You Are My Life

Status
Not open for further replies.

Brasil_Nut

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Moderator
You know, having nothing better to do while sitting Airline Reserve this evening, I put on THE BRASS ARE COMIN and settled in for a long night of waiting for the phone to ring (thank God it never did!)

...anyway...

I wonder: has anyone else noticed that Herb's vocal on "You Are My Life" seems somewhat far off and far away -- almost muffled? Was this album released before or after the TV special? If, indeed, the vocal was recorded for the TV show and later added to the album, I could understand the fuzzy, far off effect. If not, I wonder if the vocal was intentionally recorded this way. Almost as if he's singing the song in a relaxed setting.

It's something I haven't thought about in a long time -- and I thought perhaps it might just be my particluar Lp, but it's not. Every copy sounds this way.

Jon
 
...of course it could be that darn HAECO-CSG crap. This LP is one of the worse when it comes to hearing how bad that processing can be...

--Mr Bill
 
This HAECO-CSG system seems to be popping up quite a bit this evening. A novel idea for the time, it just didn't cut the mustard in the long run. Then again, A&M was known for staying ahead of technology. If this was the newest thing in 1968, no surprise the Studio went with it.

Jon
 
Yep, HAECO-CSG strikes again. I've always loved the song and performance of "You Are My Life", but the processing mucked up the recording. It comes out with Herb's vocal kind of buried in a mid-bass mush.

If it's any consolation, it's the same way on the rare Japanese CD of THE BRASS ARE COMIN' too.

Harry
NP: "You Are My Life" - Herb Alpert
 
To my ears, the process faintly "superimposes" the sound of fingernails-on-chalkboard over an entire recording. The Brass Are Comin' to me is the worst of any HaeCo processed recording I've listened to...

--Mr Bill
 
Mr Bill said:
To my ears, the process faintly "superimposes" the sound of fingernails-on-chalkboard over an entire recording. The Brass Are Comin' to me is the worst of any HaeCo processed recording I've listened to...

--Mr Bill

I agree. Not only is the HAECO-CSG process bad, but it also doesn't help that Herb sounds as if he can hardly get a note out of his horn, either. This is one of the least-played albums in my collection.


Capt. Bacardi
 
Mr Bill said:
...of course it could be that darn HAECO-CSG crap. This LP is one of the worse when it comes to hearing how bad that processing can be...
And not just the LP either; the 45 release of "You Are My Life" (#1143) also had HAECO-CSG processing, even though it was mono; the only difference between this and the subsequent stereo 45's issued by A&M which used the process was the absence of the " . . . and can be played either stereo or monaurally" disclaimer on the label.

But then . . . it's the only one of Herb's vocal performances during the period 1968-69 in which the TJB was credited on the label, and the line "Vocal By Herb Alpert" is shown below the title.
 
It's too bad the processing can't be undone either. CSG involved a phase shift in each channel in order to make stereo LPs playable on mono equipment. Which at that point in time, was sort of pointless with a marked decrease in the number of mono-only components being sold. My guess it was used partially to eliminate dual inventory of stereo and mono titles--why manufacture and package two products?

IF the multitracks are still intact, the only option left would be to remix the album.
 
Reading the posting by Jon regarding "You are My Life", from "BAC" makes me wonder: we know that most of the classic TJB CDs are rare.
Which is the rarest?
 
I have always been amazed that nobody, anywhere, apparently compared Herb's vocals on YAML to those on "This Guy's In Love With You" and said "Hey, waitaminit, this sounds terrible...get Bacharach on the phone and find out what we did wrong!"
 
Mike Blakesley said:
I have always been amazed that nobody, anywhere, apparently compared Herb's vocals on YAML to those on "This Guy's In Love With You" and said "Hey, waitaminit, this sounds terrible...get Bacharach on the phone and find out what we did wrong!"

IMHO Bacharach messed up by giving Herb a great song in "This Guy's In LOve With You", and now Herb sings too much! (Or at least did back then).


Capt. Bacardi
...a fan of Herb's trumpet playing online...
 
I have a theory regarding Herb's vocal technique...I always get the feeling that he's trying to match some elements of his trumpet phrasing, or styling, etc. His trumpet technique is really hard to describe...all I can really call it is "breathy"...and he played in a style that wasn't anything like the other players of the TJB era...remember Maynard Furgeson's line about Herb, "using some of his money to buy a decent pair of chops?" He laughed when he said it...

The vocals back up this "breathy quality"; at least to me they do...some of the same elements of style are present...there has to be a little continuity between the vocals and the horn, which is always featured on the vocal recordings. Herb is so associated with that style that the vocals really need to reflect that. If you've heard any of the Dore Alpert recordings, you know that Herb can sing pretty well when he wants to...

I think that the vocals on his recordings were probably a little "loose" on purpose. They were meant to compliment the horn. It might not always translate as well in the vocal arena, but I think Herb was trying to duplicate the mood he'd created with the horn when he sang. I might not have stated this hypothesis very well, and I may be full of crap, but this has always been my take on Herb's vocal style.


Dan
 
DAN BOLTON said:
...I might not have stated this hypothesis very well, and I may be full of crap, but this has always been my take on Herb's vocal style...

You stated your hypothesis very well. And, I don't think you're full of it, either. As a matter of fact, your take on Herb's vocal style mirrors mine, in that it sounds as if he sings in a relaxed fashion.

Jon
 
Mr Bill said:
To my ears, the process faintly "superimposes" the sound of fingernails-on-chalkboard over an entire recording. The Brass Are Comin' to me is the worst of any HaeCo processed recording I've listened to...

--Mr Bill

The worst for me is "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." It is worse through headphones. In fact, if you've ever wired headphones out of phase, it almost HURTS to listen that way! Since "out of phase" is a 180 degree phase difference, CSG is, I think, halfway there with a 90 degree phase difference between channels. The best descrption is that the sounds are "unlocalized"...IOW, you cannot pinpoint exactly where they are at in the left/right soundstage, and has a very false "wide" effect as well. :shake:
 
The worst when it comes to CSG has to be FOOL ON THE HILL. How great this album would have been had it been recorded and mastered the same way as LOOK AROUND or EQUINOX. Even the CDs have a tendency to sound fuzzy...all because of CSG processing.

Jon
 
I think the effect of the CSG processing is more devastating on FOOL ON THE HILL, though the degree of its use isn't as bad. It seems less obtrusive to me on a largely non-vocal album like BRASS ARE COMIN', but comes off as a real spoiler on the FOOL ON THE HILL album.

I agree with Neil though about the A&M version of "Raindrops..." being bad. Better is the actual hit version that I heard on radio back then, the Scepter Records mix.

The single worst example of CSG processing I've ever heard though remains the Carpenters' single version of "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town." It's really annoying there.

Harry
NP: the Scepter version of "Raindrops..." - B.J.Thomas
 
Herb's singing on "I've Grown Accustomed to her Face" is probably the most effective on any of his tracks. Matches the mood perfectly.

And isn't fouled up by stupid processing....
 
TonyCurrie said:
Herb's singing on "I've Grown Accustomed to her Face" is probably the most effective on any of his tracks. Matches the mood perfectly.

And isn't fouled up by stupid processing....

That's one of the reasons that I like Midnight Sun - it's a pretty naked album soundwise. No reverb, no technical doodads, just a flat-out straight recording.


Capt. Bacardi
 
I agree with The Captain about Midnight Sun...an amazing, low-key, easy-going album.

Jon
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom