For many, the Jimi Hendrix Experience's song "Purple Haze" (from the Are You Experienced album) was transformational in that it signaled the transition from pop music that was the driving the music business to a heavier song that would mark the end of the 60s and carry through until the 90s.
In this video you'll see and hear my buddy Eddy Kramer (who worked on most of Jimi's recordings) play the isolated tracks from the original 4 track recording of the song. You'll also get to hear a track of the song loud and clear that's almost buried on the final recording.
If you ever wondered how songs were worked out and recorded back in the 60s, then this video is the best example you'll ever see. It's a look at The Rolling Stones first working out their famous "Sympathy For The Devil," then recording it, way back in 1968.
The film, called One On One, was shot by French New-Wave director Jean Luc-Godard at Olympic Studios, then largely forgotten. In it you'll see The Stones learning the song, then trying different versions until they hit upon the one that we know today.
They then begin to record it for real, in which you'll see the entire band performing at once. The vocal overdubs are interesting as well, with Jagger singing on one side of gobo and the group background vocals on the other.
You have to watch a 15 second commercial to get to the video, but trust me, it's worth it.
I love watching how other people record since each session is so unique. What works for one artist or band probably won't work for another, or even for that same artist at another time and place for that matter.
But I especially love to see how some of the songs that we've come to know as "classics" were recorded since everything was a lot more primitive in some ways (the limited number of tracks available), and lot better than today in others (the higher sound quality).
Here's a video I recently found that's worth a look. It's the RollingStones recording their classic "Sympathy For The Devil" at Olympic Studios in London in 1968. There are a number of things to be aware of when watching:
1) Note how large the studio was, and the height of its ceiling. This was common for most studios of the time.
2) Note that the control room was raised so it overlooks the studio, also a characteristic of studios of the time.
3) Notice how everyone is playing the basic track together, and aside from some baffling, they weren't particularly concerned with leakage since all the instruments are placed relatively close together.
4) Notice how the song changes shape as they go along until it becomes the song that we know today.
5) Notice how Keith Richards ends up playing bass while bassist Bill Wyman plays percussion.
6) It's interesting that the lead and background vocals were recorded at the same time, probably because they only had a single track for vocals. It's also interesting that Mick is singing into a Shure dynamic mic (it looks like a model 565, which was a common PA mic of the day), instead of one of the many large diaphragm tube mics that we so revere these days.
