Known
to fans as The 6th Mixer, Alan Cameron was so much more
than just the friend who helped the band carry their amps to the bus
stop.
Unable to play an instrument when The Mixers formed, Alan had
no prospect of joining, but turned up to every rehearsal just the same,
sharing the band's humour, music and skewed worldview.
Through early improvised collaborations with Ulric, Dannie and Grant,
Alan developed a declamatory style and began to hone the persona of
Professor Space - a rough approximation of how Doctor Who
might have sounded had he appeared in musical adventures and been a
force for evil rather than good.
By 1981, Alan began learning guitar and was soon writing songs which
he recorded with Dannie.
Professor Space appeared live a couple of times with various
members of The Mixers acting as his backing band - The Final
Frontier - but his main focus remained recording increasingly sophisticated
songs with Dannie and Ulric contributing arrangements.
By 1985, Alan had dropped the Space persona and formed a new band -
The Love Association - with John Purdie on lead guitar
and Dannie on bass and drums.
Alan's recordings remain the undiscovered gems of the early-80s Pop
Art/Psychedelic/Freakbeat scene.