I was listening to the first Moments album, apparently released in 1968 and it has their hit from a couple of years later on it... "Love On A Two-Way Street". The copy I have is in very nice shape. No surface noise. I noticed how consistently mediocre the recording quality... or at least what made it to disc... is. The whole LP is a bit on the muddy side, for one thing. So that got me to thinking. What is the worst sounding and/or produced recording to make it as a big hit? I thought about "Love On A 2-Way Street", but then I've decided on "Quarter To Three" by Gary U.S. Bonds (Backed by The Church Street Five). Contrary to music legend, this was not accidentally recorded. According to "The Billboard Book of #1 Hits" compiled by Fred Bronson, Gary said in interviews that he started the tape machine. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if they only used one microphone.
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Worst sounding/produced big hit
- Thread starter johnbasalla
- Start date
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hornet61
Guest
johnbasalla said:
Having played "Love on a two way street" many times during a long R&B live show, I did, my first thought was to disagree about the quality....but, better judgement prevailed , and i am listening to it with head phones...I must have had too many "Beam and water " all those Friday nights , because you are right, it is bad, 80% of the tracking is on the left and this sorry clanging guitar on the right track, awful.
A true independent brand, All Platinum whose labels were: All Platinum, Stang - which the Moments were on - Turbo and Vibration, occasionally or maybe even often, had so-so recordings. Interesting that they enjoyed as many hits as they did. The very last hit record to be released in mono was one of theirs... "Shame, Shame, Shame" by Shirley and Company in 1975 (Vibration Records) years after stereo was the standard.
Another candidate for worst sounding hit would be "Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus (real name Jimmy Drake) in 1956 (Dot Records). The car crashing sound effect that interrupts the song throughout is louder then the singing, making it hard to hear the first word when he starts singing again. Couple that with the fact that it's clearly not an expert recording anyway. The song itself leaves much to be desired as well.
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hornet61
Guest
johnbasalla said:
the only thing left to be said about "Transfusion"' is
"pump a gallon in me Allen"
"My red corpsuckles are in mass confusion
Never never never gonna speed again
Pass the crimson to me Jimson"
My pick ...... i will take the Pepsi challenge.......garaunteed no other recording in history is as bad as John Lennon's recording of "Angel Baby"from the album "Menlove Ave"...produced by Phil Spector....who created a "wall of noise and disortion" And totally ruined the whole LP. so sad because this was a posthumous release in 1986.........we hungered for unreleased Lennon material.........
I was thinking "Quarter to Three" (1961) by U.S. Bonds. But I think the effect there was intentional. Especially since it was repeated on follow ups like "School Is Out" and "Dear Lady Twist."
Honorable mention of sorts to "Proud Mary" (1968) by Credence. A mono recording from long after stereo had become the norm.
And if we're going back to the 50s for Nervous Norvus, how about "Jennie Lee" (1958) by Jan and Dean (or more correctly, Jan and Arnie)? Supposedly recorded in a garage. Definitely sounds like it.
On the other extreme, there's "Maybe Baby" (1957) by Buddy Holly. Recorded outdoors from the back of a semi that had just doubled as a makeshift stage for a concert at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Norman Petty's late night recording (after the audience had left) turned out surprisingly well.
Honorable mention of sorts to "Proud Mary" (1968) by Credence. A mono recording from long after stereo had become the norm.
And if we're going back to the 50s for Nervous Norvus, how about "Jennie Lee" (1958) by Jan and Dean (or more correctly, Jan and Arnie)? Supposedly recorded in a garage. Definitely sounds like it.
On the other extreme, there's "Maybe Baby" (1957) by Buddy Holly. Recorded outdoors from the back of a semi that had just doubled as a makeshift stage for a concert at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Norman Petty's late night recording (after the audience had left) turned out surprisingly well.
Anything produced by Phil Spector! His "wall of sound" is just a wall of NOISE to me! :
firepoint525 said:Anything produced by Phil Spector! His "wall of sound" is just a wall of NOISE to me! :
Perhaps true, but hard to argue with success.
But your post brings to mind "Whats the Matter Baby" by Timi Yuro....a Spector quickie production job. The whole thing sounds distorted. Even on remastered CD.
Ronnie Spector wrote in her book that most producers and engineers tried to avoid or limit the needle on the VU meter going in to the red. On the other hand, (paraphrasing her), Phil seemed to live in the red!
That was late for a mono hit, but definitely not the last. The Radio Edit of "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim -- a Top 40 hit in 1999 -- was only released in mono. Some stations play a longer edit, or the full album version, both of which are in stereo, but as far as I know, the Radio Edit (with the record scratching effect during the intro) is strictly mono:johnbasalla said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e85TxTwSxc
This mono version of "Praise You" was also included on the "NOW 2" compilation CD.
johnbasalla said:
I'm amazed "Quarter" ever got released.. it might have been the worst sounding record to hit #1. From what I read Bob Guidia's studio in Norfolk used 2-track home recording equipment. They did overdubbing by "bouncing" or copying from one machine to the other while adding more instruments or vocals.. creating a really muddy recording.
Another hit that sounded so bad but became a classic was the O'Kaysions "Girl Watcher" - it was recorded for a tiny regional label. Every version I've found on CD or Vinyl sounds distorted. It makes me wonder if ABC Records ever got the master tape and used a vinyl dub instead.
And I remember the Stray Cats "Rock This Town" and Bruce Springsteen's flipside "Pink Cadillac" were mono recordings.
Another song that comes to mind for me was The Rasberries 1972 classic "Go All The Way". Something about that song just makes my ears wanna close up... CC1
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Darth_vader
Guest
"John Lennon's recording of "Angel Baby", from the album "Menlove Ave." Produced by Phil Spector, who created a "wall of noise and disortion" which totally ruined the whole LP."
The same thing can be said about the original release of "Let It Be". I liked the few (mono and presumably non-Spectorated) earlier versions of the LIB songs in the "Anthology" far better than what ended up on the final LP.
Of course, that opinion was founded some time before "Let It Be Naked" came out. Thing of beauty, that. ;o)
The same thing can be said about the original release of "Let It Be". I liked the few (mono and presumably non-Spectorated) earlier versions of the LIB songs in the "Anthology" far better than what ended up on the final LP.
Of course, that opinion was founded some time before "Let It Be Naked" came out. Thing of beauty, that. ;o)
The Raspberries "Go All The Way" is overly processed, for AM radio I presume, but I don't think it is produced that badly.
In fact, the recording is quite powerful because of the production and processing, although I can understand those who don't like it.
I both agree and disagree with the Phil Spector produced "Let It Be". I think the choir in "Across The Universe" is horrid, but the big strings in "Long and Winding Road" really take that song and recording to the next level. The strings add real drama. Paul McCartney was initially horrified, but later accepted that, that was how the song was known, and now seems to like it.
Phil Spector's production work on "I Me Mine", "The Two of Us" and other songs is excellent. Fortunately, not every song got the string-thing going. Phil's production on the title track is also very good.
In fact, the recording is quite powerful because of the production and processing, although I can understand those who don't like it.
I both agree and disagree with the Phil Spector produced "Let It Be". I think the choir in "Across The Universe" is horrid, but the big strings in "Long and Winding Road" really take that song and recording to the next level. The strings add real drama. Paul McCartney was initially horrified, but later accepted that, that was how the song was known, and now seems to like it.
Phil Spector's production work on "I Me Mine", "The Two of Us" and other songs is excellent. Fortunately, not every song got the string-thing going. Phil's production on the title track is also very good.
I had the 8-track of Let It Be back in the '70s, and I distinctly remember erasing the before-and-after-song gibberish that appeared on most of the songs on Let It Be (carefully timed, of course, so I wouldn't accidentally erase the songs themselves!). Looking back on that now, I realized that what I had done was to create my own custom copy of Let It Be Naked some 25 or so years before it was officially released.Darth_vader said:
Spector did a few things right, and a few things wrong on Let It Be:johnbasalla said:
RIGHT:
Slightly slowing down "Across the Universe"
Lengthening "I Me Mine"
The production on "Let It Be" (the song) as you said
Dropping the birds from "Across the Universe" (and I could even make a case for dropping the female backing vocals, as well)
WRONG:
Strings on "Long And Winding Road" (yeah, listeners "accepted" it (me included), but what choice did we have?)
Before-and-after-song gibberish on nearly every song!
Dropping the coda from "Get Back" (although the off the cuff "pass the audition" comment was funny!)
It's worth noting that "The Long and Winding Road" on Let It Be Naked is not the same recording as on the original. The line, "anyway you'll never know" has been changed to "anyway, youll always know."
How about "Keep On Dancin'" by The Gentrys? The thing fades out at around a minute and a half, and then rather than actually having the band play some more, they go back to the beginnin of the actual recording.
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hornet61
Guest
Corky Marlowe said:
yes, this song had two lengthy false endings....thats the beauty of moden technology..I clipped both false endings down to 2 sec each, for airplay.
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