These triumphs began in the early '60s, following several years of experience as an arranger for the acknowledged studio genius Joe Meek. Observers of sexual politics in the music business may conclude that the gay orientation of the Meek axis might have been an asset during an extended period in Blackwell's career when he was teamed up with a series of superb female vocalists, including Jackie DeShannon and Brigitte Bardot as well as Françoise Hardy. Likewise, Blackwell's inspiration to have solidly British crooners nudge American country western singers off the charts by recording cover versions of country hits is most decidedly hairy-chest stuff. In 1968, Blackwell paid for an estate simply from the royalty checks forthcoming from Engelbert Humperdinck's plea to
Release Me. In interviews about his career, Blackwell stresses that '60s producers really did earn their money, micro-managing sessions in a manner that would be altered forever by the later development of the hands-on "artiste" pop star.
Beginning in his days as an arranger, Blackwell experienced an amount of artistic freedom that also sometimes seems to have vanished from the hit-making machinery. He has recalled that the original arrangements he created from demo recordings or sheet music were never altered in content or style unless there was some kind of budgetary problem. His skill as an orchestrator naturally led to maintaining ensembles such as the Charles Blackwell Orchestra, for one thing allowing the artists he produced the benefit of seasoned orchestral accompaniment. By the late '70s, it was public taste, and not budgets, that was cutting into the work for the studio veterans whose names lined Blackwell's phone book. Perhaps they were better off not having to play on tracks such as Move Your Ass Gringo, one of several favorites from the Boogie Down album (like much '70s music, now the subject of adoration by certain cults). Which is more than can be said for the nadir of the Blackwell career, a seemingly endless and inevitably failed attempt to place pretty boy TV cop David Hasselhoff on the pop charts. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi