THE LOST STEP IN THE RECORDING PROCESS, MULTITRACK MASTERING

By ROBERT DENNIS USE OF THIS ARTICLE SUBJECT TO USER AGREEMENT

Track Preparation In the days of analog recording the Detroit engineer would clean-up and sort of pre-master the multitrack before the mixdown process began. For a major production, the engineer worked with the multitrack recording of a tune for 6 or so sessions before mixdown could begin. During that time (spanning 18-30 hours), the engineer had to mix monitors, cues and run-offs after each session. The engineer heard the tune when it was only drums, bass and rhythm and all the way through the process of becoming a finished production. The idea was to get the tape so that it contained only the final sounds of the production. The following type of things were done to the tape: 1. Spot erasure of any noise or unnecessary ambiance in the tracks was done. This would be things like erasing the lead vocal track dung the intro and instrumental break, getting out coughs between the lines, amplifier hum before the guitar solo, etc. 2. Process, ride levels and bounce tracks. Often a Pultec equalizer and/or Teletronics limiting amplifier would be wanted for guitar and bass and maybe for other tracks. To simplify mixing and to allow multiple-use of processing gear, tracks would be processed and bounced to an empty track. When a guitar track might need a significant level change for the lead solo, this would be bounced with the level changes and any processing changes desired. 3. Effects bounces would be done when a delay effect or reverb was wanted on a particular instrument. A track could be made and called "guitar echo" with a tape-looped echo effect recorded on it - to be mixed in with the "dry" guitar later. Composite tracks would be made. It was not uncommon to have several vocal performances on several tracks and then edit a final vocal track by bouncing. The engineer of the 60's and 70's didn't have the convenience of console automation and a "bizzillion" effects units in the rack, but still had to get the sound. When console automation came along, 65% of the reason for multitrack pre-mastering vanished. Another 20% has become unnecessary because of the multiple and inexpensive processing devices available today. The last 15% has not been replaced by modern technology, this being the convenience and assistance to mixing caused by pre-mastering. When a multitrack is pre-mastered, the engineer spends all of his time mixing, rather than "cleaning-up" the sound. The Motown Heritage Of Pre-Mastering The Multitrack

In a way you could accurately state that Lawrence T. Horn, Motown's Chief Recording Engineer mixed every Motown release between 1964 and 1967. Lawrence did this remarkable feat by implementing a recording "system" for Motown and by ingenious management of a staff of engineers. His claim to fame came from his system developed for 3 track recording in 1964: 1. Any staff engineer would record a basic session on three tracks. The engineer was strictly forbidden from using any eq, compression or any other type of signal processing. 2. Lawrence Horn would mix together the three tracks into one track. To do this, he would play the multitrack master on a playback machine and record onto track one of the 3 track master recorder. Lawrence would use all of the processing gear to make this mix. He was basically doing a "final" mix of the rhythm track. This procedure made a "B" reel that could further be recorded on. 3. Any Staff engineer would cut the horns onto tracks 2 & 3 of the B reel. Brass instruments would be on one track and woodwinds would be recorded on the other track. Again the engineer wouldn't be allowed any signal processing. 4. Lawrence Horn would take the B reel and mix the horns with signal processing onto track 2 of a new 3 track tape, making a C reel to allow further recording. Track 1 (final rhythm) would be copied to the new C reel at the same time. 5. A more experienced engineer would record the strings onto track 3 of the C reel. This job wouldn't be given to the greenest engineer on staff. 6. Lawrence horn would mix the stings and horns onto track 2 of a new, D reel, using, of course any signal processing he deemed necessary. Track 1 would again be copied to the new D reel at the same time. 7. Any staff engineer would record background vocals onto track 3 of the D reel without any signal processing. 8. A more experienced engineer would bounce the background vocals and add lead vocals, using signal processing to a new E reel on track 3. The E-Reel had all of the final "mixed" elements and was the final multitrack reel used for mixdown. All staff engineers would be invited to mix the production off of this reel and submit their mixes to the Quality Control Department. Quality Control would pick the best mix. Engineers would "compete" for the mix that was chosen for release. Since Lawrence Horn did the transferring & mixing to make the multitrack, he actually did most of the mixing on the released version. Since he was good at mixing, he often would be the engineer that won the mixing competition.

Today's Project or Home Studio Today's home project engineer and even the studio engineer can learn by the original Motown recording system. Like the Motown engineer, there is often one piece of processing equipment that could be used with different settings for different tracks. When the project engineer bounces with digital recording equipment, there are no large noise restraints that cause noise buildup. The Motown engineer had a real noise problem with those 1960 vintage 3 track analog recorders. Project studios having 2 MDM's (ADATs or DA-88s) have it made, because they can bounce to a new reel of tape and still retain their original tracks on the original reel. The interesting thing is that Digital Audio Workstations are more-or-less setup to do this pre-mastering to the multitrack recording. Dedicated Digital Audio Workstations such as the Roland VMS 880 have a feature that several performances can be recorded onto one "track." Only one version may be played back at a time, but this version can be an edited version made from all recorded performances. This is one of the key ingredients to pre-mastering the multitrack.

PC based Digital Audio Workstations, such as Cakewalk Pro Audio have "plug ins" available that can be used to "process" tracks with effects. With the track copying features, you can keep a copy of the original, The mid-1960's engineer had to pre-master correctly. Once new parts were added, one was stuck with the mix used for bouncing the track. The home or project recordist of today can use the same techniques but go back and re-do any mix anytime. Conclusion: Engineers of old had to be both smart and good to get the best sounding final mix. New engineers can be as smart but actually don't have to be as good to get good results. Premastering the multitrack allows the engineer to concentrate on getting the best mix without having to "correct": the recording and mix at the same time.
Copyright 1998, Recording Institute Of Detroit - All Rights Reserved

RECORDING TECHNIQUES
MOTOWN ENGINEERING SERIES No. 2 THE EXCITING COMPRESSOR
By ROBERT DENNIS Editor's Note: Motown developed a mixing method that allowed presence, bite and intensity on lead vocals. Even when the vocals were mixed at an even level with the music, you could hear every word clearly. I've released two past articles on this subject and every time I get bombarded with comments about how great the technique is.

The Pre-Motown Mix In the 1950's and early 1960's records were generally mixed with the vocal far louder than the music. The vocal had a very natural sound to it except the there was a lot of reverb applied to the vocals. The artist that really had this sound was Frank Sinatra. Back then, when listening to Old-Blue-Eye's records, you heard the music way in the background. This sound, however, wasn't exclusive to Frank. Even the "Rock & Roll" records of the time, like Elvis & Ricky Nelson had the vocals way out front. The Motown Mix Motown had a "better" idea. Motown was selling "excitement." The thinking was that the rhythm of the music is what made the record exciting and what the kids danced to. There actually was a lot of melody and important lyrics in these old records - but rhythm was the key. Actually Motown started a revolution in mixing and most modern rock (and even pop) releases are mixed in this style, even today. Regarding reverb, another Motown innovation was to have more reverb on the music than on the vocal. There were three custom built reverberation chambers at Motown - all used during

a mix - unheard of in those days. Again today a typical control room today has 4-8 (or more) effects devices for reverb (and other effects). The 1970's "Exciter" In the 70's a processing device by Aphex called the "Aural Exciter" (probably a tradename), started gaining popularity. The exciter took any instrument and generated a high-frequency signal component that could be added into the mix and would add "excitement" to the sound. A lot of people were impressed with this device (and clone devices that followed) especially to make the vocal sound brighter. I was very unimpressed. To my ears the unnatural high end added by the compressor may have added excitement but it also destroyed the vocal's natural characteristics. Another reason I hated the exciter units was I was familiar with the "Exciting Compressor" used at Motown a decade earlier. the name "Exciting Compressor" is mine but the technique I believe was first used by Lawrence Horn at Motown in 1963. When a producer would ask me for an exciter, I would tell them I had something better - the Exciting Compressor. Every client I used this on was very impressed and happy with the result. The Motown 1960's Exciting Compressor With the Motown mix approach there were problems. If you wanted the lyrics to be heard you had to use a lot of compression on the vocal so that the the softer words could still be heard over the higher-level music. In addition you boosted the "presence range" (around 5 kHz) with an equalizer. The only problem with this is that it took the life & natural dynamics out of the vocal. Lawrence Horn came up with a brilliant idea. He took the vocal and split the signal so that it when to 2 console channels. Before the vocal signal went to the second channel, it went through a compressor. Now he had two channels of the vocal - one compressed and one uncompressed. On the uncompressed vocal he added very little with the equalizer and he added the reverb. On the compressed channel, he compressed the h**l out of it and added a ton of high-frequency equalization. What he would do is bring up the "natural" channel to full level to get the basic natural sound on the vocal. On the other compressed and equalized channel, he brought this up just enough to add excitement and presence to the vocal sound. The result was nothing less than amazing. In the mix the vocal sounded very natural and bright. None of the music ever "stepped on" the vocal and you could hear each and every syllable in the lyrics. The vocal never got lost. Using The Exciting Compressor. I don't know if anyone at Aphex knew anything about this technique - BUT - the purpose of their product and the older Motown technique seen basically the same. As you try this technique out you will find it works for other instruments as well. Often the frequency of EQ needs to be changed for the instrument. The vocal works well with tons of 5kHz to 8 kHz added to the "exciting compressor;" guitars work better with 3 kHz - 5 kHz and bass guitars work better with 800 hZ to 1.5 kHz.

For analog recording or working with an analog console, splitting the vocal into two console channels is easily done with a Y-chord or similar function at the patch bay. For digital consoles, it's a little harder; usually the best results are obtained by actually having two vocal tracks recorded on the tape. Bob Dennis
Copyright 1997, 1999 Robert Dennis - All Rights Reserved USE OF THIS ARTICLE SUBJECT TO USER AGREEMENT BACK TO REQ Y2K ISSUE BACK TO REQ HOME

Wall of Sound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the music production effect. For other uses, see Wall of Sound (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008)

The Wall of Sound is a music production technique for pop and rock music recordings developed by record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, California during the early 1960s. Working with audio engineers such as Larry Levine and the session musicians who became known as The Wrecking Crew, Spector created a dense, layered, and reverberant sound that reproduced well on AM radio and jukeboxes popular in the era. He created this sound by having a number of electric and acoustic guitarists perform the same parts in unison, adding musical arrangements for large groups of musicians up to the size of orchestras, then recording the sound using an echo chamber.

Contents
[hide]

1 Description 2 Recording techniques 3 Examples of the Wall of Sound technique o 3.1 By Phil Spector o 3.2 By other musicians and producers 4 Other references 5 Shoegazing 6 See also 7 References 8 Bibliography and lectures

[edit] Description
To attain his signature sound, Spector gathered large groups of musicians (playing some instruments not generally used for ensemble playing, such as electric and acoustic guitars) playing orchestrated partsoften doubling and tripling many instruments playing in unison for a fuller sound. Spector also arranged the songs for large groups of musicians playing instruments traditionally associated with orchestras (such as strings, woodwinds, and brass). Spector himself called his technique "a Wagnerian approach to rock & roll: little symphonies for the kids".[1]

[edit] Recording techniques

Spector was known as a temperamental and quirky personality with strong, often unconventional, ideas about musical and recording techniques. Despite the trend towards multi-channel recording, Spector was vehemently opposed to stereo releases, claiming that it took control of the record's sound away from the producer in favor of the listener. Spector also greatly preferred singles to albums, describing LPs as "two hits and ten pieces of junk".[2] In the 1960s, Spector usually worked at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles because of its exceptional echo chambers, essential to the Wall of Sound technique. Microphones in the recording studio captured the sound, which was then transmitted to an echo chamber a basement room outfitted with speakers and microphones. The signal from the studio was played through the speakers and would reverberate throughout the room before being picked up by the microphones. The echo laden sound was then channeled back to the control room, where it was transferred to tape. The natural reverberation and echo from the hard walls of the echo chamber gave Spector's productions their distinctive quality, and resulted in a rich, complex sound that, when played on AM radio, resulted in an impressive depth rarely heard in mono recordings. Songwriter Jeff Barry, who worked extensively with Spector, described the Wall of Sound as: "...basically a formula. You're going to have four or five guitars line up, gut-string guitars, and they're going to follow the chords...two basses in fifths, with the same type of line, and strings...six or seven horns, adding the little punchesformula percussion instruments the little bells, the shakers, the tambourines. Phil used his own formula for echo, and some overtone arrangements with the strings. But by and large, there was a formula arrangement."[3] The Wall of Sound has been contrasted with "the standard pop mix of foregrounded solo vocal and balanced, blended backing" as well as the airy mixes typical of reggae and funk: he buried the lead and he cannot stop himself from doing thatif you listen to his records in sequence, the lead goes further and further in and to me what he is saying is, "It is not the song...just listen to those strings. I want more musicians, it's me." Jeff Barry, quoted in Williams 1974, p.91

This can be contrasted with the open spaces and more equal lines of typical funk and reggae textures [for example], which seem to invite [listeners] to insert [themselves] in those spaces and actively participate. Middleton 1990, p.89 While the Wall of Sound might give such an initial impression, further examination reveals that it is indeed more flexible, and it is a false premise that Spector filled every second with a megalomanic conundrum of noise.[4]: In fact, the 'wall of sound' was both more complex and more subtle. Its components included an R&B-derived rhythm section, generous echo and prominent choruses blending percussion, strings, saxophones and human voices. But equally important were its open spaces, some achieved by physical breaks (the pauses between the thunder in "Be My Baby" or "Baby I Love You") and some by simply letting the music breathe in the studio. Hinckley, Back to Mono (1958-1969), accompanying book (unnumbered page) Closer reflection indeed reveals that the Wall of Sound was quite compatible with, even supportive of, vocal protagonism. Such virtuosity was ultimately serving of Spector's own agendathe Righteous Brothers' vocal prowess provided him a "secure and prosperous headrest".[5] Bobby Hatfield's rendering of "Unchained Melody" serves as an example: Hatfield's wild hungry emotion and wide octave range tingled a million spines ... Mark Ribowsky; He's a Rebel, E.P. Dutton, 1989; page 192

[edit] Examples of the Wall of Sound technique

[edit] By Phil Spector
The Wall of Sound forms the foundation of Phil Spector's recordings, in general. However, certain records are considered to have epitomized its use. "Be My Baby", a 1963 hit song for The Ronettes, written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and produced by Spector, is widely regarded as one of the finest pop tunes of all time; it is considered the quintessential Phil Spector production.[6] The Ronettes' version of "Sleigh Ride" used the effect heavily. Another prominent example of the Wall of Sound was "Da Doo Ron Ron" by The Crystals. Perhaps Phil Spector's most famous use of the Wall of Sound was for Let It Be. Spector was brought in to salvage the incomplete Let It Be, an album practically abandoned by The Beatles. His work resulted in a few of the album's tracks receiving his treatment: "The Long and Winding Road", "I Me Mine", and "Across the Universe". The Wall of Sound and other overdubs proved controversial among fans and The Beatles themselves. In contrast to the Spector version, a bootleg record without the Wall of Sound emerged and gained wide distribution. Eventually, in 2003, Let It Be... Naked was released, an authorized version without the Wall of Sound.

Leonard Cohen's album Death of a Ladies' Man from 1977 was produced by Spector, and the Wall of Sound technique is evident on the album as a whole, but may be most pronounced in the track "Memories".

[edit] By other musicians and producers

Outside of Spector's own songs, the most recognizable example of the "Wall of Sound" is heard on many classic hits recorded by The Beach Boys (e.g., "God Only Knows", "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and especially, the psychedelic "pocket symphony" of "Good Vibrations"), for which Brian Wilson used a similar recording technique, especially during the Pet Sounds and Smile eras of the band. Johnny Franz's mid-60s productions for Dusty Springfield and The Walker Brothers also employed a layered, symphonic "Wall of Sound" arrangement-and-recording style, heavily influenced by the Spector sound. Harry Nilsson's hit "Everybody's Talkin'", which became the theme song for Midnight Cowboy, similarly used "Wall of Sound"-style production techniques. During the 1970s, the wall of sound technique was employed by a variety of artists. Queen used the technique in a number of their early-to-mid 70s' songs such as "Funny How Love Is",[7] "Flick Of The Wrist", and the band's biggest UK hit "Bohemian Rhapsody".[8] Swedish pop group ABBA used similar techniques in their early songs, including "Ring Ring", "Waterloo", and "Dancing Queen". Roy Wood, another 1970s artist, utilized and arguably, expanded the "Wall of Sound" approach, particularly in his band Wizzard, who would multi-track saxophones, pianos and drums to create a huge sound. Notable examples include "Angel Fingers" and "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday". Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's landmark 1975 Born to Run album which includes more than thirty guitar tracks is perhaps the most extensive and faithful updating of Spector's early-1960s "Wall of Sound" production style. "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth", from Meat Loaf's 1977 Bat Out of Hell album is another example of the Wall of Sound technique. Jim Steinman and Todd Rundgren were inspired by Phil Spector's methods. Todd Rundgren even goes through the motions of adding elements during mixing to the wall in the Classic Albums episode "Bat Out of Hell". Indeed, Chris Thomas' production for The Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K." is probably the premier example of the mono "Wall of Sound" recording technique in punk with over twenty carefully orchestrated, feedback-laden guitar overdubs used in the making of the record. Sandy Pearlman's epic production for "Tommy Gun" by The Clash also builds to an intense, dramatic "Wall of Sound" finale featuring several loud, distorted guitar overdubs and martial sound effects set against a rousing snare-drum march. However, after 1977, arguably in part due to the punk movement's growing influence, the technique started to be used less frequently, as the value of lavish and complex music productions was seen to decline.

In the 1980s, Trevor Horn's hugely popular productions for ABC's The Lexicon of Love, Yes' 90125, Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Welcome to the Pleasuredome, and Grace Jones' Slave to the Rhythm are decidedly slicker and more sophisticated examples of the opulent "Wall of Sound" approach in British New Wave/Hi-NRG dance music all of these recordings utilize a large string orchestra and dozens of synthesizer and guitar overdubs with featured sound effects and treatments. The Los Angeles-based New Wave band Wall of Voodoo offered their own quirky, ominous interpretation of the "Wall of Sound" (the band's name is itself a take-off on the phrase) with their 1982 album Call of the West (produced by Richard Mazda), and its hit single "Mexican Radio". Canadian Metal musician Devin Townsend is well known for his extensive use of this technique in his works, employing gratuitous use of delays and reverb on the guitar, keyboard and vocal tracks, while at the same time overlaying multiple takes for a rich, full sound and atmosphere. Townsend uses these techniques on the making of Strapping Young Lad's Alien album. Marillion's song "Beyond You", from their 1995 album Afraid of Sunlight is reminiscent of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound productions, and is recorded monaurally, rather than in stereo. Other recent examples of the wall of sound technique include Glasvegas and Bernard Butler (in his work with such acts as McAlmont and Butler, The Tears and Duffy, with such songs as "Yes", "Apollo 13", "Rockferry", and 'Distant Dreamer'). The Super Furry Animals song "Run-Away" was heavily influenced by the technique.

[edit] Other references

The term "wall of sound" first appeared in print in the New York Times on 22 June 1884, in a description of Richard Wagner's redesigned Nibelungen Theater in Bayreuth, Germany, which placed the orchestra (for the first time, it seems) in a deep orchestra pit out of sight of the audience. (Previously, the orchestra had been placed in front of the stage, at the same level as the audience and in plain view). "The mere sinking of the orchestra is, however, not the only innovation. Wagner leaves there, a space of eighteen feet wide, and extending the entire breadth of the stage (not merely of the proscenium) and extending up to the roof, perfectly free. He calls this the Mystic Space, because he intends that here the invisible 'wall of music,' proceeding from the invisible orchestra, shall separate the real (that is the audience) from the ideal (the stage pictures.) If we may so express ourselves, the audience will perceive the scenes through an invisible wall of sound." The term became popularly used around 1955 to describe sound of the jazz orchestra led by Stan Kenton, with its booming trombone, trumpet and percussion sections. The term "Wall of Sound" was also used to describe the enormous public address system designed by Owsley Stanley specifically for the Grateful Dead's live performances circa 1974. The Wall of Sound fulfilled the band's desire for a distortion-free sound system that could also serve as its own monitoring system. Raymond Scott nicknamed the vast array of

homemade sequencers and synthesizers that took up a wall of his studio the "wall of sound."[citation needed] Bernie Taupin refers to the term explicitly in the Elton John hit song Bennie and the Jets in the line "We're gonna hear electric music/Solid walls of sound." It is unclear if this reference is for the term itself or just a line he conjured, but the context would support the former.

[edit] Shoegazing
Shoegazing, a style of alternative rock, is influenced by "Wall of Sound". Shoegazing emerged from the United Kingdom in the early 90s and lasted until the mid 1990s, peaking circa 1990 to 1993. Common musical elements in shoegazing are distortion, delay, and chorus effects, droning riffs and a "wall of sound" from noisy guitars. Typically, two distorted rhythm guitars are played together to give an amorphous quality to the sound. Although lead guitar riffs were often present, they were not the central focus of most shoegazing songs. Vocals are typically subdued in volume and tone, but underneath the layers of guitars is generally a strong sense of melody. While the genres which influenced shoegazing often used drum machines, shoegazing more often features live drumming. Chapterhouse and Seefeel utilised both samples and live drumming. Jesus and Mary Chain and Cocteau Twins are often regarded perhaps the initial exponents of the style, appearing at the beginning of the 1980s and continuing into the style's heyday a decade later. The Jesus and Mary Chain's debut album Psychocandy is widely hailed as a landmark.[9] My Bloody Valentine's 1991 album Loveless is perhaps the best-known example of meticulous Wall of Sound-influenced production in the shoegaze genre. Featuring heavy processing on vocals and guitars, it is tipped to have cost 250,000 to produce over a 3-year period.[10]

[edit] See also

Loudness war

[edit] References
1. ^ Richard Williams, Phil Spector: Out of His Head, 2003, ch. 5 "Little Symphonies for the Kids" 2. ^ news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6467441.stm 3. ^ "Myspace". http://www.myspace.com/philspectorrr. Retrieved 2009-06-16. 4. ^ David Hinckley; Back to Mono (1958-1969); 1991; ABKCO music, Inc. 5. ^ Mark Ribowsky; He's a Rebel, E.P. Dutton, 1989; page 192 6. ^ http://users.hanson.net/hnetmag/issue48/60_3.html 7. ^ http://sebastian.queenconcerts.com/2.htm 8. ^ http://www.websters-online-dictionary.net/definitions/Bohemian+Rhapsody 9. ^ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303087/the-Jesus-and-MaryChain?anchor=ref666600 10. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A2270530

[edit] Bibliography and lectures

Middleton, Richard (1990/2002). Studying Popular Music. Philadelphia: Open University Press. ISBN 0-335-15275-9. Williams, Richard (1974/2003). Phil Spector: Out Of His Head. Abacus. ISBN 07119-9864-7. Cited in Middleton (1990). Rocher, Yann, lecture "Walls of sound. Construction and destruction by saturation", Ecole Nationale Suprieure d'Architecture Paris-Malaquais, march 2010 : http://www.cdmc.asso.fr/fr/ressources/conferences/enregistrements/murs_son_constru ction_destruction_saturation_yann_rocher

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_of_Sound" Categories: Musical techniques | Sound production | Recording Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from September 2008 | All articles needing additional references | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from December 2008
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Soul music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2007)

Soul

Stylistic origins

Rhythm and blues - Gospel - Doo-wop - Jazz

Cultural origins

Late 1950s, United States

Typical instruments

Guitar - Bass - Piano - Organ - Drums - Horn section - Keyboards - Vocals

Mainstream popularity

International, 1960s through early 1980s

Derivative forms

Funk - Disco - Hip hop Contemporary R&B

Subgenres

Blue-eyed soul - Brown-eyed soul - Motown Sound Psychedelic soul - Smooth soul - Quiet Storm

Fusion genres

Neo soul - Soul blues - Soul jazz - Spoken word soul - Nu jazz

Regional scenes

British soul - Chicago soul - Detroit soul - Memphis soul New Orleans soul - Northern soul - Philly soul - Southern soul

Other topics

Soul Musicians

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues.[1] According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music

that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying."[2] Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body moves, are an important feature of soul music. Other characteristics are a call and response between the soloist and the chorus, and an especially tense vocal sound. The genre also occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds.[1]

Contents
[hide]

1 Origins o 1.1 Geographical origins 2 1970s and later 3 Subgenres o 3.1 Detroit (Motown) soul o 3.2 Deep soul and southern soul o 3.3 Memphis soul o 3.4 New Orleans soul o 3.5 Chicago soul o 3.6 Philadelphia soul o 3.7 Psychedelic soul o 3.8 Blue-eyed soul o 3.9 British Soul o 3.10 Neo soul o 3.11 Northern soul and modern soul o 3.12 Nu-Jazz and soulful electronica 4 See also 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External links

[edit] Origins
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2010)

Soul music has its roots in gospel music and rhythm and blues. The hard gospel vocal quartets of the 1940s and 1950s were big influences on major soul singers of the 1960s. The term "soul music" itself, to describe gospel-style music with secular lyrics, is first attested in 1961.[3] Ray Charles is often cited as inventing the soul genre with his string of hits starting with 1954's "I Got a Woman". Charles was open in acknowledging the influence of Pilgrim Travelers vocalist Jesse Whitaker on his singing style. Another view has it that a decade would transpire until Solomon Burke's early recordings for Atlantic Records codified the soul

style; his early 1960s songs "Cry to Me", "Just Out of Reach" and "Down in the Valley" are considered classics of the genre. Little Richard (who was the inspiration for Otis Redding),[4] Fats Domino and James Brown originally called themselves rock and roll performers.[citation needed] However, as rock music moved away from its R&B roots in the 1960s, Brown claimed that he had always really been an R&B singer.[citation needed] Little Richard proclaimed himself the "king of rockin' and rollin', rhythm and blues soulin'", because his music embodied elements of all three, and because he inspired artists in all three genres.[5] Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke are also often acknowledged as soul forefathers.[citation needed] Aretha Franklin's 1967 recordings, such as "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", "Respect" (originally sung by Otis Redding), and "Do Right Woman-Do Right Man" (written by Chips Moman and Dan Penn), are considered the apogee of the soul genre, and were among its most commercially successful productions.[citation needed] In the late 1960s, Stax artists such as Eddie Floyd and Johnnie Taylor made significant contributions to soul music.[citation needed] Howard Tate's recordings in the late 1960s for Verve Records, and later for Atlantic (produced by Jerry Ragovoy) are another notable body of work in the soul genre. By 1968, the soul music movement had begun to splinter, as artists such as James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone began to incorporate new styles into their music.[citation needed]

[edit] Geographical origins

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Many[who?] consider the birthplace of soul music to be northern United States inner cities, particularly Chicago. Other cities, such as New York, Detroit, Memphis and Florence, quickly followed, creating their own soul styles based on their regional gospel roots. Florence, Alabama, was the home of FAME Studios. Jimmy Hughes, Percy Sledge and Arthur Alexander recorded at Fame, and Aretha Franklin recorded in the area later in the 1960s. Fame Studios (often referred to as Muscle Shoals after a nearby town) enjoyed a close relationship with the Memphis label Stax Records, and many of the musicians and producers who worked in Memphis contributed to recordings in Alabama. Another notable Memphis label was Goldwax Records, which signed O.V. Wright and James Carr. Carr's "The Dark End of the Street" (written by Chips Moman and Dan Penn) was recorded in 1967 at two other Memphis studios, Royal Recording and American Sound Studios. American Sound Studios owner Chips Moman produced "The Dark End of the Street", and the musicians were his house band of Reggie Young, Bobby Woods, Tommy Cogbill and Gene Chrisman. Carr also recorded songs at Fame Studio with musicians David Hood, Jimmy Johnson and Roger Hawkins. The Detroit-based Motown Records also contributed to the soul canon in the 1960s, although at the time, the label described itself as a manufacturer of pop music. Music by Motown artists such as Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, and the Supremes did much to popularize what became known as the Motown sound. In Chicago, Curtis Mayfield helped develop the sweet soul sound that later earned him a reputation as the Godfather of northern soul. As a member of The Impressions, Mayfield

infused a call and response style of group singing that came out of gospel, and influenced many other groups of the era, notably fellow Chicago artists the Radiants.

[edit] 1970s and later

Al Green, influential soul performer This section does not cite any references or sources.
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Later examples of soul music include recordings by The Staple Singers (such as I'll Take You There), and Al Green's 1970s recordings, done at Willie Mitchell's' Royal Recording in Memphis. Mitchell's Hi Records continued the Stax tradition in that decade, releasing many hits by Green, Ann Peebles, Otis Clay, O.V. Wright and Syl Johnson. Bobby Womack, who recorded with Chips Moman in the late 1960s, continued to produce soul recordings in the 1970s and 1980s. In Detroit, producer Don Davis worked with Stax artists such as Johnnie Taylor and The Dramatics. Early 1970s recordings by The Detroit Emeralds, such as Do Me Right, are a link between soul and the later disco style. Motown Records artists such as Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson contributed to the evolution of soul music, although their recordings were considered more in a pop music vein than those of Redding, Franklin and Carr. Although stylistically different from classic soul music, recordings by Chicago-based artists are often considered part of the genre. By the early 1970s, soul music had been influenced by psychedelic rock and other genres. The social and political ferment of the times inspired artists like Gaye and Curtis Mayfield to release album-length statements with hard-hitting social commentary. Artists like James Brown led soul towards funk music, which became typified by 1970s bands like ParliamentFunkadelic and The Meters. More versatile groups like War, the Commodores and Earth, Wind and Fire became popular around this time. During the 1970s, some slick and commercial blue-eyed soul acts like Philadelphia's Hall & Oates and Oakland's Tower of Power achieved mainstream success, as did a new generation of street-corner harmony or city-soul groups like The Delfonics and Howard University's Unifics.

As disco and funk were dominating the charts in the late 1970s and early 1980s, soul went in the direction of quiet storm. With its relaxed tempos and soft melodies, quiet storm soul took influences from soft rock and adult contemporary. Many funk bands, such as Con Funk Shun, Cameo, and Lakeside would have a few quiet storm tracks on their albums. Among the most successful acts in this era include Smokey Robinson, Teddy Pendergrass, Peabo Bryson, Atlantic Starr, and Larry Graham. After the decline of disco and funk in the early 1980s, soul music became influenced by electro music. It became less raw and more slickly produced, resulting in a style known as contemporary R&B, which sounded very different from the original rhythm and blues style. The United States saw the development of neo-soul around 1994. Mainstream record label marketing support for soul genres cooled in the 2000s due to the industry's re-focus on hip hop.

[edit] Subgenres
[edit] Detroit (Motown) soul
Further information: Motown Records Dominated by Berry Gordy's Motown Records empire, Detroit soul is strongly rhythmic and influenced by gospel music. The Motown sound often includes hand clapping, a powerful bass line, violins and bells. Motown Records' house band was The Funk Brothers.

[edit] Deep soul and southern soul

Further information: Deep soul and Southern soul The terms deep soul and southern soul generally refer to a driving, energetic soul style combining R&B's energy with pulsating southern United States gospel music sounds. Memphis, Tennessee label Stax Records nurtured a distinctive sound, which included putting vocals further back in the mix than most contemporary R&B records, using vibrant horn parts in place of background vocals, and a focus on the low end of the frequency spectrum. The vast majority of Stax releases were backed by house bands Booker T and the MGs (with Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, and Al Jackson) and the Memphis Horns (the splinter horn section of the Mar-Keys).

[edit] Memphis soul

Further information: Memphis soul Memphis soul is a shimmering, sultry style of soul music produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee. It featured melancholic and melodic horns, organ, bass, and drums, as heard in recordings by Hi's Al Green and Stax's Booker T. & the M.G.'s. The latter group also sometimes played in the harder-edged Southern soul style. The Hi Records house band (Hi Rhythm Section) and producer Willie Mitchell developed a surging soul style heard in the label's 1970s hit recordings. Some Stax recordings fit into this style, but had their own unique sound.

[edit] New Orleans soul

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The New Orleans soul scene directly came out of the rhythm and blues era, when such artists as Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Huey Piano Smith made a huge impact on the pop and R&B charts and a huge directly influence for the birth of the Funk music . The principal architect of Crescent Citys soul was songwriter, arranger, and producer Allen Toussaint. He worked with such artists as Irma Thomas the Soul Queen of ew Orleans , Jessie Hill, Kris Kenner, Benny Spellman, and Ernie K. Doe on the Minit/Instant label complex to produced a distinctive New Orleans soul sound generating a passel of national hits. Other notable New Orleans hits came from Robert Parker, Betty Harris, and Aaron Neville. While record labels in New Orleans largely disappeared by the mid-1960s, producers in the city continued to record New Orleans soul artists for other mainly New York and Los Angeles record labelsnotably Lee Dorsey for New Yorkbased Amy Records and the Meters for New Yorkbased Josie and then LA-based Reprise.

[edit] Chicago soul

Further information: Chicago soul Chicago soul generally had a light gospel-influenced sound, but the large number of record labels based in the city tended to produce a more diverse sound than other cities. Vee Jay Records, which lasted until 1966, produced recordings by Jerry Butler, Betty Everett, Dee Clark, and Gene Chandler. Chess Records, mainly a blues and rock and roll label, produced a number of major soul artists. Mayfield not only scored many hits with his group, The Impressions, but wrote many hit songs for Chicago artists and produced hits on his own labels for The Fascinations and the Five Stairsteps.

[edit] Philadelphia soul

Further information: Philadelphia soul Based primarily in the Philadelphia International record label, Philadelphia soul (AKA Philly Soul) had a lush orchestral sound and doo-wop-inspired vocals. Thom Bell, and Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff are considered the founders of Philadelphia soul.

[edit] Psychedelic soul

Further information: Psychedelic soul Psychedelic soul was a blend of psychedelic rock and soul music in the late 1960s, which paved the way for the mainstream emergence of funk music a few years later.

[edit] Blue-eyed soul

Further information: Blue-eyed soul

Blue-eyed soul is a term used to describe R&B or soul music performed by white artists. The term does not refer to a distinct style of music, and the meaning of blue-eyed soul has evolved over decades. Originally the term was associated with mid-1960s white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music released by Motown Records and Stax Records. The term continued to be used in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly by the British media to describe a new generation of singers who adopted elements of the Stax and Motown sounds. To a lesser extent, the term has been applied to singers in other music genres that are influenced by soul music.

[edit] British Soul

Main article: British soul Soul has been a major influence on British popular music since the 1960s including bands of the British Invasion, most significantly The Beatles.[6] There were a handful of significant British Blue-eyed soul acts, including Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones.[7] American soul was extremely popular among some youth sub-cultures like the Northern soul and Modern soul movements, but a clear genre of British soul did not emerge until the 1980s when a number of artists including George Michael, Sade, Simply Red, Lisa Stansfield and Soul II Soul enjoyed commercial success.[8] The popularity of British soul artists in the U.S., most notably Amy Winehouse, Adele, Estelle, Joss Stone and Leona Lewis led to talk of a third British Invasion or soul invasion in the 2000s.[9][10]

[edit] Neo soul

Further information: Neo soul The term neo soul is a marketing phrase coined by producer and record label executive Kedar Massenburg to describe a musical blend of 1970s soul-style vocals and instrumentation with contemporary R&B sounds, hip hop beats and poetic interludes. The style was developed in the early to mid 1990s. A key element in neo soul is a heavy dose of Fender Rhodes or Wurlitzer electric piano pads over a mellow, grooving interplay between the drums (usually with a rim shot snare sound) and a muted, deep funky bass. The Fender Rhodes piano sound gives the music a warm, organic character.

[edit] Northern soul and modern soul

Further information: Northern soul and Modern soul The phrase northern soul was coined by journalist Dave Godin and popularised in 1970 through his column in Blues and Soul magazine.[11] The term refers to rare soul music that was played by DJs at nightclubs in northern England. The playlists originally consisted of obscure 1960s and early 1970s American soul recordings with an uptempo beat, such as those on Motown Records and more obscure labels such as Okeh Records. Modern soul developed when northern soul DJs began looking in record shops in the United States and United Kingdom for music that was more complex and contemporary. What emerged was a richer sound that was more advanced in terms of Hi-Fi and FM radio technology.

[edit] Nu-Jazz and soulful electronica

Further information: Nu jazz and Electronica Many artists in various genres of electronic music (such as house, drum n bass, UK garage, and downtempo) are heavily influenced by soul, and have produced many soul-inspired compositions.

[edit] See also

African American portal R&B and Soul Music portal

Easy listening List of soul musicians Spoken word soul

[edit] References
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Soul music
^ a b Valter Ojakr (1983). Popmuusikast. Eesti Raamat. ^ Otis Redding ^ "Soul" at Online Etymological Dictionary ^ White, Charles. (2003), p. 229. The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography. Omnibus Press. ^ Frederick Douglass Opie, Hog and Hominy: Soul Food from Africa to America, (Columbia University Press 2008), chapter 7 ^ P. Humphries, The Complete Guide to the Music of the Beatles (Music Sales Group, 1998), p. 83. ^ R. Gulla, Icons of R&B and soul: an encyclopedia of the artists who revolutionized rhythm (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008), p. xxii. ^ G. Wald, "Soul's Revival: White Soul, Nostalgia and the Culturally Constructed Past, M. Guillory and R. C. Green, Soul: Black power, politics, and pleasure (New York University Press, 1997), pp. 13958. ^ Selling their soul: women leading the way in R&B British invasion Canada.com June 9, 2008 ^ The New British Invasion: Soul Divas 2008 The Daily Voice April 30, 2008 ^ For Dancers Only by Chris Hunt, Mojo. 2002]

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

9. 10. 11.

[edit] Bibliography

Cummings, Tony (1975). The Sound of Philadelphia. London: Eyre Methuen. Escott, Colin. (1995). Liner notes for The Essential James Carr. Razor and Tie Records. Gillett, Charlie (1974). Making Tracks. New York: E. P. Dutton. Guralnick, Peter (1986). Sweet Soul Music. New York: Harper & Row. Hannusch, Jeff (1985). I Hear You Knockin': The Sound of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues. Ville Platte, LA: Swallow Publications. ISBN 0-9614245-0-8.

Hoskyns, Barney (1987). Say it One More Time for the Broken Hearted. Glasgow: Fontana/Collins. Jackson, John A. (2004). A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-514972-6. Miller, Jim (editor) (1976). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. New York: Rolling Stone Press/Random House. ISBN 0-394-73238-3. (Chapter on "Soul," by Guralnick, Peter. pp. 194197. Pruter, Robert (1991). Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-25201676-9. Pruter, Robert, editor (1993). Blackwell Guide to Soul Recordings. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd. ISBN 0-631-18595-X Walker, Don (1985). The Motown Story. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.

[edit] External links

SoulMusic.com - Classic and contemporary soul music archive Soul Bible - Looking back at some of the best soul tracks of the 1980s 100 Greatest 'Classic' R&B/Soul Songs - 50s-70s SoulBounce (Blogs, Podcast, Reviews) 100 Greatest R&B/Soul Ballads Getbluesinfo.com - Southern Soul/Blues Channel CarolinaSoul.Org SOULRNB.COM - French webzine and community