Artdecoder formed as a duo in 1980 by two brothers, Harvey and Kevin Fields. Harvey was the lyricist and vocalist; Kevin played guitar and also did duty on vocals. Together the duo penned many songs with the intent to obtain a music publishing deal. In 1981 the boys had meetings with A&R executives at Chrysalis and A&M records, both labels were interested in the material they were writing and suggested that the boys send them everything they write. The only problem, they needed a studio to record demos of the songs. At the time, most of the labels had studios of their own and they were always in use. The only solution was to buy their own recording equipment, and so their love affair with audio recording began. Both wanted to own a studio of their own, however, family commitments and children dictated that this wasn’t feasible at the time. They wrote and recorded on portable 4 track, 8 track, and some 24 track facilities at the SAE Institute in London.
As tape-based studios closed and recording shifted from the analogue tape-based systems to computers with Digital Audio Workstations, the studio idea re-emerged. Having both relocated to Hemel Hempstead, Kevin decided to build a music studio in his garden which he fondly named “Shabby Road” after their love of the Beatles. The seeds were sown, and everything was now possible to write, record mix and master the songs, and get them distributed on the Internet for the World to enjoy. They planned to make an album of their best songs. The sessions were fun for the boys re-visiting old songs they had written together many years before. They demoed these recordings and were making the final plans for the album when suddenly Harvey became ill with cancer. Even though Harvey was ill, he still had the strength to work on music with Kevin.
Sadly, Harvey lost his battle with cancer in 2012. The plans for the album were put on hold until 2016 when, Harvey’s son Ashley, a talented songwriter and performer in his own right, teamed up with his uncle Kevin to resurrect the album project. For the past three years, they have been working on taking the original demos of the songs and reworking all the arrangements, adding new equipment to the studio to bring it up to professional standards. The album is named after the last song Harvey and Kevin wrote together, “Lifeline” . The songs on this album reflect on a person’s life from cradle to grave with all the emotions we all encounter along the way. Harvey would want you to enjoy the music, Kevin and Ashley want this album to be a fitting tribute to a very talented, generous and loving man who lost his life at such a young age. All of the profits from the sale of this album are being donated to Cancer Research UK in memory of Harvey Fields.