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

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..

 

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...

 

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.

 

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!

 

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

 

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...

 

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..

 

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

 

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

 

I mastered that with Terry Howard. Felt the bonus tracks were an odd choice.

 

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..