Jimmy Webb and the Orchestral Chaos at De Lane Lea. From Kenny Denton's memoir There Ain’t No Rules In Rock n Roll

Jimmy Webb and the Orchestral Chaos at De Lane Lea. From Kenny Denton's memoir There Ain’t No Rules In Rock n Roll

Author: Kenny Denton March 28, 2026 Duration: 21:34

This account details a chaotic and extravagant recording session led by the acclaimed songwriter Jimmy Webb at De Lane Lea Studios during the mid-1970s. Despite Webb’s immense talent, the production was plagued by technical hurdles, including an unfinished mixing console and a replacement engineering team struggling with an unconventional orchestral setup. The environment devolved into a hedonistic party filled with celebrities and onlookers, which severely hindered the professional focus of the 130 musicians and choir present. Efforts to record were further stifled by an incompetent supervisor and a lack of acoustic separation, resulting in a wall of noise rather than a polished track. Ultimately, the incredibly expensive session yielded only two usable recordings, both of which were eventually discarded as unusable. This narrative serves as a vivid illustration of the industry excess and ego-driven waste that characterised high-budget music production during that era.

From Kenny Denton's memoir There Ain’t No Rules In Rock n Roll. Available from Amazon Books


Step into the control room with Kenny Denton. His Kenny Denton's "There Ain't No Rules In Rock n Roll" Stories From My 45 Years in The Music Industry is a raw, firsthand account from behind the mixing desk, starting in 1969 at the legendary Pye Studios. This isn't a polished, myth-making show; it's the unvarnished truth from a career spent orchestrating recordings for everyone from the genuinely brilliant to the entertainingly misguided. Kenny pulls back the curtain on what really happens in the studio and on the road, sharing stories of the amazing, the talented, the downright crazy, and the often deluded characters he's encountered across music and film. Each episode of this podcast feels like a late-night conversation with a seasoned insider who has seen it all, offering a unique blend of music history and personal memoir. You'll hear the chaos, the creative breakthroughs, the hilarious missteps, and the quiet moments that define a life dedicated to sound. It’s a natural fit for anyone curious about the real, unglamorous, and utterly human side of making art. Tune in for tales where technical expertise meets wild anecdote, all delivered with the wit and wisdom of someone who knows the only real rule is that there aren't any.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 67

Kenny Dentons" There Ain't No Rules In Rock n Roll"  Stories From My 45 Years in The Music Industry.
Podcast Episodes
The Birth of my first band, the Uniques in 1964 and the Rock Illusion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:52
This Deep Dive review is from Kenny Denton’s memoir, which chronicles his early fascination with rock 'n' roll and his determination to form a band during the 1960s. Inspired by icons like The Beatles, a young Denton acq…