Production duo Clive Langer (left) and Alan Winstanley
If a record company wanted someone to get the best from a difficult artist, they turned to Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. From the moment new wave guitarist Clive teamed up with Stranglers engineer Alan, a colourful strain of 80s pop flourished, as they produced classics for Madness, Dexys, Julian Cope, Elvis Costello and a host of others. As their neglected soundtrack for the film Absolute Beginners is reissued, Clive and Alan reveal how they shaped guitar pop for a generation – and how to handle difficult customers…