Remembering Dave Dexter Jr. On The 30th Anniversary Of His Passing

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by schnitzerphilip, Apr 19, 2020.

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  1. schnitzerphilip

    schnitzerphilip "Modern Dad" Unlocked Award Thread Starter

    Location:
    NJ USA
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    Please take a moment today to recognize one of the unsung contributors of American music and the man who guided the Beatles through their early years in this market, creating some of their most memorable albums.
     
  2. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    He may not have handled The Beatles in the best way. It took him a while to sign them. He also refused almost all the other big British invasion era pop acts, but Dave Dexter Jr deserves credit for signing Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Duke Ellington, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Nat 'King' Cole, The Beach Boys and surprisingly for a man who didn't like rock 'n' roll, Gene Vincent.

    Overall, Dave Dexter Jr deserves respect for all that, but what he did to The Beatles albums was disrespectful, even if a few ended up almost accidentally being excellent in their own way. Other labels, including Decca and MGM would have done similar and did with other British acts.
     
  3. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    Agreed. Over the last few decades or so-especially since the UK versions of Beatle albums became "world canon" on CD-it's become almost "fashionable" to knock Dexter for the way he handled them. Like it or not, the way it was done was perfect in bringing The Beatles to the phonographs of millions of American kids. I was among the very first wave of young late-comers, not starting collecting my stash of Beatle albums till the late 60's. This game of 'catch-up" involved only the American albums-Dexter's. They were my "entrance" into the magical musical obsession that has stuck with me to this day. For me, while discovering UK imports in the early 70's was a type of "magic" unto itself, at the time it is *they* that were the afterthought. None of the UK's-for me at the time-had the impact and importance of Meet The Beatles or The Second Album. Thank you, Dave Dexter.
     
  4. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    I honestly feel that that Decca and MGM would have done far "worse".
     
  5. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur!

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    This. I believe he signed Stan Kenton also.

    Capitol's 1950s roster was arguably the best of any major label.
     
  6. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    It's hard to be over critical of someone who put together records that were incredibly successful in the world's biggest pop market. I doubt many cared that the albums were different to other countries ones at the time and the US got new Beatles albums unbelievably frequently. I can imagine that was very exciting and there's a lot of fond memories attached with those albums.
     
  7. Detroit Rock Citizen

    Detroit Rock Citizen RetroDawg Digital

    Have you ever noticed there are no pictures of the Beatles and Dexter together?
     
  8. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    It's incredible. I love their 50s recordings too. He also signed Wanda Jackson. The sound quality on her and Gene Vincent's rock 'n' roll records is way ahead of most, if not all, early Beatles recordings.
     
  9. Evethingandnothing

    Evethingandnothing Forum Resident

    Location:
    Devon
    He originally passed up The Beatles in favour of Mrs Mills.
     
  10. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    It's hard to pinpoint demographically who hates the Capitol albums, who likes them and for what reasons. For a couple of them as you said, the American versions were excellent while most of the others were at best OK to pretty bad (even if the individual song choices were great, they didn't work as "albums"). I'm guessing that the majority of people who have a special place in their hearts for the American albums don't get much younger than myself (almost 63). As the 70's wore on, imports became really popular and I'm sure that many fans younger than myself became acquainted with them and preferred them. And those who got introduced to The Beatles via the "CD age", I'm pretty sure, have no use whatsoever for the Capitol albums. For me, it's a combination of the truly well-done Capitols (about four of them), the nostalgia and historic significance.
     
  11. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    They're definitely irrelevant to most people who weren't around and if it wasn't for the very limited CD box sets and second hand vinyl, are almost totally lost to history. They are the real story of US Beatlemania though.

    I'm in the UK and would like to own a set of the US albums if I got very lucky and found them cheap. They'd make a change, I've never heard what Dave Dexter Jr did and there's the occasional earlier mix. I like some of the sleeves too.
     
  12. Detroit Rock Citizen

    Detroit Rock Citizen RetroDawg Digital

    What I can't understand was why weren't the Beatles handed over to Nick Venet?
     
  13. Cool hand luke

    Cool hand luke There you go man, keep as cool as you can

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    I've been considering jumping into the U.S. Capitol release foxhole, and I'm kinda at the "research" point now. Not sure if I wanna pay the money involved in getting those first 2 volume boxes....so I am curious as to what those four titles are that you consider well-done?
     
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  14. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur!

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    When you consider the number of Capitol Beatles LPs pressed over the decades, and add the fact that these albums have crossed over into the digital realm, the US versions are here to stay. Like it or not, nothing dies in the digital era.

    Listeners in the present or in the future may still discover the Beatles through a US album.
     
  15. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I don't mind them being there, for posterity as much as anything else.
     
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  16. schnitzerphilip

    schnitzerphilip "Modern Dad" Unlocked Award Thread Starter

    Location:
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    I have never cared for the sonics of the Capitol collection. Some like the processing, some view the sound as nostalgic or original to their early listening experiences, some hate it.

    Me, I focus solely on the song sequencing. Meet The Beatles, Beatles Second Album, and Rubber Soul were superior presentations to their UK counterparts. Better assortment of songs (Meet, Second), and the Beatles first concept album (Rubber Soul) make Dexter's contributions legitimate and effective.

    If you are interested in the sonics, you can track down reissues and it'll cost you some money. If you are interested in the sequencing, you can build playlists from the 09's or on the streaming services.
     
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  17. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    There are.
     
  18. Hmm, why fondly remember him? I’m sure he was a nice guy and loved and respected by his associates, but he also was no fan of The Beatles music. He spoiled some of their songs needlessly with “enhancements” and the albums he cobbled together were designed to give the fans less for their money and ignore the artists’ intent. Hooray!
     
  19. Cool hand luke

    Cool hand luke There you go man, keep as cool as you can

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Not so much the sequencing, cause I can re-create that with what I already have. I guess it's more of a sonic thing. I have seen stand-alone CD releases of the US albums, I actually own 2 of them, Butcher cover and Rubber Soul. I am wondering if these stand alone releases were from the more recent "American flag" box? Were they released individually from the Capitol Vol. 1&2 long boxes as well?
     
    DK Pete likes this.
  20. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    Just keep in mind that those first two boxes contain a lot of the reverberation Dexter used..especially on The Beatles' Second Album..anyway, the four I'm referring to are:

    -Meet The Beatles (as an album, I feel it actually "plays" better the With The Beatles).
    -The Beatles Second Album (One of the greatest straight-ahead Rock and Roll 60's albums, period IMO and showcasing The Beatles as such).
    -Rubber Soul (Intentionally or not, the most pre-Revolver, musically atmospheric Beatle album UK or US)
    -Magical Mystery Tour (bringing the original UK book of the film up to full album size and incorporating all the great singles of that era onto the album was a great move even the most hardheaded of purists approve of).
     
  21. Cool hand luke

    Cool hand luke There you go man, keep as cool as you can

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    :tiphat:
     
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  22. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    The stand-alones are from the US (flag) Box. The Capitol box versions were not released individually.
     
  23. Cool hand luke

    Cool hand luke There you go man, keep as cool as you can

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Thanks again! So the only way to hear the Dexter stuff is the original LP's or the Capitol 2 volume boxes....which aren't cheap. (I know this is Beatles 101 for most here, I apologize for being late to the party. Thanks again for the info)
     
    DK Pete likes this.
  24. schnitzerphilip

    schnitzerphilip "Modern Dad" Unlocked Award Thread Starter

    Location:
    NJ USA
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    The U.S. Albums is a collection on the streaming services, they have the Stereo and Mono versions of all the Capit0l albums, have the appropriate cover art, has the false start on I'm Looking Through You, etc. I'm not sure about the reverb, duophonic, etc.
     
    DK Pete likes this.
  25. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    Those other labels turned down the Beatles, so they gave up their chance to rearrange the goods.
     
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