Una mezzoretta di preparativi a casa di Alan Gowen prima di procedere alla registrazione dell'album Before A Word Is Said, a cavallo tra la fine di aprile e inizio maggio del 1981, pochi giorni prima della scomparsa del compianto tastierista e compositore: Before A Note Is Played, con Phil Miller, Trevor Tomkins e Richard Sinclair, quest'ultimo unico dei quattro oggi rimasto a poter commentare e aggiungere a memoria qualche dettaglio.
Quando l'album tornò in circolazione in cd, nel 1995, scrisse Miller: "The music on Before A Word Is Said was recorded when Alan was extremely ill with leukaemia and the effects of chemotherapy. It is a testament to his stoicism, and to his love of music, that he could even contemplate embarking on a recording project, let alone embue it with a combination of relaxed enjoyment and steely determination. Implicit in the title is the idea that here was a man composing his own musical epitaph, a sad thought, but Alan would have been quick to discourage such sadness. Let's instead celebrate the availability of this album, and enjoy the music of one of England's finest keyboard players and composers."
https://richardsinclairsongs.bandcamp.com/before-a-note-is-played