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Ebb Vicious
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1162 Posts |
 Posted - 10/24/2004 : 13:50:49
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so i'm stuck at work, and i grabbed this 24 karat gold double-CD of ella fitzgerald and i thought 'oh this should sound great!', i had that whole 'old records have higher production standards' thing in my head.
immediately, though, i realized that the recording sounds like absolute crap. it's quite obvious they recorded the bands/orchestras separately and then had her sing against a track.
it's the aural equivallent of a bad matte painting.
anybody else have this realization? |
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Daisy Girl
~ Abstract Brain ~
Belize
5305 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2004 : 14:12:24
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my dad is a jazz collector... he has let people make a master off his old records and reel to reel recordings becasue the real master is lost. i think that definately dilutes the quality, so i am not sure if that was the case with ella, but it might be.
i haven't noticed the track recording while listening to ella, but it does make sense-- don't most bands today still record things in tracks vs everyone preforming live at once?
Stop theif! Help Camper Van Get its stolen gear back!
http://www.campervanbeethoven.com/gearstolen/ |
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Ebb Vicious
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1162 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2004 : 14:14:02
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well that's not the case with this cd, because ella's voice sounds great but the band sounds like total shit.
and yeah most bands today will actually record each instrument separately and then modify it. because nobody has any talent anymore.
the problem i have with this one is the quality of the band/orchestra recordings is universally terrible, and it contrasts strongly with ella's voice which sounds great. so it makes the experience quite jarring.
edit: for referrence the recording is 'ella fitzgerald sings cole porter', 2cd 24karat as mentioned above. |
Edited by - Ebb Vicious on 10/24/2004 14:16:33 |
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Daisy Girl
~ Abstract Brain ~
Belize
5305 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2004 : 14:21:41
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yeah Ella really has one of those amazing voices... to be honest, i don't give the music much notice and i just focus on her voice. But I hear you. Were any of the members of the orchestra notible jazz musicans, or do you think it was just something the label put together?
Stop theif! Help Camper Van Get its stolen gear back!
http://www.campervanbeethoven.com/gearstolen/ |
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Ebb Vicious
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1162 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2004 : 14:26:47
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i can't listen like that, i can't tune anything out i hear it all.
looks like all session musicians, but all the same they did a very serviceable job and should have been recorded better.
edit:
additionally we retaliated pretty harshly, iirc. |
Edited by - Ebb Vicious on 10/24/2004 14:41:43 |
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hammerhands
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1594 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2004 : 14:43:13
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| Personnel includes: Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Bud Shank (alto saxophone, flute, clarinet); Harry "Sweets" Edison, Maynard Ferguson (trumpet); Barney Kessel (guitar) |
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Ebb Vicious
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1162 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2004 : 14:45:00
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whoops i scanned the liner notes too quickly.
so yeah, they really did deserve better recording. |
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Ebb Vicious
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1162 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2004 : 15:05:59
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rather than start a new thread i will add in here that i just ate a sandwich from subway.
i just remembered why i don't eat subway. |
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hammerhands
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1594 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2004 : 15:23:50
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| I'm listening to it right now (1984 release on Polygram/Verve, not gold). I like it, it's a pretty fine recording for 1956. I don't think there was a lot of over-tracking then. Maybe they screwed up on the remaster? |
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Ebb Vicious
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1162 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2004 : 15:32:00
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maybe it could just be the release we have here, that's partly why i asked, on the off chance someone had a different release that didn't sound like ass. |
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Atheist4Catholics
= Cult of Ray =
USA
925 Posts |
Posted - 10/25/2004 : 06:45:22
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Unless it's a recording of Ella from her later years, the orchestras/bands were probably recorded at the same time as the vocals. Most old records were made with one or two microphones with everyone in the same room. You got balances by placing people in different spots. From what you're describing, it sounds like there was a big fat microphone in a giant room with Ella singing right in front of it and the band back against the wall behind her.
The other thing to remember is that most playback devices sounded like ass back then too.
For more information on rock, visit www.timfranklin.net |
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Ebb Vicious
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1162 Posts |
Posted - 10/25/2004 : 09:10:07
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| i know the difference, in this case they were definitely recorded separately. no way the same recording device picked up both or they would sound much better. |
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old recordings
