, I wasn't much of a loss to the side. Unfortunately
..... Mike was. We will all miss him so much,
God
Bless........Pete."
Gerry
Shephard
"When
I was asked to write a few words about Mike Leander I was unsure how to
start putting into words the influence Mike has had on not only me, but
on just about everyone I know.
It
is easy to recall the time I was stood next to him in the BBC's 'Top of
the Pops' studio, ready to go on to perform one of our records (or Gary's)
- I looked up to see one of my musical heroes striding towards me.
I felt a bit wobbly as Paul McCartney playfully punched Mike in the chest
and said 'Hi there Mike, how's it going?"
It
was about 1975, when it dawned on me that there was more to Mike, our producer
and manager, than I first thought. In a business where everybody
is very quick in letting everyone else know of their importance and talent,
here was a man who had been involved in the process of making hit records
for 15 years. Mike Leander was one of an elite few muscians/songwriters/producers
who was there at the dawn of modern pop music.
The
strange feelings I felt when I found the first record I ever bought, "Like
I've Never Been Gone" by Billy Fury and discovered there on the Decca label,
the legend, 'produced by M.Farr', Mike's real name.
Mike
showed me how to be ruthless in criticizing my own music, how to arrange
guitar parts, make lyrics go somewhere, look for that little bit of magic
that made a record a bit different. That's what Mike brought into
everyone's life, especially mine - that little bit of magic......"
John
Springate
"I will sadly
miss him."
"Even now
as I sit and produce records and I get stuck on a particular musical part,
I look up to the sky and say "Ok Mike, what do I do next?"".
David
Blaylock
Many
artists owe a considerable debt to Mike Leander - among them, HELLO.
It
was Mike's production that gave them success. He adopted a similar
sound for them to that which he had used with GARY GLITTER and THE GLITTER
BAND. Indeed, their first hit 'Tell Him' was a cover of a song which
Mike had previously recorded with THE GLITTER BAND for their album 'Hey!',
after that, he recorded an album, 'Keeps Us Off The Streets' and four further
singles with HELLO, all of which were hits in Germany including the Glam
classic 'New York Groove'. HELLO enjoyed further chart success in
Germany with other producers but we remain very grateful to Mike for setting
the ball rolling and establishing the band. He was an immensely talented
musician / producer / arranger and a truly unforgettable character.
David
Blaylock
Manager
of Hello 1971-1979
Peter
Oxendale
I
first met Mike in about 1973 and he was always a hero to me. Now, having
read his biography, I never realized he had achieved so much before I met
him and his contribution to
British
pop music is awesome. I wish I 'd known then that he had done the arrangement
for "She's Leaving Home" . . a classic. I remember him as a superb musician
and producer who was always looking for "that little bit extra". I remember
him with fondness and always with a smile. He certainly added "that little
bit extra" to my life.
Peter
Oxendale
B.Mus.,
G.R.S.M., L.R.A.M.,A.R.C.M., M.A.E
John
Rossall
I
first met Mike early in 1964 when he auditioned me for the 'Mike Leander
Show Band'. He was a great motivator and helped me tremendously,
not only in the song writing area, but also introducing me to studio session
work. It was difficult for a young musician to make a living in London
in those days. I have lots of nice memories about Mike, too many
to mention here.
Back
in 1972 Mike asked me to form the 'Glitter Band', but without his song
writing and production there would have been no 'Gary Glitter' or 'Glitter
Band'.
His
contribution to the British pop scene speaks for itself.
I
miss him not being around anymore.
John
Hudson
On reflecting back, John comments
on his days when he was recording engineer
on all of Mike's productions for
the Gary Glitter records.................
