Kodak Recording film 2475

Reg Cox, my photography tutor at Liverpool College of Art - whom I owe so much to - met me in the busy corridor of the Myrtle Street annex and in his tall gentle scouse way said ‘Here you go mate, try this’ and pressed into my hand a small yellow packet. It was a roll of the famous Kodak Recording film 2475. These days not many people know what that was. It was a surveillance film usually used by police or spies. It had the advantage of being base rated (sensitivity) at 1000 asa running up to 4000 asa by push processing which meant you could shoot in very low light. It also had a grain structure like no other film and at 4000 looked like a welder had spattered molten silver across the picture whilst flicking the ash from 20 Capstan Full Strength onto it. Not only that but most of the detail would be missing. I thought it was a mysterious and wonderful thing and was rather over enthusiastic about its properties.

Someone asked me if I’d like to do the inside sleeve photo for Deaf School’s first album ‘Second Honeymoon’. I knew they were playing The Metro Club near Matthew Street in Liverpool where the original Cavern Club had been, and with the help of some friends I came up with a plan to produce a truly iconic photograph. I couldn’t get the shot standing in the audience because the venue was so small and crowded so I had to stand at the back. I got there early before the public and figured out where to stand, I checked the lighting. The show began, the noise in this brick lined-cavern was incredible, the heat, the sweat literally dripping down the walls, I felt I was experiencing what it must have been like to see The Beatles in the Cavern Club in the 60’s. So Deaf School do their encore, the crowd are cheering and shouting and as pre-arranged, the house lights are thrown on and the band turn with their backs to the audience and look to me. I hastily shoot maybe five frames, I’m sweating so much I can’t see.

Next day I nervously go about processing the film, I carefully read the instructions. In the dark I wind the precious film onto a spool and process it. Then I wash and dry it. Then I look at it. Oh horror! Everything is wrong, under exposed, fogged, most frames are out of focus and some have camera shake. Miserably I sat at my desk with the empty yellow packet in front of me, wondering where I had gone wrong, then the expiry date caught my eye. Damn it! Thanks Reg! It was five years out of date.

There was one frame, one solitary frame that just met quality control and it did end up on the sleeve and whilst it’s not great work, grainy and lacking in detail, it certainly showed the atmosphere. Working on the files now I can honestly say I wouldn’t have the faintest idea how to reproduce this effect digitally.

Oh, the album is still great, go buy it!

You are welcome to go and download them but they are not for commercial use without permission and the copyright is strictly ©montyrakusen , monty@rakusen.co.uk  please request a link.

Memory and help: John Coombes

https://www.discogs.com/Deaf-School-2nd-Honeymoon/release/2529447