Anybody know what's up with the fuckup in Outlaw blues bands "Deep Gully" - "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were going back to that"? Seems like they really wanted to have it on the album, rather than doing a second take. I love it anyway.
these little goofs are what make working in the recording industry so fun and fascinating...at the studio where i work we still use 2" tape a lot for tracking...granted, we usually bounce to pro-tools and work in both formats but i really feel that it's the mistakes that sometimes give a recording that little bit of warmth and personallity and spontanaity that are endearing and add something positive to the end result. hours of protools editing can just suck the life out of music.
however, the difference between the musicianship of artists and session players from back in the day and todays players is pretty significant...the pro-tools studio joke rings true....an engineer is recording a singer in pro-tools...after a complete take the engineers says, "that was horrible, come on in"! in other words, don't worry, we'll edit and auto-tune it anyway. mabye i didn't tell the joke that well...
I've mentioned this in similar posts when this came up before, but in the Poets Of Rhythm's "Smiling While You're Crying" the drummer breakes the snare about 2/3 of the way the song and they just keep on going with the snare sounding like a timbale. I luh dat shit.
"Yes, that's right, "Kind of Blue", the most successful Jazz album in history is back in print from Classic Records. To commemorate the official introduction of Classic Quiex SV - Super Vinyl, we thought it appropriate that "Kind of Blue" should be one of the titles to debut on the new vinyl formulation. We have also taken the opportunity to reissue "Kind of Blue", as it should have been in 1959 - completely at the proper speed! You might recall that Columbia discovered that side A of this legendary title had always been issued a quarter tone too sharp as a result of a faulty tape machine that was running slow at the sessions. A few years ago Columbia reissued "Kind of Blue" with the tunes originally on side A at the correct speed. Classic then reissued the title on LP with a novel twist. Realizing that the world, especially the vinyl world, was used to hearing side A at the wrong speed, we reissued "Kind of Blue" as a two record set - record 1 as it had always been complete with side A sharp, and record 2 with side A at the correct speed. We also coupled record 2 with the only complete outtake that exists from the sessions on the B side. The definitive Classic two record set (now extremely collectible) went out of print some time ago and since then we have been asked repeatedly to bring it back. So, rather than reissue the two record set we decided to make this release distinctive. First, we have gone back to a single jacket that is a very authentic reproduction of the original - down to a printed paper on board construction rather than directly printed board. Also, this will be the first time in history that "Kind of Blue" will be issued on a single LP entirely at the correct speed. If that is not enough reason to get a copy of the re-release then consider that it will be pressed on Quiex SV which will reveal even more of the music captured in the grooves by Bernie Grundman from the original three track session master tapes. This is another historic moment for Classic Records and "Kind of Blue". We are sure that Miles would approve so don't miss out!"
so basically the tape machine they were tracking to was slow enough so that when played back at the proper speed on a different machine it's a semitone too sharp...another brilliant mistake! and more proof of the wonderfully imperfect world of analog recording!
The same thing happened to my band when we recorded a demo once. We didn't even realize it until a week lter when we went to do the mixes and heard the slightly helium-sounding vocals.
The same thing happened to my band when we recorded a demo once. We didn't even realize it until a week lter when we went to do the mixes and heard the slightly helium-sounding vocals.
the flipside is situations like this...the little flaws and imperfections that actually mess up the recording.
these little goofs are what make working in the recording industry so fun and fascinating...at the studio where i work we still use 2" tape a lot for tracking...granted, we usually bounce to pro-tools and work in both formats but i really feel that it's the mistakes that sometimes give a recording that little bit of warmth and personallity and spontanaity that are endearing and add something positive to the end result. hours of protools editing can just suck the life out of music.
however, the difference between the musicianship of artists and session players from back in the day and todays players is pretty significant...the pro-tools studio joke rings true....an engineer is recording a singer in pro-tools...after a complete take the engineers says, "that was horrible, come on in"! in other words, don't worry, we'll edit and auto-tune it anyway. mabye i didn't tell the joke that well...
I also always get a kick when funk groups would edit in drum breaks in the middle of the song but the edited kit sounds nothing like the drum kit in the rest of the song. Alot of times it totally breaks the flow of the music.
One of my favorite goofs is on Little Royal's "Razor Blade" where the drummer drops one of his sticks while playing...not a problem for him...he just keeps chuggin' along
One of my favorite goofs is on Little Royal's "Razor Blade" where the drummer drops one of his sticks while playing...not a problem for him...he just keeps chuggin' along
what's next, what's next what's n-x-e-t!
Did Isaac Holt miss the snare on Wah Wah Man, or was he just being extremely ill?
these little goofs are what make working in the recording industry so fun and fascinating...at the studio where i work we still use 2" tape a lot for tracking...granted, we usually bounce to pro-tools and work in both formats but i really feel that it's the mistakes that sometimes give a recording that little bit of warmth and personallity and spontanaity that are endearing and add something positive to the end result. hours of protools editing can just suck the life out of music.
So true. BTW, does anyone still make tape anymore? I thought I read the last company still manufacturing it went out of business and people were buying up what was left of the stock.
BTW, does anyone still make tape anymore? I thought I read the last company still manufacturing it went out of business and people were buying up what was left of the stock.
tape was briefly out of production a year or two back when ampex/quantegy went under but somebody bought them out and brought them back to life or something...anyways, you can now get tape from NRS...www.tapes.com
I read somewhere that whistling part of "Dock of the Bay" was because Otis Redding couldn't remember that verse.
I can't say for sure one way or the other but I don't think that's the case. On the album "Remember Me", which is a bunch of outtakes and unreleased stuff that came out in the early 90's, they have two alternate takes of "Dock Of The Bay" on there. They have takes 1 & 2, and take 4 is what was eventually released. On both of those takes Otis whistles at the end, and on the first one his whistling is so horrible that they're laughing about it and the producer cuts in with "You not gonna make it as a whistler!".
My own favorite oddball thing in a song: In "The Ocean" by Led Zeppelin, during what I guess you'd coin the guitar solo, you can hear a phone ringing a few times in the background. Also Zeppelin, but in "Over The Hills And Far Away" during the guitar solo they put a different reverb on the snare drum but you don't really notice until the solo's ending and the reverb just abruptly changes in the middle of a bar very awkwardly.
I also always get a kick when funk groups would edit in drum breaks in the middle of the song but the edited kit sounds nothing like the drum kit in the rest of the song. Alot of times it totally breaks the flow of the music.
the break in "amen brother" always seems out of place to me....
as does that noise in the clash's "rockin the casbah", that ring tone-y sound in the background during one of the verses, the one that sounds like the begining of the chorus of "dixie", always made me think someones phone at the radio station was going off near a hot mic...
as does that noise in the clash's "rockin the casbah", that ring tone-y sound in the background during one of the verses, the one that sounds like the begining of the chorus of "dixie", always made me think someones phone at the radio station was going off near a hot mic...
I'm pretty sure that sound was intentional.
Always seemed to be a sound effect to go with the lyrics about jet fighters dropping bombs.
My own favorite oddball thing in a song: In "The Ocean" by Led Zeppelin, during what I guess you'd coin the guitar solo, you can hear a phone ringing a few times in the background.
I swear a hear a lot of phones on recordings. Several times I've turned the music down thinking it's mine. If I remembr right "Perhaps she'll die" by KRS ONE has one. As well as several other rap song I can't think of. It seems that with the advent of the cell phone there is bound to be numerous takes where the artist forgets to turn off the cell phone and it somehow goes unnnoticed with everyone wearing headphones.
here's one of the most famous recording goofs that involves a problem if tape is stored incorrectly called "print through". this is when tape is spooled off by rewinding rather than fast forwarding. in certain circumstances like is the tape is being moved from studio to studio, and is exposed to differing temperatures or is placed near anything magnetic, sounds from the tracks can transer to the piece of tape next it and "print through" into an earlier part of the tape. let eddie kramer explain it:
"Eddie has enough savvy to know when it's important to just go with the flow. Like that famous moment in "Whole Lotta Love" where you hear Robert Plant's voice way in the background during the break. Print-through. An effect they slaved over for days.
"The time of that particular mix was 1969, and this all took place over a weekend at A&R studios in New York. Imagine [mixing] the entire Led Zeppelin II on eight tracks in two days! As we got into "Whole Lotta Love," I actually only ended up using seven tracks because tracks 7 and 8 were two vocal tracks. I think I used the vocal from track 7. We'd gotten the mix going, I believe it was a 12-channel console with two panpots!
"During the mixdown, I couldn't get rid of the extra vocal in the break that was bleeding through. Either the fader was bad, or the level was fairly high as we were wont to do in those days, we hit the tape with pretty high levels. Jimmy [Page] and I looked at each other and said reverb, and we cranked up the reverb and left it in. That was a great example of how accidents could become part of the fabric of your mix, or in this case, a part of history. And I always encourage people today not to be so bloody picky."
I also always get a kick when funk groups would edit in drum breaks in the middle of the song but the edited kit sounds nothing like the drum kit in the rest of the song. Alot of times it totally breaks the flow of the music.
YES, I KNOW THIS THREAD HAS COME & GONE, BUT I HAD SOME MINOR LOGIN PROBLEMS WHILE IT WAS HAPPENING, AND NOW THAT I'M BACK, I'M GONNA SPEAK ON IT!
Here are some recordings "goofs" that I've noted:
On "Lie No. 2" by Shades of Brown, the lead singer is flat on the bridge part and the background vocals are badly off key.
Now see, I don't consider those accidents per se - about half the classic recordings of rock and soul have somebody doing something that is technically incorrect. Isaac Hayes & David Porter, when they produced Sam & Dave, always pitched the songs slightly above S&D's range to make it sound more intense (to name one example). But I wouldn't call it a "goof" (like the badly-spliced drum breaks, outside noises being picked up in the studio, etc.).
THAT SAID...the beyond-fucked-up sax solo in Dionne Warwick's "Anyone Who Had A Heart" cracks me up all the time. The person playing the sax sounds like they just saw their first saxophone that day. I can overlook the wretched sax solos on Rosie & the Originals'"Angel Baby" or Ron Holden's "Love You So," because those songs sound like bargain-basement productions anyway...but "A.W.H.A.H." is this meticulous New York Bacharach-and-David studio production with a haunting string section, and then along comes this drunk saxophone smack dab in the middle of it...as much of a perfectionist as Burt Bacharach seems to be, I'll bet he had a forehead-slapping "D'OH!" moment when that record came out...
You know, those moments in songs that you listen for that are not part of the song, like mistakes, miscues or other randomness caught on tape.
What's yours?
I'm sure it's not a mistake but but the effect is similar. I can never figure out what is being said underneath Bob James Take me to the Mardi Gras?? I first heard it on Peter Piper and then it's a little clearer on TMTTMG but I can't figure it out.. something about the "Sun Shining"? ??
There's one on a Courtney Pine cut where the kick drum mic falls over halfway through. You can hear it change tone. Jeff Watts apologises for it at the end of the tune.
There's another one where they start "In A Mellow Tone" in the wrong key and he stops and goes.. "No, no... umm... A flat." or summat. And Jeff carried on through the whole thing and makes it seamless with the slow-rail-car backbeat.
Courtney is pretty honest with the out-takes. Like in the Cannonball Run end credits.
Comments
however, the difference between the musicianship of artists and session players from back in the day and todays players is pretty significant...the pro-tools studio joke rings true....an engineer is recording a singer in pro-tools...after a complete take the engineers says, "that was horrible, come on in"! in other words, don't worry, we'll edit and auto-tune it anyway. mabye i didn't tell the joke that well...
Didn't the mid-90's reissue correct the speed in remastering?
"Yes, that's right, "Kind of Blue", the most successful Jazz album in history is back in print from Classic Records. To commemorate the official introduction of Classic Quiex SV - Super Vinyl, we thought it appropriate that "Kind of Blue" should be one of the titles to debut on the new vinyl formulation. We have also taken the opportunity to reissue "Kind of Blue", as it should have been in 1959 - completely at the proper speed! You might recall that Columbia discovered that side A of this legendary title had always been issued a quarter tone too sharp as a result of a faulty tape machine that was running slow at the sessions. A few years ago Columbia reissued "Kind of Blue" with the tunes originally on side A at the correct speed. Classic then reissued the title on LP with a novel twist. Realizing that the world, especially the vinyl world, was used to hearing side A at the wrong speed, we reissued "Kind of Blue" as a two record set - record 1 as it had always been complete with side A sharp, and record 2 with side A at the correct speed. We also coupled record 2 with the only complete outtake that exists from the sessions on the B side. The definitive Classic two record set (now extremely collectible) went out of print some time ago and since then we have been asked repeatedly to bring it back. So, rather than reissue the two record set we decided to make this release distinctive. First, we have gone back to a single jacket that is a very authentic reproduction of the original - down to a printed paper on board construction rather than directly printed board. Also, this will be the first time in history that "Kind of Blue" will be issued on a single LP entirely at the correct speed. If that is not enough reason to get a copy of the re-release then consider that it will be pressed on Quiex SV which will reveal even more of the music captured in the grooves by Bernie Grundman from the original three track session master tapes. This is another historic moment for Classic Records and "Kind of Blue". We are sure that Miles would approve so don't miss out!"
found this on "classic records newsletter"
Yes.
the flipside is situations like this...the little flaws and imperfections that actually mess up the recording.
I got it, what studio do you work at?
good call
what's next, what's next what's n-x-e-t!
Did Isaac Holt miss the snare on Wah Wah Man, or was he just being extremely ill?
BTW, does anyone still make tape anymore? I thought I read the last company still manufacturing it went out of business and people were buying up what was left of the stock.
tape was briefly out of production a year or two back when ampex/quantegy went under but somebody bought them out and brought them back to life or something...anyways, you can now get tape from NRS...www.tapes.com
I can't say for sure one way or the other but I don't think that's the case. On the album "Remember Me", which is a bunch of outtakes and unreleased stuff that came out in the early 90's, they have two alternate takes of "Dock Of The Bay" on there. They have takes 1 & 2, and take 4 is what was eventually released. On both of those takes Otis whistles at the end, and on the first one his whistling is so horrible that they're laughing about it and the producer cuts in with "You not gonna make it as a whistler!".
My own favorite oddball thing in a song: In "The Ocean" by Led Zeppelin, during what I guess you'd coin the guitar solo, you can hear a phone ringing a few times in the background. Also Zeppelin, but in "Over The Hills And Far Away" during the guitar solo they put a different reverb on the snare drum but you don't really notice until the solo's ending and the reverb just abruptly changes in the middle of a bar very awkwardly.
the break in "amen brother" always seems out of place to me....
as does that noise in the clash's "rockin the casbah", that ring tone-y sound in the background during one of the verses, the one that sounds like the begining of the chorus of "dixie", always made me think someones phone at the radio station was going off near a hot mic...
I'm pretty sure that sound was intentional.
Always seemed to be a sound effect to go with the
lyrics about jet fighters dropping bombs.
I swear a hear a lot of phones on recordings. Several times I've turned the music down thinking it's mine. If I remembr right "Perhaps she'll die" by KRS ONE has one. As well as several other rap song I can't think of. It seems that with the advent of the cell phone there is bound to be numerous takes where the artist forgets to turn off the cell phone and it somehow goes unnnoticed with everyone wearing headphones.
"Eddie has enough savvy to know when it's important to just go with the flow. Like that famous moment in "Whole Lotta Love" where you hear Robert Plant's voice way in the background during the break. Print-through. An effect they slaved over for days.
"The time of that particular mix was 1969, and this all took place over a weekend at A&R studios in New York. Imagine [mixing] the entire Led Zeppelin II on eight tracks in two days! As we got into "Whole Lotta Love," I actually only ended up using seven tracks because tracks 7 and 8 were two vocal tracks. I think I used the vocal from track 7. We'd gotten the mix going, I believe it was a 12-channel console with two panpots!
"During the mixdown, I couldn't get rid of the extra vocal in the break that was bleeding through. Either the fader was bad, or the level was fairly high as we were wont to do in those days, we hit the tape with pretty high levels. Jimmy [Page] and I looked at each other and said reverb, and we cranked up the reverb and left it in. That was a great example of how accidents could become part of the fabric of your mix, or in this case, a part of history. And I always encourage people today not to be so bloody picky."
"A New Day" by Skull Snaps
THAT SAID...the beyond-fucked-up sax solo in Dionne Warwick's "Anyone Who Had A Heart" cracks me up all the time. The person playing the sax sounds like they just saw their first saxophone that day. I can overlook the wretched sax solos on Rosie & the Originals'"Angel Baby" or Ron Holden's "Love You So," because those songs sound like bargain-basement productions anyway...but "A.W.H.A.H." is this meticulous New York Bacharach-and-David studio production with a haunting string section, and then along comes this drunk saxophone smack dab in the middle of it...as much of a perfectionist as Burt Bacharach seems to be, I'll bet he had a forehead-slapping "D'OH!" moment when that record came out...
Funny...I always thought that hiccup was intentional! Odd, but intentional.
"...you, ga-girl!"
SG
I'm sure it's not a mistake but but the effect is similar. I can never figure out what is being said underneath Bob James Take me to the Mardi Gras?? I first heard it on Peter Piper and then it's a little clearer on TMTTMG but I can't figure it out.. something about the "Sun Shining"? ??
There's another one where they start "In A Mellow Tone" in the wrong key and he stops and goes.. "No, no... umm... A flat." or summat. And Jeff carried on through the whole thing and makes it seamless with the slow-rail-car backbeat.
Courtney is pretty honest with the out-takes. Like in the Cannonball Run end credits.