Some pearls of wisdom I have stolen/accumulated over the years:

1. If you can’t hear it it’s not there ( Eric Thorngren )
2. If it sounds right it is right ( Everyone )
3. No-one cares how you got there as long as you got there ( Phil Ramone )
4. Records aren’t finished they’re abandoned ( Sting stole this from W H Auden talking about poetry )
5. The record will take as long as the budget allows ( Business Affairs )
6. That’ll do isn’t good enough ( Me! )
7. Honour your mistake as a hidden intention ( Brian Eno )
8. It’s not a matter of life and death it’s more important than that ( Bill Shankly on football – also applies to making records )
9. Let’s just try that one more time
10. Record everything – how many times does a guitar player do something on a ‘run-through’ that makes your hair stand up but when asked to repeat it has no idea what you mean?
11. Sound like you mean it
12. If you think it could sound better keep working on it