Powerful music memories

[Plate Cap]

It's amazing how a song one hasn't heard in a long time can take him right back in time.

I heard this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRQQudHLi0A

and immediately thought of a warm 1970 summer, at home in Dearborn, about 13 years old, where I could see the beacon lights on the eastern two towers of the 1310 array from my bedroom window.

Never thought then that I would spend what seemed like endless hours keeping that place on the air 12 years later.

[KeenerGold]

What a song.

Tracked at Studio A in January 1970 on six tracks of an 8-track reel, the basic track contains:

Richard "Pistol" Allen and Uriel Jones - drums
Dennis Coffey and Joe Messina - guitars
James Jamerson - bass
Jack Ashford - tambourine

This was bumped to 16-track and vocals overdubbed at Studio A in April 1970, with horns added at Studio B (Golden World) three weeks later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVPmlNlNYE8

[Plate Cap]

Do I understand that Studio A was the W. Grand Blvd studio....where was Studio B?

[KeenerGold]

Do I understand that Studio A was the W. Grand Blvd studio....where was Studio B?

Studio A was/is at 2648 West Grand Boulevard.

Studio B was located at 3246 West Davison, originally the studio and offices for Ed Wingate's Golden World and Ric-Tic Records. Motown purchased the labels and studio in 1968.

[Ben Zonia]

I was surprised a few years later when I discovered that it only got up to #14 Hot 100. It has all the elements and hooks of a #1.

I looked at ARSA and it wasn't played on WLS at the time, and only reached #30 on WCFL. WABC played it way later than most of the country, and it reached #11. The spotty regional airplay probably cost it a much higher Hot 100 position. Of course, it was higher in Detroit/Windsor, and on R & B stations.

But have you ever noticed the distortion on the intro on the second and third repetition of the guitar part? Kind of a grungy sound?

It's not on the instrumental version.

At some point, somebody spliced or remixed it and there was no distortion. The first version that didn't have it that I heard was a Rhino Compilation version remastered by Bill Inglot.

[Plate Cap]

But have you ever noticed the distortion on the intro on the second and third repetition of the guitar part? Kind of a grungy sound?

It's not on the instrumental version.

At some point, somebody spliced or remixed it and there was no distortion. The first version that didn't have it that I heard was a Rhino Compilation version remastered by Bill Inglot.

YES!

Reaching back into my memories, it's that sound that a dust bunny that gets picked up on the needle of a turntable makes in the audio. It's real clear at 0:06-0:07 on the link I sent.

The instrumental has a LOT sharper overall sound....you can hear (I want to call them artifacts but they are exactly NOT that...they are true extraneous sounds) the action of the bass drum pedal and the top hat MUCH more clearly. But the instrumental has a much lighter bass guitar track.

Enjoying the thread. Still recovering from the photo I dug up. Lord, that was a long time ago. I'm old.

[Ben Zonia]

It's really interesting to hear the snaps and crackles surface noise from the sound effects records on the intro of "The Rain The Park and Other Things" (rain sounds) and "Expressway To Your Heart" (car horn sounds), though I think some remasters have cleaned them up. They weren't as obvious on AM radio back in the 1960s.

The one distorted track that never seems to have been improved that much are the vocals on "Go Now" by The Moody Blues.

Nobody noticed this?

[KeenerGold]

"Go Now" will never sound any better. The master tape is a dub from an acetate disc. The distortion is built-in. They cut it in the back of the Marquee Club in London direct to acetate disc.

The distortion on "It's A Shame", dirty pots at Studio A during mixdown.

[Turkeytop]

Black Velvet by Alannah Myles always evokes for me memories of the first time I ever heard it. I was in a record store in downtown Toronto, probably back around 1990. It was blasting through the speakers in the ceiling.

I asked the young lady at the desk who was that singing. She interrupted her gum chewing long enough to shrug and say "I don't know." Then she asked the guy working there if he knew who it was. He shrugged and said he didn't know either.

[Plate Cap]

Black Velvet by Alannah Myles always evokes for me memories of the first time I ever heard it. I was in a record store in downtown Toronto, probably back around 1990. It was blasting through the speakers in the ceiling.

Agreed.

No man can watch/hear that without bringing to mind some woman from their past.....it was Pam.....

Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkXNEmtf9tk

[Honeyman]

Great info guys.

Keener 13 was so important to my childhood.