Don't forget that all the people involved in one of these cast recordings are currently putting on seven or however many shows per week plus whatever else they do as talented and in-demand people and are not available at the drop of a hat, so getting everyone together twice could be a problem. Plus, "everyone" could be fifty or a hundred people in some cases. That said, I'm not an expert and am only going on what I've learned from Frank and reading. I agree that he used some guessing to plausibly fill in the holes in memory. I do that to fill in lack of certain knowledge; as we've seen, I've been wrong more than a couple times about how this all came down. It's very disappointing that the 1949 Buick convertible didn't mean the picture was taken in 1949, and so the outdoor pictures were not taken because it was a novel experience for that studio in that neighborhood. That made perfect sense to me as an explanation....
Here's a couple more adorable pictures from the Masterworks site: The guy on the left is pretty recognizable to people of a certain age who pay attention to supporting cast members. It's Eddie Bracken, of course, who was in probably hundreds of movies and TV shows over a long career. But who is that slinky dish on the right? Seeing these pictures made it clear how Carol Channing could play Lorelei Lee on Broadway in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Marilyn Monroe played LL in the movie). I now think of CC in a whole new light. Hmmm, both CC and MM played LL. Alliteration is big in babe world, I guess. These pictures are from the 1954 production of "archy and mehitabel - a back alley opera". archy was a cockroach who at night would jump on the keys (hence all lower case letters) of author/cartoonist/poet Don Marquis' typewriter and leave stories of his adventures with mehitabel, an alley cat of prodigious history. You can see more of the story at http://donmarquis.com/archy-and-mehitabel Edit: those pictures were not necessarily taken in 30th St, although I'd prefer to think they were.
On October 16th, 1968, Brenda Lee, in one of her rare recording's made outside of Nashville, recorded the hit, "Johnny One Time" at the 30th Street Studio in New York. (One of my personal favorites of hers, by the way!)
Bill Evans last studio recording ever, which strangely happened to be, "We Will Meet Again", was recorded at 30th Street, on August 6 through the 9th, 1979 and was released on Warner Brothers
Not sure if this has been posted yet (Sorry, if it has), but here is a great New York Times article from 1982, regarding Glenn Gould's infamous final recordings at the 30th Street Studio. Ironic, that with news of the soon to be death of the studio, might have also killed Glenn? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/magazine/30-variations-and-a-microphone.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Cool, I didn't realize that he was specifically brought in because the studio was closing. And some nice information about his initial sessions there. FYI, the article is from 2012, not 1982.
Here's my list. There are a few titles missing from your original list because either I didn't have the CD release or the release had no recording date included. But I also added some that weren't on your original. You'll see that some dates have more than one session, especially early on. Just from looking at this, the "record it in one day rule" must have come after SOUTH PACIFIC in 1949. Also note that studio cast albums (that is, albums of shows not running on Broadway at the time) never had to follow that rule, so most of them had more than one session. Same seems to be true for recordings that were more than one LP. I didn't include them here, but I also looked at the date of the show opening because I was curious to see whether they were all recorded within a week of the opening, and usually they were, but not always. There's a 10-day gap in the case of BYE BYE BIRDIE, for example. I can imagine all sorts of reasons for that. Maybe a contract to record the show wasn't in place on opening night, or maybe the studio wasn't available. The last one is very curious: BARNUM, in 1980, took five days! This is the simplified version of my file. Dan, I'll send you the whole thing in Excel. --John Show Boat (1946 Revival), recorded 02/11/1946, Additional sessions: 02/14/46 Finian's Rainbow, recorded 03/30/1947, Additional sessions: 04/03, 07, 10/47 Kiss Me Kate, recorded 01/16/1949, Additional sessions: 01/17/49, 01/20/49, 01/24/49 South Pacific, recorded 04/18/1949, Additional sessions: 04/19/49 Peter Pan (Bernstein), recorded 06/17/1950 Pal Joey (Studio Cast), recorded 09/20/1950, Additional sessions: 09/21-22/50 Out of this World, recorded 12/31/1950 Porgy and Bess (3-LP Studio Cast), recorded 04/05/1951, Additional sessions: 04/06-13/51 Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A, recorded 04/22/1951, Additional sessions: 04/23/51 archy and mehitabel, recorded 07/07/1953, Additional sessions: 04/09/54 Kismet, recorded 12/06/1953 Girl in Pink Tights, The, recorded 03/14/1954 Pajama Game, The, recorded 05/16/1954 House of Flowers, recorded 01/09/1955 Oh, Kay! (Studio Cast), recorded 12/13/1955, Additional sessions: 12/14-15/55 My Fair Lady, recorded 03/25/1956 Most Happy Fella, The, recorded 05/13/1956, Additional sessions: 05/14/56, 05/20/56 Li'l Abner, recorded 11/18/1956 Bells are Ringing, recorded 12/02/1956 Candide, recorded 12/09/1956 Cinderella (TV), recorded 03/19/1957 Brigadoon (Studio Cast), recorded 07/15/1957, Additional sessions: 07/16/57 West Side Story, recorded 09/29/1957 Oh, Captain!, recorded 02/09/1958 Regina (1958 City Center Prod.), recorded 04/28/1958 Goldilocks, recorded 10/19/1958 Wonderful Town (TV), recorded 11/16/1958 Flower Drum Song, recorded 12/07/1958 First Impressions, recorded 03/22/1959 Song of Norway (Jones Beach), recorded 05/13/1959, Additional sessions: 03/16-17/59 Nervous Set, The, recorded 05/17/1959 Gypsy, recorded 05/24/1959 Sound of Music, The, recorded 11/22/1959 Bye, Bye Birdie, recorded 04/24/1960 Christine, recorded 05/01/1960 On the Town (Studio Cast), recorded 05/31/1960 Camelot, recorded 12/11/1960 Happiest Girl in the World, The, recorded 04/09/1961 Kean, recorded 11/12/1961 Show Boat (Studio Cast), recorded 12/14/1961, Additional sessions: 12/17-18/61 All American, recorded 03/25/1962 I Can Get it For You Wholesale, recorded 04/01/1962 Lady in the Dark (Studio Cast), recorded 01/23/1963, Additional sessions: 05/22/63 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, recorded 02/17/1963 Here's Love, recorded 10/06/1963 Anyone Can Whistle, recorded 04/12/1964 To Broadway With Love, recorded 03/10/1964 Bajour, recorded 11/29/1964 Do I Hear a Waltz?, recorded 03/21/1965 Sweet Charity, recorded 02/06/1966 It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman, recorded 04/03/1966 Mame, recorded 05/29/1966 Apple Tree, The, recorded 10/23/1966 Cabaret, recorded 11/27/1966 Hallelujah Baby!, recorded 04/30/1967 South Pacific (Lincoln Center), recorded 06/18/1967 Now is the Time for All Good Men, recorded 10/16/1967 Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, recorded 01/29/1968, Additional sessions: 02/05/68 Dear World, recorded 02/09/1969 Company, recorded 05/03/1970 Rothchilds, The, recorded 10/25/1970 Two by Two, recorded 11/15/1970 No, No, Nanette, recorded 01/24/1971 Little Night Music, A, recorded 03/18/1973 Irene, recorded 04/01/1973 Candide (1974 revival), recorded 03/18/1974, Additional sessions: 03/19/74 Chorus Line, A, recorded 06/02/1975 On the Twentieth Century, recorded 02/26/1978 Barnum, recorded 05/26/1980, Additional sessions: 05/27-30/80
I don't see an engineering credit, but the producer was Mike Berniker, and sessions were arranged and conducted by Marty Manning. From Ruppli's book, I see that the whole JOHNNY ONE TIME LP was done in NY. First session (with "Johnny One Time") was 10/14/68. The rest of the LP was recorded March and April of 1969. Noel Coward's "Matelot" (a favorite of mine from that LP) was the first track recorded!
Thanks for that, that's excellent. But Show Boat and Finian's Rainbow were done at Liederkranz Hall. I've added links to the photos on the Masterworks site. I've also added some notes about the studio and microphones used, where possible. Kiss Me Kate, recorded 01/16/1949, Additional sessions: 01/17/49, 01/20/49, 01/24/49 Western Electric 640 AA. Bare control room wall. South Pacific, recorded 04/18/1949, Additional sessions: 04/19/49 640 AA and RCA 44BX. No shots of control room wall, but polycylindrical diffusers above air vent. Added: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, recorded 12/19/1949 and 12/20/49 44BX, 640 AA above orchestra. Polycylindrical diffusers below on control room wall. Peter Pan (Bernstein), recorded 06/17/1950 Pal Joey (Studio Cast), recorded 09/20/1950, Additional sessions: 09/21-22/50 Out of this World, recorded 12/31/1950 Altec 21B "Coke bottle" and 44BX. Porgy and Bess (3-LP Studio Cast), recorded 04/05/1951, Additional sessions: 04/06-13/51 Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A, recorded 04/22/1951, Additional sessions: 04/23/51 archy and mehitabel, recorded 07/07/1953, Additional sessions: 04/09/54 Neumann U47 and 44BX. Kismet, recorded 12/06/1953 Appears to be an Altec 633A! Girl in Pink Tights, The, recorded 03/14/1954 44BX. Pajama Game, The, recorded 05/16/1954 44BX, possibly U47 on orchestra. House of Flowers, recorded 01/09/1955 Oh, Kay! (Studio Cast), recorded 12/13/1955, Additional sessions: 12/14-15/55 U47 and 44BX. My Fair Lady, recorded 03/25/1956 Neumann M49. Polycylindrical diffusers have been removed. No curtains on/around control room wall. Most Happy Fella, The, recorded 05/13/1956, Additional sessions: 05/14/56, 05/20/56 M49. Curtains have been added. Li'l Abner, recorded 11/18/1956 M49. RCA 77-DX possibly as talkback mic. Bells are Ringing, recorded 12/02/1956 M49. Candide, recorded 12/09/1956 Cinderella (TV), recorded 03/19/1957 M49. Brigadoon (Studio Cast), recorded 07/15/1957, Additional sessions: 07/16/57 West Side Story, recorded 09/29/1957 M49. Oh, Captain!, recorded 02/09/1958 M49. Regina (1958 City Center Prod.), recorded 04/28/1958 Goldilocks, recorded 10/19/1958 M49. Wonderful Town (TV), recorded 11/16/1958 M49, Sony C-37A. Flower Drum Song, recorded 12/07/1958 C-37A. First Impressions, recorded 03/22/1959 M49. Song of Norway (Jones Beach), recorded 05/13/1959, Additional sessions: 03/16-17/59 M49. Nervous Set, The, recorded 05/17/1959 M49. Gypsy, recorded 05/24/1959 M49. Sound of Music, The, recorded 11/22/1959 M49. Color, and rare shots of orchestra. Bye, Bye Birdie, recorded 04/24/1960 M49. Possibly U47 on orchestra, but blurry. Christine, recorded 05/01/1960 M49. On the Town (Studio Cast), recorded 05/31/1960 M49. Maybe U47 on orchestra (blurry)? A few shots of orchestra. Camelot, recorded 12/11/1960 M49. Happiest Girl in the World, The, recorded 04/09/1961 M49. One (blurry) orchestra shot. Kean, recorded 11/12/1961 M49. One (blurry) orchestra shot. Show Boat (Studio Cast), recorded 12/14/1961, Additional sessions: 12/17-18/61 M49. One (blurry) orchestra shot. All American, recorded 03/25/1962 M49. One (partial) orchestra shot. I Can Get it For You Wholesale, recorded 04/01/1962 M49. Still in the old control room. Added: Mr. President, recorded 10/28/1962 M49. New control room. Lady in the Dark (Studio Cast), recorded 01/23/1963, Additional sessions: 05/22/63 M49. Neumann U67. One (blurry) orchestra shot. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, recorded 02/17/1963 M49. Here's Love, recorded 10/06/1963 M49. Nice shot of Fred Plaut in front of the console in the new control room. A few partial orchestra shots. Anyone Can Whistle, recorded 04/12/1964 Appears to be exclusively U67 on vocals, although an M49 can be seen on the orchestra. No curtains above old control room window. To Broadway With Love, recorded 03/10/1964 Bajour, recorded 11/29/1964 U67. Do I Hear a Waltz?, recorded 03/21/1965 U67. Curtains across the entire wall above the old control room (compare with Anyone Can Whistle). Sweet Charity, recorded 02/06/1966 U67 for vocals, M49 can be seen over orchestra. Shot of new control room from the studio, including steps up to the door. It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman, recorded 04/03/1966 U67. Mame, recorded 05/29/1966 U67. Apple Tree, The, recorded 10/23/1966 Cabaret, recorded 11/27/1966 Hallelujah Baby!, recorded 04/30/1967 U67. South Pacific (Lincoln Center), recorded 06/18/1967 U67. Now is the Time for All Good Men, recorded 10/16/1967 U67. Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, recorded 01/29/1968, Additional sessions: 02/05/68 U67. One shot appears to have a low ceiling. Could this be Studio D? Dear World, recorded 02/09/1969 U67. Rare shot of the console. Company, recorded 05/03/1970 U67. Unknown mic in this photo. Control room monitors in background here. Video, parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Rothchilds, The, recorded 10/25/1970 Two by Two, recorded 11/15/1970 U67. M49 on orchestra (and here). Nice shot of orchestra. No, No, Nanette, recorded 01/24/1971 U67. Little Night Music, A, recorded 03/18/1973 U67. New console in place. Irene, recorded 04/01/1973 U67. Old control room still present. Candide (1974 revival), recorded 03/18/1974, Additional sessions: 03/19/74 U67. Chorus Line, A, recorded 06/02/1975 U67 on group vocals, but an M49 saw some use as well. On the Twentieth Century, recorded 02/26/1978 U67 and M49. Barnum, recorded 05/26/1980, Additional sessions: 05/27-30/80 U67. Interesting that the mic changes roughly coincide with changes in the studio. WE 640 AA initially, then the RCA 44BX around when the polycylindrical diffusers were installed in early 1949. The 44BX and later U47 were typical through this period, but then they switched to the M49 around the time the diffusers were removed in 1956. That was mostly standard through 1963, but then they switch to the U67 roughly a year after the new control room was installed. Not long after that additional curtains were added.
Verbal descriptions only, no pictures found yet. One chamber, in the basement, was an old storeroom with concrete walls/floor/ceiling, irregularly shaped IIRC, cleared out the junk, put a speaker and a good mic in there (Frank said the model, I think, but I don't remember, I'll look later), experimented a lot with placement of both, found good spots for both, marked the floor, closed and locked the door. The key was running the echo send signal through a tape recorder to get a delay involved so there was space between the dry and the reverb, a trick that Les Paul taught them. Abbey Road and other studio people came to see the reverb chamber, and there is a picture in the "Recording the Beatles" book showing the Abbey Road chamber that was built as a result of the visit.
I wish that in addition to a "Like" button there was a "LOVE" button! Thanks, John and Luke, for this great work!
Wow, the links and details are so cool! Thanks for adding GENTLEMEN and MR. PRESIDENT--don't know what I never bought those CDs. Here's another tiny detail--COMPANY had one additional session date for sure. If you watch the documentary film, you'll see that Elaine Stritch came in on another day to redo her "Ladies Who Lunch" vocal track, but that date isn't documented on the CD.
Interesting that the RCA 77 may have largely/only seen use as a talkback mic. (See posts 252 and 262.)
Right, not documented, and at Studio E at 49 East 52nd Street, not 30th Street. As above, I think I've alternately heard it was Monday or Tuesday. It was clearly after a show; were there shows on Mondays? That might offer a clue. True, although there aren't many shots of the orchestras, and even fewer where you can see the mics used. It's possible that they were in fact used for a period but they just aren't seen in the photos. Or, perhaps not. Unfortunately (for us), the focus of most of the photos is on the "talent". And as great as the Masterworks site is, it's too bad there isn't a site that has photos from all of the other sessions there.
Updated with the entries I previously missed from Dan's list. Additions in red. Kiss Me Kate, recorded 01/16/1949, Additional sessions: 01/17/49, 01/20/49, 01/24/49 Western Electric 640 AA. Bare control room wall. South Pacific, recorded 04/18/1949, Additional sessions: 04/19/49 640 AA and RCA 44BX. No shots of control room wall, but polycylindrical diffusers above air vent. Miss Liberty, recorded 7/21/1949, 7/22 44BX. Diffusers in place. Added: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, recorded 12/19/1949 and 12/20/49 44BX, 640 AA above orchestra. Polycylindrical diffusers below on control room wall. Peter Pan (Bernstein), recorded 06/17/1950 Pal Joey (Studio Cast), recorded 09/20/1950, Additional sessions: 09/21-22/50 Out of this World, recorded 12/31/1950 Altec 21B "Coke bottle" and 44BX. Porgy and Bess (3-LP Studio Cast), recorded 04/05/1951, Additional sessions: 04/06-13/51 Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A, recorded 04/22/1951, Additional sessions: 04/23/51 archy and mehitabel, recorded 07/07/1953, Additional sessions: 04/09/54 Neumann U47 and 44BX. Kismet, recorded 12/06/1953 Appears to be an Altec 633A! Girl in Pink Tights, The, recorded 03/14/1954 44BX. Pajama Game, The, recorded 05/16/1954 44BX, possibly U47 on orchestra. House of Flowers, recorded 01/09/1955 Oh, Kay! (Studio Cast), recorded 12/13/1955, Additional sessions: 12/14-15/55 U47 and 44BX. My Fair Lady, recorded 03/25/1956 Neumann M49. Polycylindrical diffusers have been removed. No curtains on/around control room wall. The Adventures of Marco Polo, recorded 3/30/1956 M49. Hard to tell, but looks like curtains were added next to the control room. Most Happy Fella, The, recorded 05/13/1956, Additional sessions: 05/14/56, 05/20/56 M49. Curtains have been added. Li'l Abner, recorded 11/18/1956 M49. RCA 77-DX possibly as talkback mic. Bells are Ringing, recorded 12/02/1956 M49. Candide, recorded 12/09/1956 Cinderella (TV), recorded 03/19/1957 M49. Brigadoon (Studio Cast), recorded 07/15/1957, Additional sessions: 07/16/57 West Side Story, recorded 09/29/1957 M49. Speaking of Love, recorded 1957? M49. Not entirely clear if the photo is from Speaking of Love or With Love From Hollywood in 1959. The former is a bit more likely, as that yoke for the M49 wasn't used as much by 1959. Oh, Captain!, recorded 02/09/1958 M49. Regina (1958 City Center Prod.), recorded 04/28/1958 Goldilocks, recorded 10/19/1958 M49. Wonderful Town (TV), recorded 11/16/1958 M49, Sony C-37A. Flower Drum Song, recorded 12/07/1958 C-37A. Juno, recorded 3/59? M49. First Impressions, recorded 03/22/1959 M49. Song of Norway (Jones Beach), recorded 05/13/1959, Additional sessions: 03/16-17/59 M49. Nervous Set, The, recorded 05/17/1959 M49. Gypsy, recorded 05/24/1959 M49. Sound of Music, The, recorded 11/22/1959 M49. Color, and rare shots of orchestra. A Thurber Carnival, recorded 3/60? M49. Bye, Bye Birdie, recorded 04/24/1960 M49. Possibly U47 on orchestra, but blurry. Christine, recorded 05/01/1960 M49. Ernest In Love, recorded 5/23/60 M49. On the Town (Studio Cast), recorded 05/31/1960 M49. Maybe U47 on orchestra (blurry)? A few shots of orchestra. Irma La Douce, recorded 10/2/60 M49. Camelot, recorded 12/11/1960 M49. Happiest Girl in the World, The, recorded 04/09/1961 M49. One (blurry) orchestra shot. Kean, recorded 11/12/1961 M49. One (blurry) orchestra shot. Show Boat (Studio Cast), recorded 12/14/1961, Additional sessions: 12/17-18/61 M49. One (blurry) orchestra shot. Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall, recorded 3/62? M49. The actual Carnegie Hall performance was apparently March 5, 1962, but "[m]usical portions were re-recorded at the Columbia Records 30th Street Studio". I haven't found a specific date. All American, recorded 03/25/1962 M49. One (partial) orchestra shot. I Can Get it For You Wholesale, recorded 04/01/1962 M49. Still in the old control room. Bravo Giovanni, recorded 5/62? Added: Mr. President, recorded 10/28/1962 M49. New control room. Lady in the Dark (Studio Cast), recorded 01/23/1963, Additional sessions: 05/22/63 M49. Neumann U67. One (blurry) orchestra shot. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, recorded 02/17/1963 M49. Here's Love, recorded 10/06/1963 M49. Nice shot of Fred Plaut in front of the console in the new control room. A few partial orchestra shots. The Girl Who Came to Supper, recorded 12/8/63 M49, U67. Recorded the day it opened? What Makes Sammy Run, recorded 3/1/1964? U67. To Broadway With Love, recorded 03/10/1964 Oklahoma, recorded 3/16/64, 3/17, 3/20, 3/24 U67. Anyone Can Whistle, recorded 04/12/1964 Appears to be exclusively U67 on vocals, although an M49 can be seen on the orchestra. No curtains above old control room window. King and I, recorded 6/1/1964, 6/5, 6/11 U67, M49 for? Bajour, recorded 11/29/1964 U67. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, recorded 12/1964? U67. Do I Hear a Waltz?, recorded 03/21/1965 U67. Curtains across the entire wall above the old control room (compare with Anyone Can Whistle). Sweet Charity, recorded 02/06/1966 U67 for vocals, M49 can be seen over orchestra. Shot of new control room from the studio, including steps up to the door. It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman, recorded 04/03/1966 U67. Mame, recorded 05/29/1966 U67. Apple Tree, The, recorded 10/23/1966 Cabaret, recorded 11/27/1966 Hallelujah Baby!, recorded 04/30/1967 U67. South Pacific (Lincoln Center), recorded 06/18/1967 U67. Now is the Time for All Good Men, recorded 10/16/1967 U67. Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, recorded 01/29/1968, Additional sessions: 02/05/68 U67. One shot appears to have a low ceiling. Could this be Studio D? George M, recorded 4/14/1968? U67. Dear World, recorded 02/09/1969 U67. Rare shot of the console. 1776, recorded 3/23/1969 U67. Dames at Sea, recorded 5/5/1969 U67. Company, recorded 05/03/1970 U67. Unknown mic in this photo. Control room monitors in background here. Video, parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Rothchilds, The, recorded 10/25/1970 Two by Two, recorded 11/15/1970 U67. M49 on orchestra (and here). Nice shot of orchestra. No, No, Nanette, recorded 01/24/1971 U67. 70, Girls, 70, recorded 4/18/1971? U67 Little Night Music, A, recorded 03/18/1973 U67. New console in place. Irene, recorded 04/01/1973 U67. Old control room still present. Candide (1974 revival), recorded 03/18/1974, Additional sessions: 03/19/74 U67. Over Here!, recorded 3/31/74 U67 with foam windscreens. Chorus Line, A, recorded 06/02/1975 U67 on group vocals, but an M49 saw some use as well. On the Twentieth Century, recorded 02/26/1978 U67 and M49. Barnum, recorded 05/26/1980, Additional sessions: 05/27-30/80 U67.
They used the 44BX a lot between 1949 and 1955, so presumably there was more to it. Interesting that they were using U47s as early as 1953, but at least based on the available photos it seems that the 44BX was still the primary mic, at least for vocals.
That's good to know, because the Masterworks site has the opening night of the show run as Dec. 8. I figured that had to be wrong since it was a Sunday and the release date of the album was Dec. 16. So I guessed, and was apparently right. Opening date must have been like the 4th or 5th or 6th. Their website is pretty good but isn't PERFECT.... It's really cool that you have the albums to do the research. I'm very impressed, but then I don't stop being impressed with the level of participant (and participation) on this site.
