Monday, January 24, 2011

Chi Coltrane



Chi Coltrane - Chi Coltrane
Columbia KC 31275 (1972) - US LP


Side One

1 - Thunder And Lightning
2 - Goodbye John
3 - You Were My Friend
4 - Turn Me Around
5 - Go Like Elijah
6 - The Tree

Side Two

7 - Feelin’ Good
8 - It’s Really Come To This
9 - I Will Not Dance
10 - Time To Come In*
11 - The Wheel Of Life

Notes: 1) At the bottom of entry is the official 1972 promotional biography from Columbia Records. This was not originally included in the album package. 2) Album does not come with track-by-track credits for percussion players.

Chi Coltrane - Vocals, Piano, Organ
Lee Sklar (as Lee Sklaar) - Bass (10)*
Larry Knechtel - Bass
Steve Lefever - Bass
Jim Gordon - Drums
Ron Tutt - Drums (10)
Ben Benay - Guitar
Dean Parks - Guitar
King Errisson - Congas (as King Erison)
Victor Feldman - Percussion
The Billy Barnum Chorus - Choir

Produced by Toxey French for Just Us Productions

Chi Coltrane - Song Arrangements
Toxey French - Song Arrangements
Jim Horn - Horn Arrangements
Paul Buckmaster - String Arrangements, Woodwind Arrangements
Sid Sharp - Concert Master

Eric Prestidge - Recording Engineer, Mixing Engineer
Miguel Morales - Recordist
Willie Greer - Recordist

Mixing Studio:
Armin Steiner’s Sound Labs, Inc.

Mastering Studio:
Artisan Sound Recorders

Baron Wolman - Front Cover Photo
Beverly Parker - Back Cover Photo
Virginia Team - Design

“Chi is pronounced, “shy.””.

Official 1972 Biography from Columbia Records

“Chi Coltrane’s involvement with music goes back much further than would make for interesting biographical material, so let us essentially begin at the beginning of 1971. The only facts you might be interested in from her past are that she was born 23 years ago in Racine, Wisconsin, and is a completely self-taught musician. Also, that Chi (pronounced “shy”) Coltrane is her real name. // At the beginning of the year 1971, Chi had her own rock group called “Chicago Coltrane”. They had been together for a couple of years when she came to the decision that she could best express herself artistically performing as a single. She turned the group over to one of the musicians and set out on her own. The rest of her story happened so fast that when she achieves stardom, as certain she will, it is going to appear like one of those overnight success stories. In reality, it has taken her her entire lifetime. Chi began appearing around Chicago as a solo performer and in a matter of a couple of months, had developed an amazing following. // more… // At that time, she was performing other peoples’ material, (i. e. Elton John, Beatles, John Fogerty, etc.) but re-arranging them so that they sounded as if they were written for her. This led to her trying her hand at writing her own material. The first song she wrote was, “It’s Really Come To This” which was copyrighted on April 29, 1971. In the short space of nine months, she wrote some twenty songs, eleven of which are represented on her first Columbia album. As you will hear when you listen to this album, Chi Coltrane is a special talent. She possesses an enormous writing talent, a completely distinctive vocal style, and is an excellent pianist to boot.”.

Songwriter:
Chi Coltrane




Chi Coltrane - 1972 Columbia promotional picture



source/pics: my records

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Charlene (Charlene Duncan)

Lee’s work with Charlene is linked to a number of albums that have been released with a peculiar paucity of production details. The LPs in question may indeed appear as a kind of experiment in the art of progressive repackaging. An eponymous first album was issued in 1976 and reissued the following year with one song substitution, some editing and a different title. Five years later, three selections that had been on both of these records were once again released as part of a new LP, with seven new cuts to round the album off. Some credits for the players involved were finally included in the sleeve notes, but they were not exhaustive and did not specify who played what in which tracks, nor in what period of time.

You will notice among the following credits the name of legendary sound engineer Eirik Wangberg (Erik The Norwegian). Mr. Wangberg was so kind as to supply some production details and invaluable hints as to the recording and mixing process behind these LPs. He was particularly specific, indicating that the sonic differences I spotted while comparing those tracks the albums have in common could be due to various degrees of intervention which do not necessarily imply remixing: some cuts might have been compressed during new mastering, some editing could have been done on the same mix, some old (previous) mix could have been used, etc. He suggested I should draw my own conclusions on the question of remixes.

These sonic differences have been pointed out track by track in the bottom notes while some general structural differences are indicated near the song titles in the track lists. My heartfelt thanks go to Mr. Eirik Wangberg and to whomever will want to make additions. You may visit Mr. Wangberg’s website at www.eirikwangberg.com.




Charlene Duncan - Charlene
Prodigal P610015S1 (1976) - US LP


Side One

1 - It Ain’t Easy Comin’ Down - split on coda
2 - I’ve Never Been To Me - spoken voiceover on break
3 - Rings
4 - Somewhere In My Life
5 - I Want To Come Back As A Song

Side Two

6 - Hey Mama - full fade-out
7 - I Love Every Little Thing About You
8 - It’s Really Nice To Be In Love Again
9 - Shake A Hand
10 - On My Way To You

Notes: 1) Album is credited to Charlene Duncan, but only on sleeve spine. Label does not mention the surname Duncan. 2) Album was partially reissued in 1977 with the title “Songs Of Love” (see entry below) with new song “Freddie” substituted for old track “Shake A Hand” and different track order. 3) Track 2 comes with same structure as later 1982 re-release: it has a spoken voiceover on a 6-measure instrumental break before final verse. 4) Sound engineer Eirik Wangberg is credited only as mixing engineer while, in fact, he was also the recording engineer for all of the album material, with the exception of track 1, for which he only recorded the vocals. 5) According to Mr. Wangberg, although he sometimes worked at Motown Studios, the actual recording studios for the album were Sound Labs Studios in Hollywood. 6) According to some web sources there exists a version of this album entitled “It Ain’t Easy Comin’ Down” with same track order. Apart from being mentioned in Wikipedia, this piece of info has not been verifiable so far, as not a single copy of such edition is to be found for sale nor a single image of it appears anywhere on the web. 7) While Berry Gordy is thanked in the sleeve notes (as B.G.), he is not credited as executive producer. He will be on the 1977 “Songs Of Love” partial re-release (see entry below). 8) Album does not come with musician credits.

Charlene - Vocals

Produced by Ron Miller (1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10)
Produced by Ron Miller, Berry Gordy, Don Costa (2)
Produced by Clayton Ivey, Terry Woodford & Mike Lewis for Wishbone Inc. (3)
Produced by Larry Duncan (7)
Produced by Bob Gaudio (9)

Ken Hirsch - Arrangements (1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10)
Gene Page - Arrangements (1, 4, 5, 10)
Don Costa - Arrangement (2)
Clayton Ivey - Arrangement (3)
Terry Woodford - Arrangement (3)
Mike Lewis - Arrangement (3)
Dennis Provisor - Arrangement (7)
David Blumberg - Arrangement (9)

Eirik Wangberg - Mixing Engineer (as “Eirik The Norwegian” Wangberg)

Recording Studio:
Motown Recording Studio, Hollywood, California 90028

Greg Morton - Master Engineer

Personal Management: Nancy Lynn Leiviska, 15515 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades 90272

Carl Overr - Graphics Director
Charles Bush - Photography
Nikki Oliver - Clothes By

“Special thanks to Ron Miller for your patience, Kenny for your sweet melodies, Eirik for that special touch, Larry for the years I will always remember, Nancy for believing in “big dreams,” Chadney for understanding your Mom, and thank you Sister, Mom & Dad. // A very special thanks to “the Wizard” whose presence is mystical, whose wisdom is so valuable and whose time is precious. Thank you B.G.”.

Songwriters:
Carol Carmichael
Alex Harvey
Ken Hirsch
Ron Miller
Eddie Reeves
Stevie Wonder




source/pic: my records



Charlene - Songs Of Love
Prodigal P610018S1 (1977) - US LP


Side One

1 - It Ain’t Easy Comin’ Down - same 1976 mix, split on coda
2 - I’ve Never Been To Me - edit version (no spoken voiceover, shorter break)
3 - Rings
4 - Somewhere In My Life
5 - Hey Mama - shortest fade-out

Side Two

6 - Freddie - new track
7 - I Love Every Little Thing About You
8 - It’s Really Nice To Be In Love Again
9 - I Want To Come Back As A Song
10 - On My Way To You

Notes: 1) As is also indicated on sleeve notes, album is a partial reissue of the “Charlene” LP (see entry above), with new song “Freddie” substituted for old track “Shake A Hand” and different track order. 2) Track 2 comes with no voice-over in the instrumental break. Break itself is 4-measure and not 6-measure long. 3) Track 5 has a much shorter fade-out than on the 1976 LP. Other than that, version of song is the same. 4) Sound engineer Eirik Wangberg is credited only as mixing engineer while, in fact, he was also the recordist for all of the album material, with the exception of track 1, for which he only recorded the vocals. 5) According to Mr. Wangberg, although he sometimes worked at Motown Studios, the actual recording studios for the album were Sound Labs Studios in Hollywood. 6) Arrangement of track 7 is credited to James Carmichael and Larry Duncan and not to Dennis Provisor as was the case for the 1976 LP. Yet, version of song is the same. 7) Album does not come with musician credits.

Charlene - Vocals

Produced by Ron Miller (1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
Produced by Ron Miller, Berry Gordy & Don Costa (2)
Produced by Clayton Ivey, Terry Woodford & Mike Lewis for Wishbone, Inc. (3)
Produced by Larry Duncan (7)
Berry Gordy - Executive Producer

Ken Hirsch - Arrangements (1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
Gene Page - Arrangements (1, 4, 9, 10)
Don Costa - Arrangement (2)
Clayton Ivey - Arrangement (3)
Terry Woodford - Arrangement (3)
Mike Lewis - Arrangement (3)
James Carmichael - Arrangement (7)
Larry Duncan - Arrangement (7)

Eirik Wangberg - Mixing Engineer (as Eirik “The Norwegian” Wangberg)

Recording Studio:
Motown Recording Studios, Hollywood, California

Frank DeLuna - Mastering Engineer

Mastering Studio:
A&M Studios, Hollywood, California

Personal Management: Nancy Lynn Leiviska, 15515 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

Patrick Nagel - Illustration (as Pat Nagel)
Carl Overr - Graphics Director

“(Portions of this album previously released under the title “Charlene” P6-10015S1)”.

“Special thanks to Ron Miller for his patience, Kenny for his sweet melodies, Eirik for that special touch, Larry for the years I will always remember, Nancy for believing in “big dreams,” Chadney for understanding her Mom and thank you, Sister, Mom & Dad. // A very special thanks to the “Wizard” whose presence is mystical, whose wisdom is so valuable and whose time is precious. Thank you B.G.”.

Songwriters:
Alex Harvey
Ken Hirsch
Ron Miller
Eddie Reeves
Stevie Wonder




source/pic: my records



Charlene - I’ve Never Been To Me
Motown 6009ML (1982) - US LP


Side One

1 - I’ve Never Been To Me - 1976 version
2 - It Ain’t Easy Comin’ Down - alternate sound positioning, no split on coda
3 - Can’t We Try - new song
4 - Hungry - new song
5 - Hey Mama - medium fade-out

Side Two

6 - I Won’t Remember Ever Loving You - new song
7 - Johnny Doesn’t Love Here Anymore - new song
8 - After The Ball - new song
9 - I Need A Man - new song
10 - If I Could See Myself - new song

Notes: 1) Album is a 1982 new release with three tracks (1, 2, 5) taken from the 1976 “Charlene” and 1977 “Songs Of Love” albums (see entries above). 2) Track 1 is same version as on 1976 LP. 3) Track 2 is probably a remixed version with some differences in stereo positioning and a different coda structure (see notes below). 4) There are or might be some blatant discrepancies, as far as credits go, emerging from the comparison of these three separate LPs. I have limited myself to reproducing what the credit notes read and have no responsibility for these. 5) Album does not come with track-by-track musician credits. 6) Canadian pressing on Motown M6009 comes with a different cover art and some more technical credits, but still no track-by-track musician credits. This alternate cover art was later adopted for CD re-releases. Whether it is specific of the Canadian release or if it was also adopted for US LP releases it is unbeknownst to me. 7) Tech credits (only on Canada release) list Eirik Wangberg as recording engineer and Russ Terrana as mixing engineer. According to Mr. Wangberg, both recording and mixing for the previous and current LP tracks were done by him, with the exception of “It Ain’t Easy Comin’ Down” for which he was the mixing engineer and the recording engineer for the vocals only.

Charlene - Vocals
Leland Sklar - Bass
Wilton Felder - Bass
Ed Greene - Drums
Lee Ritenour - Guitar
Ben Benay - Guitar
Art Munson - Guitar (as Artie Munson)
Jay Graydon - Guitar
Ken Hirsch - Piano
Reginald “Sonny” Burke - Electric Piano
Gary Coleman - Percussion

Produced by Ron Miller, Berry Gordy & Don Costa (1)

Don Costa - Arrangement (1)
Ken Hirsch - Arrangements (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), Rhythm Arrangements (2, 3)
Gene Page - String Arrangements, Horn Arrangements
Ron Miller - Background Vocal Arrangements
Charlene - Background Vocal Arrangements

Johnny Lee - Art Direction
Terry Taylor - Design

“Some selections have been previously released.”.

US LP Additional Credits

Sue Reilly - Photo Tinting

Canada LP Additional Credits

Eirik Wangberg - Recording Engineer
Russ Terrana - Mixing Engineer
Fred Law - Assistant Engineer
John Matousek - Mastering Engineer

Richard Haughton - Photography

Track 6:
“(For Tommy Baird)”.

Songwriters:
Ken Hirsch
Ron Miller




“I‘ve Never Been To Me” - Canada LP - alternate cover art



source/pics: my records

Main Sonic/Structural Differences of Shared Songs

“I've Never Been To Me”

Instrumental break
1976/1982 - 6 measures with spoken voice-over.
1977 - 4 measures without spoken voice-over.

Coda
1976/1982 - Shorter coda as fade-out has 4 repeated blocks, with last audible phrase before total fade-out: “…who could have made me complete”.
1977 - Longer coda as fade-out has 5 repeated blocks, with last audible phrase before total fade-out: “…anywhere I could run, I've been to paradise”.

Drums
1976/1982 - Stereo positioning of snare plus general high-end of drum-kit towards right channel/drums volume seems somewhat louder in mix.
1977 - Stereo positioning of snare plus general high-end of drum-kit towards left channel/drums volume seems somewhat softer in mix.

Vocals
Vocal performance seems to be the same in all of the three mixes with what could be a punch-in on 2nd stanza right at the start of the “(…) Cause I have this need to tell you (…)” line.

“Hey Mama”

Effects
1982 mix has higher level of reverb than the 1976 and 1977 cuts.

Coda
1976 - chorus sung 4 times, fades out completely just before 4th modulation.
1977 - chorus sung 3 times, fades out completely one second earlier than 1982.
1982 - chorus sung 3 times, fades out completely one second later than 1977.

“It Ain't Easy Comin' Down”

Tremolo
(On intro and before 2nd stanza) It is softer in volume on 1982 mix but stereo positioning is the same (left).

Instrumental break
1976/1977 - 8 measures, first 4 without drums/strings over electric bass solo bits have no chorus effect.
1982 - 8 measures, first 4 without drums/strings over electric bass solo bits do have added chorus effect.

Coda
1976/1977 - After instrumental break, Charlene sings an almost complete chorus up to “…but suddenly I found it's comin' - ” then the verse is truncated and it segues straight into the phrase “Ain't easy comin' down, no it…” sung 4 times until total fade-out.
1982 - After instrumental break the chorus part has been edited out and Charlene sings “It ain't easy comin' down, no it…” for 6 and a half times before total fade-out.

Drums
1976/1977 - Stereo positioning of rim-shots plus general high end of drum-kit is towards left.
1982 - Stereo positioning of rim-shots plus general high end of drum-kit is towards right.

Vocals
Different type of reverb on 1982 mix than 1976/1977.

Mary Macgregor



Mary Macgregor - In Your Eyes
Ariola America SW50025 (1978) - US LP


Side One

1 - Memories
2 - Alone Too Long*
3 - If You Ever Believed
4 - Satisfied
5 - In Your Eyes

Side Two

6 - Hold Tight
7 - Just The Way You Are*
8 - Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
9 - Seashells On The Windows, Candles And A Magic Stone
10 - I’ve Never Been To Me

Mary Macgregor - Vocals
Leland Sklar - Bass (2, 7)*
Mike Porcaro - Bass (as Michael Porcaro and Michael J. Porcaro)
Reinie Press - Bass (as Rheinhold Press and Rheinhold O. Press)
Bobby Martone - Bass
Jeff Porcaro - Drums (as Jeffrey T. Porcaro)
Jim Gordon - Drums (2, 7, 8, 10)
Ed Greene - Drums (as Edward Greene)
Wilbert Dugas - Drums
Jay Graydon - Guitar
Fred Tackett - Guitar (as Fred O. Tackett)
Ben Benay - Guitar
Thom Rotella - Guitar
Lee Ritenour - Guitar
Doug MacLeod - Guitar
John J. Barnes, Jr. - Piano
Artie Butler - Keyboard (as Arthur Butler)
Michael A. Lang - Keyboard
David Foster (as David W. Foster) - Piano, Keyboard
Harold T.J. Smith - Piano, Keyboard
Tabatt Laven - Banjo
Bud Shank - Sax (as Bud E. Shank)
James Atkinson - Brass and Horns
Ernest S. Carlson - Brass and Horns
Marion (Buddy) Childers - Brass and Horns
Gene Cipriano - Brass and Horns
John Ellis - Brass and Horns
Jerry Hey - Brass and Horns
Dick “Slyde” Hyde - Brass and Horns (as Dick Hyde)
Steve Madaio - Brass and Horns (as Steven P. Madaio)
Richard L. Noel - Brass and Horns
William B. Peterson - Brass and Horns
Gale Robinson - Brass and Horns
Sheridon Stokes - Brass and Horns
Ernie Watts - Brass and Horns (as Ernest J. Watts)
Robert Yeager - Brass and Horns
Murray Adler - Strings
Israel Baker - Strings
Arnola Belnick - Strings
Samuel Boghossian - Strings
Isabelle Daskoff - Strings
Harold J. Dicterow - Strings
Arni Egilsson - Strings
Jesse Ehrlich - Strings
Henry Ferber - Strings
Ronald Folsom - Strings
James Getzoff - Strings
Harris Goldman - Strings
Pamela Goldsmith - Strings
Jack Gootkin - Strings
Debbie Grossman - Strings
Allan Harshman - Strings
Armand Kaproff - Strings
Dennis Karmazyn - Strings
Richard S. Kaufman - Strings
Raymond J. Kelley - Strings
Jerome A. Kessler - Strings
Myra S. Kestenbaum - Strings
Mark G. Kovacs - Strings
Bernard Kundell - Strings
William Kurasch - Strings
Marvin Limonick - Strings
Joy Lyle - Strings
Peter A. Mercurio - Strings
David Montago - Strings
Michael Nowak - Strings
Rheinhold O. Press - Strings
Jay A. Rosen - Strings
Nathan Ross - Strings
Henry L. Roth - Strings
David Schwartz - Strings
Sid Sharp - Strings (as Sidney Sharp)
Daniel Shindaryov - Strings
Harry L. Shultz - Strings
Linn Subotnick - Strings
Ilkka Talvi - Strings
Hershel Wise - Strings
Tibor Zelig - Strings
Shari Zippert - Strings
Joe Ghiglia - Hambone
Victor Feldman (also as Victor S. Feldman) - Percussion (1, 2, 4, 6, 7), Vibes
Alan Estes - Percussion (as Alan C. Estes)
Alexandra Brown - Background Singer
Stephanie Spruill - Background Singer
Ann White - Background Singer

Produced by Tom Catalano

Al Capps - Arranger (1, 4, 6, 8, 10), Conductor (1, 4, 6, 8, 10)
Artie Butler - Arranger (2, 7), Conductor (2, 7)
Lee Holdridge - Arranger (3, 9), Conductor (3, 9)
Mary Macgregor’s Band - Arrangement (5)

Armin Steiner - Engineer
Linda Tyler - Assistant Engineer

Mike Reese - Mastering Engineer

Bob Cato - Designer, Photographer
Tony Costa - Photographer

“special thanks… to Tommy… for the most fun I’ve had in the studio… and to my beloved Boodie, who has always believed… all my love, Mary”.

Songwriters:
David Bluefield
Elizabeth Dasheff
Stephen Dorff (as Steve Dorff)
David Gates
Andrew Goldmark
Joe Henry
Ken Hirsch (as Kenny Hirsch)
Mark James
Billy Joel
Amy Johnson
Ron Miller
Alan O’Day
Marty Rodgers
James Taylor
Cynthia Weil




source/pic: my records

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Sundance Film Festival 2011 - “Troubadours” Documentary



Morgan Neville’s documentary “Troubadours” will be premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, taking place from January 20 to January 30 in Park City, Utah. The film, scheduled for competition in the U.S. Documentary section of the festival, chronicles the history of the legendary West Hollywood venue, Doug Weston’s Troubadour club, focusing on the relationship between two of its principal mainstays, James Taylor and Carole King. Emblems of the singer-songwriter movement that emerged in full bloom at the end of the Sixties, Taylor and King performed together at the Troubadour right at the beginning of their solo careers. In 2007, they got reunited on that very same stage for a series of shows celebrating the 40-year anniversary of the club. The concerts spawned a critically acclaimed and commercially successful US tour, and a CD/DVD of the originating event (see the Carole King & James Taylor entry in the Blog Archive under 2010 June). Morgan Neville’s documentary seeks to recapture the cultural zeitgeist associated with Doug Weston’s club weaving together a combination of different material, from rare performances to archival footage and interviews. Besides Taylor and King, the film is populated by many other musicians who have been part of the Troubadour scene in its heyday and who now contribute their insights about that golden era of the singer-songwriter movement: from Jackson Browne to Kris Kristofferson to Elton John, to name but a few. The documentary features contributions by Lee, as well as Danny Kortchmar and Russ Kunkel, and establishment luminaries like producer Lou Adler and rock critic Robert Christgau. You can check out the screenings calendar, some info and a short interview video about “Troubadours” on the Sundance Film Festival 2001 webstite, or just click on the following link to be redirected.

http://sundance.slated.com/2011/films/troubadours_sundance2011