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Volume #0232 February 26, 1999
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"Stereo-Monic"
Subject: Re:'The Big Hurt' with Toni Fisher
Sent: 02/21/19 12:43 pm
Received: 02/26/99 7:28 am
From: Alec Palao, paXXXXXXXXs.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXXXXXXties.com
> "We did 'The Big Hurt' with Toni Fisher. In those days, the
>pressing plants had their own labels. Allied Records, a big
>pressing plant in Hollywood in the '50s and '60s, had Signet
>Records. They put out 'The Big Hurt.' I was the engineer on that,
>the first record to use phasing. It was an accident. It was a
>binaural recording, and Bill Shankle, the producer who also
>wrote the song, didn't believe in two-track. He wanted mono and
>that was it. If he heard the voice, it was good. If he did not
>hear the voice, it wasn't good. It was all live at one time,
>orchestra, singing, everything. I gave him a take that I liked
>but I thought the voice was too shallow on. He liked it and took
>it home, then decided I was right. I offered another take, but he
>liked that one, said it was exciting. I said, 'It's only exciting
>because the voice is low.' He said, 'No.'
>
> "So we put two version of the same take together, synced them,
>and played them together. The speeds didn't match exactly, and
>as they passed, they phased. We learned to control the beast and
>used it. It often happened by accident before that, and everyone
>always canned it and started over. But we used it this time. We
>talked him in to using it, he was reluctant but said 'Yep, use
>it.' He's dead now, but I give him a lot of credit for being
>brave enough to use it."
While I don't want detract from the great Mr. Ross'
recollections, veteran engineer Leo Kulka often told me he
created the phasing on "The Big Hurt". Perhaps he was involved
as a second engineer, although it's unlikely as he had his own
studio Sound Enterprises in Hollywood in 1960 and wouldn't have
been working at Gold Star. I know he certainly recorded Toni
Fisher many other times, and said Wayne Shanklin had little to
do with the idea of the phasing. Also, Kulka used phasing on
several other records around that time, one of which is the best
pre-Sonny & Cher Sonny Bono record, "Teach Me" by Don Christy (Go
1002). Great arrangement by HB Barnum.
All the best
ALEC
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Re: The Neon Philharmonic
Sent: 02/26/19 11:33 am
Received: 02/26/99 7:28 am
From: Stewart Mason, flamiXXXXXXXXcom
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXXXXXXties.com
Tobias wrote:
>I've been enjoying The Neon Philharmonic's "The Moth Confesses"
>for a couple of weeks now. The album sounds a bit like, uh..what
>is the band called that wrote Walk Away Renee? Anyway, both bands
>are in the same style basically. Soft pop mixed with almost
>classical arrangements. All the songs are written by a guy
>called Tupper Sausy. Who is he? What else has he done? Has he
>released anything during the '80s and '90s?
Funny, I just mentioned this band here a couple weeks ago. The
Neon Philharmonic were Tupper Saussy (songs) and Don Gant
(vocals), a pair of Nashville session musicians. What sets them
apart from other, similarly talented, soft-poppers is Saussy's
background in jazz and classical and his bizarre lyrics, which
read like prose that happens to scan and often include dialogue
fragments. If you like THE MOTH CONFESSES (reissued by Sundazed
in 1995 with six bonus tracks from singles), 1969's THE NEON
PHILHARMONIC is even more strange (song titles include "Are You
Old Enough To Remember Dresden?" and "The Mordor National Anthem")
and just as wonderful. The second LP's "Forever Hold Your Peace"
is one of the great lost pop songs of the era.
According to the reissue liner notes, Saussy's pre-NP credits
include a 1962 jazz album called DISCOVER TUPPER SAUSSY and
another from 1965 called THE SWINGER'S GUIDE TO MARY POPPINS.
The notes also say that Neon Philharmonic singles were released
on TRX and MCA labels from 1970 to 1975, but sadly, I have never
even heard mention of any of these elsewhere. More information
would be greatly appreciated.
Saussy has apparently released nothing since 1975. He became a
member of the right-wing anti-tax militia during the 80s and
went underground for several years. The last I heard, he had
been caught and was in minimum-security prison, but he may well
be out by now.
Speaking of bizarre late 60s orchestral pop, I finally got
around to buying Andrew Sandoval's typically magnificent Rhino
reissue of the Monkees' INSTANT REPLAY. Having not heard "Shorty
Blackwell" since my high school Monkees fixation in the late 80s,
I was surprised and delighted to rediscover how strangely
wonderful this song is. Definitely an underappreciated treasure.
Stewart
***************************FLAMINGO RECORDS***************************
Stewart Allensworth Mason
Box 40172 "I'll take the LPs; money's still
Albuquerque NM 87196 in print...the records aren't."
www.rt66.com/~flamingo
*********************HAPPY MUSIC FOR NICE PEOPLE**********************
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: re: Van Dyke Parks and Burt Bacharach
Sent: 02/20/19 12:41 am
Received: 02/26/99 7:28 am
From: Ranier Wolfcastle, MUV96XXXXXXXXnt2.lu.se
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXXXXXXties.com
Keiko Kondo, keiko_koXXXXXXXXil.com wrote:
>...and here is 1999 Sweet Basil schedule:
[snip]
>6/22 - 27 Van Dyke Parks
Why is he playing for a whole week in Japan? I'm a big fan of
VDP and wonder what his connection to Japan is, as he never
seems to perform any concerts elsewhere. I guess it's down to
him being very popular in Japan, right?
Speaking of him, does anyone have any new information about the
Rykodisc reissue of VDP's sixties material?
Then somebody else wrote:
>What Burt's Up To: Burt Bacharach follows his collaboration with
>Elvis Costello with an appearance in the Austin Powers sequel and
>his first film score in eight years.
In eight years? This is stretching the this listy-content a bit
(but it's Mr B!) but what film score did Bacharach write in 1991?
I thought the last one he did was for "Arthur 2" in the
mideighties.
Mr T.
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Ronnie live
Sent: 02/23/19 1:51 pm
Received: 02/26/99 7:28 am
From: wisemen, wiseXXXXXXXXxthree.demon.co.uk
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXXXXXXties.com
>Mr. Sano reported about Ronnie's live show. Here is her song list
>from the opening night:
>
>Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love
>Don't Worry Baby ("Brian Wilson wrote for me" she said)
>Is This What I Get For Loving You
>Do I Love You
>Chapel Of Love
>Walking In The Rain
>Baby I Love You
>So Young
>I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine
>(The Best Part Of) Breaking Up
>Be My Baby
>I Can Hear Music
I went to Ronnie's London Dingwalls show a month or two ago and
the set was almost identical, with duets from Joey Ramone and
Beth Orton. blew me away....
eva
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: The Big Hurt
Sent: 02/26/19 7:15 pm
Received: 02/26/99 7:28 am
From: Paul Urbahns, PaulurbXXXXXXXXom
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXXXXXXties.com
> We did 'The Big Hurt' with Toni Fisher. In those days, the
> pressing plants had their own labels. Allied Records, a big
> pressing plant in Hollywood in the '50s and '60s, had Signet
> Records. They put out 'The Big Hurt.'
And I am lucky enough to have the original album, around here
someplace. It was pressed in "Stereo-Monic" process which was
another version of Compatible stereo that finally caught on in
the late 60s just after they phased out mono.
Paul Urbahns
paulurbXXXXXXXXom
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