Date:         Wed, 30 Aug 2006 22:07:13 -0400
Reply-To:     Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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Sender:       Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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From:         Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: Not using headphones
Comments: To: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
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Oh, yes, iso-multi is totally wrong for blues. Alligator Records, circa late 80's and early 90's is 
proof. Everything sounds generic and slick. Compare that to the primative Hound Dog Taylor records 
that formed that company. Awesome stuff. Who cares if his guitar is sometimes out of tune and the 
amp sounds like the speaker is ripped? It totally works for the Dog!

The Holmes Brothers made some very good minimalist recordings in the 1990's. I saw them live a few 
times and they definitely knew how to plug without too much PA support. Their harmonies were all 
done without looking at each other, which is pretty amazing since one of them was also playing drums 
and I can't see how he could have heard the other vocals clearly. I guess they all worked to him 
since he was keeping time.

The old Chess sound worked most of the time. As long as there weren't too many amps in the room, 
turned too loud. I really dig the way they could get the piano to ring through and also Fred Below's 
drums. Someone like Chuck Berry or Bo Diddley probably had his amp turned up and not too baffled. 
When they got to the late 60's with that acidified heavier sound, I don't like it as much. It's all 
summed up with that record "This Is Howlin' Wolf's New Album ... and he hates it." As far as I can 
tell form the Chess Box sets' notes, Chess recorded to full-track until the early 60's, then 2-track 
until 1967 or so, which is when 4-track tapes turn up to remix for the box sets. I don't know how 
far they went in the track evolution as the 70s rolled around. My favorite Chess recordings made in 
Chess studio, as far as sound quality, are the early 60's Howlin' Wolf sessions where Hubert Sumlin 
is just tearing the paint off the walls with his guitar licks and the Etta James stuff, although I'm 
not sure if her full-fledged pop stuff like "At Last" was done at Chess or a bigger studio.

People also forget the Chess jazz stuff, some of which really sounds nice. Very different vibe from 
Verve or especially Blue Note from the same era.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "steven c" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 9:41 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Not using headphones


> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tom Fine" <[log in to unmask]>
>> The reason I thought it might be that is that two guys at a time would be
> in close, on opposite
>> sides of the mic, like radio duos used to do with an RCA ribbon mic in
> figure-8 pattern. It might
>> have been omni and they were taking advantage of the two middle points,
> with the softer sounds
>> spaced in the circle. Anyway, these guys were great at it.
>>
>> Another bunch that could work a mic (note: A mic, as in single mic) were
> the Jordanaires.
>>
>> Bob, how did the Motown groups record the group harmonies -- one mic or
> several? I'm guessing one
>> mic and no headphones in the early days. And, was the lead singer part of
> the overall group or did
>> they have a separate mic? Same room or booth or separate? I've always
> loved the way the vocals cut
>> through everything on those records, especially Diana Ross and Martha and
> the Vandellas.
>>
> My "lifelong ambition" is to record a blues album/CD the way (I assume)
> the classic blues recordings of the forties/fifties were done...using
> a single microphone (or possibly two, with one for harmonica and vocal?).
> In my opinion, the multi-isolated-mikes approach is totally wrong
> for blues bands...!
>
> Steven C. Barr