SH Spotlight Bob Furmanek's research leading up to the first year of stereo records. It is fantastic reading..

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Jan 7, 2018.

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  1. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    Wow that is pretty cool
     
  2. Jskoda

    Jskoda Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Bob, I've always thought the four LOVE ME TENDER songs were the only true stereo material Elvis recorded in the 50s. The reason for this is those songs were recorded at the Fox Studios recording facilities, and Fox had made stereo and CinemaScope a studio standard as of THE ROBE. After LOVE ME TENDER, Elvis decided he'd rather do his recording at Radio, with his standard people and without studio folks around, so from then on he did almost all his movie song recording there. Isn't that true?
     
  3. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident

    LOVE ME TENDER sessions were stereo however there is no evidence the film ever had a four-channel magnetic release. By 1956, that requirement for CinemaScope had gotten somewhat lax.

    There's more information on the early stereo movies on this page of our website: First Year of Stereophonic Motion Pictures - 3dfilmarchive

    Some of the LOVING YOU sessions were done at Radio Recorders. but most were recorded on the Paramount scoring stage.

    JAILHOUSE ROCK is also a mix of Radio Recorders and the MGM scoring stage. The MGM sessions were 35mm multi-track and my brother Ron did a fabulous stereo mix back in the 1990's on the movie version of "Treat Me Nice." I think it was released on the Legendary Performances set.



    KING CREOLE - with the increased brass section - would have been a natural for a stereo soundtrack in 1958. I suspect the binaural sessions had the vocal on one channel and music/background singers on the other as that was standard practice for mixing to mono. RCA would not have released that as a Living Stereo album because they were trying to get away from any hard left/right recordings.

    This site is an excellent resource for Elvis' recording sessions; Recording Sessions 1950s
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2018
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  4. Pelvis Ressley

    Pelvis Ressley Down in the Jungle Room

    Location:
    Capac, Michigan
    The Radio Recorders sessions for Elvis’ Christmas Album and King Creole were almost certainly recorded 2-track, however the tapes were not among those rescued and saved by Bones Howe.
     
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  5. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident

    What a shame and thank goodness Bones rescued the other 2-track tapes from the dumpster!
     
  6. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    [​IMG]

    $14.95 in 1954 = $137.19 in 2018!!!!!!!
     
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  7. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident

    Yes, indeed. One had to have VERY deep pockets to be an audiophile!
     
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  8. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    That is true today too, Bob!
     
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  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    You understand those are all MONO, right? The only stereo tape is at the lower right.
     
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  10. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    By golly, you're right.
     
  11. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident

    True but all the Red Seal tapes are $14.95.
     
  12. thxdave

    thxdave "One black, one white, one blonde"

    That first article that Bob linked to had a photo of C.E."Ched" Smiley. I knew the name and face were familiar and, sure enough, I realized that I photographed him back in the '90s. Had I known his history, I would have had a LOT to talk to him about other than what he was being interviewed for. Hindsight.
     
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  13. Maranatha5585

    Maranatha5585 BELLA + RIP In Memoriam

    Location:
    Down South
    Wow... great informative thread .. Thanks.
     
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  14. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident

    Thxdave, can you tell me more about the interview? I've tried to find out what happened to Ched Smiley and there's not much information available. Apparently, he sold his interest in Livingston Audio in the early 1960's. There's a reference to the company "changing hands" in an article.

    He started Livingston Audio in 1948 and other names mentioned at the time were R.W. Smiley (his brother?) and John Gardner.
     
  15. thxdave

    thxdave "One black, one white, one blonde"

    Bob, I'll do some digging in my archives and see what I can come up with. I was assigned to photograph him by one of several publications I freelanced for back then but I'm still trying to remember which one it was. I'll PM you with more info. Dave
     
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  16. MrRom92

    MrRom92 Forum Supermodel

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    There’s a copy of that one on eBay right now with the original sales receipt from 1956 still in the box! Lucky bastard only paid $12.70 ;)
     
  17. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident

    Thanks to thxdave, I've been able to uncover information about Ched Smiley. He was born in 1916 and passed away in Florida in 1998.

    I've just spoken with his son and hope to shed more light in the very near future on this most important stereo pioneer!
     
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  18. Joel1963

    Joel1963 Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal
    I'm trying to remember exactly, but the DVD of King Creole has a designation of 5.1 Surround, and I think there are some stereo musical segments, but not of Elvis songs. Only instrumentals, but I'm going by memory. Or I could be thinking of the Jailhouse Rock DVD.
     
  19. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident

    Paramount did new stereo mixes from original stems for VHS release back in the 1980's and WB did the same for JAILHOUSE ROCK on Blu-ray about ten years ago.

    The Paramount films were mono only in theaters and JR was Perspecta stereo.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2018
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  20. danielbravo

    danielbravo Senior Member

    Location:
    Caracas. DC
    Thanks Mr. Hoffman. This is an excellent read. I really liked your previous thread about the old recordings of the 30s.
    This seems very interesting to me: "educational"
    It takes little time to read it but it is very nice.
    Thanks for sharing
     
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  21. indy mike

    indy mike Forum Pest

    That Jack Scott album is well worth a listen - Mr. Scott flat out rocked. :righton:

     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2018
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  22. Joel1963

    Joel1963 Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal
    One thing that always slightly bothered me, as I'm reminded from the material Bob amassed, was Epic Records' promotion of its "radial sound," in both mono and stereo. It always made me think of tires! :D
     
  23. @Bob Furmanek This is the recording that's sited on your site by Wilbur De Paris in 1952? Stereo?

    [​IMG]
     
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  24. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident

    I'm not sure what release you've pictured but this is the original 1952 cover:

    [​IMG]
     
  25. Jayson Wall

    Jayson Wall Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    There was only two Elvis film that I know of that were issued in 4-track mag: "That's The Way It Is" and "Elvis On Tour". WB has done a nifty 4-track "like" take on "Viva Las Vegas" that I saw about 5 years ago on the WB lot that knocked my socks off (and I think it's the track on the BD), but any stereo Elvis films on DVD/BD besides the concert films are upmixes.

    Bob---do you know the song they cut at the 11th hour from "Girls, Girls, Girls" that Paramount had to physically cut from the first set of dye transfer prints?
     
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