SH Spotlight RAY CHARLES ABC-Paramount "Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music" cutting history, 1962 to 1968

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Sep 6, 2020.

  1. qwerty

    qwerty A resident of the SH_Forums.

    It's a very striking cover. No mistaking who Ray is.

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Those reels of tape have (had) Bell Sound tape legends on the boxes. It's possible that they didn't begin to stamp "Bell Sound" in the deadwax until later..
     
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  3. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    At the outset in 1955, ABC-Paramount used quite a few other cutters. All the copies I had of Bobby Scott's "Chain Gang" single (#9658) were cut by Capitol's New York studios, with their 'N#" dash numbers in the deadwax (for a time in 1967, what by then was ABC Records resumed using Capitol for a spell - it was they who cut the lacquers for the original 45 of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World," #10982). When Ferrante & Teicher originally ish'd the stereo version of their Heavenly Sounds In Hi-Fi album in 1958, Olmsted Sound did the lacquers. By the late 1960's, taking after Dunhill, ABC started using first United/Western, then The Mastering Lab, for lacquer cutting.
     
  4. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    I think it was around 1960 or thereabouts that the stamped 'Bell Sound' began showing up. But not all lacquers had it. Most cut at "Master #5" didn't (the ones by Dominick Romeo).
     
  5. Easy-E

    Easy-E Forum Resident

    Yes please - Modern Sounds Vol 2 :agree:
     
  6. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    And also the 45 RPM singles, please Steve.
     
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  7. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Steve, the only 7" Stereo on this was a 33 1/3 RPM set of jukebox singles released in a Seeburg Artist Of The Week style set. Never seen one complete in the wild, saw a few stray single discs of this set. There was also a similar set of Stereo 33 1/3 RPM singles for "Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music, Volume 2, also.
     
  8. deBoinx

    deBoinx Forum Resident

    One more vote for Volume 2, please.
     
  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I only have the stereo cutting info for MODERN SOUNDS IN COUNTRY & WESTERN MUSIC, VOLUME TWO:

    ABCS 435B 1A, 1B 9/13/62 for LONGWEAR
    ABCS 435A 1C, 1D, 1E 9/20/62 for LONGWEAR
    Jukebox stereo 7" 9/14/62

    One recut only ordered: ABCS 435 A&B 1F for MONARCH 10/25/67

    That's it! This is a far cry from the monumental recuts for the first volume.

    BUT, what do you notice here? The album was released in January of 1963. The parts were cut late in September, 1962. Why the delay?

    Guess.

    No, I'll tell you: The world almost ended, that's why. The Cuban Missile Crisis happened in October of 1962...

    A8DA0250-B28F-481A-974B-6C6A66A12960.jpeg
     
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    The singles? That is easy.

    Each side of a Ray Charles ABC-Paramount 45 was cut with a 1a, 1b, 1c, all at the same time. Sent to LONGWEAR. That's for all of them. For three plants I guess.

    Never saw a recut of a 45 until after 1968 which falls out of this section of history.

    I can tell you one funny thing though. When ABC Records started using mastering rooms in Hollywood instead of New York. They called for certain tapes to be sent from BELL SOUND to LA. Bell was so pissed off about it, they just slapped an address label right on the front of the master tape box and shipped it via US Mail without packing it in a mailing box.

    Can you believe that happy crappy?

    I can remember being with Terry Howard and looking at a tape box which had the session, hold and master takes of HIT THE ROAD, JACK and UNCHAIN MY HEART, both recorded on a single 10" reel of tape in one 20 minute session.

    The tape box had this mailing label on it from BELL SOUND to UNITED RECORDING in Hollywood. And a few stamps on the front. We couldn't believe it. Ray later had his guy throw this tape and many others right in the trash can. Sad.
     
  11. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Forgot one other thing. I was told by the late Sid Feller (who was still working with Ray when I was there) that the first version of MODERN SOUNDS IN COUNTRY & WESTERN MUSIC had the full 14 song line up and the first promo LP had 7 songs a side.

    Anyone ever see this in the world anywhere? The 14 song version? It would be a priceless record if it exists!
     
  12. bosto

    bosto Forum Resident

    IMO “Unchain My Heart” is one of the best audio quality tunes I’ve heard. Very clean and present sound. Excellent engineering.
     
  13. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    The original 14 track Sid Feller sequenced version:

    Side one

    1. "Bye Bye Love" Boudleaux Bryant, Felice Bryant 2:09
    2. "You Don't Know Me" Eddy Arnold, Cindy Walker 3:14
    3. "Half as Much" Curley Williams 3:24
    4. "I Love You So Much It Hurts" Floyd Tillman 3:33
    5. "Just a Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long Way)" Eddy Arnold, Zeke Clements 3:26
    6. "Born to Lose" Frankie Brown, pseudonym of Ted Daffan 3:15
    7. "Who Cares (For Me)" Don Gibson

    Side two

    1. "Move It On Over" Hank Williams
    2. "Worried Mind" Ted Daffan, Jimmie Davis 2:54
    3. "It Makes No Difference Now" Floyd Tillman, Jimmie Davis 3:30
    4. "You Win Again" Hank Williams 3:29
    5. "Careless Love" Traditional, Arranged by Ray Charles 3:56
    6. "I Can't Stop Loving You" Don Gibson 4:13
    7. "Hey, Good Lookin'" Hank Williams
     
  14. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    I would love to see that LP if it existed.
     
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  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    The only evidence of it existing that I personally saw was the paper label copy card for the album that had the 14 songs and their publishers. A Harry Fox Publishing Card if you will.

    And if you look on the inside of that early 1970s ABC Records double album compilation of his greatest ABC hits, you will see that there is an ABC Ray Charles discography and MODERN SOUNDS is listed there with the full 14 songs which confused the hell out of us young fans for many years...
     
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  16. Deja Doh

    Deja Doh QUARANTINED

    Location:
    South Pasadena, CA
    I wonder if/when a complete version of the album will be forthcoming. Adding the two songs identified above in the original sequence (what is known about the versions of these songs?), that means there would be at least 9 songs that have been or were to be tacked on to the album over the years.

    Original sequence songs removed:
    Who Cares For Me
    Move It On Over

    Various additions:
    You Are My Sunshine
    Here We Go Again
    That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)
    At The Club
    I'm Movin' On
    Leave My Woman Alone
    Unchain My Heart
     
  17. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Those songs were added from other albums and singles, pointless.

    The 14 songs recorded for the original album (6 recorded with strings at United by Bill Putnam) and the 8 recorded at Capitol in NYC would make a fine complete album.

    The two songs "kicked off" of MODERN SOUNDS ended up on a later Ray Charles album called "HAVE A LAUGH WITH ME" or something like that. Never waste a song..
     
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  18. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC
    And here's the Long Wear building, still standing. I know LIC pretty well, this is in a very industrial area.

    Google Maps
     
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  19. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    That's it? Funny, in my mind I had it as a massive structure..
     
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  20. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    That's what BELL SOUND could do. Better sound quality (to me) than, United. A little more "distant" than Capitol NYC.
     
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  21. Sex Lies And Master Tapes

    Sex Lies And Master Tapes Gaulois réfractaire

    Location:
    Nantes, France
    I wish some label will reissue Modern Sounds Vol. 1 in this sequence. It would be great.
    I'm happy with my 1988 Rhino CD reissue though. VERY good sounding CD.
    15 tracks. The 12 originals + You Are My Sunshine, Here We Go Again, My Lucky Old Sun.
     
  22. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I mastered that with Terry Howard. Felt the bonus tracks were an odd choice.
     
  23. Sex Lies And Master Tapes

    Sex Lies And Master Tapes Gaulois réfractaire

    Location:
    Nantes, France
    Are you sure we're talking about the same reissue ?
    Bill Inglot and Ken Perry appear to be the guys in charge of the digital remastering on the cover of the CD...
     
  24. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I know, but I did it with Ray Charles and Terry. Bill just mastered over what I mastered in the first place. Don't think he changed a thing..
     
  25. Sex Lies And Master Tapes

    Sex Lies And Master Tapes Gaulois réfractaire

    Location:
    Nantes, France
    :righton:

    Edit :

    If I had to choose one track, You Don't Know Me would be the one.
    The recording, the strings and vocals arrangements, the mixing... WOW... and Ray of course whose voice is incredible.
    One of my desert island album.

    I never noticed to this day that Sid Feller and ABC did alternate on each side songs recorded with Big Band and arranged at Capitol (Gerald Wilson & Gil Fuller - Horns) and songs arranged with Strings and recorded at United (Bill Putnam)... :angel:
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2020
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