A little parlor game...strange sounds heard on recordings

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Beagle, Mar 12, 2002.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. SVL

    SVL Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kiev, Ukraine
    Can't think of a specific album right now, but on some old jazz records you can hear players murmuring softly as they play (not wind instruments, apparently:)). You can hear that on records featuring Jimmy Smith or Milt Jackson, for instance.

    I have a Russian recording where the guy forgot to take off an electronic watch before he went into the studio, and the damned thing was beeping on the hour.
     
  2. SVL

    SVL Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kiev, Ukraine
    You can hear almost the same remark from one of the players on Shadows In the Rain from Sting's The Dream of the Blue Turtles.
     
  3. ArneW

    ArneW Senior Member

    Location:
    Cologne, Germany
    SVL,

    the "king of murmurers" has to be Erroll Garner, actually. I don't recall a single take where he is not grunting and snarling along with himself playing the piano. Very funny, this guy.

    Arne
     
  4. lucifer-chops

    lucifer-chops Forum Resident

    Location:
    London England
    Just got the SACD of Glenn Gould playing Bach's 2 & 3 Part inventions. As I was listening I was aware I could hear the neighbour's TV set coming through the floorboards. But when I stopped the SACD there was no noise! Turned out it was on the recording itself - sounds like he is muttering to himself as he plays.
     
  5. lbangs

    lbangs Senior Member

    From what I understand, Gould often murmured, hummed, or made other noises while playing. The engineers tried to weed it out, but it is still there on many recordings...

    Shalom, y'all!

    L. Bangs
     
  6. GoldenBoy

    GoldenBoy Purple People Eater

    Location:
    US
    yes, it's my understanding that Gould always hummed along with himself playing and that you can hear this on most of his recordings. I've heard that this is even more clear on the remasters of his work. I have one of these recordings, I believe it is the Goldberg Variations, and I can indeed hear the humming.

    On the SACD of Thelonius Monk's 'Straight, No Chaser' there are a couple of tracks where you can hear some background chatter from the band as well as Monk humming along.
     
  7. Ronflugelguy

    Ronflugelguy Resident Trumpet Geek

    Location:
    Modesto,Ca
    Try Miles Davis "Someday My Prince Will Come " can't remember the specific track, but miles keeps squeaking his chair!!!
     
  8. Dob

    Dob New Member

    Location:
    Detroit
    On my version of Gould's Goldberg Variations (I believe there are two of them), his vocalizing is so loud and terrible sounding (at times it sounds like he's howling) that I got rid of the CD, even though the piano playing is outstanding. What a shame...
     
  9. Mike

    Mike New Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Keith Jarrett mumbles and scats on some of his music. This makes otherwise excellent music unlistenable, at least to me.
     
  10. TSmithPage

    TSmithPage Ex Post Facto Member

    Location:
    Lexington, KY
    Yeah, Erroll Garner also does this (see, for example, his Concert by the Sea), and I agree, the humming/mumbling/vocalizing distracts from the music to the point that I don't care to listen to it.
     
  11. Craig

    Craig (unspecified) Staff

    Location:
    North of Seattle
    I agree. He also does it when he plays live. Not quite as distracting as a recording which you listen to repeatedly and therefore know (and anticpate) when its coming..

    -Craig
     
  12. Kym

    Kym Former Resident

    The only ones I can think of right now...

    Pink Floyd, "Mother"
    At the very beginning, between the exhale and the first words, you can hear Roger Waters do a sniffle. It does sound like he has a bad cold throughout the song.

    Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, "Bim Bom"
    0:45 in, at the beginning of the piano solo, a man coughs nearer the right channel.

    Donovan, "Sunshine Superman" (4:31 version)
    2:29 in, Donovan sings "you're" while the backup voices sing "for." I'm sure it was a gaffe (unlike Love's "The Red Telephone").
     
  13. Pat

    Pat Forum Detective

    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    ..."Awright...Ready"...and other stray words...


    If you listen to Closer To Home - Grand Funk Railroad, at about 53 seconds into the song, listen for a "very noticeable" ALLRIGHT uttered by someone.

    On the Casinos song, Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye, you can hear a "READY" cue from someone right before the "music break" comes to an end and the vocal kicks back in.

    Once you know these are on there, you CAN"T listen to the song again without hearing them very clearly!

    Imagine what Steve must hear in songs, having listened to "so many" master tapes!!! :rolleyes:
     
  14. Matt

    Matt New Member

    Location:
    Illinois
    How about "Monk's Music"? On the second track, 'Well, You Needn't,' just before Coltrane takes his solo, you hear Monk shouting 'Coltrane! Coltrane!'

    One of my professors once told me that Coltrane was getting off heroin during his time with Monk, which was why he dozed off during that particular recording session, prompting Monk to shout out a wake-up call.
     
  15. Humorem

    Humorem New Member

    Location:
    LOS ANGELES
    How about on Yes's Close to the Edge where the engineer says "rolling" from the control booth.

    I'm sure everybody has heard it; then the guitarist says "okay" nice and loud.

    The reason I bring it up is that the MOFI LP (077) is so dull and thick that you almost can't hear the engineer. On any other copy he's clear as a bell. And that MOFI copy goes for big bucks! Go figure.

    (Hot stamper info: British A1/B1, baby, all the way! Try to find one. Your efforts will be generously rewarded!)

    TP
     
  16. RDK

    RDK Active Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    jazz grunts

    Well, I'll have to disagree about Jarrett's (or Gardner's or Bud Powell's) humming and vocalizations being annoying. On the contrary, i often find that they add a sense of passion and personality to the recordings. These cats are really into it...

    Ray
     
  17. Humorem

    Humorem New Member

    Location:
    LOS ANGELES
    Did anybody mention Shelly Manne? Ray Brown? You better hope there's not a mike near their heads or you can hear them vocalizing like crazy.
    TP
     
  18. Doug Hess Jr.

    Doug Hess Jr. Senior Member

    Location:
    Belpre, Ohio
    It may have been intentional, but get out your copy of Something/Anything from Todd Rundgren (or the Time/Life Singers and Songwriters volume by Dennis Drake) and listen to the album version of "Hello, It's Me"

    When I worked at an FM Album Rock station in the early 80s we always cued up the album until just before he said, "Give me a ... a break" Then before he counts off the song, someone distinctly, though quietly says, "OK, if anybody F*cks up". Love to play that on the air...nobody ever called.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine