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. jtaylor

    jtaylor Senior Member

    Location:
    RVA
    No idea. Cicalo got there in '56 or '57 and left for RCA in 1963.
     
  2. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I bet this is the first place that has unearthed those full names in 50 years, if ever. Those engineers put the A in Anonymous.
     
  3. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    nat capitol.jpg

    So, to recapitulate:

    Nat "King" Cole LOVE IS THE THING recorded December 19, 28, 1956.

    Recording engineer: John Kraus, second engineer: Rex Uptegraft

    1/8/57 Capitol W-824 mono master tape assembly: Rex Uptegraft

    1/8/57 Cutting "OK lacquer ref": Good old Rex Uptegraft

    1/10/57 Capitol W-824 production lacquer masters: Hal Mulhonen and Frank Carter

    5/25/59 Protection copy of mono master tape: Engineer X: " M".


    This is probably the most extensive engineer listing for any Capitol Records release from the Golden Age.

    Thanks for all of you help, people!

    Now if we could just find out who the stereo/binaural engineers were I could sleep at night. One thing I do know about the stereo version, the same engineer recorded the sessions that compiled the assembly reel AND the ZD open reel stereo tape mix of 1957. Same handwriting. Too bad he didn't think to put his name or initials on the boxes.

    The mixer of the stereo LP version (and a dub of that used for the four-track open reel tape version) is a different person.
    ----------------------------------
    Complete session information from our friendly Gort's Nat King Cole site:
    http://apileocole.alongthehall.com/sessions/session1956.html#session12
    December 19, 1956
    (Session #4710; 14:00-18:00) Capitol Recording Studio, 1750 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, California

    Nat Cole (vocal) Gordon Jenkins (arranger / conductor) Allan J. Reuss (guitar) Jack Ryan (bass) Lee Young (drums) Charles LaVere (piano) Armand Kaproff (cello) Kathryn M. Thompson (harp) Bill Baffa (viola) Paul Robyn (viola) David H. Sterkin (viola) Israel Baker (violin) Alex Beller (violin) Joe Chassman (violin) Samuel 'Sam' Cytron (violin) Kurt Dieterle (violin) Sol Kindler (violin) Murray Kellner (violin) Joseph 'Joe' Livoti (violin) Daniel 'Dan' Lube (violin) Rickey Marino (violin) Erno Neufeld (violin) Joseph G. 'Joe' Quadri (violin) Mischa Russell (violin) Ralph Schaeffer (violin) Paul C. Shure (violin) Marshall Sosson (violin)

    • (16300-6) Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much
    • (16301-9) Love Letters
    • (16302-8/4 mono; 16302-7 stereo) I Thought About Marie
    • (16303-5) Where Can I Go Without You?
    • (16308-7) Stardust
    • (16309-1) Love Is The Thing
    • (16310-9) It's All In The Game
    Note: this session was recorded in monaural and 3-track for stereo
    Note: the first two tracks (16300 and 16301) were not recorded in 3-track owing to technical problems
    Note: this was the first session of Nat Cole's known to be recorded in stereo
    Note: 16302 mono is take 8 with an end piece from take 4 spliced in; stereo is take 7
    -------------------------------------------------
    December 28, 1956
    (Session #4720; 14:00-17:00) Capitol Recording Studio, 1750 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, California

    Nat Cole (vocal) Gordon Jenkins (arranger / conductor) Allan J. Reuss (guitar) Jack Ryan (bass) Lee Young (drums) Charles LaVere (piano) Cy Bernard (cello) Helen B. Hutchinson (harp) Bill Baffa (viola) Paul Robyn (viola) David H. Sterkin (viola) Leonard 'Len' Atkins (violin) Harry Bluestone (violin) Samuel 'Sam' Cytron (violin) Kurt Dieterle (violin) Jacques Gasselin (violin) Ben 'Benny' Gill (violin) Murray Kellner (violin) Sol Kindler (violin) Joseph 'Joe' Livoti (violin) Daniel 'Dan' Lube (violin) Erno Neufeld (violin) Nicholas 'Nick' Pisani (violin) Joseph G. 'Joe' Quadri (violin) Mischa Russell (violin)

    • (16335-5) When I Fall In Love
    • (16336-7) Ain't Misbehavin'
    • (16337-12) When Sunny Gets Blue
    • (16338-3) At Last
    • (16339) I Was A Little Too Lonely
    • (16340-7) Stay As Sweet As You Are
    Note: this session was recorded in monaural and 3-track for stereo
    Note: 16339 was never issued and appears to be lost.
     
  4. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Oh, and the same stereo/binaural engineer worked on Nat Cole's JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS 903 as well, same handwriting.
     
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  5. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    Thanks, Steve. Fantastic to have some specific, actual names for heretofore anonymous "engineering staff." I'll update the site tonight.
     
  6. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Good, every little bit helps.
     
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  7. jtaylor

    jtaylor Senior Member

    Location:
    RVA
    I thought it was determined at the time of the AP series that Pete Abbott did the binaural? Or did he just do the other 2 Jenkins albums?

    [Edit]: I must be thinking of THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU.
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2014
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  8. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Yes, you are. Totally different sound and "feel"..
     
  9. jtaylor

    jtaylor Senior Member

    Location:
    RVA
    Other than Kraus, Palladino (earlier), Val, Hugh Davies, Pete Abbott, Carson Taylor and Bill Robinson (engineering head), are there any other 1st engineers at the Tower that have been overlooked? Those are the only Tower names I've ever seen associated with these sorts of sessions during this period.
     
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I have no idea whatsoever. I am sure there are a few more..

    What confuses me is the whole "recut" process. If a popular album (like LOVE IS THE THING) is recut up to 15 times in 10 years, where was the paper record of this kept? Not in the tape boxes like other companies, only the first cut seems to have been mentioned. Every recut and even tape dubs are not noted on the boxes. The recuts used the same tapes but no engineer ever annotated..
     
  11. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    I presume Hal Diepold may've cut some of the 'N' lacquers in New York from a dub?
     
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  12. paulmock

    paulmock Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA
    Didn't know where else to post this but I just found this cool pic of Sunset & Vine circa 1960. Time it twas... I wonder who was recording in there right when this was taken.

    1507652_10200590839692881_1903752759_n.jpg
     
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  13. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Yes, probably. Expert cutter. But, there is no "New York" dub of LOVE IS THE THING.
     
  14. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Beautiful photo.
     
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  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I was asked (via PM) how I know this. I did a lot of research on this title when doing the AP version.

    If you care, the mono has the following originals:

    The LP master mono assembly.
    The phono reel versions, unassembled.
    The protection copy made in 1959 by "M".
    The EP cutting master in EP order.

    No "New York" copy.
     
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  16. jtaylor

    jtaylor Senior Member

    Location:
    RVA
    You've probably mentioned it before, but are there a lot of outtakes on the unassembled phono reel versions?
     
  17. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    None at all. Only "holds".
     
  18. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Let me rephrase.

    When an album was being recorded at Capitol, usually the procedure was the mark all the potential master takes as "holds" before the final selection to the album. This was when the holds were copied for the phono reels. When the final assembly was complete, the holds (album rejects) remained on the phono reels (duped), usually forever. Still on them to this day.

    If lucky, the session reel with the "Hold" marked on it was also saved. In the case of Nat Cole, this resulted in everything else ON THAT REEL being saved as well. That's where I found some alternate take gems..
     
  19. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Ah, meaning all the lacquers would have had 'D' in the lacquer numbers, I guess.
     
  20. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I guess.

    Does anyone have a LOVE IS THE THING LP with an "N" lacquer?
     
  21. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Checked my one mono and two stereo copies, not a single "N" among 'em.

    (The first "N" I could find is on my stereo copy of Just One Of Those Things.)
     
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  22. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    What label is your JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS? In other words, era? After 1961?
     
  23. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I was asked why the stereo LP version of LOVE IS THE THING has only 10 songs on it while the mono version has 12.

    Well, I was told (wrongly) back in 1992 that the "stereo process" had wider grooves so only five songs could fit on a side. I believed that at the time even though it was total bulls**t.

    Then I was told that Capitol chose to leave two songs off because of publishing costs which was also totally wrong. Then I was told they left off two songs because the consumer open reel tape version of the album (the ZD version) could only hold 10 songs on the 7 inch reel and the other two songs must be floating around Capitol somewhere) which also turned out (sadly) to be untrue.

    Even when I worked on the DCC Gold CD and LP versions of LOVE IS THE THING I had no idea the real reason that two songs were left off. Just guesses.

    But when I started working on the AP version of LOVE IS THE THING I found the true answer and that's only because I found a reject three-track reel marked "HOLD" that Lee Gillette made sure was saved in the vault archives (why, I'm not sure).

    This reel clearly showed that the upstairs binaural recording room (AKA the snack bar lounge) was having serious problems with Nat's vocal microphone feed and by the time they figured it out, the first two songs had been recorded (by the downstairs main mono control room) and the time had passed. Even during the recording of the third song (I THOUGHT ABOUT MARIE) they were having problems with his vocal mic and it wasn't until the next song after that (WHERE CAN I GO WITHOUT YOU, if I remember correctly) that they solved the middle channel vocal problem.

    So, the simple answer is that they only got 10 songs properly recorded, missed the first two and scrambled the song order of the stereo LP release of LOVE IS THE THING in hopes that no one would notice...

    Hope this helps!
     
  24. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Earlier on (but not a grey label), stereo, 9 O'Clock rainbow, D4/N3.

    Could have originally been bought on layaway. Someone pencilled-in "5.98" in some old-school handwriting in the upper right back cover right under "SW 903" and "Bal. Pd." in the upper left corner.
     
  25. reeltime

    reeltime Forum Resident

    I've been pretty lucky that my job has taken me to some pretty unique places and introduced me to some interesting folks. This was on a visit to Capitol for a shoot on the roof of the building. I ducked into Studio B and photographed Nat King Cole's Steinway:

    _DSC8408-Edit.jpg
     
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