SH Spotlight "Wanna Buy A Record?" movie with Mel Blanc at Capitol Studios, how records are recorded & pressed..

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Jun 17, 2013.

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  1. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    According to the Official Dean Martin Website Discography, there were two single releases of "Oh Marie"—1951 (Capitol #1682, b/w "I'll Always Love") and 1952 (Capitol #2140, b/w "Come Back to Sorrento"). I don't know if they were the same recording, but if so, the 1951 date could be correct for the film.
     
  2. tim_neely

    tim_neely Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Central VA
    The one numbered F1682 actually came after the F2140 release. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it's indeed the case. As I noted earlier, the 1600 series was reserved for reissues. The first 59 of those (F1600-F1658) came out in June 1951; Capitol then added to the series as it saw fit until it got to F1699, which happened in 1954. (F1699 was "Young at Heart" backed with "I've Got the World on a String" by Frank Sinatra.) Capitol's use of the 1600s for reissues has thrown more than one discographer for a loop over the years.

    It's pretty well documented that Dean Martin recorded his Capitol version of "Oh Marie" on April 8, 1952. Earlier, he recorded a version in 1947 when he was briefly on the Apollo label, before he went to Capitol.
     
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  3. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Thanks, Tim. That explains it. So the Dean Martn website has incorrectly listed F1682 in 1951, instead of what (I assume) should more properly be dated as 1953-54.

    It's interesting that the Sinatra reissue came out so soon after the original release. I know that "Young at Heart" (b/w "Take a Chance") was issued as F2703 in early 1954, and it charted very high (#2). "I've Got the World on a String" (b/w "My One and Only Love") was F2505 the year before. I guess they tried to "Capitolize" on the success of both hits early on.
     
  4. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    And the clip of Dean singing Oh Marie is an alternate take from the single. :)
     
  5. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Actually, the entire video was first posted by Capitol Music Group as part of a collection of several such publicity films produced through the years:

    http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsIOhLeWa_Aq1363IdO_bipB-lwjvf-ME

    These are the other films in the collection...

    The Tower Opens (1956)

     
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  6. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    The Capitol Tower (1958)

     
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  7. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    An 8mm Look Inside the Tower (with subtitles) (1962)

     
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  8. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Capitol's 50th Anniversary (1992)

     
  9. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    A CD In The Making (1998)

     
  10. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    :agree: They knew their audience, probably got a big guffaw from the Capitol guys. :laugh:

    Such a cool film! Love all those deco and moderne buildings in Hollywood of that era. The old NBC radio building was a gem. Only had a couple years of life left when this was filmed! Crazy.

    dan c
     
  11. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Typical office tabulating equipment of the '50s, Matt; punched-card driven. You can see a card reader/sorter in that 1956 newsreel footage of the Capitol Tower opening. (Remember that IBM stands for International Business Machines. This was their bread-and-butter type of product before computers.)
     
  12. RickJ

    RickJ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brockton, MA
    Thanks for sharing this, Steve. A real treat to watch.
     
  13. tim_neely

    tim_neely Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Central VA
    It was probably 1955 when the pairing was issued as F1699. Capitol sometimes put its reissue 45s out as little as a year after the initial release of the newer title.
     
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  14. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    WOW, around the 24 minute mark of this video, I finally get to put a face to the infamous, noise reduction king, Mr. Bob Norberg! Sad that everyone at Capitol felt that what he was doing was "great work", as we (especially on this forum) have since proven to not be the case!
     
  15. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Around 11:21, that's Mr. & Mrs. Ray Anthony, no? (Mrs = Mamie Van Doren)
     
  16. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    "The Capitol Record" being handed out on opening day:
    Screen shot 2013-06-21 at 3.40.58 PM.jpg

    My copy, today:
    DSC_0546.jpg
     
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  17. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Good to match a face with the name James Bayless. Here he is in the 1958 film:
    CapitolJamesBayless1958.jpg

    Is this, then, the same person (Bayless) in the 1951 film?
    CapitolJamesbayless?1951?.jpg
     
  18. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    In the 1958 film, Mickey Katz is shooting the cover for his Most Mishige LP:
    MickeyKatz.jpg [​IMG]

    Recorded through July, 1958; released January 5, 1959.
     
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  19. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    1962: "The Two Johns" -- John Krauss (mixing) and John Palladino!
    Capitol1962PalladinoKrauss.jpg

    I spent last Halloween with John Palladino, and he was still going strong at 93 years young. :)
     
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  20. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    This 1962 film is the cream of the crop! (Thanks, Bob.)

    CapitolArtistsLounge?.jpg
    I think the room shown in this shot (above) is where the stereo recordings were tracked/monitored in the 1956-1958 early stereo days. Later the "artists lounge."

    Below:
    Here's Ed Uecke in the 1962 film:
    CapitolEdUecke1962Film.jpg

    And here he (below) is in a Capitol print ad. Funny, they don't mention that he works there and is on their technical staff!
    CapitolREcordsRecordRatingJury2SHTV.jpg

    Ed Uecke also came in every day and started his shift by running sweep tones, and printing out corresponding graphs, indicating that each cutting lathe was functioning according to spec.

    I assume the "Jay" who is narrating the 1962 film is recently-deceased Jay Ranellucci. Anybody able to confirm? Is "Bob" Bob Norberg??
     
  21. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Bump. Lots of great video in this thread: Steve's OP, plus the posts by Bob F starting at #55 above. I especially recommend the 1962 8mm stuff.
     
  22. alfeizar

    alfeizar Active Member

    Location:
    Argentina
    I've watched all the videos in the Capitol series and also the video on post 50 from RCA, and they are all great, highly recommended :righton:
     
  23. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Looks to me like Ed is opening the "troll door" to one of the echo chambers..
     
  24. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Funny, I thought F1699 was 1955. My own pressing of that last 1600 series single had at least one of the sides (definitely "Young-At-Heart") mastered in New York - and the lead-out spacing from the Scully lathe used there was now set at what was termed "4 pitch" as they started doing in fall 1955. I think there were 13 issues added to the series in 1952, 10 in 1953, another 10 in 1954, and then the last 9 in '55.
     
  25. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Looking at the two Scullys starting around point 11:30 - was one master and the other slave? If so, I presume the one on the left would have been the "F" and the one on the right, the "G" after they reorganized their lacquer code system in April 1963.
     
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