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Volume #0397 March 24, 2000
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Living Stereo
Subject: Beach Boys ABC movie
Received: 03/24/00 5:03 am
From: Frank Youngwerth
To: Spectropop!
On the second night, during the first scene at Brian and
Marilyn's house, just after Van Dyke Parks has wowed Brian
with a little Mozart at the piano, one of the throng of
house guests walks by the camera, flashing the cover of
Ray Conniff's 'S Marvelous LP. Is there some kind of
in-joke significance I'm missing here? The producers seem
to be pretty careful about record props (e.g. Lawrence
Welk's 78 is on Dot), so there must be some reason the
Conniff album would appear at Brian's hipster party.
Frank Youngwerth
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Subject: Beach Boys convention in London
Received: 03/24/00 5:03 am
From: Robin Wills
To: Spectropop!
Hi there
There's a Beach Boys convention happening this Sunday
(26th) in the London area. It's happening at the Oakfield
Tavern, 166 St. James Road, Croydon. I'm not sure of the
time, but I will be showing up early in the afternoon.
All the best
Robin
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Subject: Isn't She Great?
Received: 03/24/00 5:03 am
From: James F. Cassidy
To: Spectropop!
Tobias asked:
>What can you people tell me about a new movie called
>"Isn't She Great"?
This is the new biopic of trash novelist Jacqueline
Suzanne starring Bette Midler. I haven't seen the movie or
heard the music.
Jim Cassidy
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Subject: Isn't She Great?-Doesn't It Stink?
Received: 03/24/00 5:03 am
From: Ponak, David
To: Spectropop!
I'm one of the biggest Bacharach fans out there, I love
the guy, however, it pains me to tell you that the "Isn't
She Great" soundtrack is just unlistenable. This isn't the
Bacharach of "Painted From Memory," it's sounds more like
the work of the man who wrote "On My Own" and "That's What
Friends Are For." Wait, I'm giving it too much credit. At
least those songs had hooks. DX7 keyboard sounds abound.
The whole thing is very 80's MOR. It makes me wonder if
some of the great Bacharachisms of "Painted From Memory"
may have been created (or at least prompted) by Elvis
Costello.
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Subject: Re: Sunset Sound / "Expecting To Fly"
Received: 03/24/00 5:03 am
From: Jamie LePage
To: Spectropop!
Michael wrote:
> Your "credits" post on Buffalo Springfield lends credence
> to my belief that Buffalo Springfield recorded "Expecting
> To Fly" at Sunset Sound. Bruce Botnick was the engineer
> not only on "Expecting To Fly" but also engineered all 6
> Doors albums-the majority of them at Sunset Sound. The
> production of "Expecting To Fly" is very
> elaborate-especially listening to in stereo. I have a
> feeling that the song was cut on eight tracks.
I find this thread so fascinating, at the risk of
overkill I would like to comment once again on Michael's
post.
Bruce Botnick's name on the Expecting to Fly credits do
indicate that the side was not cut at Gold Star. To the
best of my knowledge, Botnick did not regularly work at
Gold Star. It is important to note that Dave Gold custom
built Gold Star's board and (at least to a certain extent)
an engineer would have to be familiar with Gold's
equipment to be able to comfortably work there.
Consequently, the studio's in-house engineers are the
names we most often associate with Gold Star recordings.
Does anyone know of Botnick working at Gold Star? Steve
Kurutz writes at AMG: "After landing a gig at L.A.'s
Sunset Sound in 1963, Botnick found himself engineering
at a time when the West Coast was exploding onto the
national consciousness." Can anyone confirm whether or
not Botnick was a staff producer for Elektra in the late
60s?
Michael again:
> The first Doors was recorded around the early fall of
> 1966, only on four tracks. When...the Doors returned to
> Sunset Sound to do "Strange Days"...the studio was
> updated to eight tracks...If "Expecting To Fly" was
> recorded at Gold Star with its cramped three or four
> tracks, there is no way to creat a powerful stereo
> listening experience with so few tracks.
All of this makes perfect sense. Does anyone know
precisely when Gold Star updated their recording gear
from three to four track? I could swear that Stan Ross
said the Spector Xmas and Ronettes albums were 4 track
masters. Stereo mixes of these recordings typically have
rhythm track panned left, lead and BG vocals dead center,
and strings or overdubbed instruments panned right. This
indicates four track recording, unless lead and BG vocals
were on the same track (unlikely). Also, on Spector's
"session" tapes we can hear Spector "bouncing" BG vocal
overdubs when both final track and lead vocal are already
finished. This indicates bouncing from track 3 to 4 and
vice versa. I don't see how this could have been
accomplished using only three tracks, unless they were
bouncing rhythm tracks and lead vocals between two
recorders, but somehow this seems doubtful for 1964/5
recordings. I do know, however, that this technique was
employed on the 1958 Teddy Bears recordings.
On this same topic, can anyone shed light as to exactly
when Gold Star updated further to 8, 16 and 24? Was A&M a
24 track facility when Spector cut the Checkmates?
Finally, does anyone know if the I&TT album on A&M was
mixed in stereo at Gold Star or A&M, and how many tracks
were used for these recordings?
Thanks for your comments, Michael. The more we learn how
the studios developed during the mid-to-late 60s, the
more we can understand the evolution of record production
during this pivotal time.
Jamie
n.p. Billy Spradlin's Girlpop @ live365.com - Great!!!!!
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Subject: Girlpop Radio !
Received: 03/24/00 5:03 am
From: Jimmy Cresitelli
To: Spectropop!
Through a series of whatever-I-dids-with-the-computer, I
am able to tune into Mr. Spradlin's Girlpop... right now,
Darlene is churning up the world with "A Fine, Fine Boy"
and... well, what more can possibly be said? "This must be
the place..."
: )
Jimmy
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