SH Spotlight Capitol Tower Studio experts, initials of engineers who worked on "LOVE IS THE THING", Nat Cole 1956

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Jan 13, 2014.

  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I found this page from my old notes and would like to pass it on. Maybe a few of you experts can recognize these initials from the engineering department?

    Album W-824 Nat "King" Cole LOVE IS THE THING

    1/8/57 Assembly: R. U.
    1/8/57 Proof ref: R. U.
    1/10/57 Lacquer masters: H. M. / F. C.
    5/25/59 Protection copy: M.

    That's all I have but maybe it will jog someone's memory?
     
  2. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    H. M. would very likely be Hal Mulhonen, who was a mastering engineer for Capitol well into the late 1960's - and was among the mastering engineers who cut Beatles lacquers when Capitol first began issuing their recordings. F. C., if anyone can chime in on him I'd be as appreciative as Steve would be on the others.
     
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  3. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Much obliged!
     
  4. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    It's interesting that the engineer who cut the "approval reference acetate" is not the same engineer who cut the actual lacquers.
     
  5. jtaylor

    jtaylor Senior Member

    Location:
    RVA
    Steve: Any chance that F.C. is an H.C. ? Hank Cicalo might have been working there by then.
     
  6. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Nope. F. C.
     
  7. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    R.U. = Rex Uptegraft. May still be with us and living in the San Marcos area.
     
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  8. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Ah, the stereo balance engineer on the Kingston Trio "Here We Go Again", etc. albums?
     
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  9. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Yes, but not on the recording sessions (typically), but specifically on the mixdown. (I think there were exceptions.) Here's a quote from Voyle Gilmore in 1973:
     
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  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    See, I don't know anything about the guy but I do know this. The engineer who did the "assembly" was typically the person who engineered the recording. He did the editing, picked the takes with the producer and did the final assembly in order onto the final LP master reel.

    If this holds true for "LOVE IS THE THING", well, that means that Rex Uptegraft engineered the album (mono version).
     
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  11. GroovinGarrett

    GroovinGarrett Mrs. Stately's Garden

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    F. C.

    Was Fred Christie at Capitol before he started at Fine?
     
  12. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    The guy from Mediasound, NY? No idea.
     
  13. jtaylor

    jtaylor Senior Member

    Location:
    RVA
    What documentation did you see in the past that lead you to conclude that Kraus did the mono?
     
  14. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    Steve, I think the 2nd engineer would have been doing that sort of stuff to the best of my senses. Maybe in the earlier years the first engineer did, though by then Capitol had grown - including more staff - to pass that onto them. That also helped in training the second engineers in the process.
     
  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    John told me he did.
     
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  16. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Maybe, not sure at this era at Capitol. Wish I knew for sure. John took credit for a lot of stuff that he just "walked through the room" on....
     
  17. GroovinGarrett

    GroovinGarrett Mrs. Stately's Garden

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Yeah. The only F. C. I can think of.
     
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  18. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    I have an unpublished interview with a Capitol engineer that worked around that era and for some time after, and he was speaking of doing that sort of thing (edits, etc.) as a second engineer. So I'd guess that's what you're seeing with those initials. That and it sounds like John Kraus engineered it to me! :)
     
  19. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I'm just not convinced that Capitol HAD second engineers on those sessions. What would the second do? Push the tape buttons? They had remotes...
     
  20. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Maybe for keeping tape logs/notes as the session rolled? Getting sandwiches? I'd imagine that IF seconds were used, they were kind of "gophers."
     
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  21. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    Supposedly setting up the studio, place microphones how the first engineer wanted them, setting up the tape machines (which would then be run by the first engineer), do paperwork, make edits, etc. For all I know, sometimes the main engineer might still do any of these, though that sort of thing seemed to have been delegated to the second (per the interview), at least once they had them.
     
  22. jtaylor

    jtaylor Senior Member

    Location:
    RVA
    The other day I dashed off an email to Hank Cicalo thinking he might have an answer here. This is what he wrote:
     
  23. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Good info. Thanks. Glad Hank is still around.
     
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  24. jtaylor

    jtaylor Senior Member

    Location:
    RVA
    Goin' strong, I think. He was a young pup when he was at Capitol.
     
  25. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Frank Carter, huh? That's another name to add to the long list of mastering engineers who worked at Capitol over the years. Until when would he have worked there?
     

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