a theory
The_Hook_Up
8,182 Posts
the majority of us on here like soul, right? We like it for a variety of reasons, but a big reason is rhythmn, and how up front the rhythmn is. I always wondered why the drums and rhythmic hooks are so upfront in 60s soul recordings...now I understand the dancing-to-it aspect, much more fun to dance to a cracking drum beat...But since soul music in the 60s was more or less a singles game, and where did folks hear 45s? Jukeboxes. Where were the majority of these jukeboxes? Bars and soda fountains, where people are carrying on and making noise. So does anyone else think that it was a conscious effort for artists, producers and labels to make sure their record got heard through the bar crowds and all the carrying on, that they made the rhythmn tracks loud so it could cut through all the noise in a bar and if there record did cut through and got peoples attention, that it had a better chance of folks listening and dancing to it and it being a hit? kinda of long-shot theory wise, but I thought I owuld just throw it out there...
Comments
Peace
T.N.
People respond to drums and rhythm - loud ones make it all the better. I'd be willing to bet that band after band picked up on that idea (after seeing many a drum frenzy jump-off) and it ended up being the basis for the majority of a genre for a great peroid of time.
Ummm...so basically I agree with you.
I don't think that's a longshot at all, just logical. People bought singles to dance to, wether at their own parties or in bars, etc. Stuff had to grab you by the shorts!
Defintely agreed....once a few people became successful with that approach, most up-and-comers copied licks or made variations on the formula to get exposure
Compression, which was first a novelty, was used specifically for radio wave transmission. "Radio compression," by name. Intended to provide a louder signal with less dynamic range. The idea being the "quiet" parts of songs wouldn't sound so quiet in your '64 Falcon. This technique was applied to entire songs, not drums.
Compressors (as well as limiters) slowly began gaining popularity as outboard effects for individual tracks. Predominantly voice, but eventually guitars, drums, etc. Today, most multi-channel recordings employ several compressors, with each individual instrument/track being compressed/limited, and the overall final stereo or mono mix getting compressed as well.
There are still a handful of albums produced each year that benefit from a full dynamic range (using little or no compression), and those albums are a joy to listen to.
early 60s stuff is what I would refer to, from like '62-'66 would be when singles were most def engineered with AM radio in mind. FM didn't get big until the late 60s early 70s. Most of the commercial music stations were heard through AM car and transistor radio, so that one is more than a theory, it's the history of sound engineering.
Thanks, guys.
late night smoochers meant to be listened to at home or the back seat of a ride I suppose
I'll buy that...
High end, my man, high end. That's what you do when the drums aren't SUPPOSED to be crackin'.
Listen to any foreign single that was released in the US in '64-'66. The fidelity is HELLA loud, to the point where you can almost hear it at low volume. Even if it's a ballad like the Moody Blues'"Go Now," those massed voices just holler like hell. The horns on Millie Small's "My Boy Lollipop" are louder than she is (and she's up there)! And the drums on the Dave Clark Five singles? FORGET IT. At least that's the way it is on the American pressings; I don't know if the UK/JA mixes were that hot.
Getting back to the States...I believe some producers did know how their intended audience would be hearing them. That's why Berry Gordy used to bring a Motorola car radio to the studio and mix the singles according to what came out of that radio. That's why all them 60's Motown 45's have so much treble.
also... is it just me, or do a lot of popular 80's records have WAY TOO MUCH high end.
see, most 45s are beat to shit. the reason being is that 45s were a kid thing, and the LPs were for the grown folks. here's what im talking about. in the 50s and 60s, america began to shift and place more emphasis on youth culture. what with the beatles and all, corporations realized that there was a market in teenagers and began to market more towards youth. 45 sales exploded as they were cheaper and more affordable on a teenage allowance than full length LPs. and kids used to hit up house parties with their own stash of 45s, without sleeves mind you, and just slap them things on the hi fi til the wee hours. back then, only them cognac drankin jazz listener types understood the importance of hi fidelity. with the bulk of america willing to settle for shitty soundsystems. hell, all of radio was on the AM dial and the sound quality of AM radio is most similar to these shitty soundsystems that kids would hold dances on. plus, since the records were almost always without sleeves, and mixed into a big pile near the hi fi, they usually got all scratched up. and a paper speaker can easily hide those jarring pops and clicks of a cut up record. everyone wrote their names on the 45s cuz at the end of the night youd have to retrieve your records from the pile.
now, when i hear a clean 45 that was eq'd with the audiophile in mind, it kind of loses its magic for me. no flavorfull cuts and scratches on that shit. just clean good music. which im not mad at, but hearing an old doo wop 45 on a portable, with all the lows taken out just seems so right to me.
just a theory...