Worst sounding/produced big hit

[firepoint525]

"In the Still of the Night." Great classic song, but the background vocals on that one are just FLAT! Monotone!

 

[FRR]

Anything produced by Phil Spector! His "wall of sound" is just a wall of NOISE to me! :

C'Mon folks, Spector produced some of rocks great masterpieces. Most of us LOVED his productions, and many sold very well.......What's The Matter Baby is a fantastic production by Spector, even though he didn't want to do it. The first 10 or so seconds is wonderful. I listen to it daily, and have done so for many many years....He may have been, and he, a real nut job, but as a record producer, no one could touch him.

 

[billyg]

"In the Still of the Night." Great classic song, but the background vocals on that one are just FLAT! Monotone!

It's also famous for being recorded in a church basement. Same with Rosie & The Original's "Angel Baby". The group sounds like they're learning the song for the first time. But the amateurishness of these records makes them appealing. It's just something totally alien in this era of pro tools, autotune and making "perfect" hit records.

And most hits in the 50's and 60's were mixed for AM Top 40 radio and the cheap mono phonographs teenagers had back then. If it sounded great on a transistor or car radio that's all that mattered to producers like Spector and record companies like Motown who thrived on the 45.

 

[firepoint525]

Anything produced by Phil Spector! His "wall of sound" is just a wall of NOISE to me! :

C'Mon folks, Spector produced some of rocks great masterpieces. Most of us LOVED his productions, and many sold very well.......What's The Matter Baby is a fantastic production by Spector, even though he didn't want to do it. The first 10 or so seconds is wonderful. I listen to it daily, and have done so for many many years....He may have been, and he, a real nut job, but as a record producer, no one could touch him.

Spector was (and still is) overrated, and the British invasion blew his crap off the radio (as well it should have!)

I have to turn off the radio at Christmastime because so much of his highly overrated Christmas album still gets played! :

 

[firepoint525]

"In the Still of the Night." Great classic song, but the background vocals on that one are just FLAT! Monotone!

It's also famous for being recorded in a church basement. Same with Rosie & The Original's "Angel Baby". The group sounds like they're learning the song for the first time. But the amateurishness of these records makes them appealing. It's just something totally alien in this era of pro tools, autotune and making "perfect" hit records.

I like the early Hank Williams (Sr.) records for the same reason. Very simplistic, no bells and whistles on them. If Owen Bradley had produced him, and done with his music what he did about a decade or so later with Patsy Cline, it just wouldn't have been the same. Bradley's production worked with Cline, but it would have seemed like an intrusion had he done the same thing to a Hank Williams record.

 

[hornet61]

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.

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.........

my comments about Spector refer to this production alone. John lennon's "Angel baby"...his legacy shows that spector did some great work from 1958 up to "Let It Be"...then he got sloppy. His wall of sound was hailed as "unique ,creative and revolutionary",and rightfully so, but he never progressed. He eventually became a caricature of his early self.

From a purist standpoint its hard to imagine the original works such as hank williams , other than the original state, the original is what we know and love. .......conversely it it hard to imagine the work of Patsy cline and Brenda lee without the lush production of Owen Bradley.... he added such beauty to two incredible voices......in later years re-created that style with the magnificent KD Lang.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

But the amateurishness of these records makes them appealing.

I agree...Part of the original appeal of rock & roll and R&B was the immediacy, and the fact that you didn't need a top of the line studio to record your songs. You can even hear little flubs in some early rock records, like Chuck Berry muffing the end of his solo in "Roll Over Beethoven". Even the work of Brian Wilson wasn't immune, as you can hear someone coughing during the organ solo in "Wendy" and some extraneous talking in the intro for "California Girls". But they were still amazing records.

 

[radioman148]

But the amateurishness of these records makes them appealing.

I agree...Part of the original appeal of rock & roll and R&B was the immediacy, and the fact that you didn't need a top of the line studio to record your songs. You can even hear little flubs in some early rock records, like Chuck Berry muffing the end of his solo in "Roll Over Beethoven". Even the work of Brian Wilson wasn't immune, as you can hear someone coughing during the organ solo in "Wendy" and some extraneous talking in the intro for "California Girls". But they were still amazing records.

You can also hear a guitar banging against the microphone in "Help Me Rhonda" on the CDs but not on vinyl.

 

[cyberdad]

But the amateurishness of these records makes them appealing.

I agree...Part of the original appeal of rock & roll and R&B was the immediacy, and the fact that you didn't need a top of the line studio to record your songs. You can even hear little flubs in some early rock records, like Chuck Berry muffing the end of his solo in "Roll Over Beethoven".

IIRC, Berry didn't even bother with a studio or a band for "Memphis". Supposedly he recorded it in his office....just him and his guitar.

 

[GS]

I would add "Summertime, Summertime" by the Jamies and "Farmer John" by the Premiers, both circa 1960.


GS

 

[hornet61]

I would add "Summertime, Summertime" by the Jamies and "Farmer John" by the Premiers, both circa 1960.


GS

The Premiers 1964 re-make of the Don and Dewey Song "Farmers John" actually started as a good recording, unfortunatley producer Billy Cradenas, thru his own admission had no experience as a producer, and was trying to createa live recording effect (not done in those days) and added annoying live simulation and garbaged the song up a bit , still charted a respectable #19 in the US. Those East LA produced groups of the mid-60's had some interesting recordings, Cannibal and the Headhunters, Thee Midnighters, Premiers, Atlantics , Brothers Salas (later became part of El Chicano and Tierra). The Premiers were featured on Dick Clark's Caravan Of Stars Tour of 1964 and eventually toured as the opening act for The Dave Clrk Five and the Animals.

 

[drt]

Maybe, its just me, but I always thought that ("Better) Go Now" by the Moody Blues(1965) sounded muddy and distorted.

drt

 

[hornet61]

"There's a Kind of Hush" sounds pretty awful for a 1967 recording -- muffled mono, while most other hits of the day are in beautiful crisp stereo.

Which version New vaudville Band or Hermans Hermits

 

[Les Stock]

Maybe, its just me, but I always thought that ("Better) Go Now" by the Moody Blues(1965) sounded muddy and distorted.

drt

Agreed. Also a sloppy fade at the end.

 

[johnsummers]

RE: Gary 'US' Bonds...There is an LP out there, I don't know if it ever made it to CD, it was a remaster from the....80's, I want to say..."Quarter To Three" sounds much better, still no bass, and you have to brighten it up considerable. Also, "Dear Lady Twist" and "School Is Out" are BOTH in true stereo!!

 

[OldNumber7]

Anything produced by Phil Spector! His "wall of sound" is just a wall of NOISE to me! :

C'Mon folks, Spector produced some of rocks great masterpieces. Most of us LOVED his productions, and many sold very well.......What's The Matter Baby is a fantastic production by Spector, even though he didn't want to do it. The first 10 or so seconds is wonderful. I listen to it daily, and have done so for many many years....He may have been, and he, a real nut job, but as a record producer, no one could touch him.

Most of the time, his "wall of sound" worked well. One of the exceptions: River Deep and Mountain High (Ike and Tina Turner). The recording was a noble effort, but I just heard it again the other day and it really is a mess.

 

[stevations]

I agree with the Gary US Bonds comments. Also never cared for the Beatles voices only in one channel but it helped me to balance my speaker system. I think Spanky and Our Gangs ...Like to Get to Know You....song did the same thing. Sometimes I hear those songs on AM radio and there is no vocal since the station somehow is only using one channel for broadcast. (540 Pocomoke City MD and 1420 Gloucester VA) I used to by best of cassettes like the Dave Clark Five. When I get home and play it they sounded bad and then I see it was made in a third world country. Also bought vinyl and got home to find out it was songs by groups like the Sound Alikes and not the real artists. Then there are the oldies albums that are by the original artists but remade by the artists decades later when their voices changed. Another thing....I was told in the 80s the record companies started spraying 45s instead of pressing. This was cheaper to make but caused the records to wear out quicker.

 

[WPPCProductions]

Eastbound and Down by Jerry Reed from Smoky the Bandit movie is a momno mix.It would of sound better if the tune was in stereo.

 

[johnbasalla]

If a station sounds like it's only using one channel for broadcast, actually they are most likely using both, but they have a phasing problem either with the studio equipment or transmission equipment. I've often heard "Purple Haze" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience on FM stations with the vocal almost completely missing. Phasing problems can be a chore to fix.

I never liked those extremely split stereo records with the vocals only or mostly on one channel. In the Beatles case, they were not really meant to be released that way! They recorded them that way in order to make a better mono master. The demand for stereo lead them to regrettably be released that way. That's why the Beatles mono box set was an important purchase for me, as the first two albums in stereo have this problem.
I bought two Beatles mono box sets so that I could give the radio station the first two CDs in mono for on-air use.

You are correct about those lousy Sound-Alike and much later remakes by "one or more of the original artists". I always look to make sure I'm not buying "new stereo recordings". Not only because the singer might have lost something over the years, but the cheap production values show too.
Dominion is on label to avoid. They will have a CD with one original hit recording, and the rest new remakes. Anytime you see a CD or CD-set with tons if "Hits from the '50s and '60s" for a super-cheap price. BEWARE!

 

[pellmell]

I never liked those extremely split stereo records with the vocals only or mostly on one channel.

I love them, but if I were going to play them on the air, I'd probably adjust the pan to 10 and 2. Not every FM listening environment is ideal.