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Posted by MarkyMark77 on 06-07-2007 at09:08:

  DA Sessionography

Would there be any possible way to begin work on a detailed sessionography for Daniel Amos? It would take a lot of work, to be sure, but if fans helped out entering info, could it be something that could be a part of this site? There's already a basic sessionography in the history section, so maybe that would be a start.

I'm just thinking about the book "The Beatles Recording Sessions" and how I poured over that when I first bought it.

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Posted by Audiori J on 06-07-2007 at09:33:

 

The main problem is the band members at times have vague memories and the multitracks have notes but they are really not all that helpful. The notes from the multitracks pretty much just tell what is on each track and when the entire song was either started or finished. I mean its sort of like this;

Don't Light Your Own Fire
Oct 1975
Track 1: Main Vocal
Track 2: Guitar
Track 3: Harmonies
Track 4: Percussion
etc

Some don't even have a date at all. Unlike the Beatles sessions, not everything was journaled very well. I guess its possible the studios have session data, if they even still exist. Green Room is gone, not sure about Whitefield Studio, or Mama Jo's.

We've tried to dig up as much information as we can, if you guys dig up anything send it on, we will add it.

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Posted by wes berlin on 06-07-2007 at10:55:

 

i am not sure about whitefield but mamma jos is still around.

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Posted by voxrob on 06-07-2007 at18:35:

  RE: DA Sessionography

I thought about this a long time ago. The advantage the Beatles had was that they worked for one label at, primarily, one studio. This is not even close to the case with DA. If you could track down the studios from the 70s until now, they might have the information in written form, possibly, who knows. I imagine some studios do not exist anymore or have changed names/owners. I remember trying to track down that studio used by DA when they were with MM! ("White-something" as I recall), but didn't find anything. That says nothing about the relatively private studios that are frequently used now.

One other contrast with the Beatles project was that Lewisohn was able to listen to the tapes and document what he heard. I have hoped that something like that exists still, some of which might appear on the deluxe CDs being worked on (or even on very specialized releases: "Shotgun Angel Sessions"), but what exists might be very haphazard. Unless someone was a real packrat it's difficult to imagine that there are hours and hours of session tapes from even one album, let alone most/all.

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Posted by Audiori J on 06-07-2007 at20:45:

 

Maranatha Studios became Whitefield Studios. Some of the older albums tracking sheets are from Mama Jo's, I think maybe the first album is.

When it comes to tapes and reel to reels, there is a ton of stuff. So much that it is stored in many different places. Unfortunately not even all of them are labeled all that well. I know the multitrack for "Little Things" and "Off My Mind" has those two tracks listed and then just says "Etc", which I believe is "So Certain" judging from the que sheet that is also unlabeled. I don't think the guys were too intent on documenting anything other than what was necessary for mixing or mastering.

The Green Room still had an analogue 24 track recorder they used on Buechners, it can be seen in some shots durring the DVD. Most of the albums prior to Buechner were done in analogue 24 track, then mastered down to a mastering reel. I believe Neverland studios, is all digital recording, at least that is how it looked to us when we happened to be in Nashville at one time.

Strangely enough Vox Humana was recorded in 8 track instead of 24 track.

I maybe wrong, but it seems at Whitefield, Green Room and probably at Neverland there isn't a lot of logging and documenting other than what is necissary such as keeping track of what is on each track.

Another difference with a band such as the Beatles is that they often recorded 20 takes of some songs, where DA had at times not recorded anything but one take. They may have demos of songs, but in the studio it seems its usually one take. There is a master of three versions of "Happily Married Man", we thought about putting the other two versions on the reissue of the first album. But they really sound so similar its almost impossible to tell a difference.

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Posted by wes berlin on 06-07-2007 at22:27:

 

quote:

Originally posted by Audiori J I maybe wrong, but it seems at Whitefield, Green Room and probably at Neverland there isn't a lot of logging and documenting other than what is necissary such as keeping track of what is on each track.

no, that sounds very accurate.

it's very funny that some people have this idea (or dream) that everything is documented as if every string change is noted in the illustrious recording log. it usually doesn't happen. in situations with a "major" band, like the beatles, remember there are many many people there....assistants, engineers, producer and who knows who else. it much easier to see them documenting everytake in that situation unlike da's where every moment counts.

at least that's how it seems to me.

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Posted by Audiori J on 06-07-2007 at23:10:

 

Yeah the que sheet cards that come with each tape are pretty vague. Like I said, I think they just use them to keep track of where stuff is recorded for mixing. The Shotgun Angel ones have a lot of faces drawn all over them though. And if I am not mistaken, "Steely Dan Amos" written across the top.

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Posted by voxrob on 06-26-2007 at17:32:

  sessionography

>>"in situations with a "major" band, like the beatles, remember there are many many people there....assistants, engineers, producer and who knows who else. it much easier to see them documenting everytake in that situation unlike da's where every moment counts."

If you've read Geoff Emerick's book, you will know another reason. EMI in the early 60s was a very stodgy, persnickety place. The engineers were still wearing white lab coats. Yes, they wrote everything down -- that was just the culture. It was probably a hassle but proved useful for docmenting what happened.

I recently ran across the title of a book of Dylan sessions. I wonder what that is like and what they were able to glean.

However, I should mention, that in Lewisohn's book, it is not simply regurgitating the notes and logs. Many of the session tapes were still around -- he could hear take 1, break down -- take two, mistake in the outro, take 3... etc. and could write it down. Final mixes might have been a combination of two or more takes -- which was written down and a person might even be able to hear. Now, in the case of DA, it's possible some of that stuff is around, but I doubt it's much.