Re: In Hollywood - once again
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 5:25 pm
Hi all,
Several people have asked how to indentify which version of CAIH just by listening. Since there have been all kinds of mixtures of side A / side B with different versions on each side, and also CD reissues which have a different audio version than the accompanying cover image would indicate, being able to identify the version just from hearing Chet's guitar is an interesting exercise.
In each case (the original 59 release where Chet recorded his guitar parts back in Nashville, and the 61 reissue which used the original live-in-studio tapes) Chet's guitar was recorded in an entirely different manner.
1959 first release (night scene cover) --- Chet recorded his guitar at his personal studio in Nashville, possibly using several different guitars, and using all his usual tone tricks (optimum miking of the amp tone, tape delay, etc). Also, the final mix was done by Chet himself. In this version, the guitar is prominent in the mix -- "out front", sometimes using tape delay effects, sometimes not. At times there is very little reverb on the guitar, with a drier sound which is a noticeable contrast against the reverb-y sound of the orchestra.
1961 reissue ("gold girl" cover) --- Chet was recorded live at the 1958 session by plugging his guitar straight into the board using a DI box. This technique was a necessity to keep his guitar sound out of the orchestra's mics, so that he could later redo the guitar tracks. The only thing between Chet's guitar and the console preamp was a transformer (DI box) to convert the high impedance guitar signal to make it compatible with the low impedance mic channel. There was no tone shaping or any of Chet's regular effects, not even a guitar amp through which to hear himself (he and Dennis Farnon had headphones). In this version of the recording, you will hear Chet's guitar without any slapback delay, but drenched in the same lush reverb as the orchestra, courtesy of Radio Recorders' legendary live reverb chambers. Also, Chet's guitar is much more blended volume-wise with the orchestra, and not "in your face" like on the 59 version. The mix is overall a "smoother" sound. According to the photographs we have from the original session, Chet was playing an early-issue 6122 CG (large headstock, no zero fret).
Over the years the different versions of the recording have been released in different "packages". For instance, the audiophile vinyl LP release by Classic Records from 2005 used the Gold Girl cover, but has the audio version from Chet's original Nashville overdub. The Mobile Fidelity CD version from the late 1989 has the Night Scene guitar cover (shown inside the booklet), but audio from the original studio session. The JVC "XRCD" audiophile CD version has the Gold Girl cover and live session audio usually associated with that cover. Over the years, either audio version has shown up wrapped either jacket design, sometimes apparently with no rhyme or reason. This can be explained by the fact that the record company was never aware that two different audio versions existed.
In either version, it is a legendary recording. I hope this makes a complicated scenario a little more clear!
Pat Kirtley
Several people have asked how to indentify which version of CAIH just by listening. Since there have been all kinds of mixtures of side A / side B with different versions on each side, and also CD reissues which have a different audio version than the accompanying cover image would indicate, being able to identify the version just from hearing Chet's guitar is an interesting exercise.
In each case (the original 59 release where Chet recorded his guitar parts back in Nashville, and the 61 reissue which used the original live-in-studio tapes) Chet's guitar was recorded in an entirely different manner.
1959 first release (night scene cover) --- Chet recorded his guitar at his personal studio in Nashville, possibly using several different guitars, and using all his usual tone tricks (optimum miking of the amp tone, tape delay, etc). Also, the final mix was done by Chet himself. In this version, the guitar is prominent in the mix -- "out front", sometimes using tape delay effects, sometimes not. At times there is very little reverb on the guitar, with a drier sound which is a noticeable contrast against the reverb-y sound of the orchestra.
1961 reissue ("gold girl" cover) --- Chet was recorded live at the 1958 session by plugging his guitar straight into the board using a DI box. This technique was a necessity to keep his guitar sound out of the orchestra's mics, so that he could later redo the guitar tracks. The only thing between Chet's guitar and the console preamp was a transformer (DI box) to convert the high impedance guitar signal to make it compatible with the low impedance mic channel. There was no tone shaping or any of Chet's regular effects, not even a guitar amp through which to hear himself (he and Dennis Farnon had headphones). In this version of the recording, you will hear Chet's guitar without any slapback delay, but drenched in the same lush reverb as the orchestra, courtesy of Radio Recorders' legendary live reverb chambers. Also, Chet's guitar is much more blended volume-wise with the orchestra, and not "in your face" like on the 59 version. The mix is overall a "smoother" sound. According to the photographs we have from the original session, Chet was playing an early-issue 6122 CG (large headstock, no zero fret).
Over the years the different versions of the recording have been released in different "packages". For instance, the audiophile vinyl LP release by Classic Records from 2005 used the Gold Girl cover, but has the audio version from Chet's original Nashville overdub. The Mobile Fidelity CD version from the late 1989 has the Night Scene guitar cover (shown inside the booklet), but audio from the original studio session. The JVC "XRCD" audiophile CD version has the Gold Girl cover and live session audio usually associated with that cover. Over the years, either audio version has shown up wrapped either jacket design, sometimes apparently with no rhyme or reason. This can be explained by the fact that the record company was never aware that two different audio versions existed.
In either version, it is a legendary recording. I hope this makes a complicated scenario a little more clear!
Pat Kirtley